Oregon's capital is a mid-sized city of about 180,000 in the middle of the Willamette Valley, and it moves at an easy pace. The Capitol and its gold pioneer statue anchor downtown. The old Cherry City nickname still shows up in a June cherry festival, and the Oregon State Fair fills the end of every summer.
Salem works well as a base for the valley. Silver Falls State Park, with its waterfalls, is about 25 miles east, wine tasting is everywhere, and Portland is roughly 50 miles north. In town, Bush's Pasture Park, Riverfront Park and the Willamette Heritage Center are good ways to spend an afternoon, and Minto-Brown Island has trails along the river. Historic Grant and the Court-Chemeketa area have the prettiest older homes. It is more affordable than Portland, though not cheap. Violent crime runs above the national average, with car break-ins the most common problem, and late summer smoke and winter ice can be a nuisance.
