Raleigh NC to Portland (Hillsboro, Durham: real estate, apartments, to rent)

[sea2sea]

Hi,

We are considering a relocation and would like to get other Southerners thoughts after relocation. What you learned, what you would do differently, what is better and worse, etc....

My wife and I are college educated professionals in our mid-30s and will be working and likely living in Hillsboro.

We made a recent trip to get a lay of the land, site-seeing, and to check out the real estate. I realize the single-family housing options are quite different from what we are used to in the South.....privacy, larger lots, custom touches, etc.

Appreciate your advice and insight....thanks!

[danwilsonbsee]

I just made this move in October - my wife & I lived in Cameron Village in Raleigh and moved to downtown Portland for my job. Depending on where you lived in the triangle you can find something else you'll be comfortable in the area. Sounds like you're aiming for the suburbs which are nice but I love the convenience of downtown. We actually left my wife's car with her family and sold it so we're a one car family now! (much to my liking ). There are definite differences compared to the south out here - my wife is from Raleigh so the change in demographic was actually much to her liking. The immigrant population and old school mentalities don't hold my sway out here. The biggest thing you'll for sure have to get used to is the weather - the cool and wet aren't so bad but by mid-March you'll NEED to get away and get some sun. You really forget about the sun so take lots of vitamin D. I have found some of the population to be elitist and view people from the south as uneducated (I'm an electrical engineer) but when telling people we moved from NC I get some negative reactions with people thinking it's backward there. That said we love it here - and if you can bring yourself to live in downtown you'll positively love the public transit and walking vs. driving. I only go into the office once a week and work from home the rest so I only really drive once a week (take that big oil!). Look into the Pearl & 23rd for nightlight & higher end apartments or SE for more eclectic neighborhoods. Just make sure to take a few test commutes as the traffic here puts I-40 in rush hour to shame... it's terrible! Cheers and bring me some Bojangles!

[Nell Plotts]

I have done a couple consulting gigs in NC. One big difference between NC and OR is matters of faith. In NC it was a huge topic, most of the people I met were members of one Baptist Church or another and felt free to inquire about my faith. Here religion is considered a personal matter rarely discussed in social settings (NEVER in business setting) and no denomination predominates.

That does not mean that people don't attend religious services but locals don't view it as anyone else's business.

[hose111]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

I have done a couple consulting gigs in NC. One big difference between NC and OR is matters of faith. In NC it was a huge topic, most of the people I met were members of one Baptist Church or another and felt free to inquire about my faith. Here religion is considered a personal matter rarely discussed in social settings (NEVER in business setting) and no denomination predominates.

That does not mean that people don't attend religious services but locals don't view it as anyone else's business.

that's not true....I had a case where it happen in business setting was upsetting..

[Rob Allen]

I live here in Portland but I fly in & out of Raleigh to visit my family in Southside Virginia. They visited here once too. They were impressed by how green and fertile everything looked in April. They said the houses look different but not in any way they could articulate. Summers here are not as hot and nowhere near as humid. The rest of the year it does rain a lot but we don't get hurricanes or even thunderstorms. When I visit there I notice that there are foods that are common there but not here - grits, of course, and fried bologna sandwiches, and brunswick stew. Barbecue here tends to be the Texas style rather than the Piedmont style.

Living near your work is a good idea no matter where you're coming from. Many people find it preferable to rent first and check out the metro area for a while so you can find the neighborhood that fits.

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by hose111

that's not true....I had a case where it happen in business setting was upsetting..

In Oregon?? That would get the same response from me if the speaker had inquired about intimate matters with my husband... ignore the question, change the subject or 'I regard that as a personal matter'. If the employer were large enough to have an HR person on staff I would share this with that person even if I didn't work for the firm. If it happened once odds are it has happened on other occassions.

Employees looking for a reason (excuse) to explain lack of promotion, discharge or anything in between will use that incident. Huge potential liability for the employer. Employees, applicants and those with business relationships have no qualms about raising this as an issue.

[sea2sea]

Dan...thanks for the reply! We would very much love to live in a downtown neighborhood but the commute would be a pain. My wife's health care job will be in Hillsboro which is why are focusing on the burbs.

I am hoping to get involved with a startup. Would you say Portland has the same entrepreneurial culture and energy that Durham does?

[sea2sea]

Rob...thank you for the reply. We fully intend to minimize our commute time to maximize lifestyle.

We will be renting at first to get a better feel of the land...and I gather there is definitely no rush to buy at the moment.

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by sea2sea

Dan...thanks for the reply! We would very much love to live in a downtown neighborhood but the commute would be a pain. My wife's health care job will be in Hillsboro which is why are focusing on the burbs.

I am hoping to get involved with a start-up. Would you say Portland has the same entrepreneurial culture and energy that Durham does?

That is difficult to answer. For example Tektronix spun off a number of internal ventures over the years and is now almost non-existent. There is an Oregon venture capital group (discussed recently on our public radio station), you might search for that discussion online. Beaverson/Hillsboro tends to be stronger hardware high tech than software but on the software side there are a number of internet security groups. Software developers often do things on the side so you may find little ventures around town.

Basic science enterprises are likely related to health care (not particularly pharma) because of OHSU. Google recent developments on AIDS & OHSU.

There are SV venture capital investments in the area but those firms would likely be at the mezzanine stage.

[suncat]

I used to live in Raleigh (Cameron Village) and Garner. The biggest difference is the weather, which I can't stand here. I'm one of those weirdos who likes heat and humidity.

In the Triangle, it seemed strangers were more likely to strike up conversations; here, people can be more reserved, but it depends on where you are. I don't live in Hillsboro, but I like the older areas around downtown Hillsboro. The Max goes from Hillsboro to downtown Portland.

Downtown Portland has more to offer than downtown Raleigh, but the pan handlers and hipsters can be annoying.

I missed good Asian, and especially Thai, food when I lived back there. I never took to Eastern Carolina BBQ, so there's not a lot of food back there that I miss.

Portlanders can be quite ignorant about the South, viewing it as a giant block of bible-thumbing conservatives. Some were surprised to learn about all the universities and the RTP in the Triangle, and some didn't even know that Obama took NC! They think the South is ignorant, but it often seems the other way around.