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Both cities are well panned/developed, both have good public transit and both are on the same cost of living scale. It just seems like a subdivision of Chicago only a little "too clean" can anyone see that?
I've been to a great many large cities and Chicago (the city) is incredibly clean. It may be one of the cleanest cities in the nation.
I don't know enough about Portland to really judge what the similarities are, but what comes to mind about Portland is fresh air, mountains, the ocean. It actually seems like it would be a really refreshing city to live in.
I've been to a great many large cities and Chicago (the city) is incredibly clean. It may be one of the cleanest cities in the nation.
I don't know enough about Portland to really judge what the similarities are, but what comes to mind about Portland is fresh air, mountains, the ocean. It actually seems like it would be a really refreshing city to live in.
Actually, Chicago is not a very clean city, some areas are cleaner than others, it all depends on where you're talking about. Personally everyone I know in Chicago loves the "not so clean" feel as it gives the city flavor.
The suburbs are quite clean, some cleaner than others, but still quite clean.
You have to have some litter on the streets, old shops, a few bars playing loud music and a gang or two trying to keep busy..lol
This is what seperates the suburbs from the city. I'm interested to hear people's views in comparing these two cities.
Both are great cities but it's hard to compare the two because of the size. I think part of Portlands appeal is that it has a small town vibe to it and doesn't have really bad traffic and overcrowding like a lot of other major US cities. Chicago on the other hand is appealing because there is a lot to do there and it has a good big city vibe to it. I see some similarities between the two but it's easier to compare Seattle and Chicago then Portland and Chicago.
I agree it's easier to compare Seattle because it's bigger but I get the impression that even though Portland is smaller, it's still a very "lively and entertaining city" much like Chicago. It's the "atmosphere" I'm talking about along with a few urban ammenities. Portland appears to have everything that Chicago has (except it's scaled way down) and lacks a diverse culture.
The city themselves really don't compare but some of the neighborhoods do.
There is this though....
They both have a substandard public school system.
I can understand Chicago's challenges but there is really no excuse
for Portland.
That was perhaps the best description I've seen on this board. We're both on the same brainwave in seeing the comparisons based on select areas, factors and vibe. People (locals) have described Portland,OR in two ways, one that it's a city that's very laid back with a socialist far left wing mindset (exciting)
BUT at the same time these (hipsters/punkers) act like/have personalities of snobbish yuppies
I (lived) in Lincoln Park and know the area well. Lincoln Park is (yuppy) predominantly, yuppy artists, dancers etc... Bottom line people have $$$$
as it's not cheap. Now "Wicker Park" and "Rogers Park" are more of what I'm seking/like and feel comfortable in. If Portland's vibe is that of Chicago's Lincoln Park, than as a result of the gentrification (the poor artists, students and underclass) have been pushed out and youn have another upscale community I'm very confused: Is the "majority" of Portland like Wicker Park/Roger's Park or is it like Lincoln Park??? You see, I think Lincoln Park in Chicago is equivalent to Portland's Pearl District.
I (lived) in Lincoln Park and know the area well. Lincoln Park is (yuppy) predominantly, yuppy artists, dancers etc... Bottom line people have $$$$
as it's not cheap. Now "Wicker Park" and "Rogers Park" are more of what I'm seking/like and feel comfortable in. If Portland's vibe is that of Chicago's Lincoln Park, than as a result of the gentrification (the poor artists, students and underclass) have been pushed out and youn have another upscale community I'm very confused: Is the "majority" of Portland like Wicker Park/Roger's Park or is it like Lincoln Park??? You see, I think Lincoln Park in Chicago is equivalent to Portland's Pearl District.
I am comparing Portland to Lincoln Park of the 80's.
Than Rogers Park was a party from Loyola and Wicker Park was renovating.
The last time I was there Roscoe Village was the place to hang out.
( like Portland) Chicago's neighborhoods are like it's weather.
I am comparing Portland to Lincoln Park of the 80's.
Than Rogers Park was a party from Loyola and Wicker Park was renovating.
The last time I was there Roscoe Village was the place to hang out.
( like Portland) Chicago's neighborhoods are like it's weather.
Ok, now that you clear it up it makes more sense. You're right neighborhoods are changing very rapidly, and not for the better. More and more people are being priced out of communities they have lived in for years. I would love to find an area in Portland that is a blend of Rogers/Wicker Park, a little Uptown is ok too. Chicago is such a great city to live in, definitely more Pro's than Con's.
I was born in Chicago and lived there the first half of my life. Now I live in Portland and let me tell you folks, aside from the obvious in size and geographic location on the US map these two cities are VASTLY different. When comparing the two cities on weather, area attractions and things to do in general, here is a cross section of Portland and Chicago:
In Chicago you have a nice selection of restaurants, world class museums, nightlife and if the weather is nice the skyline from the lakeshore is definitely spectacular, especially at night. However the buck stops there. Once away from the downtown area itself, you are soon in a seemingly endless grid of the flat, monotonous, mundane to extremely flat, monotonous, mundane land known as suburbia. Over a hundred suburbs jammed next to each other where each one claims a better insignificant statistic than the others when after touring through a dozen or so they really all look the same. One can drive a hundred miles without leaving the Chicagoland area yet there will be no visible change the entire time. So that's the overall picture. How about what to see and do outside the city? Uh, well there's always the option to hop in the car for three hours to get to some mosquito-infested lake surrounded by cornfields. Sound like fun?
Portland is affectionately known as a smaller version of Seattle and though it can still make the news for the same crime, violence and other events that constantly plague larger cities, believe me there's a lot more to offer than Chi-town. Okay so there aren't as many restaurants or museums or night clubs but there still are plenty to choose from. Besides, how many does one need? There's always something going on downtown or in the neighborhoods. Portland still gets the same big ticket entertainers as Chicago. We even have a new look and new promises of success to our NBA team. In Portland, one can tour the world renowned rose gardens, Japanese gardens, hop the MAX light rail transit line and see the many different neighborhoods, each with their own eclectic old town charm and sample some of the finest microbrews in the world within a day. Walk the clean and shady sidewalks and notice that people smile and there's always a feeling of that small town America when browsing the streets. Portland seems to be within a forest and there is not one city block that does not have trees or at least some area of park or greenway. You can even get a good cardio workout just walking downtown since the city has a fairly decent slope up the west end towards the infamous Forest Park, the nation’s largest urban park within city limits. What about views? Okay no Great Lake but with a famed ring of snowcapped peaks known as St. Helens and Hood almost always in view, you'd think you were in the mountains. That's just from one side. The West Hills are mantled with 120 foot Douglas firs which tend to form a skyline of their own; A NATURAL skyline. How about what can you drive to within three hours of Portland? You'll need to make a week long vacation out of it. And you don't even need to drive three hours to see amazing countryside. The spectacular Oregon Coast is an hour and a half to the west and Mt. Hood and all its alpine splendor is roughly an hour to the east. Another route east and within an hour takes you to an area of rain forest laced with hundred foot waterfalls. One particular falls is Oregon's tallest - Multnomah which drops 620 feet. That's nearly half as high as Chicago's Sears Tower! An hour to the south and west one can tour mile after mile of rolling vineyards that share the scene with Christmas tree farms, pasturelands, an occasional river view and if you're up on a high enough hill, snowy Mt. Hood or Mt. St Helens are guaranteed floating on the horizon. Stop at one of the many wineries and discover Oregon's wine industry. There's no vineyards within an hour of downtown Chicago that I know of. How about weather? Oh the 300 days of rain a year bit that Portland and Seattle get slammed for? Not entirely true. Sure it rains a lot but the majority of it is confined to the winter months. It will rain seemingly non-stop from the end of October to about the middle of April. But even in January it might be raining yet the day time temp in Portland is about 47 degrees and it might get to the mid-30s at night. Since it is not quite freezing and combined with the rain there is more greenery around where one would think it is always spring, even in January. In fact tulips and daffodils start to bloom as early as late February when Chicago is still a frozen tundra. Portland's average of 6 inches of snow usually lasts a few days tops then it melts. Chicago would love to claim that stat for snow. What about in the summer? Chicago actually fills the rain gauges in the summer months more than Portland and Seattle combined and it is evident when simply looking at the lawns in Chicago, a deep green from all the rain that falls to the amber-colored hay that peppers a majority of the lawns in Portland well into September. Here's another tidbit on the climate differences that may make you think about how dry Portland and Oregon in general is in the summer: thousands of acres of forestland burn every summer so how can that be if it is always raining? Ever see wet wood burn? Did the light bulb go on yet?
Okay enough of that. I can go on even more about Portland. Can you guess which of these two cities I prefer?
Happy Trails!
Shek
Last edited by shekman; 08-08-2008 at 06:29 PM..
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I'm very confused: Is the "majority" of Portland like Wicker Park/Roger's Park or is it like Lincoln Park??? You see, I think Lincoln Park in Chicago is equivalent to Portland's Pearl District.
Chicago vs. Portland
