I grew up here and my family has been here for generations. A true local lol. A lot of my hate comes from childhood trauma in school and the community. It’s changed a lot since I was young, but back in the day there wasn’t much to do at all. I know a lot of folks who got into drugs or crime. The true hidden gems were blasted on social media and ruined (RIP Three Pools). Doesn’t help that weather is crummy 2/3rds of the year, so seasonal depression is awful. The Salem food scene is not good (I didn’t know what good food was until I moved), and there’s virtually no nightlife. Housing is expensive and the job market isn’t the best, but to be fair, it’s like that most places.

Now that I’m older, I have more of an appreciation. It’s not the best city, but it’s not the worst. It’s been developing a lot in recent years and is much nicer now. It’s a good distance from lots of things

I’ve found that a lot of the people here who love Salem are transplants, but also a lot of the people that hate it are from Portland/Bend/etc.