U of O: The Heart and Soul of Eugene

About the U of O

The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research university located in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon. The UO offers a broad spectrum of opportunities for learning in the liberal arts and professional programs in architecture, arts, business, education, journalism, law, and music and dance. In the classrooms and laboratories, students are inspired by a faculty of prominent scholars and work side by side with eminent researchers involved in breakthrough discoveries. At the UO, both students and faculty members reach out to make connections that serve communities from small local groups to large international organizations. Explore the University of Oregon. You will like what you find.

Location and Size

• Located in Eugene, Oregon, two hours from Portland and one hour each from the Pacific Coast and the Cascade Mountains.
• Sixty major buildings on 295 acres.

Academic Offerings The University of Oregon is a public research university and a member of the Association of American Universities, one of only two such universities in the greater Northwest.

Referenced from  http://www.uoregon.edu/about/

Spring Weather Means Hiking the Ridgeline Trail

Ridgeline Trail In and Around Eugene

The14-mile trail meanders through over 1000 acres of diverse natural habitats straddling the southern edge of Eugene, Oregon.
Designated as a National Recreation Trail in 2006

This 14-mile urban trail/bikeway provides an extensive opportunity for recreation and nature appreciation just a few miles from downtown Eugene and features Spencer Butte, the highest and most prominent landmark at the southern end of the Willamette Valley. Access to the trail is easily found in many of the surrounding residential neighborhoods of south Eugene.

	The view from the trail over the Willamette Valley

The trail provides an extensive opportunity for recreation and nature appreciation just a few miles from downtown and within walking distance of thousands of residents.

The Ridgeline Trail, especially the challenging spur which climbs to the top of Spencer Butte, is one of the most popular trails in the metropolitan area. Spencer Butte, elevation 2054 feet, is the highest and most prominent landmark at the southern end of the Willamette Valley.

The trail and surrounding park have had broad public support ever since their origin in a 1939 grass-roots campaign which collected contributions no larger than $5 in order to let everyone “buy a piece” of the butte.

The Ridgeline Trail near Eugene, Oregon

Since 1939, the City has continued to actively purchase adjacent lands and extend the trail, towards completing a vision of a twenty mile long wildlife, scenic, and recreational corridor connecting Fern Ridge Reservoir in the east to the Willamette River, and Mt. Pisgah in the west.

The City has partnered with a wide variety of organizations and agencies to help build and maintain the trail, manage the habitats, and acquire additional adjacent lands, including, Federal, State, and Local governments, conservation organizations, citizen groups, and educational institutions.

Hikers along the trail pass through a great diversity of habitats including: Old growth Douglas fir forest,globally imperiled upland prairie and Oregon white oak savanna, California black oak, ponderosa alpine woodlands, iIncense cedar, grand fir, bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, Oregon Ash, and abundant native shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses.

	Youth crews provide help with trail maintenance

The top of Spencer Butte is a regionally unique rocky bald with rare lichen and bryophyte populations and affords outstanding views to the surrounding city, countryside, and distant mountain ranges. The trail includes several boardwalks and bridges and is a wonderful resource for bird and wildlife watchers. Portions of the trail are open to mountain bikers.

For more information:

City of Eugene, Parks and Open Space
1820 Roosevelt Blvd.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4800
http://www.eugene-or.gov

Quoted from National Recreational Trails

http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/Ridgeline-OR.html

Click Map to enlarge

The Top 7 Reasons to Get Pre-Approved For a Home Loan

There are many steps that are required when purchasing a new home. The most important step is to be pre-approved for a home loan prior to looking for a house.

Now, keep in mind that a pre-approval is very different than a pre-qualification. A pre-qualification is given when the lender talks with you (usually over the telephone) and takes the information that you tell them and qualifies you off of your word without collecting any documentation from you.

The pre-approval process is a little more complete. In this process, the lender will ask you to complete a loan application and return it to them with all the documentation needed to submit to the lender for an approval. These items would include tax returns or W-2’s, paystubs, bank statements, etc. Once the lender received this information, they would run a credit report and submit the loan for approval. When the lender receives the approval, they will write you a pre-approval letter stating the purchase price and interest rate that you qualify for on a new home loan. This letter is then given to the seller at the time an offer is presented to show them that you have your financing in place.

Here are the top 7 reasons why you should get pre-approved for a home loan:

1. A pre-approval will tell you how much you qualify for on a new home loan. This helps you and your realtor to look for a property that is not above the amount that you can afford.

2. A pre-approval gives you the chance to go over the different loan programs available to you with your lender. You will also be able to see what the monthly payment will be on each program.

3. In today’s market it takes time to get a loan approved. Getting a pre-approval puts you ahead of the game by sending all of your paperwork in before you get into escrow. By having a pre-approval, you may be able to shorten the escrow period needed to close a loan. This can make a big difference to a seller that is looking to close as soon as possible.

4. Some real estate agents will not start the process of searching for homes until you have a pre-approval.

5. If by chance you do not qualify for a home loan at the time of the pre-approval, your lender can guide you in the right direction to prepare you to purchase in the near future. Sometimes there are items on the credit report that can be paid off or disputed to help you to qualify. Without sitting down with a lender, you would not have known about these issues until you are in escrow, which would either delay the close of escrow or cause the property to fall out of escrow.

6. You will learn about the lenders guidelines on locking in an interest rate. When can you lock your loan and for how long.

7. You will be able to relax and know that you have your financing in place when you find the right home for you.

The pre-approval process may sound like you are putting the cart before the horse, but in reality it is ensuring that you are buying within your means and gives you the opportunity to understand the different loan options available to you.

Quoting Patricia Barmatz from

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Top-7-Reasons-to-Get-Pre-Approved-For-a-Home-Loan&id=1980688

5 Reasons Why You Should Buy Your First Home in 2009

Quoting Kurt Novak

“Off the Waffle” is Awfully Good!!

Nestled in the unlikleiest of places(between a Shell station and busy 7th street) is one of Eugene’s true diamonds in the rough.  Off the Waffle makes delicious “Liege” waffles, a type of Belgian waffles that we folks here in the states are not usually familiar with. The result is a waffle with a suprising amount of texture and sweetness that puts most “Belgian” waffles to shame. You won’t need syrup for these babies and at only $3 a pop, they are a gourmet deal!

Run by two brothers with their trademark large red afros, Off the Waffle also barters as shown on their “Barter Wall”. Bartered items have been anything from home made granola to yoga lessons (only in Eugene!) Add their DJango Reinhardt mood music and a built in on-site book exchange program and you have an in-town staple that we hope lasts a long, long time.

Hours are Mon-Sun 8am-12am(yep, as in midnight!)