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I don't think I'm a jerk. At least, I try earnestly not to be.
Is that a problem in Oregon? California jerks? Thanks for your candor!
No. It isn't a problem. If you are a good, decent person you will be fine. If you are a jerk, then you won't make friends and won't like it here. Has nothing to do with where you are from, but rather how you treat people.
Most of the CA eye rolling happens when people wonder why we don't have a TGIF or some other chain restaurant in a city, or why our coast isn't one big city like in CA. Oregon is very pro Ma and Pa businesses, very pro-Oregon and PNW businesses.
True story. I had a client from Boston. Professional style applied make-up, trendy clothes, and came from an area where you didn't give out your baby-sitters number because someone might "steal" your sitter from you by offering more money. She was worried about the lack of trendy shopping in Salem, so I gave her some local shops and also suggested Bridgeport which isn't far away. I ran into her with her family out at a restaurant not too long ago wearing no makeup, yoga pants and a t-shirt. She looked healthy, relaxed, and happy.
It isn't that people are from CA. It is that people from Oregon generally associate that materialistic attitude with Californians, and that isn't something valued in the Oregon culture.
My boss lived near Portland about 15 years ago, shortly after he got out of the Marines. He's a native Californian and still had CA plates on. After leaving a convenience store, a guy walked up to his car and told him he should go back to CA. His window was down and this guy spit on his face. My boss followed him, dragged him out of his car, and beat the **** out of him in front of his girlfriend. He's not proud of how he handled that but as a recently discharged combat Marine he sure didn't appreciate being treated that way completely unprovoked.
I have friends in CA who head up to the dunes to ride their quads a few times a year and have never had any problems. I imagine these kinds of incidents are rare but do happen from time to time.
My boss lived near Portland about 15 years ago, shortly after he got out of the Marines. He's a native Californian and still had CA plates on. After leaving a convenience store, a guy walked up to his car and told him he should go back to CA. His window was down and this guy spit on his face. My boss followed him, dragged him out of his car, and beat the **** out of him in front of his girlfriend. He's not proud of how he handled that but as a recently discharged combat Marine he sure didn't appreciate being treated that way completely unprovoked.
I have friends in CA who head up to the dunes to ride their quads a few times a year and have never had any problems. I imagine these kinds of incidents are rare but do happen from time to time.
Thanks for sharing this story. Whew! What an ordeal. I can't say I blame your boss after being spit on. That's definitely the sort of thing that's nice to know before going up there. That's unfortunate someone felt such animosity toward another countrymen (and serviceman) just because he's from another state. I don't even know what to say to that. That's just sad.
Hi Shadowrunner. I moved to Oregon from Northern California about 35 years ago in my early 20's - I came up on a whim following a friend. I got a job right away and just started living I know those were different times back then (jobs were easy to come by) but even though there was the negative talk about Californians it was always expressed in jest to me with lots of laughs. I wasn't concerned because I was busy with my life - work, play, exercise, meeting new friends - whatever. You just do that, ya know, live. I even married a native Oregonian who was always spouting that "Californians-go-home" thing Guess he got over it
Now, we live in Polk county which reminds me of home actually, with big oaks, fruit and nut orchards, and rolling hills of vineyards and a winery every few miles. Yamhill county looks like this to me as well. The neighborhood we live in is a good mix of locals and many California transplants! And nobody cares! All lovely people who walk their dogs, smile and wave. And that's all anybody really asks of anyone - to just be kind to one another, respect other's property and go with the flow
If I had the money I would move back to CA just because my family is there but my memories are probably exaggerated of how wonderful it is. And, you've probably heard this before, once you leave CA you can never go back; economically anyway. That and my husband would never leave his beloved Oregon We do visit a couple times a year though.
I say move to Oregon if you can find a job and afford to come. Obey the traffic laws, get your licenses within the legal time frame, pay your taxes and just live. Don't worry about this negative talk and just live your best life; it's a good one here
Hi Shadowrunner. I moved to Oregon from Northern California about 35 years ago in my early 20's - I came up on a whim following a friend. I got a job right away and just started living I know those were different times back then (jobs were easy to come by) but even though there was the negative talk about Californians it was always expressed in jest to me with lots of laughs. I wasn't concerned because I was busy with my life - work, play, exercise, meeting new friends - whatever. You just do that, ya know, live. I even married a native Oregonian who was always spouting that "Californians-go-home" thing Guess he got over it
Now, we live in Polk county which reminds me of home actually, with big oaks, fruit and nut orchards, and rolling hills of vineyards and a winery every few miles. Yamhill county looks like this to me as well. The neighborhood we live in is a good mix of locals and many California transplants! And nobody cares! All lovely people who walk their dogs, smile and wave. And that's all anybody really asks of anyone - to just be kind to one another, respect other's property and go with the flow
If I had the money I would move back to CA just because my family is there but my memories are probably exaggerated of how wonderful it is. And, you've probably heard this before, once you leave CA you can never go back; economically anyway. That and my husband would never leave his beloved Oregon We do visit a couple times a year though.
I say move to Oregon if you can find a job and afford to come. Obey the traffic laws, get your licenses within the legal time frame, pay your taxes and just live. Don't worry about this negative talk and just live your best life; it's a good one here
Thanks for sharing your story with me. It made me feel a little better about maybe moving up there. We're planning to visit next week so we'll see how things go. I think the plan is to not talk about California, drive super slow and hope no one really cares about my plates.
Not sure if I should start another thread for this but I was curious what areas of Oregon are the most lush? I've heard Bend is a high desert area which I'm not interested in. We love big trees, forests, etc. Which area of the state should we be focusing on? Thanks!
Only if you define 'within a mile or two of the limit' as 'super slow.' People won't care about your plates if you aren't causing them a problem, or doing something else objectionable. If you're staying to the right and near the speed limit, neither other drivers nor the cops will find your license plates very fascinating. If you are polite about letting people merge, and refrain from tailgating, you will actually be improving the motoring in your area. Most of it is a few instances people had, and they have inflated them into a judgment.
For example, the time I was over in SW WA stuck behind an enormous meandering landyacht along with twelve other cars, none of which could get by, and the landyacht wouldn't pull off despite a number of chances, the fact that it was a CA tagged landyacht wasn't what made its driver a selfish jackass. His behavior made him a selfish jackass. However, because he had CA tags, it's one of those isolated events that can sustain a perception in people's minds.
For another, the time I was exiting a fast food restaurant on a very hot day and a guy put his empty coffee cup under his tire and made to drive away, a situation I helped him to correct (along with a little bit of life coaching, a free donation of soda, and a frank personality evaluation), the fact that he had CA tags wasn't what made him a littering scum being. His behavior did. But such events tend to sustain people's perceptions; it's how the mind works.
It's the same for every time I have seen a CA tagged car doing something that screams "Screw everyone else; this is what I want to do, and I'm too lazy and selfish to do the right thing." All sorts of WA and OR tagged cars have done the same things. I have experienced an infinitesimal fraction of the CA tagged cars in my regions. Most I never remember because most did nothing remarkable, and I'm not eidetic or even that observant as to always look at the tags of every car I see (because, who really cares). In short, those samples are not representative, and to take them as such just wouldn't be very intelligent.
You live in America, so expecting most people to be very intelligent isn't too realistic. Thus, people will magnify their 3-4 authentic Bad California Experiences into a prejudice. I had to overcome it myself in life, and I can't imagine I'm the only one.
It's the same for every time I have seen a CA tagged car doing something that screams "Screw everyone else; this is what I want to do, and I'm too lazy and selfish to do the right thing."
Originally, I'm from the Midwest and when I moved to CA, I was alarmed by drivers here. Basically it's what you're saying here. There's a total disregard for everyone else on the road. It's this brandished self-entitlement that after several years still surprises me about this state. So I can empathize. I think I've adapted to it and I'll say, it's awfully tempting to not only mimic that kind of behavior but ignore most other drivers on the road. After a while, this voice sinks into your psyche that says, 'If no one else gives a ****, why should I?' I've done my best to push against it but patience just wears thin. I'll do my best in Oregon to drive like a human being. Perhaps I've forgotten and I don't even realize it.
Originally, I'm from the Midwest and when I moved to CA, I was alarmed by drivers here. Basically it's what you're saying here. There's a total disregard for everyone else on the road. It's this brandished self-entitlement that after several years still surprises me about this state. So I can empathize. I think I've adapted to it and I'll say, it's awfully tempting to not only mimic that kind of behavior but ignore most other drivers on the road. After a while, this voice sinks into your psyche that says, 'If no one else gives a ****, why should I?' I've done my best to push against it but patience just wears thin. I'll do my best in Oregon to drive like a human being. Perhaps I've forgotten and I don't even realize it.
The fact is, there's plenty of that sort of driving in Portland, too. And not an inconsiderable amount in Boise (only difference there is that the offending vehicle is more likely to have a Confederate flag and a bunch of nationalistic/macho stickers). It's nothing California has a monopoly on. My main point was that we see it from many people, but when the car happens to have out-of-state tags, there is a tendency for our minds to create an association not well supported by reality.
One thing I see a lot of in Portland is people who merge very abruptly. I suspect they figure that turning on their turn signal and waiting won't work. It works for me nearly every time, so I think they are making a mistake. Most people like an opportunity to be a nice person when the choice is placed in their hands, I find, so I place it there and wave my thanks when they let me in. Nearly every time.
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Guess he got over it 
