Anyone thinking of leaving Portland????/ (real estate, rent, condo)

[end-of-atmosphere]

I moved here 10 years ago. I do like Portland. But now with rents going higher finding hard to afford living here on lower scale salary.

Figuring that maybe some other cities may be just as affordable as Portland. At least have better salaries to afford increasing rents.

Who else is considering a move?

Seattle, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Madison, Santa Fe....

The world is your oyster.

[oldtintype]

I don't know a lot about the other cities, but Seattle is more expensive than Portland, doesn't have as good of a public transportation system and has just as many kids who hang out and probably more homeless, just spread out a bit more....Jobs might pay a bit more but...probably not enough to make a huge difference if you're only making 25K here. We researched Seattle and Portland before moving here and even 7 years ago the difference was pretty huge. Maybe the other cities are cheaper?

[insanityincredibly]

again, this is a nationwide problem, it only takes 7 years to screw a country up this bad. but then again, it's pretty much a worldwide problem, people are struggling everywhere, I don't think it's just Portland, it couldn't be really. city economies are based on the national economy based on world economy based on oil, really, in the end. oil is running low planetarily. find a cave and make a spear for a good job and low cost of living, oh, and some wilderness. this is our society. revolution won't come until it gets worse. not to be a downer or anything but my limited education and perception of reality leads me to cynical pessimism sometimes, maybe it's just my common sense, at least what i think common sense is. anyway, no need to demonize portland is there? maybe there is, i've never been there and i guess i tend to talk down on hawaii so i'm no better than anyone, not that i thought i was......k, well, carry on then.

[expgc]

I lived in the Portland area for almost 20 years from the late 70's to the mid 90's. At one time in the late 70's there was almost no building going on and real estate was being given away at bargain prices. Remember Jimmy Carter's high interest rates? Very stagnant environment. In the late 80's, early 90's the huge influx of people moving to Portland especially from California started to drive up prices and rents. As far as the downtown areas of most cities, they have been industrial, or ghetto or both and in many cities there have been revitalization efforts going on. Well, it costs money to revitalize and once done there has to be a return on investment, that drives up values and rents. Seattle is much more expensive then Portland.

[Squidlo]

Originally Posted by insanityincredibly

again, this is a nationwide problem, it only takes 7 years to screw a country up this bad. but then again, it's pretty much a worldwide problem, people are struggling everywhere, I don't think it's just Portland, it couldn't be really.

Oregon's economy has been up and down and out of step with the national economy quite a few times. Rarely did we prosper when the national trend was down though. Other cities have become hotspots economically. They may not offer the scenic beauty of Oregon, but a steady economy has a beauty all its own. Think outside the box. What you want isn't always what you need. Needs first, wants second.


Squidlo

[suncat]

I'm moving, mainly due to the bad weather. I'll probably rent out my 1BD/1BA condo for several months, while I try out another city.

[Journey2LS]

I have been living in Portland for 1 year and am already looking to relocate. I moved here from Florida and did not do much research or visit Portland prior to my move. I was not aware of the gloom and constant cold weather. I am also in my mid-20's and like to go clubbing and Portland does not have much of a night-life, at least compared to Miami. The lack of diversity also bothers me.

But I moved up here cause I wanted a change and I am glad I did. The northwest is a beautiful part of the country and I am glad I got to experience living here. But this place just isnt for me. I dont know for sure where I will move next, but I dont plan on making that decision for a few months.

[end-of-atmosphere]

I found this cool website that will calculate how much you need to earn in other cities compared to the salary you make in your current city.

It's on Salary.com and its the cost of living wizard.

http://swz.salary.com/costoflivingwi...coll_start.asp

[luv the outdoors]

Thanks for the salary link. That was very helpful

[Twinkletoes]

Come to Atlanta. That's where I'm from, and I want to move to Portland!

Atlanta is very nice, lots of sunshine, great shopping, and very good job market. Too hot for me though - I need to live somewhere cooler.