Are Washington & Oregon really that different? (Portland: transplants, moving)

[leastprime]

The view of the Columbia and it's Gorge from Astoria to HoodRiver is better seen from the Washington side.
If you want to see the affects of the Missoula floods, then it's best seen for the Oregon side, excepting the waterfalls on the Oregon side.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

JFYI, it was called the Oregon Trail, because it served the Oregon Territory, including the current states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. I suspect if Washington and Idaho had existed at the time, it might have been called the Pacific Northwest Trail or something like that.

Yeah, well OK. I did know that. But if you notice from the trail map you posted, the Oregon trail ran out to Portland and then south in to the Willamette Valley. It didn't branch north into Washington.

It wasn't until the Klondike Gold Rush that Seattle caught up with Portland in terms of population and I think the rebuilding of San Francisco after the earthquake which generated enormous demand for timber out of Puget Sound. The original pioneers during the years after the civil war wanted to go to the Willamette Valley for the farmland.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Yeah, well OK. I did know that. But if you notice from the trail map you posted, the Oregon trail ran out to Portland and then south in to the Willamette Valley. It didn't branch north into Washington.

It wasn't until the Klondike Gold Rush that Seattle caught up with Portland in terms of population and I think the rebuilding of San Francisco after the earthquake which generated enormous demand for timber out of Puget Sound. The original pioneers during the years after the civil war wanted to go to the Willamette Valley for the farmland.

In more detail, I think the first terminal for the Oregon Trail was actually at Ft Vancouver. So some people were going to that side of the Columbia River, especially in the beginning. That was when they were still floating down the river. Once wagon roads were cut into the Willamette Valley, then I believe Oregon City became the main terminal. Those trails were very fluid. They changed over time, as new wagon roads were cut. From this link it says that only 80,000 out of 400,000 traveled all the way to the Willamette Valley.

The trail did not cover a single path. The beginning and end points on the trail changed over time. On the front end, travelers might start in Independence, Missouri or Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa. At the endpoint, pioneers settled in Oregon, California, Idaho, or Utah. Only an estimated 80,000 out of the 400,000 noted above made it to Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

The Oregon Trail – In Reverse _ On the Road Again

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

That's why it was called "The Oregon Trail" and not "The Washington Trail"

You are right, most of the farmland in western Washington is stump farms which were clear-cut forest land sold off to farmers who had to clear the stumps to make the land productive. Timber companies sold off the clearcut forest land for cheap after they were done with it. Mostly it is too hilly and with too poor drainage to make good farmland. There are a few productive agricultural valleys in western WA. The Skagit Valley, for example. But it is small and nothing like the broad stretches of the Willamette Valley. In the 1930s, the Federal Government estimated that 80% of the farms in Western WA were inadequate: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017772985/ You an read about the life of stump farmers in "The Boys in the Boat" as the hero Joe Rantz grew up in poverty on a stump farm.

Interesting. And "The Boys in the Boat" was fascinating. I remember the part where his father and step mother literally drove off and abandoned Joe Rantz.

Also love reading about Bill Hayward/Bill Bowerman and the Oregon track stars of yesteryear.

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by WestGuest

Yes I know WA has no income tax and OR no sales tax. I looked all through both for a nice summer place on acreage and finally found some in Skamokawa WA - 40 miles West of Longview. I can see Oregon across the river.


Aside from the aforementioned , what are the real differences? WA has a somewhat better economy. Seattle and Portland are both expensive and have too much traffic. Next to the Cathlamet - Skamokawa area - I found Coos Bay nice, scenic and affordable.


Wouldnt the Western halves of Oregon and Washington have more in common with themselves than Eastern WA and Oregon?



Is there any cultural difference?

In my opinion yes. I almost feel Northern California and Washington are closer in culture than Oregon (at least the western half or Oregon).

I met my wife's Oregon friends and I know some people in Oregon. At first I couldn't put my finger on it, but they seemed "flakier". I spoke with a friend of mine who lives near Seattle, and he said "they lack accountability". BINGO! Now maybe this is just our experiences but I found it to be true with many of the people I've encountered.

As to why this is true, I don't have an idea...

[xPlorer48]

As a fifth generation NW Washingtonian and a frequent visitor to Oregon, I cannot see too many glaring differences. Washington’s is less settled, more wild, and doesn’t have Oregon’s massive public beach access. Eastern Washington is more agrarian as there are many orchards and field crops. Eastern Oregon is more about cattle ranching. The I5 corridor all looks the same to me but I am not a city person. Washington has the rugged Olympic range and Oregon’s Coast Range has gentler terrain. The Cascades are similar but I think Washington’s major peaks are more majestic. Eastern Washington has more cities and towns whereas Eastern Oregon is sparsely populated. Southeast Oregon is essentially empty except for several very small towns. That is just a start.

[JackieLovesSun]

Originally Posted by Vic Romano

In my opinion yes. I almost feel Northern California and Washington are closer in culture than Oregon (at least the western half or Oregon).

I met my wife's Oregon friends and I know some people in Oregon. At first I couldn't put my finger on it, but they seemed "flakier". I spoke with a friend of mine who lives near Seattle, and he said "they lack accountability". BINGO! Now maybe this is just our experiences but I found it to be true with many of the people I've encountered.

As to why this is true, I don't have an idea...

I have no idea if this is true or not (I lived most of my life in Minnesota and recently in Northern Nevada) but it's an interesting idea. My first thought is maybe the people you have met from (western) Oregon are just younger than those you know from WA and CA?

or do you think this quality of "flaky" could be strictly people you have met from Portland, specifically? I have only visited Portland twice so far myself but clearly it is unique.

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by JackieLovesSun

I have no idea if this is true or not (I lived most of my life in Minnesota and recently in Northern Nevada) but it's an interesting idea. My first thought is maybe the people you have met from (western) Oregon are just younger than those you know from WA and CA?

or do you think this quality of "flaky" could be strictly people you have met from Portland, specifically? I have only visited Portland twice so far myself but clearly it is unique.

My wife's friends are definitely not young (50s-60s). My experience is nearly all with the western half of Washington and Oregon, so that's what it's based on. Cannot speak for the eastern half of each state.

Most of the personal experience is with people in the Portland Metro area and Salem. But I do get the same vibe in Eugene and Medford...

[McFrostyJ]

There are just as many good people, bad people and flakes in Oregon and Washington as anywhere else.
I travel a lot and see all of the above everywhere I go.
Most recently, we spent some time in Texas and found it to be about the same as anywhere else.
I lived in Nevada a while and as far as people go, wasn't much different then anywhere else.
Even in New York, where I have heard the most about there being rude, unfriendly people, I always meet a lot of nice, helpful folks. Sure there are the other kind too, but I think we mostly see what we are looking for.

[elijah210]

This thread has been so interesting to read. I grew up in California, but spent 3 years in Washington (Bellingham). And maybe because of this I view Oregon in terms of climate, as a happy medium between the two. As for cultural feel, along the west coast it's mostly a matter of whether you're in an urban vs. a rural area.