Rally for Oregon's Ski Areas

While the Pacific Northwest may have been bypassed by the polar vortex -- and instead encountered an unusually dry start to the winter -- we have recently seen our own share of winter wonderland weather. This is welcome news for the state's ski industry.

The Statesman Journal reports that Mount Hood saw its snowiest February in six years, with a whopping 134 inches so far this month alone at Mount Hood Meadows. Meanwhile, Hoodoo added 51 inches of snow to its base since February 1. To entice skiers and snowboarders to make late-season trips to the slopes, these and other resorts are offering reduced lift ticket prices and "rest of the season" passes to increase traffic, and revenues, for the remainder of the season.

A second story from the Statesman touts optimism about the Salem real estate market. Leasing activity throughout the capital city increased in 2013, taking the vacancy rate down to 11.4 for the year. That's an improvement from the 13.9 percent vacancy rate at the outset of last year. Apartment vacancy rates finished 2013 at 3.4 percent. The Statesman article reports that the vacancy rate could rise to as high as 7 percent though, due to proposed new apartment construction around the city.

You can find more details in the Statesman Journal ski and real estate articles.