Eugene

While this Amazon might not be as famous as the South American rainforest, it's a notably woodsy suburb in Eugene's southeastern corner. Douglas firs, Ponderosa pines, Vine maples and other trees scatter the residential community, shading sidewalk-lined streets and mid-century housing. Locals adorn their yards with gardens and ornate shrubbery, contributing to the community's leafy essence. "People in Amazon like to spend a lot of their time outside. There's a lot of walking paths throughout," says area resident Hay Rose, office administrator of the local Amazon Community Center. "Many people have really beautiful gardens in their yards where they grow their own food and flowers." Amazon offers a collection of ranch-styles, craftsman bungalows and cottages built between 1930 and 1970. And homes typically sit further back on their quarter-acre lots. Prices for these houses range from $300,000 to $650,000 for two or three-bedroom models and $400,000 to $850,00 for four-bedroom houses. Amazon streets are leafy and sometimes tunneled from arched branches that extend over the pavement. Nearly every street has a sidewalk shaded from the trees, so locals often enjoy a walk when the weather allows. Driveways are more common than garages, and almost every part of Amazon also has plenty of room for off-street parking. Kids growing up in Amazon attend schools served by the Eugene School District, which earned an overall B-plus on Niche. Students first attend Camas Ridge Community Elementary School, which Niche gave a B-plus. Student progress to Roosevelt Middle School, which Niche ranked as the best public middle school in Lane County and gave an overall A. Students head to South Eugene High School to earn their diplomas. High schoolers can join clubs like drama club, Dungeons and Dragons club, K-pop club, and multicultural club. Niche gave the high school an overall A. Amazon earns its name from its dynamic outdoor recreation area and central creek. Amazon Park spans nearly 100 acres, including two community centers and the only outdoor pool in the city. Local athletes enjoy the park's tennis courts and ball fields, and joggers hit the weaving trail network of the North and South Amazon Running Trail System. Other park amenities include a skateboard bowl and a dog park. Plus, locals can access the wet prairie areas and ash woodlands branching off Amazon Creek. The Amazon Community Center provides residents with all sorts of classes and activities, like abstract painting, clay hand-building and poetry classes. "Amazon is a very quiet, family-oriented community, and at the community center, we have several programs geared toward youth and families," Rose says. "We have summer camps, arts-based camps and two preschool classrooms. Plus, we have your standard fitness classes." Meanwhile, the Hilyard Community Center offers customized programs through the Accessible Pursuits program, which customizes particular recreation services for those of all abilities. Amazon features several restaurants and grocery stores within a mile of most residents. Organic shoppers grab their goods at Sundance Natural Foods, a small organic market with locally sourced produce, among ample dairy, cheese and supplement options. The market’s partner, Sundance Wince Cellars, has over 500 Pinot Noirs sourced from across Oregon. In the same shopping center, there are a few spots to eat. Happy Cow has Korean-inspired bulgogi beef burgers and hearty hash bowls while neighboring restaurant Ume Grill Onigiri House has teriyaki chicken plates and veggie potstickers. South Hills Café is a nearby breakfast spot with omelets, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. Albertsons is a mile south of Hilyard Street for big box grocery store options. Amazon residents primarily drive when they need to get around, but the Lane Transit District services certain community areas. Bus stops line Hilyard Street and 30th Avenue. The heart of Eugene is about 2 miles from Amazon, and commuters often use nearby Highway 126. The McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is approximately 5 miles away if locals need to access a doctor. The Eugene Airport is 13 miles away.

Eugene’s Southwest Hills neighborhood stretches over 2.5 square miles of rolling terrain on the city’s southern boundary. It offers easy access to two premier parks and dozens of houses designed to take advantage of the neighborhood’s stunning views. “It’s a lovely area,” says Betty Lou Duncan, the owner and principal broker at the Duncan Real Estate Group. “You have wildlife, you have natural landscaping, and you have a lot of views.” Formerly known as Crest Drive, the Southwest Hills follows Willamette Drive for about two miles from West 29th Avenue to Blanton Ridge. Its streets often circle back on each other as they climb smaller hills that reach higher elevations the further south you go. Because of this road layout, Duncan says, “it’s very quiet up there,” because only direct traffic, or people coming to or leaving from their houses, passes through the area. Inside the neighborhood’s boundaries, you’ll find a variety of split-level houses that often greet visitors with a staircase at the front door and Northwest Contemporary houses that put a regional spin on the mid-century modern design style with the use of floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed beams, and natural building materials. Most of these houses date back to the 1970s, though a few subdivisions featuring new construction houses built within the past 30 years also call this neighborhood home. About half the Southwest Hills’ houses sit atop medium 7,000 to 10,000-square-foot lots, while those on the neighborhood’s periphery can sometimes occupy one-quarter to one-half-acre-sized lots. As you can imagine, the size of the lot plays a huge role in setting the house’s value. Those on the 7,000 to 10,000-square-foot lots typically fetch between $400,000 and $750,000. Houses with larger lots range from $600,000 to more than $1 million. The neighborhood’s developers maintained most of its trees when they moved into the area, so no place is without shade. Sidewalks and steep drops offering views of the surrounding countryside are also common in the Southwest Hills. Children who live in the slightly denser developments near the neighborhood’s northern boundary will attend Adams Elementary School before moving on to Eugene School District’s Arts and Technology Academy and Churchill High School. Those who live in the sprawling half of the neighborhood just east of Friendly Street will attend Edgewood Elementary, Spencer Butte Middle, and South Eugene High Schools. None of these schools scored below a B+ on Niche.com, and two of them -- Spencer Butte and South Eugene – were named the best school for their grade level in Lane County. Besides these great schools, the Southwest Hills’ other claim to fame is the Wayne Morse Family Farm Park, which is the only public park on the National Register of Historic Places. This 27-acre site features hiking trails, the city’s largest off-leash dog park, and a two-story Colonial House where Sen. Wayne Morse and his wife lived after they moved to Eugene in the late 1920s. Keep heading south from this park, and you can follow a two-mile trail through prairie, woodlands, and stands of towering Douglas fir trees at the 128-acre Blanton Ridge Park. About halfway between these two parks, you’ll come across the Edgewood Shopping Center on East 40th Avenue. This shopping center hosts a Safeway, the family-owned Lox, Stocks, and Bagels bagel shop, and the Highlands Brew Pub and Sports Bar, where you can watch the game with various sandwiches, beers, and cocktails. The neighborhood’s northwest corner features the environmentally conscious Friendly Street Market grocery store and half dozen food carts that have set up shop at the Friendly Garden food cart pod. In its northeast corner, you’ll find a Market of Choice grocery store and other businesses and restaurants like the Tasty Thai Kitchen and the Jewish-inspired Barry’s Espresso, Bakery, and Deli. With easy access to these amenities and top-quality schools, the rolling terrain of Eugene’s Southwest Hills is undoubtedly a great place to call home.