the smell comes from the dairy farms... not the beef

Don't forget that it rains approximately 325 days each year, and the other 40 days it is foggy. And the smell from the beef barns at OSU (it is an ag school, after all) pervades the entire town. If you are looking for a nice place to live, cross this one off the list.

And, we have a locally owned, independent art house movie theater, the Darkside Cinema, which film fans relocating from metro areas are so happy to discover.

BALD Hill, not Ball Hill. The hospital is also a top employer, and a good one to boot, unlike Hewlett Packard, which is downsizing steadily.

Also remember Oregon States very strong science side. From their own oceanographic research ship to nationally prominent forestry and fishery programs, it is the place for environmental study.