I don't know where you're coming from so I don't know what is normal for you. Here's a partial list:
1. We have a noticeable homeless issue, but it's confined to the Whiteaker (roughly 20-30% of the neighborhood consists of homeless people), the bike paths (sometimes unusable, but not like they had in SoCal or along the Sacramento River) and some downtown street people.
2. Eugene is basically a small suburban-style city that is slightly over half renters. Incomes are low, but rent is high, partly because a small number of families and corporations have a bit of a cartel on the rental market. Unlike CA, which is seller beware (good protections for home buyers), Oregon is buyer beware. Watch for covered-over mold problems and hidden structural issues if you buy.
3. The road culture is awful. Our cops refuse to enforce traffic laws and everyone knows it, so 50 mph in a 30 mph zone is pretty normal. Motorists don't even tap their brakes on their way through stop signs. Beware of where sidepaths cross driveways and intersections.
4. Perhaps because of the above-mentioned stuff, Eugene is seeing cycling absolutely collapse. Our modal share is making a near-perfect line to 0% in 2023. It's sad to see roads that used to sport people on bikes be nothing but cars.
5. The city, county, state, and transit district are looking to spend nearly a billion dollars adding more freeway lanes, interchanges and such to spur more driving.
6. In town, you're going to be faced with choosing the multi-lane arterial with no bike amenities, the street with poorly-designed bike amenities that create more hazards than they avoid and force frequent long waits, or the side streets with very long waits at every other block. Our city traffic engineer and transportation planners are truly awful.
7. Okay, some good news: what roads are left for cycling are kind of nice when you hit them at the right time of day. If you are willing to bear with a bit of awfulness, there's some of the best cycling in the nation just 25 miles out (or even less). All day adventures can be super if you enjoy hills, especially if you are willing to add some gated gravel logging roads to your ride (not absolutely necessary, but they do add options).
