I just want to start by saying that I really appreciate all the positive feedback from you guys. It means a lot to know that people find your posts informative! I too find many posts on here very helpful, and after reading so many of them, I am dying to visit Houston and see what it is all about. Well, let me get to the matter at hand...
Have you ever heard the term, when comparing two things, that it is like comparing apples and oranges? Well, comparing Portland to Seattle is much like comparing a larger apple to a smaller apple -- the differences are few and far between. Honestly, I believe you can take almost any person from Portland, put them in Seattle, and they'd still be quite content with where they are living. I also believe the same can be said for most residents of Seattle: put them in Portland and they're still happy. Both are very liberal cities with beautiful landscapes. Both have ultra-hip, cute little neighborhoods filled with thrift shops and cafes. And both have a very similar culture. The only differences that I can think of would be that Portland has a better transit system, is more bike friendly, is more laidback, and has less traffic. While Seattle has more options for restuarants, museums, and so on. In terms of economic differences, without a doubt Portland is the cheaper to the two. To me, they are both magnificent cities with a ton of charm.
I also believe, due to the weather, that both cities have residents who tend to be more introverted -- just look at the music that comes out of here... Elliott Smith anyone? However, that is not to say that we are all introverts, and you will most likely find people like me who just love to talk to anyone around them. Also, don't mistake introverted for being rude, the two are much different. All it takes is a little coaxing, and most people will come out of their shells. It's not too difficult to make friends here, but it's definitely not as easy as it is in California. It just takes more time and effort here I guess.
Anyways, because I can't speak to much for Seattle or Houston, I will leave that to the residents of those two cities. I can however speak for Portland, so I will just give you some more information, and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Portland is a city divided into different neighborhoods, each with it's own unique charms. The downtown core of Portland is somewhat metropolitan, a little slice of Manhattan in a way, with fancy shops, and tall office buildings. If you ever want to be reminded that you live in a city, go downtown; however, it's the neighborhoods that make Portland such a great city. Here is my opinion on a few neighborhoods in Portland; this doesn't cover every neighborhood, but that would be way too much to write!
Nob Hill: Nob Hill, aptly titled Snob Hill, is a quaint little neighborhood in NW Portland that caters to the urban yuppy hippy type, if that makes any sense. It's a neighborhood filled with small cafes, great bakeries, cozy little pubs, and beautiful old Victorian homes. Thrown into this mix, the streets are also lined with highend stores, and thrift stores that are way overpriced. During the summer months the sidewalks are filled with shoppers, and people sitting outside at tables eating food and sipping microbrews. This is the place to go if you're a highend liberal, or a baby boomer ex-hippy turned yuppy.
Goose Hollow: This is a very small neighborhood in SW Portland, just blocks from Downtown. The houses in this neighborhood are victorian, and way too overpriced for Portland. It's the area to live in if you want all the amenities of downtown at your fingertips, but don't want to deal with all the troubles that goes with living downtown (i.e.: homeless, noise, et cetera). There is one small pub/eatery in the neighborhood that has a very laidback down tempo feel to it, and serves up great food (Goose Hollow Inn). Other than that, there is literally only one block of shops here (Subway, Starbucks, Belagios Pizza, Leaky Roof Cafe, and Plaid Pantry). I don't really consider GH to be a neighborhood per se; it's more or less just housing for people who want to live blocks from downtown, not right in it. Most people here walk to Nob Hill or downtown when they want to go out.
Pearl District: This is the gentrified yuppy area of Portland. This is the area where you live just so you can say you pay $1200 a month for a 1br apartment when you don't really have to. It's basically in the downtown area, but instead of high rise office buildings, you have lofts. There are a lot of really great restaurants in this area, a ton of art galleries, and a lot of independent shops. The typical resident here eats organic foods bought from New Seasons (Portland's equivalent of Whole Foods), drinks lattes, and has a well-paying job.
NoPo (North Portland): Sadly, this area has an undeserved reputation as the ghetto in Portland. However, this is in fact one of the best neighborhoods in Portland. If you're a community college student, you're within walking distance (possibly right across the street) from on of the main Portland Community College campuses. You're also in the middle of one of Portland's most diverse neighborhoods, filled with wonderful ethnic restaurants, art galleries, bike rentals, activist centers, fun little pubs, beautiful old homes, and a max line (light rail) to take you anywhere you need to go. The area has a history of petty crimes, but it's definitely not an unsafe place to be. I have spent countless hours walking around NoPo at night, and have never had any problems. Just as you would in any city, use common sense and you will be fine.
Hawthorne: This is the certified "hippy" area of town. The streets are lined with people getting petition signatures, musicians playing songs, people out walking, small mom/pop style shops, thrift stores, music venues, dive restaurants, and all that is weird in Portland. This is the neighborhood to go to if you want to see someone with blue hair walking next to someone with a nike jogging suit. The sidewalks are filled with people from all backgrounds. This neighborhood has some of the best bakeries and cafes of anywhere in Portland.
Sellwood-Moreland: This neighborhood is located about 5 minutes from downtown via the highway, and is also served well by public transportation. Sadly, there is no max line that runs through here, so if you were to live here you'd most likely have to take the bus. However, it is totally worth it. This is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Portland. This is where I most often take people when they come to visit me in the city, and I have never had anyone less than love this area. It's beautiful; tree lined sidewalks open up to beautiful old-style victorian homes with typically amazing gardens. An awesome park with one of the most beautiful views of the city, if you want to take a jog, or just escape everyone and fall asleep under a large tree. Tons of awesome antique shops where you can spend entire days just browsing all of the amazing old stuff. A ton of really great little thrift stores where you don't have to sift through all the crap just to find something nice -- the employees have already done this for you before putting anything on the shelf. Also, the stores around here are cheap, much cheaper than the more yuppy Nob Hill. Tons of little restaurants with outdoor seating, almost everything here is small business. They have been trying to build a walmart in this area for ten years, and have yet to succeed in doing so (entire area of Portland, including suburbs, only has two walmarts). This is a very politically active area, and it's not uncommon to hear old professor looking guys outside arguing marx vs. Lenin over a cup of joe, or a microbrew. Seriously, if you took out just a few chain shops here, you'd think you traveled back to the 60s. The poles here are littered with old staples from posters announcing this concert, or that protest.
Suburbs: There are quite a few suburbs to Portland (Hillsboro, Troutdale, Lake Oswego, Tigard, Beaverton, and more), and each one of them sucks (no offense to those living in the 'burbs). The 'burbs are an area that cater to those people who want to raise a family, and still have a city at their fingertips. The typical suburbanite, as is the case in most cities, is far more conservative than their city counterparts. However, in Portland, the suburbs are also filled with our drug problem. Portland itself doesn't really see much of this drug problem (except downtown), and if you want to be reminded that we have a drug problem here, head out to the suburbs. The suburbs are filled with cookie cutter homes, and big box stores. However, don't judge Portland by its suburbs, because if you're like me, you'll never even go out there. It's not that you're avoiding them, but there's never really a reason to go out there. So yes, our suburbs do suck, but no worries, you'd live in Portland, not Beaverton. Also, on a side note, I read somewhere that you said Eugene was a suburb of Portland, and it was conservative. I just wanted to let you know, Eugene is 100 miles away, and is incredibly liberal/socialist. Eugene has a very active anarchist group, and also has a very active socialist group. Remember the WTO riots in Seattle? They were started by a group from Eugene...
Also, I hope you don't feel as though I am painting you some sort of utopia here. Portland has downsides. For example, rain is a huge downside, the suburbs suck... I'm not kidding, I am trying to think of more, but I honestly can't.
Another thing, I seen somewhere that you asked why Portland would have a homeless problem, and be such a liberal city. Well, this is a difficult question to answer, but I will do my best. Portland government actually does quite a bit for the homeless (but sadly fails for the mentally ill). There are quite a few shelters here, and a lot of services for them (just look at
Outside In :: Serving homeless youth and low-income adults in Portland Oregon for one example). However, the homeless problem is something that faces all cities, and something that is rather complicated. In my personal opinion, people can not look to the government to take care of everything, and this is why it is so important that we volunteer to help. If you look at hands on portland, you will see that there are many volunteers here in this area, and often it is difficult to get a slot when you want to volunteer -- there is literally competition here to volunteer. This is people in action, and to me that is the most telling aspect of a city. Still, some of these people choose to be homeless, and some need serious help. My father works with drug addicts, and I can tell you first hand that these people are so addicted to drugs, being homeless is something they do in order to afford them. I too wish that this was not a problem, but sadly it is. The only thing we can really do is volunteer when we have the time, and ask our government to assist these people. I do not think that Portland falls short in this in comparison with other cities. If you ever want to visit, let me know and we can both volunteer, and I can give you a tour of my home.
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