Whose landKalapuya homeland; Grand Ronde and Siletz peoples

Cascadia

USAWillamette Valley and the Cascade foothills

Temperate-maritime Pacific Northwest. High rainfall, low water stress, an established regenerative network, and the land cost to match.

Land standing · qualitative, never scored

Kalapuya territory (Willamette Valley), shared by bands the treaty also names, including Molalla (Cascade foothills) and Chinookan peoples (Clackamas, Multnomah, Cascades; Portland and Willamette Falls) — ceded under the 1855 Treaty with the Kalapuya etc. (Willamette Valley Treaty, signed 22 Jan 1855, ratified 3 Mar 1855); descendant peoples now chiefly of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and also the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Sources for this row (2)
TenureFee-simple; where land is zoned Exclusive Farm Use under ORS 215, non-agricultural dwellings are limited (the share of rural land so zoned is not verified)
Sources for this row (1)
Arriving in good faithHire an ORS 215 land-use attorney and plan via a community land trust and Conditional Use Permit before purchasing, not after
Sources for this row (1)
What it asksAcknowledge whose land this is and engage one of the continent's most mature regen networks, which expects real participation

Where the answer is not here

  • Buying farmland zoned Exclusive Farm Use as a site for a home with no farm purpose: ORS 215 limits non-farm dwellings in exclusive farm use zones and sets the tests for them.

Basis: ORS chapter 215, sections 215.236 and 215.262 (Oregon Legislature) (opens in a new tab)

First conversations

Public bodies and protocols to read first. Pointers, not introductions.

Host nation or community

Land-access or welcome programme

These are pointers to public bodies. None of them has agreed to be contacted, and none is a person. Read first; ask how they want to be approached; never assume.

Further sources for this entry (2)
Source: Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 215, County Planning; Zoning; Farm Land

Assembled from public sources and checked on 2026-10-05. No nation or community named here has reviewed this entry.

consent of the people of this place

Left blank. The tool cannot sign it; only the people of this place can.

How to arrive in Cascadia

Where arriving in a place would harm the community already there, the honest answer is not to go.

Every region in this tool is already someone’s home.

What living here asks of you

Cascadia asks you to accept that the hard part is not buying land but being allowed to use it. Oregon's statewide Senate Bill 100 planning zones most rural parcels as Exclusive Farm Use, so a multi-household community will likely need a Conditional Use Permit and multi-year county planning engagement, and you should hire an ORS 215 land-use attorney before purchasing, not after. Land is costly here, which is why most new projects depend on a community land trust rather than outright purchase. In return you join a long-established, institutionally mature regen network, in a climate of mild wet winters and abundant water whose one worsening liability is the late-summer wildfire-smoke season.

Source: USDA NASS, Land Values 2024 Summary (opens in a new tab)

Place · around the reference point, 100 km

Willamette Valley and the Cascade foothills

Where it sits
Across the Central-Southern Cascades Forests, Willamette Valley oak savanna and Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests.
Where the water goes
Willamette. Drains to Pacific Ocean, by way of the Columbia.

Ecoregions: RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (CC BY 4.0), computed within 100 km of the region's reference point, not its footprint. Watershed named from the region dossier and checked against Natural Earth rivers.

A descriptive label written for this tool. The names of peoples and places belong under Whose land.

The way in · qualitative · not legal advice

What lawful entry involves, in order

Who may hold
No Oregon statute restricting foreign or non-resident purchase of private land was found: the National Agricultural Law Center (updated June 2026) lists about 29 states with such laws and Oregon is not among them for private land (its only restriction concerns purchases of state-owned land, which requires US citizenship or a declared intention to become a citizen). Foreign persons who acquire a significant interest in US agricultural land must still file a federal AFIDA disclosure. National Agricultural Law Center, Foreign Ownership FAQ (updated 26 June 2026); ORS 273.255; USDA FSA AFIDA page
How a group can hold
Cooperative corporation (ORS chapter 62)Nonprofit corporation (ORS chapter 65)Limited liability company (ORS chapter 63)Community land trust (for example Proud Ground)
First claim
No statutory pre-emption or first-refusal holder over private rural land was identified in the sources opened. County planning departments and, for land divisions and non-farm dwellings, the county governing body decide what may be built.
Direction
No new Oregon private-land foreign-ownership law appears in the National Agricultural Law Center's June 2026 list of states and 2025 enactments. Whether any Oregon bill of 2025 touched dwelling rules in ORS 215 was not confirmed, so this reading is held with limited confidence.stable · as of 2026
  1. Ask the county planning department which zone the parcel is in (exclusive farm use, forest, or another zone) before any offer, and what the zone permits as of right.
    Who decides: County planning department of the county where the parcel liesORS 215.283(1) lists uses allowed in any exclusive farm use zone
  2. Check whether a farm-related dwelling is available: a dwelling for a relative whose help the farm operator needs, or dwellings customarily provided with farm use, which are tested against the farm income standard that rule-makers must let an operator meet over several years.
    Who decides: County planning departmentORS 215.279 (farm income standard) and OAR 660-033-0135 (dwellings in conjunction with farm use)
  3. For housing or uses beyond what the zone allows as of right, apply for a county land-use decision. Dwellings not provided in conjunction with farm use are approved only on findings about effects on nearby farm practices and the suitability of the land for farming.
    Who decides: County governing body or its designee (hearings officer or planning commission, depending on the county)Duration: The county must take final action within 150 days after the application is deemed complete (a statutory ceiling with listed exceptions; appeals add further time). ORS 215.427 (final action on permit within 150 days)ORS 215.416 (permit application, notice, hearing) and ORS 215.284(2) (non-farm dwelling findings)
  4. Expect neighbours or the state to be able to appeal the county decision; a notice of intent to appeal goes to the Land Use Board of Appeals.
    Who decides: Land Use Board of Appeals (state body)Duration: A notice of intent to appeal is due within 21 days of actual notice of the decision (or of when the person knew or should have known). ORS 197.830 (appeal deadline)ORS 197.830 (review of land use decisions by the Land Use Board of Appeals)
  5. Where a use is not permitted in the farm or forest zone at all, the route is a statewide-goal exception adopted through the county plan process rather than a permit.
    Who decides: County governing body, with review by the state land-conservation agencyORS 197.732 (goal exceptions; criteria)
What the law rules out
  • Buying a parcel does not by itself carry a right to build dwellings: in an exclusive farm use zone only the uses listed in ORS 215.283(1) are established without a county decision, and a dwelling not tied to farm use needs county approval on the findings in ORS 215.284.
  • Farm-related dwellings are not open-ended: dwellings customarily provided with farm use are made subject to the farm income standard, and relatives' dwellings require that the operator needs the relative's help to manage the farm.
Honest gaps
  • The official Oregon Legislature and DLCD sites do not resolve from this sandbox; ORS text was read from the Oregon Public Law mirror, which labels itself as of 2025. Check the current ORS before relying on it.
  • Oregon bills of 2025 flagged in the 2026-07 research (foreign ownership and any change to ORS chapter 215 dwelling rules): enactment status was not verified from a primary source.
  • The dollar amount of the farm income standard (OAR 660-033-0135) and county-by-county practice on multi-household communities were not summarised from a primary source.
  • Washington-side rules for the Cascadia region (county zoning under the state Growth Management Act) were not covered; this entry describes Oregon.
  • Whether a long-established intentional community's permits are grandfathered, and how the permit climate compares for newer projects, rested on practitioner reports and was not sourced.
None is shown.

Context, not adviceOrientation from public sources, not legal advice. Check current law with a local professional before acting. Sources: National Agricultural Law Center, Foreign Ownership FAQ (updated 26 June 2026); ORS 273.255; USDA FSA AFIDA page, ORS 273.255 (Oregon Public Law mirror of the Oregon Revised Statutes), ORS 215.283, 215.284 and 215.279, ORS 62.015 (definitions, chapter 62 Cooperatives), ORS 65.001 (definitions, chapter 65 Nonprofit Corporations), ORS 63.001 (definitions, chapter 63 Limited Liability Companies), Proud Ground (community land trust), home page, ORS 215.283(1) lists uses allowed in any exclusive farm use zone, ORS 215.279 (farm income standard) and OAR 660-033-0135 (dwellings in conjunction with farm use), ORS 215.416 (permit application, notice, hearing) and ORS 215.284(2) (non-farm dwelling findings), ORS 215.427 (final action on permit within 150 days), ORS 197.830 (review of land use decisions by the Land Use Board of Appeals), ORS 197.830 (appeal deadline), ORS 197.732 (goal exceptions; criteria). Verified 5 October 2026 · confidence in this entry: medium.

Climate and water context

Climate class (Köppen-Geiger)

1961–1990Csb, Temperate, dry summer, warm summerShare of the footprint: Csb 82.3%, Dsb 14.3%, Dsc 3.3%, ET 0.1%, Csc 0%, Cfb 0%
1991–2020Csb, Temperate, dry summer, warm summerShare of the footprint: Csb 86.8%, Dsb 10.6%, Dsc 2.6%, ET 0.1%, Csc 0.1%
2041–2070 SSP2-4.5 · projectionCsb, Temperate, dry summer, warm summerShare of the footprint: Csb 85.9%, Csa 8.4%, Dsb 5.1%, Dsc 0.6%, ET 0%
2071–2099 SSP2-4.5 · projectionCsb, Temperate, dry summer, warm summerShare of the footprint: Csb 65.5%, Csa 31%, Dsb 3.1%, Dsc 0.4%, ET 0%

Shares are the fraction of the footprint land area in each class at 1 km; sea and no-data cells are excluded.

Source: Beck et al. 2023, Köppen-Geiger maps at 1 km · CC BY 4.0

Water (WRI Aqueduct classes, as published)

Water stress, baselineLow (<10%)Demand to supply ratio 0.023
Water stress, 2050 business as usual · projectionLow (<10%)Demand to supply ratio 0.026
Drought riskLow - Medium (0.2-0.4)
Interannual variabilityLow (<0.25)
Seasonal variabilityLow (<0.33)
Groundwater table trendInsignificant Trend
Riverine flood riskLow - Medium (1 in 1,000 to 2 in 1,000)

WRI Aqueduct 4.0 indicators in WRI's own classes; this project does not combine or rescale them.

Source: WRI Aqueduct 4.0 · CC BY 4.0

Where legal and cost questions come first

These are the questions a community has to be able to answer in a place: who may hold the land, how a group can hold it together, and what it costs. Read them as context for a conversation with the people already there, not as a verdict on the place.

Legal and ownership

Foreign ownership
allowed No Oregon statute restricting foreign or non-resident purchase of private land was found: the National Agricultural Law Center (updated June 2026) lists about 29 states with such laws and Oregon is not among them for private land (its only restriction concerns purchases of state-owned land). Foreign persons who acquire a significant interest in US agricultural land must still file a federal AFIDA disclosure, which does not restrict the purchase. This entry describes Oregon; Washington was not covered.
Collective ownership path
Cooperative corporation (ORS chapter 62), nonprofit corporation (ORS chapter 65), limited liability company (ORS chapter 63) or a community land trust such as Proud Ground
Several households on one holding
not as of right
Residency needed to buy
no residency required
Where building is decided
Most rural land is in exclusive farm use (EFU) zones; ORS 215.283(1) lists what may be established in any EFU zone, including a dwelling for a relative of the farm operator who is needed on the farm and dwellings customarily provided with farm use (subject to the farm income standard); a dwelling not tied to farm use needs county approval on findings
Key restriction
On EFU land, dwellings are limited to farm-related ones and county-approved non-farm dwellings, so an intentional community planning several households needs a county decision or a zone change.
Legal direction
stable Not verified: whether any 2025 Oregon bill changed ORS 215 dwelling rules or foreign-ownership rules was not confirmed from a primary source; the ORS text was read in the Oregon Public Law mirror, which labels itself as of 2025.

Source: National Agricultural Law Center, Foreign investments in ag; Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 215 (Oregon Public Law mirror) (opens in a new tab) · medium confidence

Known gaps. The farm income standard amount, county practice on multi-household communities, Washington-side rules and whether established communities are grandfathered were not covered by an opened source.

Land cost

Price
3,700–39,530 USD per hectare (2024)
Price band
price not read
Price trajectory
rising NASS Oregon farm real estate: 2,630 (2020), 2,950, 3,280, 3,500, 3,720 USD/acre (2024; +6.3%), 3,780 in 2025. The dossier attributes rising prices to regen-culture demand, to migration of people moving for climate reasons and to California capital (not verified).
Detail
USDA NASS Land Values 2024 Summary, Oregon: farm real estate 3,720 USD/acre (about 9,190 USD/ha); cropland 4,350 (irrigated cropland 7,650 in the regional table); pasture 1,050. The dossier's 'Oregon farm real estate average 2,380 USD/acre' matches no year of the table and is dropped. The range kept here, unimproved timber and foothills 1,500 to 4,000 USD/acre (3,700 to 9,880 USD/ha) and Willamette Valley irrigated cropland 8,000 to 16,000 USD/acre (19,760 to 39,530 USD/ha), is a dossier estimate attributed to Farmer Mac and is not in the NASS table (not verified); the statewide NASS figures include eastern Oregon. 'Western Oregon costs 3 to 5x the Alentejo baseline' is a dossier statement (not verified). Per-acre to per-ha via /0.4047.

Source: USDA NASS Land Values 2024 Summary (opened, Oregon statewide); Farmer Mac 2024 U.S. Farmland Values Report (not opened) (opens in a new tab) · low confidence

Known gaps. No Willamette Valley or Western Oregon price from an opened source; the band is therefore not computed.

Practical fit

Hospital access

Nearest hospital
9.28 km Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital, straight line from the region centre
Hospitals within 50 km
13
Hospitals within 100 km
24
60-minute proxy
within 60 minutes a straight-line proxy, not a road time

Geodesic km from region centroid to nearest OSM hospital, not a 60-minute road-network isochrone. The centroid may fall on a regional hub city (Oaxaca City, Santiago, Bolzano, Taos, Evora) rather than a target rural settlement site, so a low number can reflect centroid placement more than real rural-settlement access. V2 to refine via road-time isochrones.

Demographics

Population trend
growing Oregon's population grew 10.6% 2010-2020 per US Census 2020, driven primarily by net in-migration from California; Lane, Benton, and Linn counties all recorded positive net migration 2015-2022.
Median age
middle Median age in Oregon 2022: 39.7 years per US Census ACS 2022, younger than EU peer regions with a significantly younger in-migration stream.
Migration
more people arriving than leaving Net-attracting younger, educated migrants from California and across the US, including people moving for climate reasons (dossier statement, not verified); an arriving community, not an ageing, shrinking one.
Rural density
low density Willamette Valley regional average ~55 persons/km2 per JRC GHSL R2023; rural hinterland 5-30/km2 with urban cores (Salem ~2,000/km2, Eugene ~1,800/km2).

Source: accessibility.md, JRC GHSL R2023 and US Census 2020 (opens in a new tab) · high confidence

Field reality, water and soil

Water source control

Rights regime
Oregon prior appropriation doctrine (first in time, first in right)
Rights holder
mixed
Single-entity control
moderate Water rights in Oregon operate under a prior-appropriation doctrine which matters critically for any settlement drawing surface water or large-volume groundwater; historic water rights on farm properties may be appurtenant to the land and are valuable and transferable.
When water is short
first-in-time first-in-right; domestic-use exemption up to 15,000 gallons/day under ORS 537.545

Source: Oregon Water Resources Department Groundwater Resources (2022); Oregon Revised Statutes 537.545 (opens in a new tab) · high confidence

Known gaps. Dossier does not name specific senior irrigation district holders in target sub-basins.

Soil contamination

Known contamination
none documented
Contamination register
not read
Due-diligence burden
not read

Source: US EPA, Superfund (pointer; the Oregon DEQ site list was not opened); Cascadia water.md and soil.md (dossier reading) (opens in a new tab) · low confidence

Known gaps. Oregon DEQ contaminated-site program and Willamette Valley agricultural-chemical legacy not addressed in dossier.

Climate buffering, state and trajectory

Buffering features (state)

Primary features
coastal moderation
Buffering strength
high
Detail
Climate.md cites an NCA5 projection that the Pacific Northwest will have the fewest very-hot days of any contiguous US region through 2060, because marine airflow in western Cascadia buffers inland heat; this was not checked against the chapter text (not verified).

Trajectory under warming

Direction
buffering falling Projected +1.5 to 2.0C by mid-century; 2021 heat dome (Portland 46.7C) attribution studies indicate such events become 2-3x more likely by 2060; AQI above 150 days increasing.
Primary vulnerability
late-summer wildfire smoke and heat-dome tail risk

Source: WorldClim CMIP6 v2.1 (2024); NCA5 Chapter 27; PRISM 1991-2020; Philip et al. WWA 2022 (opens in a new tab) · medium confidence

Known gaps. Willamette Valley altitude band not given numerically.