Why I’m Moving Back to Oregon to Build a Family Estate
There comes a point in life when you stop asking yourself what looks impressive and start asking what actually matters. For me, that question has led me back to Oregon. I’m 47, single, and at a stage of life where I’m thinking less about accumulating experiences and more about building something that can outlive me. I don’t want my greatest accomplishment to be a collection of possessions, photographs or stories. I want land, a home, productive gardens, meaningful work and, eventually, a family that has somewhere to put down roots. That is the idea behind my plan to return to Oregon and build a family estate. Why Oregon? There is something about Oregon that makes the idea of slowing down and building particularly attractive to me. The Willamette Valley, especially the area between Corvallis and Eugene, offers a combination of agricultural land, small communities, natural beauty and access to larger towns and cities. I’m not looking for complete isolation. I want rural independ...