Moving from Albuquerque to Portland? Maybe...? (Bend: apartments, lofts, new home)

[joelg11]

there are several of these threads from various people across the country wondering if they should or shouldn't move to portland, so I figured I'd tell you all about my self and you can help me decide. (Thats if you have something knowledgeable and helpful to say). Ok here it is:

I'm 25 years old, grew up in Albuquerque and went to school on the Central Coast of CA (Cal Poly, SLO).

I moved back to ABQ to live here as a newlywed and be around family and stuff.....but now its time to go somewhere else.

I'm sick already (after 18 months) of the suburbs and I want to live in a downtown area where I can walk places (bars, cafes, venues..)

I'm an Engineer at a big company, don't know if thats the career for me but it pays the bills well for now. Considering a career in finance (investment banking, portfolio managing, etc).

Weather: I've only lived in really, really good weather in my life. ABQ has amazing sunshine and seasons, central CA is perfectly temperate. I think I can handle the "gloom" of Portland, since so many other people seem to do just fine with it. I've just never experienced it for more than a week or so.

I'm moderate politically, left on some social and foriegn policy issues, rightish on some moral issues.

Thats enough about me...Can/Should I make my new home in Portland???

Other options are Denver and Bend, OR. Or maybe Nicaragua.

[wanderlust00]

Downtown PDX is pretty great. Everything is accessible easily, if you can't walk there you can take one of the many busses or the MAX. Great nightlife with many cool bars, clubs and music venues. There's LOTS of apartments and lofts downtown, however they're generally not super cheap. It's only gloomy in the winter. During the summer it hardly ever rains and there's plenty of sunshine. Lots of jobs if you have the right qualifications...sounds like you wouldn't have much of a problem finding something. The gorge and Mt. Hood are very close to the East and the coast is an hour to the West...so always some great outdoor activities. We enjoy windsurfing and snowboarding and this is a great area for both. Good luck!

[UltraVioletMama]

Portland is a great city if you can handle the high income tax, 8 months of gray skies, and have the ability to choose which Starbucks you are going to get your coffee from every day No, I do like Portland, but it's definitely "growing up". Tri-met is fantastic here, you don't really need a car if you are in a position to rely upon mass transit. Books are big here too, I love the thrift stores as well, but it seems as if they are becoming more expensive because it's trendy to buy from them.

The tax structure here needs some help however. Oregon supplements its revenue with gambling (video poker specifically) which I think is morally wrong, perhaps the influx of population however will phase that out someday? If so, then Oregon would be a great place to live.