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Sorry to hear that you'd let a few discontented people (out of the whole 2.3 million people who live in the area) color your opinion of the city's livability.
But, that's your decision ... and maybe your loss.
Yeah but I highly doubt he is ever going to meet 2.3 million people during his time in Portland. He probably means the people and all of his encounters which means countless people. He's not the only one who complains about the people in portland as well. Although I still think you're right in a way. You can't have that many people and still have one single mindset, it's just impossible. But obviously, he doesn't like portland ._.
And I'm only 18, but let me just say that I've lived in florida and now Los Angeles. The weather here is annoying. You can never get a real winter. Or a real spring for that matter. It's too hot, it's too sunny, It's been years since I've seen a day where it has stayed rainy the whole day. And just when you think it's finally getting colder, BOOM it heats right back up. The seasons here are more lacking than the moon. And the moon has no season, let alone an atmosphere. It's never cold enough here, and I'm sick and tired of getting one rainy day every few months to more than half a year. Once I transfer it will be out of state, and good riddance to sunny weather. Although other than that Los Angeles is fine I guess, the people here are impatient though
Can't say I have any regrets, but every move has been a step up.
Louisville, KY: hated that place, went back home to rural Kentucky. I still don't care for the city even eight years later.
Cincinnati: disliked it by the time I left, but many more redeeming qualities than Louisville and more of a true urban culture.
San Francisco Bay Area: love many things about the place, but I don't like the snotty people. Of course, I live on the SF/Peninsula side of the bay, so my opinion might be a little more positive if I lived in more down to Earth locales like Oakland, Fremont, Sonoma County, or even San Jose.
I'm looking to move to Greater Los Angeles later this year.
I wouldn't want to have to stay permanently in the MD/ DC area. There's a lot to dislike about that area. However, my family made the best of our stay: volunteer horse patrol In Catoctin, sailing on the Chesapeake, visiting many sites of historical significance.
We even took the train up to NYC, which is a place I really seriously would not want to live.
Ocassionally I regret my move to Seattle, but the pros far outweight the cons. Seattle is a beautiful city, lots of opportunties, I have a decent job here, make decent money, etc. The issue I have with Seattle is the people. People are overly sensitive, overly politically correct, and just plain boring. I don't understand where they are coming from half of the time. I also simply find people in Seattle to be very fake and pretentious. So part of my issues with Seattle is it's highly hypocritial nature, it's unilateral mindset, and the fact people simply are boring. I've never been to a place where people have so many double standards.
However the people aren't enough to make me regret my move. I like the city, just not the people. I like the money I can make here, and it's positive corporate culture. However once you leave the corporate side of Seattle (the East side) the city cease to make any sense to me.
I sometimes regret my move to Oklahoma City. This city is better than the stereotype would have you believe but not by much. It's been a huge adjustment from Charlotte and not for the better. On the flipside, the economy here can't be beat and the cost of living is low. Most people here have large disposable incomes. Career-wise I made a very good move even if it means a few years in a location that's less than desirable.
I regret moving to Salt Lake City. I moved here in 2007 for a job - it paid great, and SLC has a lower cost of living than Oakland, CA. But the economy went bust, the company downsized, and now I'm stuck in a city where pay for most jobs is crap. I don't think I'd move back to California, though. My main goal is northwestern Montana or North Idaho. I prefer small towns. But at least I'm making progress! I went from a megalopolis of over 12 million to a metro of a little over a million, and I'm getting closer to my desired location. I'm hoping to move in 1.5 years.
I think having a partner for 22 of my 25 years hear helped make this conservative, conformist, passive-agressive metro area bearable. If one is gay, left-leaning, into art, culture, bohemia, and urbanism, this place is like a very square hole (and I do mean square) for a very round peg.
A freind of mine once said that "in Dayton you get the feeling beatlmania is just about to hit".
Another aquaintance, who was a psychiatrist, said people who relocate here often fall into clincial depression since the place is so soul-suckingly bad.
Another said that he was told by a Jewish freind that "in Dayton even the Jews are no good" (which sounds anti-semitic, but means that in other cities the Jewish community is often a progressive and cultural force, but not here).
-- and how are you coping with the situation-- what are you doing about it?
...well, like a lot of other gay folk in Dayton I drank like a fish.
But other things is that there was/is a good local live music scene centered around a venue called Canal Street Tavern and a good public radio station WYSO, two things that helped "make Dayton liveable" (not my words, but a patrons' at Canal Street Tavern). Road trips to Cincinnati (only 45 minutes), Columbus, and a quarterly or bieannaul visit to Chicago helped.
Plus cable tv, Videos & DVDs, helped connect to the outside world, and, later, the internet, too.
And visits to family in Louisville, which is like the "evil opposite" of Dayton, the anti-Dayton. That was a good escape, too.
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Eventually I came around to seeing other "good" things, or turning lemonade out of this urban lemon called Dayton (or, for the metro, "The Miami Valley")
Moved here from Denver 13 years ago for my ex-wife's job (I worked from home at the time). Since living here, I've lost a good paying job of 15 years, had several friends and relatives pass away, lost most of my retirement savings and have a self-employed job I'm starting to hate. I'm heading toward 60 and am a professional sales person WITHOUT a degree. This is a military town and unless you are active or retired, there's little opportunity. In my profession that means car sales or call centers. I've remarried and my wife has lived here for 30 years since leaving South Korea (so she can't fathom the thought of relocating). It may just be coincidence, but do I regret my move now? You bet! I think when you are happy and successful with life and career, it makes it much easier to like wherever you live.
Have moved numerous times in my 50+ years, have to say each has been an experience.
I was born and grew up in LA & San Diego, after a few years of college moved to Ft Lauderdale on a whim with a friend. In my early 20's it was a great place to be, had a great job for 14 years, good friends, beaches, turquoise water, Miami, etc. Talk about diversity...the combination of the rough edge North Easterners and high energy Cubans and everything else was a fantastic mix.
A restless urge hit me after 14 years and moved to Phoenix where I stayed for 8 years. Again, great job and made lots of friends. Good place if you like to be outside in the sun. Did I say sun? 98% of the time, and HOT, HOT, HOT! Even with 4 major sports teams and reasonable number of museums, good variety of restaurants and other things to do. Two great job opportunities arose, and of all places, back in San Diego. Since we missed the ocean too, we sold the house and we were back in SD.
So went back to San Diego for 8 years. Family still there, the whole SoCal thing, it was great...for awhile. We even bought a home in Hawaii and spent lots of time there. Then the economy took the big dump. Company closed and one of two jobs down. Sold SD, sold HI. The itch for something different returned.
We visited friends in New Mexico. Perfect time for a change, why not? Thought a small place in the foothills between Albuquerque and Santa Fe on a few acres would be terrific. Made the move. Still love the home and surrounding area with mountains behind us. Free from big city traffic. Four mild seasons, good hiking. I thought we could retire here. I said 'thought'.
After nearly 5 years, we are hoping to leave within the next 2-3. Getting older, we thought we wanted a more quiet and peaceful lifestyle. Well, we have made good friends here and enjoyed our home. Yes there is culture, but only two kinds. Native American, and Mexican Catholic. And the Mexican culture is not the Cuban culture, not even remotely. Little else is supported as it is considered to be taking away from the other two. Catholicism permeates like no where else I have ever been. Everything here is brown, the area, the mountains, the food (even though its tasty). We are in a perpetual state of drought, which keeps getting worse. The 'hip' cool area in Abq is all of a few blocks long and merely an extension of the UNM college campus. Malls are abysmal. Downtown is a crime haven at night. Gang population huge here, like over 20,000, and they all have tattoos of Jesus or crosses on them, (talk about hypocritical). The state and those who run it do not want to move forward, they'd rather keep everything like it is. Outcome of that is major poverty, huge teen pregnancy, lack of good paying jobs (except for a select few in highly educated government jobs). Wealthy people who bought second homes during the boom to be near Santa Fe for getaways are selling homes in droves.
So back to the original post, do I regret moving here? No, I don't. Every place I have lived has been enjoyable in its own ways and always an experience. I have friends all over the country and stay in touch with quite a few of them. I loved the 'real' diversity in SoCal and FL. The beauty of CA and AZ. I don't think the grass is ever greener, just different.
Where to in a few years? Not sure but it will be some place that is worth retiring to. Probably more rain, more green. Near an ocean. More progressive, friendly to business. We're working on the short list of possibilities already...life is short and we're looking for the next adventure.
Last edited by trailtramp; 05-05-2013 at 11:20 AM..
Reason: added a few things
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