Are you glad you moved to Portland? (Bend: home, neighborhood)

[pdwpdx]

I do find a lot of people around here to be rather cold and somehow silently contemptuous. It's really strange. You can sometimes be standing a a crowded bus stop and it's as silent as a library. No one talks or looks at anyone else. Sometimes I want jump up and down, start shouting, "Lighten up, people!!!" It's like they're frozen...afraid to say or do the wrong thing or anything at all. Many of the hipper types seem so focused on maintaining their cool image that they leave no room for warmth, earthiness, etc.

[KJoe11]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

Well I kind of agree with you there on the "outdated ideals".

When I was a young man growing up in Oregon, those ideals were very much valued.
Way back when Oregon was a forgotten backwater and it wasn't so populated and popular, there was a certain Oregon way of approaching and talking to people, dealing with problems, and minding your own business.
Politeness and civility (and most of the other values above) were highly valued.

That's now for the most part disappeared.
People now just laugh and call it something like "NW Passive Aggressiveness".

It is still that way in a lot of rural Oregon, just not in the cities that have been flooded with transplants.
You have such a melting pot of people there that it just doesn't matter and no one really cares.
How the people act in cities like Portland might as well be like any other mid size city.

I don't know if it's just the younger generations, new technology, or the huge influx of "new" Oregonians that are erasing the old Oregonian social graces, but it's not the same as it was long ago.
Anyway, times change, and if you are looking for a modern day Mayberry USA....Good Luck with that.

Don't totally discount Oregon though, you can still find what you want, but it won't be in the larger towns and cities.

good, thoughtful post. I don't expect a "Mayberry" atmosphere. I am pragmatic and know what is possible and realistic. I can drone on about cars being damaged in lots without acceptance from responsible party, or incredible rude and thoughtless neighbors. My point is not to accuse but sharing a thought on why I may remove myself from this area.

If there was any hope that any one contention that things would change such as col, traffic, crime, attitude, or education it would allow me to have some glimmer of hope that things can actually change for the better.

I will continue to evaluate options not based on knee jerk reactions. If it is prudent to move on I will leave quietly and take family and finances to a place I find more suitable.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Originally Posted by SETabor

I can see what your talking about with the "outdated ideals" but is your missing them really due to Oregon? Does any part of the country have that any more? You can find the community your looking for but I don't think deciding to move to Mayberry will find it for you. Remember, even they had the town drunk and shoplifters.

Don't forget the window breakin' Ernest T. Bass either.

[urbanlife78]

I can definitely say I have always been happy about my choice to live in Portland and even more happy to have moved back for good. Today was a great example of why I love living here, on my bike commute to work I had a guy bike up and ask me about something on my bike which lead to a nice conversation about bikes and a local company that I buy much of my parts from. There is just something nice about having a commute that is that enjoyable that makes me never want to leave here again.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

There is just something nice about having a commute that is that enjoyable that makes me never want to leave here again.

I totally agree that commute is a big QOL concern for me. I've had a variety of commutes in my years in Portland - some have been great, some so-so. When I was doing site visits and commuting to sites around the metro, some days I hated it.

On the whole I have mixed feelings about Portland - the first time I moved here wasn't entirely by choice, and I moved back for what was at the time a good work opportunity. And there are things I've very much enjoyed being here.

That said, I'm not sure I see a future here for me/my family. There are relatively few opportunities here to move up in my field compared to other parts of the country/metros, and my salary in my current position hasn't kept pace with the growth in housing prices in my years here. So I don't really have the financial flexibility right now to enjoy a lot of what Portland has to offer.

[rzzzz]

I liked PDX a lot when I lived there but I'm maybe the portlandia bro dude all the old timers hate. The derelicts and tattooed pinheads don't really bother me that much. I guess I expected that from my travels throughout the west coast. That's not exactly a PDX only phenomena. I guess I'm more comfortable with PDX scuzz balls than with southern hospitality people in Atlanta, where I lived before that. They were super friendly while they cased my house so they could steal all my stuff the first weekend I was out of town...

BUT the winter made me pretty depressed, my project got shut down (which made me more depressed) and it seemed a lot more expensive than I thought it was going to be, so I bounced. However now some guys I used to work with might want me back up there, so trying to decide again.

[portlandphi]

pdwpdx
Portland is definitely experiencing growing pains. One place that you mention in particular, the transits centers
are pretty unfriendly. The seedy elements look for people with phones, laptops, etc...and the bus stops, train stops provide them with possible hits. It's a good idea not to ride the trains at night especially downtown. That is probably the reason they seem unfriendly. Because it's best to sort of build an invisible wall around yourself. That sounds awful, I guess, but better be safe than sorry.
On the other hand people are more friendly at the pubs, grocery stores, events like music festivals at Waterfront park, Charity runs, bike runs ...I think there is even a dog run...Get yourself a copy of the Willamette Week. It is a pretty good source of social events...WELCOME!

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by pdwpdx

I do find a lot of people around here to be rather cold and somehow silently contemptuous. It's really strange. You can sometimes be standing a a crowded bus stop and it's as silent as a library. No one talks or looks at anyone else. Sometimes I want jump up and down, start shouting, "Lighten up, people!!!" It's like they're frozen...afraid to say or do the wrong thing or anything at all. Many of the hipper types seem so focused on maintaining their cool image that they leave no room for warmth, earthiness, etc.

Um, libraries are typically not the place one would go for chatting with other people and making lots of noise. Libraries are more for people who are working on projects and being quiet.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by KJoe11

This post is more relevant today than ever.



I am having moments of doubt on whether the move to Portland 5 years ago was the best for me and the family unit.

The Northwest is such a beautiful place. I love the mild climate, close proximity to the coast and mountains, and the inspiring countryside. Yet, the toll of living in this area is very high. And, I am not just talking about finance.

The cost of living, traffic, and myriad of social issues can be, at times, overwhelming. If I were to select one item that may push me to make the decision to move is ... a missing collection of (supposed) outdated ideals; honesty, truthfulness, integrity, decency, wholesomeness, civility, politeness. All these concepts is just not valued here. And before the "contrarians" pipe in to argue otherwise, please read the concepts again and evaluate on whether their post has any merit.

Everyone has told me that I need to move to the PNW. I have a friend pushing me to check out Bend.
I haven't because of the people I have met. There hasn't been one person from the PNW I have encountered that was truly friendly. It was all very superficial. They seem to say what they need to, whether or not it is the truth.

Some people don't think community is an important factor for a move but it is to many of us. After living all over the country, I have found rural Midwesterners to be very community oriented. Many of my friends and family question why I would want to "live in a boring place that is flat". Simple things like neighbors waving, bringing food over, and basic courtesy makes a huge difference in the quality of life.

[Tulippsy]

Originally Posted by KJoe11

This post is more relevant today than ever.



I am having moments of doubt on whether the move to Portland 5 years ago was the best for me and the family unit.

The Northwest is such a beautiful place. I love the mild climate, close proximity to the coast and mountains, and the inspiring countryside. Yet, the toll of living in this area is very high. And, I am not just talking about finance.

The cost of living, traffic, and myriad of social issues can be, at times, overwhelming. If I were to select one item that may push me to make the decision to move is ... a missing collection of (supposed) outdated ideals; honesty, truthfulness, integrity, decency, wholesomeness, civility, politeness. All these concepts is just not valued here. And before the "contrarians" pipe in to argue otherwise, please read the concepts again and evaluate on whether their post has any merit.

Well, it's all relative, isn't it? Coming from south Florida, we have found people to be unbelievably helpful, friendly, and many complete strangers have gone above and beyond what you would expect to help us with our relocation. When we bought our car, the process was so unstressful and enjoyable I could hardly believe it. And when I told our friend in the car business what we paid, he said it was a very fair deal. COL is high, but well below what it is here in Weston.

And I can't imagine why you would say honesty, truthfulness etc. are outdated ideals. They are character traits found in decent human beings all over the world. There are plenty of people all over the world (including Portland) lacking them as well. Geography has nothing to do with it, my friend.