Are you a resident of Camas or Eugene? If so, congratulations, you’re in one of the best places to live in America.
That’s according to a 2024 list by personal finance website Money, which considered basic livability factors like affordability, good schools and strong job markets, as well as “places with a palpable spirit, nurtured and sustained by engaged citizens and receptive public officials.”
The unranked list of 50 places includes big cities such as Atlanta and Detroit alongside small hamlets such as Media, Pennsylvania. It features only the two cities in Oregon and Washington, though Boise and Sacramento are in there, too. Camas was featured in the “Best Kept Secrets” category, while Eugene was included in “Not Just College Towns.”
Camas, on the Washington side of the Columbia River just east of Vancouver, is still centered on a paper mill that was built in 1883 and today is operated by Georgia Pacific. The charming downtown is home to a number of locally owned shops and restaurants, with a surprisingly robust trail network nearby.
The town’s location near the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge offers easy access to natural attractions such as the Cape Horn Lookout, Beacon Rock State Park and the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Money hailed the town for its “big commitment to revitalize its downtown while paying homage to its historic past,” highlighting work by the Downtown Camas Association following the 2008 recession.
“Today, the tree-lined streets of downtown Camas form a vibrant, walkable community that’s teeming with life,” Money said in its writeup. “You can find locals dining outdoors at Natalia’s Cafe, an old school diner famous for its home-cooked breakfast, sipping merlot at Camas Cellars and perusing the ever-changing art at the Attic Gallery.”
Eugene, meanwhile, was celebrated as “a haven for free spirits and creative minds” with “an eclectic counterculture that thrives right alongside its academic scene.” That’s a pretty fair assessment given the two things that come top of mind when talking about Eugene: the University of Oregon and the Oregon Country Fair.
Money highlighted the Hult Center for the Performing Arts alongside eclectic dance club The Big Dirty and nonprofit venue the WOW Hall, while shouting out the town’s visual arts scene and street murals. And while the writeup conspicuously omitted the Oregon Country Fair (cowards!), it did include the Oregon Truffle Festival, Oregon Festival of American Music and the Oregon Asian Celebration.
It’s true, there are a lot of things to do in Eugene, from local trails to museums and wildlife preserves. The city also has a robust dining scene and, like many places in Oregon, is renowned for its craft breweries and tap houses. There are also a number of scenic day trips you can take from the city, another factor that apparently helped it land on Money’s 2024 list.
“Outside the city, this corner of the Willamette Valley provides quick access to hot springs, waterfalls, beaches and forests — all of which make the perfect backdrop for a weekend adventure,” Money wrote – though it is worth noting that’s true of nearly every city in the Pacific Northwest.
©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
