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I would like to know, what does the rest of the United States think of Portland Oregon? What are your thoughts on the city and what was your time there like?
I think drugs and homeless but I've never been there so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Whenever I think of the state, I think of natural beauty and serial killers but that latter opinion was formed decades ago.
Portland is only one of the greatest, most beautiful cities I've ever visited west of the continental divide. I am now planning on moving there and starting a family. My wife and I do not want to raise our kids here in Florida. So we have been traveling all over the U.S. for several years now, looking for the place we want to call home. We have found it in Portland!!!
First of all, yes, it's one of the most liberal cities out there. THANK GOD!!!!! I believe that, there, I could actually raise my kids to be kind to people, to not care about race, creed, sexual orientation, gender, etc. Also, there's no Stand Your Ground law there which is a plus, since it's dangerous to even go to the movie theater anymore here in Tampa. Popcorn and bullets will fly!!! Also, it is absolutely, hands-down, one of the (if not THE) cleanest cities I've ever seen in my life. People actually get fines for littering and stuff like that, and it's completely evident, because in the city center there is NO LITTER ANYWHERE!!!! It blew my mind. Also, I didn't see any panhandlers anywhere. I should say that the majority of my time there was inside the downtown area, for whatever that's worth. No experience with the suburbs or other surrounding areas (other than Gresham... a friend of ours lived there, and that place definitely had some visible hobo and panhandling elements, but it was so ridiculously infinitesimal that it's hardly worth mentioning!! There's way more of it here in Tampa, and it's IN YOUR FACE EVERYWHERE!!). I was able to eat at a different brew pub for every meal, every single time I've stayed there, because of how many there are there. That was heaven to me. Love me some micro brew!
Anyway, the main reason for looking at the PNW in general has been its close proximity to all things outdoor. My wife and I love outdoor stuff, mostly hiking, so the PNW is the place to be for all that. The only other city that we have considered after traveling the entire geographic area is Seattle. Seattle is awesome, too. In a few ways it's "better" but I use that word loosely. Better meaning probably better opportunity for more jobs, more diverse groups of people, more well-rounded. But Seattle was actually dirty to me. Not that that's a deal-breaker, but it's worth mentioning, because of how obvious and true it is. It was covered in litter, and bums everywhere. Kind of reminded me of San Francisco in that aspect. But whatever, that's more the norm around the nation than the apparent cleanliness of Portland. Have I mentioned that I love Portland?
First of all, yes, it's one of the most liberal cities out there. THANK GOD!!!!! I believe that, there, I could actually raise my kids to be kind to people, to not care about race, creed, sexual orientation, gender, etc.
Not a strictly Liberal thing... EVERY Libertarian I have ever met is the same way, and plenty of "conservatives" as well. Bigots exist in almost every political ideology. It would do you well not to succumb to collectivism when it comes to political preference. (You look down on collectivism in other manners, why would you judge a whole group by the actions of few in another area of thought?)
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Also, there's no Stand Your Ground law there which is a plus, since it's dangerous to even go to the movie theater anymore here in Tampa. Popcorn and bullets will fly!!!
Uh, I can only find one single shooting incident in a theater in Tampa.... If it only takes one incident to make things dangerous, that would mean that it is "dangerous now days" to go to a mall in Omaha, or an airport in Wichita....
I would agree if shootings in theaters in Tampa were common, but they don't seem to be. If all it takes is one incident to make things dangerous, then living in Portland becomes MORE dangerous than going to a theater in Tampa....
I specifically went to Portland about 3 years ago just to check it out, all by myself (I needed some alone time lol!). It was the only west coast/western city I hadn't been to.
Anyway, I flew in, took the train to my hotel downtown, and really enjoyed Portland. Natural beauty, great downtown, green (for late November when I was there), lots of outdoor activities, liberal... pretty much what I expected. It was drizzly and rather dark (the days were very short), but it wasn't bone chilling cold. It sort of reminded me of a New England city, only on the West Coast, if that makes any sense. The thinkg that seemed odd to me was that the population didn't seem very racially diverse, but I didn't travel all over the metro area. If the opportunity came up, I would move there.
I live in Seattle and have visited Portland multiple times. To me, it seems like a quieter, smaller, less vibrant Seattle. One thing that shocked me was that there are homeless scattered EVERYWHERE. Seattle definitely has homeless too, but they mostly stick around Pioneer Square. In Portland, it seemed like they were on every corner of every city block (in downtown, that is).
Portland has excellent parks though, and the residential architecture is very nice. I also love love LOVE the Portland Sunday Market. It's a riverfront market with so many food stands and vendors; it really makes Portland feel unique and proves that Portland is dedicated to family-owned shops and businesses. In comparison, Seattle is much more corporate. Downtown Seattle has glittering skyscrapers with accountants and lawyers mucking about (I'm one of them, strangely enough). Downtown Portland doesn't have anywhere near as much business going on, but what it does have is a ton of awesome restaurants. Downtown Seattle is geared towards offices, so it's kind of a sterile place for non-business folk.
Best part about Portland though has to be all the food carts. There are so many of them! This adds a ton of diversity to Portland's cuisine and I really wish Seattle had as many food carts scattered all over downtown... Although I guess there isn't really any room in downtown Seattle for food carts.
Anyways, that's my two-cents on Portland. Cute, interesting city. Not as booming or vibrant as Seattle, but it has that "Portlandia" vibe which is cool whereas Seattle is more of a soul-less, professional-focused environment. People in Portland are also 10-times nicer and more down-to-earth than Seattleites.
Very very positive impression. Love the urban design and the sustainable (green) infrastructure. Portland was a pioneer in light rail and showed the path of TOD as public ROI for mass transit. I also love the soccer fandom and the counterculture vibe, although the extreme hipster saturation would grind on me after awhile. And of course, I love the food trucks!!!
That said, I'm a big city guy and also an Asian cuisine fanatic, so Portland definitely gets very overshadowed by SF, Seattle and Vancouver. And LA for that matter.
Jacksonville, being my hometown and all, is the only smaller US metro that wins my heart completely.
^ I forgot to mention the public transportation there... It was amazing! I've spent time in San Francisco, DC, NYC, even lived in Atlanta for a couple years... And no one has gotten it right the way that Portland did! It was so dependable, and punctual. And comfortable. I really enjoyed every minute of my time in Portland. Now I just need to hope that someone bites on one of the jobs I applied to!
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"Portland is a city where young people go to retire."
