LOVE the city. Hate the rain. (Portland: renting, home, living in)

[LiveStrong84]

I've only been to Portland once back in 2005 and that was enough for me to fall in love with the city. Since I'm ready for a change and to get out of MD, I've been applying to tons of different jobs along the east coast. But I'd really love to live in Portland. I've never come across a city so diverse, with the "Big City, Small Town" feel, and I've never felt so much at home like I did there. I think I may be too liberal and artsy for the east coast but the weather here is much better, at least in the mid-atlantic. It's just so...far away. And rainy. The rain affects my mood a lot, much like people who become depressed in winter. Has anyone relocated from clear across the country? And how'd you adjust to the differences?

[puerco]

I was born and raised in Portland & I really love the city. But I can't take the 9 months of rain. (Altho in my humble opinion the climate's a lot better than that of the East Coast.) If dark gray days depress you I think you might want to reconsider moving to Portland.

[Yankeemama]

I live in PDX now, originally from S.F., and lived all over the East Coast. I actually prefer the weather in NYC and Boston to the weather in Portland but the Summer is great here. The gray days are grayer and longer than those of Boston. There are a lot more bright, sunny Winter days on East Coast though a lot colder. I would suggest that you come here during the most depressing time of the year here and check out for yourself how dreary the cloud cover can really be. Portland is also very small compared to most East Coast cities. I enjoy living here but I try to see the good and the bad and make fair judgements. No rose colored glasses. Good luck to you.

[Wicked Felina]

Both good posts ^^. I moved from the East Coast to Portland. The weather didn't bother me much because I worked shift work. Like Yankeemama, I much prefer the weather on the East Coast. But that's my preference.

If you already know that rainy weather gets you down, I would seriously reconsider Portland. The good things in Portland can balance out the weather, but it's no guarantee for you, personally.

That's a good suggestion, to try and visit Portland for a few weeks (even renting a room for a month or so), before you make the move. I also wish you luck in your decision ~

[Yankeemama]

Hey Wicked Felina! Are we the only people in Portland that actually prefer East Coast cold? I think I will need to check out Mt. hood this Winter.

[Sprightly]

Livestrong84, today is actually a very representative grey damp day and tomorrow is forecast to be as well. You might want to take a look with some webcams to see how dark it is what the cloud cover looks like.

Here's a good one - it's the OHSU Tram cam:KGW Metro Cams | kgw.com | KGW Weather | Portland, Oregon

[Juxtaposition109]

If it was summer here all year long then Portland would win my domestication hands down. However I feel that for me living in Portland is like owning a really kick A## car that has to sit in the garage 9 months out of the year and I only get to really enjoy it for 3 months out on the road. The 9 months it's sitting in the garage I can look at it and look forward to summer, but in reality for 3/4 of the time I own the car it's just going to be stuck in my garage due to dreary weather conditions. Not a great analogy I know. But maybe you see what I mean.

[jojo4]

If you know the cloudy weather negatively affect your mood, DO NOT move here. simple really.
It is going to be cloudy in the Northwest.

[aroseinrain]

yeah, really really cloudy.. It's probably the number one reason that people leave IMO.

[Yankeemama]

I hate to say this but I think a lot of people who ask about the cloudy weather on this forum want to be told what they want to hear. They want to be told, "oh no, it's not that bad" but really it IS that gray for most of the year. I grew up in S.F. And whenever my relatives from NY came to visit in the summer, they would pack a suitcase full of clothes suited for the Hamptons. They, like so many other tourists who didn't listen to their travel agents, would be freezing and without a sweater or jacket. They just didn't want to believe that S.F. In summer is fricken cold, windy, foggy and sometimes drizzly. I guess that's why I don't mind Portland's weather so much. The summer is gorgeous here. The rest of the year, well, it's already drizzly and cloudy today. Yes. It IS really this gray.