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Ranch alert: West Coasters are streaming up to Oregon like the state’s famous salmon swimming upstream to spawn - following instincts not quite in the interests of perpetuating their species, but living the good life and paying half as much to do it. Oregon has powerful attractions beyond its lower cost of living, mystic redwood forests, misty moons, shores bursting with oysters, lush grasslands, the annual Shakespeare festival in Ashland. Oregon residents can still count on cutting property rates in half. The problem is, Oregon is losing agricultural land at an alarming clip: according to the Portland State University Center for Population and Research, between 1982 and 1992, 88,900 acres were lost to urban and residential use, while Oregon’s population grew by 322,815 people. One answer was ECU (Exclusive Farm Use) zoning, specifying minimum parcel sizes - good news for prospective ranch buyers. So hurry up to Oregon, you incipient ranchers: they’ll welcome you with open arms and some very attractive per acre prices.
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