[bryanmcree]

Hello,

I plan to take a job which will require me to work out of my home state (from California). I will be working in Grants Pass, Oregon (Near Medford). I will be stationed there between 9-12 months.

Do I need to have my driver's license changed to Oregon, and also do I need to have my car's registration changed as well?

Unfortunately no housing will be provided so I plan to live in a hotel (long term) rather than rent an apartment. Wouldn't have to worry about getting furnitures, cable, internet etc.

[bimmette]

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/page...ve_travel.aspx

[Maynard]

I'd use it as an excuse to move to Canada and commute down. But seriously, when I was there, rural parts of Oregon were REAL rural and a particular kind of redneck insular style. Quite a culture shock from other paces I'd stayed on the West coast (Portland, Corvalis, Santa Cruz).

[NEFARIOUS]

My dad used to live in Oregon:
* You can hang onto your license as a non-resident for as long as you want, the hotel part makes for a nice gray area, but definitely DO NOT change your registration; getting it re-registered back to CA is going to be an arm and a leg... I tried to inherit his truck but it was going to be in the thousands for a 2005 Dodge Dakota and the process was a pain in the ass... That's one reason why I ended up with my E90.

* If you don't mind being a roommate or just plain renting a furnished room, AirBNB might be a cheaper run; even a motel in the middle of nowhere was $60 a day, but the average rent for a furnished room with private bath is about $500-600 a month or so with the same confining nature of a hotel .

[bryanmcree]

Originally Posted by NEFARIOUS

My dad used to live in Oregon:
* You can hang onto your license as a non-resident for as long as you want, the hotel part makes for a nice gray area, but definitely DO NOT change your registration; getting it re-registered back to CA is going to be an arm and a leg... I tried to inherit his truck but it was going to be in the thousands for a 2005 Dodge Dakota and the process was a pain in the ass... That's one reason why I ended up with my E90.

* If you don't mind being a roommate or just plain renting a furnished room, AirBNB might be a cheaper run; even a motel in the middle of nowhere was $60 a day, but the average rent for a furnished room with private bath is about $500-600 a month or so with the same confining nature of a hotel .

Thanks for the info! Did your dad tell you what it was like living in Oregon?

[NEFARIOUS]

Originally Posted by bryanmcree

Thanks for the info! Did your dad tell you what it was like living in Oregon?

He was mostly in the Portland metro area, which is definitely different from the Southern area, but only stayed in Grants Pass for about 5 months with no ill feelings.

Grants Pass usually has a climate similar to NorCal, but the Portland area (where he lived) is leaps and bounds more likely to have rain/gloomy weather, but in either case temperatures above 80 aren't likely in the summer, and snow is pretty rare, but there WILL be higher chances of ice.

Most denizens are either the most ignorant rednecks (my Hong Kongese stepmom has gotten picked on a few times) or staunchly liberal tree-huggers with Subies and Prii everywhere, and some places splitting the trash 3 ways (trash, compost, recyclable), but both tend to dislike Californians mostly due them being the most frequent source of newcomers that jack up their housing prices, as well as stereotypes about our culture.

My experience driving there teaches me that people stick very strictly to speed limits, but then again as you're a fellow SoCaler, you know most of us drive 70 in a 65 or even 55 and still get tail-gated, so I had a hard time getting used to doing 65 in a 65 with no room to pass everyone as they are going the same speed or lower, but they're pretty good at staying in the right lane.

Another aspect of car culture is that due to an antiquated law that was never repealed, but also kept around to retain jobs: You're not allowed to pump your own gas, it must be done by an attendant, regardless of the fact that you're 55 (like my dad was before he passed) and has been pumping his own gas since he was 12 (he used to ride motorcycles in the Palm Desert as a kid).

[UncleWede]

Prii, that is BRILLIANT!

[bryanmcree]

Originally Posted by NEFARIOUS

He was mostly in the Portland metro area, which is definitely different from the Southern area, but only stayed in Grants Pass for about 5 months with no ill feelings.

Grants Pass usually has a climate similar to NorCal, but the Portland area (where he lived) is leaps and bounds more likely to have rain/gloomy weather, but in either case temperatures above 80 aren't likely in the summer, and snow is pretty rare, but there WILL be higher chances of ice.

Most denizens are either the most ignorant rednecks (my Hong Kongese stepmom has gotten picked on a few times) or staunchly liberal tree-huggers with Subies and Prii everywhere, and some places splitting the trash 3 ways (trash, compost, recyclable), but both tend to dislike Californians mostly due them being the most frequent source of newcomers that jack up their housing prices, as well as stereotypes about our culture.

My experience driving there teaches me that people stick very strictly to speed limits, but then again as you're a fellow SoCaler, you know most of us drive 70 in a 65 or even 55 and still get tail-gated, so I had a hard time getting used to doing 65 in a 65 with no room to pass everyone as they are going the same speed or lower, but they're pretty good at staying in the right lane.

Another aspect of car culture is that due to an antiquated law that was never repealed, but also kept around to retain jobs: You're not allowed to pump your own gas, it must be done by an attendant, regardless of the fact that you're 55 (like my dad was before he passed) and has been pumping his own gas since he was 12 (he used to ride motorcycles in the Palm Desert as a kid).

Wow! thanks for all the info!

I'm only going to be there 12 months max and you provided me information that will go a long way!

I'm curious if you have to tip the gas attendant?

[EALm4]

Originally Posted by bryanmcree

I'm curious if you have to tip the gas attendant?

I'm wondering about this too. NJ has the same law and while I've been there a few times, I never had to gas up until a month ago. Reached for the pump and the guy was like whoaaa man I gotta pump it. I was like wtF. I ended up just giving him a dollar in change.

[NEFARIOUS]

Originally Posted by bryanmcree

Wow! thanks for all the info!

I'm only going to be there 12 months max and you provided me information that will go a long way!

I'm curious if you have to tip the gas attendant?

You don't have to tip, nor will they expect you to tip...

Funny story though: My dad didn't tell me that you don't pump your own gas, so my first time driving up there (prior to that I always flew in and my dad usually never had to visit a gas station while I was there)... My first encounter was with an old guy with a scraggly beard standing next to the gas cap, and I thought he was just a homeless person trying to get creative with panhandling until I saw his worn-out uniform, but I still thought I was getting hustled...

But then it dawned on me that this was not some ritzy neighborhood, it was actually out in the middle of BF Egypt (keep in mind the only time I saw full service was in Beverly Hills and other upscale neighborhoods), so something had to give... Then I pull into another gas station: Same thing, but at least the attendant looked neater.

However, even with an attendant, gas is about $0.30-0.50/gal cheaper than CA.

[BEM-S4]

Biggest change for you will be filing your taxes but otherwise no need to do anything special.