Oregonian ready to relocate

[spunky1]

Originally Posted by Nea1

I am from oregon too born and raised, we moved to Raleigh lived there two years, lets just say we dont live there anymore. If you like smaller and true beauty and more diverse, think Asheville!!!!

Hi, was just wondering I am interested in possibly moving to Asheville (or close by); how do you rate Asheville's beauty in comparison to Oregon?

[the returner]

I lived in NC (Wilmington, Greensboro and Asheville) for 20 yrs. and the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Portland) for 15 yrs. I currently live in PDX and am moving to Raleigh in a couple months. I would guess that people who were born and raised in Portland would prefer Asheville to other cities because it has a milder climate, mountains and has a liberal feel. For outdoorsy types, Asheville is good.

Please visit extensively before you move to NC. The weather, people and culture are very different than the west coast. The economy in Asheville was not so good when I lived there - if you don't like Portland's economy, you really need to check out your options in Asheville.

The weather in NC and OR is very different . When I first moved to Seattle, it was a relief to be away from the heat and humidity of NC, but in retrospect, I'd much rather endure that than the rain and gloom in the Pacific Northwest. Just be aware that the difference is striking!

The people are also very different - I prefer the extroverted east coasters to the introverted Pacific Northwest types. This is one of the things I truly missed about NC, but I fear that shy, subtle Portlanders will be "bowled over" by the east coast in general. It depends on your personality.

That said, it's been a great experience to check out both coasts!

[Nea1]

Originally Posted by spunky1

Hi, was just wondering I am interested in possibly moving to Asheville (or close by); how do you rate Asheville's beauty in comparison to Oregon?

Oregon is prettty but with all the rain I found it hard to enjoy year round. Asheville is Beautiful and so is the surrounding areas, I would have to say it is prettier than oregon.

[spunky1]

Originally Posted by Nea1

Oregon is prettty but with all the rain I found it hard to enjoy year round. Asheville is Beautiful and so is the surrounding areas, I would have to say it is prettier than oregon.

Ok, thank you so much for your in put!

[pdxrunner74]

Originally Posted by Andreahaha

Ha, well, this is funny -- I'm a 24 year old, single, outdoorsy, elementary school teacher from Virginia looking (as the first poster said) for something new. I'm ready for a new adventure. The places that I keep returning to for consideration are the Portland area (but I think I would teach in WA) and Asheville, NC. So this seems to be a forum to which I should contribute. I would appreciate any and all suggestions and opinions about OR/NC!

Here I am looking for info on NC, but I would definitely recommend Portland to you! Yes, the WA schools (ie Camas) are much better than Portland Public (if I stay here, I'm going private). You can't get much "outdoorsier" that Oregon! In Portland, you are 45 minutes from everything: snow skiing Mt Hood, windsurfing Hood River, beaches at the Oregon coast, wineries in Willamette Valley, etc. Yeah, yeah, the skies might be a little gray and it might rain some, but we have very distinct seasons, the weather is very mild - chilly in winter (it's about 30 degrees right now) and warm in summer (around 80 degrees, low humidity). Contrary to what others say, for a city, Portland's cost of living isn't bad. It's not as cheap compared to the mid-west and south, but it's much less expensive than California, and even Seattle! I agree with the other poster that Oregonians are a bit introverted - I haven't figured out why yet! Portland is great. I'm ready for a change for the next few years, but I know I'll be back....

[nanannie]

PDX,,A "LITTLE grey"?? "SOME rain" I must missed that part of Oregon..I would say LOTS'O rain and LOTS'O grey

[Permanently Restless]

I am actually looking into moving to Portland after i leave Austin.
But i have lived in Raleigh off and on for the better part of my life.
So here's my quick take on Raleigh:
Public transit is nearly non-existent, so having a vehicle is almost a requirement. I-40 and us-64/us-1 are a freakin nightmare.
People are people anywhere you go, plenty of a**holes with pockets of decent folk scattered amongst the debris, sometimes they're hard to find, but good people do exist.
For outdoors type activities, Umstead Park in Raleigh is quite pleasant as is Raven Rock which is not too far away.the beach is roughly 2 hours away and quite nice, the mountains are roughly 3-4 hours away and also quite nice.
The economy is okay, a lot of high tech and biological jobs in the area, not sure how teachers get treated. Rent used to be pretty cheap but right before i left rental rates appeared to be heading upwards .
Climate:
winter=ice and cold that will penetrate to the bone but no fluffy snow to play in
summer=humid enough that you will stick to everything and want nothing more than to remove your skin and soak in a nice cold pool.
fall and spring are quite pleasant.
I highly recommend visiting during your LEAST favorite season to see how you like the area when you would be most miserable.
If you by chance you do decide to make the move, Raleigh apartments in downtown Raleigh are nice and affordable and in walking distance to most of the downtown area.
i know this is an extremely late post, but good luck.