I grew up in Eugene, Oregon. This is a town in western Oregon. It is located in the most southern end of the Willamette Valley
between two buttes.
The below is a picture of Eugene taken on a crisp, clear Winter's day from Skinner's Butte (the butte to the North). You can see
Spencer's Butte off in
the distance and Eugene is in between. I grew up in a neighborhood that is on the left side of the picture.
Nearby is the University
of Oregon. Willamette street runs almost directly down the middle of the picture. This is more or less
main street for Eugene and is
where the downtown it located. The ocean beaches are about sixty miles to the right.
Eugene is a wonderful community that is in many ways very similar to Santa Cruz, California (this is near where we live right now).
It is a university town of about 100,000 or so with a diverse economy. It is refreshingly urban for Oregon but still retains a little of
it's rural feel even though it's the second largest city in Oregon.
I miss Eugene and wish that I had reason to spend more time there. Most of my family and friends have relocated. I am not sure
why. I think maybe the biggest reason for our departure is that as you might expect with a community with this character, there
aren't enough jobs for all the people who want to live there. So we've all moved on. But I have a rich past in Eugene and I will
always be proud to proclaim it as my home town.