Native Floridians or Southerner's living in Oregon or WA

[Redrover]

I'm not sure I really belong on this thread but here I am anyway! I am a dyed-in-the-wool southerner (Texas) who is giving serious consideration to moving to central Oregon. All those Florida issues apply to me as well - heat, humidity, bugs etc. and to be honest, I (and husband) always planned to stay in the south when we retired. However, I have recently become very concerned about the persistent drought in virtually every southern state, as well as in CA, NM, AZ and other areas. On the long-term drought map the only areas not dealing with this are Texas up through the middle of the country through the midwest. Now of course I know that drought patterns vary from year to year but I am determined to leave my huge city (Houston) for a small locale and don't want to go someplace where we would be facing water shortages the day we arrive. We had planned to go to North Carolina (Raleigh) but they have been having severe shortages and are on strict water rationing. So, I am now ready to consider western Oregon. I have a sister up there, a friend in Portland and have made a number of trips to the area over the years, some in December so I have seen the gray. But the big driving force is wanting to live where I am not likely to run out of water. (BTW, as I am a conservative non-Bush Republican, my arrival should double the conservative population of the state.)

[LSarah6]

Originally Posted by GR82BAGATOR

I am a native Floridian that is thinking about moving to Oregon or WA in the next few years and would like some input from other Floridians or those from other Southern states that have moved to either OR or WA. If there are any out there, I would like to know how you feel about the weather, schools & economy, in comparison to Florida of course! I will be graduating with a Business degree and would be looking for a corporate position and would have 2 children in HS and one starting college. We are looking at West Linn or Gresham area in OR and the Camas or Vancouver area in WA. I am thinking a little about Seattle too...I know the job opportunities seem to be better there. Any suggestions/comments would be great!

I recently returned from a trip to Portland and so far what is making me want to move to the PNW is the pace (much slower than FL), the people (seem to be much nicer than the over-populated areas of FL)...I still think native Floridians ROCK...& I like the fact that y'all have seasons out there! Please tell me from a Florida native or southern perspective what you think of the PNW.

Oh & I'm from North Cental Florida (Gainesville area)...

Thanks!

Hey fellow Floridian (note: from Miami, FL)! Lemme give you my point-of-view.

First I want to comment on your questions.

If you like the Florida sunshine, 30 minute downpours with thunder & lightning, and lack of seasons, you will find OR to be hell. Those things don't occur. I actually developed seasonal depression (had no clue things like that existed before!) due to the lack of sunshine and the overcast drizzle that occurs for 6 months straight. I'm not exaggerating much either. It can rain for a long time, and during that time it is grey and depressing. But that also depends on the area. I live in the Willamette valley where cold rain (but not snow) and springtime allergies rule the climate. Other places (Portland, Medford, Bend) are different. I think someone else commented on the lack of beaches. Too true. The Pacific Ocean is COLD, even in the summer. My recommendation (if you like the beach) is Seaside, OR or Florence (which is a gamble because it can either be freezing and windy, or absolutely perfect).

Economy is mediocre. It's not the best as far as job market goes, but the minimum wage is quite high here (in comparison), there is no sales tax, property prices are average and the housing market isn't awful. Plus you don't pump your own gas...literally, you aren't allowed to...

I like the higher education here, and I would recommend many of the 4-year colleges in Oregon or Washington. I didn't think the primary education was as good as mine was in FL, but that could just be because I went to some excellent schools on Miami Beach.

As for the people, many are very friendly. I too was a little weirded out by the way that many people will act like they know you. People say hello when you pass them on the sidewalk (what? are you talking to me? do i know you?). Also, the pedestrian comment that someone made gave me a laugh. Pedestrians here (and yes, they exist in hoardes!), especially around University communities, are SO rude. They actually think they rule the road no matter the situation. I have been quite shocked at how they will just stroll leisurely across the street without even looking. You'd get run over and the person would never look back in FL. Likewise, there are a lot of bike & public transportation commuters. That being said, people here are not nearly as overtly pushy as East coast folks in general. They can be incredibly passive-aggressive, but in general the mood here is much more 'go-with-the-flow' than 'get-out-of-the-way'.

Now I will address one other thing:
I disagree that Oregon is a 'liberal state'. It has mostly liberal big cities (in particular Eugene and Portland), but a large majority of smaller towns and other cities are quite conservative. You will find all kinds here in Oregon and most people (whether liberal or conservative) are not scared to voice their opinions regarding politics.

Hope that helps!

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by LSarah6

As for the people, many are very friendly. I too was a little weirded out by the way that many people will act like they know you. People say hello when you pass them on the sidewalk (what? are you talking to me? do i know you?). Also, the pedestrian comment that someone made gave me a laugh. Pedestrians here (and yes, they exist in hoardes!), especially around University communities, are SO rude. They actually think they rule the road no matter the situation. I have been quite shocked at how they will just stroll leisurely across the street without even looking. You'd get run over and the person would never look back in FL. Likewise, there are a lot of bike & public transportation commuters. That being said, people here are not nearly as overtly pushy as East coast folks in general. They can be incredibly passive-aggressive, but in general the mood here is much more 'go-with-the-flow' than 'get-out-of-the-way'.

Pedestrians in Oregon do rule the road. Pedestrians have the right of way. Always. Farm equipment has the right of way, except over pedestrians. Horses have the right of way over farm equipment, but not over pedestrians. Hit a pedestrian, farm implement or horse with your car, and you are going to be really, really, REALLY sorry.

There are a couple other Oregon quirks to the law. Light a camp fire in an unimproved camp ground during fire season, and you will spend the rest of your campout in jail. Start a forest fire, and you will spend several years in prison, and potentially be fined millions of dollars. By the time the state is done with you, you will have a felony arson record and won't have two nickels to rub together.

Originally Posted by LSarah6

Now I will address one other thing:
I disagree that Oregon is a 'liberal state'. It has mostly liberal big cities (in particular Eugene and Portland), but a large majority of smaller towns and other cities are quite conservative. You will find all kinds here in Oregon and most people (whether liberal or conservative) are not scared to voice their opinions regarding politics.

You will find a large percentage (about 40%) of Oregon voters are GDI - the 'I' stands for Independent, you can figure out the GD for yourself. Unfortunately, somebody organized an Independent political party,which means any voter who registers as Independent in the future automatically becomes a member of that party, which sort of defeats the whole purpose.

Many voters in Oregon think that Liberal and Conservative are remnants of high school football teams, where you were taught to choose sides for no good reason. Rah Rah, sis boom bah.

Check out of the system and think for yourself. There is a reason ideologue is cognate with idiot.

[GR82BAGATOR]

Originally Posted by LSarah6

Hey fellow Floridian (note: from Miami, FL)! Lemme give you my point-of-view.

First I want to comment on your questions.

If you like the Florida sunshine, 30 minute downpours with thunder & lightning, and lack of seasons, you will find OR to be hell. Those things don't occur. I actually developed seasonal depression (had no clue things like that existed before!) due to the lack of sunshine and the overcast drizzle that occurs for 6 months straight. I'm not exaggerating much either. It can rain for a long time, and during that time it is grey and depressing. But that also depends on the area. I live in the Willamette valley where cold rain (but not snow) and springtime allergies rule the climate. Other places (Portland, Medford, Bend) are different. I think someone else commented on the lack of beaches. Too true. The Pacific Ocean is COLD, even in the summer. My recommendation (if you like the beach) is Seaside, OR or Florence (which is a gamble because it can either be freezing and windy, or absolutely perfect).

Economy is mediocre. It's not the best as far as job market goes, but the minimum wage is quite high here (in comparison), there is no sales tax, property prices are average and the housing market isn't awful. Plus you don't pump your own gas...literally, you aren't allowed to...

I like the higher education here, and I would recommend many of the 4-year colleges in Oregon or Washington. I didn't think the primary education was as good as mine was in FL, but that could just be because I went to some excellent schools on Miami Beach.

As for the people, many are very friendly. I too was a little weirded out by the way that many people will act like they know you. People say hello when you pass them on the sidewalk (what? are you talking to me? do i know you?). Also, the pedestrian comment that someone made gave me a laugh. Pedestrians here (and yes, they exist in hoardes!), especially around University communities, are SO rude. They actually think they rule the road no matter the situation. I have been quite shocked at how they will just stroll leisurely across the street without even looking. You'd get run over and the person would never look back in FL. Likewise, there are a lot of bike & public transportation commuters. That being said, people here are not nearly as overtly pushy as East coast folks in general. They can be incredibly passive-aggressive, but in general the mood here is much more 'go-with-the-flow' than 'get-out-of-the-way'.

Now I will address one other thing:
I disagree that Oregon is a 'liberal state'. It has mostly liberal big cities (in particular Eugene and Portland), but a large majority of smaller towns and other cities are quite conservative. You will find all kinds here in Oregon and most people (whether liberal or conservative) are not scared to voice their opinions regarding politics.

Hope that helps!

Thank you! I truly appreciate your input! It's nice to hear from other Floridians because you can answers these questions more from "my part" of the country perspective. I still like the "shoot from hip" attitudes of most east coasters. Again I truly appreciate all the input from my fellow native Floridians!

[Imystify]

funny, the comments about not fitting in are things I've said. But I'm a PNW transplant to Louisiana. lol.. go figure. my husband is a native southerner and we're moving back to PNW as he just fell in love with the area when we were there for 9 months. His salary went up, like doubled, less gang thug customers, whole lot of benefits. but, even I get tired of the rain so...