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These forums are meant to show an opinion of a city both positive and negative. Unfortunately there are people in Portland who have an attitude that their city is the best in the world and can do no wrong. This isnt true. Portland has problems like every other city. So I created this thread for people to post what they don’t like about Portland.
Portland Negatives:
Gloomy weather 9 months of the year that will depress you if you have SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
Economy in Oregon is never good. If you are looking for high paying jobs in Oregon you should look elsewhere.
Politics in Portland is extremely liberal. This might be a positive if you are a liberal.
Schools are underfunded in Portland. Public schools in Portland have had to shut down early because of a lack of funding.
Too many homeless people in downtown Portland. Also Portland has problems with homeless children.
Traffic is continuing to get worst. The I-5 bridge into Vancouver was rated the worst bottleneck on I-5.
I see all of your posts are negative about Portland. You have nothing else to add to the 'city forum' but your miserable life/experience in Portland. Nothing else to give. Nothing good has happened. Nothing you like.I am sorry for you and hope life improves, really. Thanks for sharing and have a nice day
I would love to see where you get your facts--sources please? Particularly about the rat problem.
And have you ever experienced life in other cities? Portland crowds? That's a joke--visit large cities and you'll see our "crowds" are anything but...
I had a good laugh about the "happy talk" being only by realtors. I don't think anyone one this forum who says good things about Portland is a realtor. But I do think most people only spouting negatives are for the most part just unhappy period, Portland is just the topic to moan about.
There are some truths to your claims in terms of it does rain a lot here (but it is not gray and rainy 9 months straight and you know it) and some people can't handle that, the economy here is smaller than many other places and some people are very unhappy with the city growing and becoming a city. But the complaints about crowds and traffic are exaggerated if you look at it on a grand scale--i.e. comparisons to other cities. Most of the main complainers (apart from weather issues) are unhappy that Portland has grown and that they have to share with others now.
And no sense of community? I think it's a case of you get what you give. If you're unfriendly you'll have no friends. And I've lived in Southern CA and I think it's completely off base to compare Portland to anything about So. CA. The rest of the things you describe are pretty much problems across the country and/or world. Pollution, crime, drugs? They're not specific to Portland.
I'm curious what neighborhood you actually live in.
Here's an article about Portland actually being one of the cleanest cities, as well as information about the river pollution: About Portland
Last edited by oldtintype; 11-24-2007 at 09:04 PM..
i live in detroit. come on over, pdxsux and cn1221.
i'll give you rats, homeless people, underfunded schools, and lack of jobs. and weather? give me a break. try humidity for 6 months and snow for the other six.
in other words, you can't say "portland is x", when 'x' is an attribute, without putting it on a sliding scale first.
ie- "in terms of rain, portland gets less than most east coast and southern cities. however, in terms of days with some measurable rain, portland gets more than all, save for fellow pacnw coastal cities."
Homeless people are all over downtown and under freeway underpasses in Portland. There were 2,300 homeless people sleeping on the streets of Portland in 2006 according to the Oregonian newspaper. There is an estimated 7,590 in Clackmas County.
Homeless population in Portland (http://www.tfhstreetministry.com/TheProblem.htm - broken link)
Underfunded schools arent a problem? The schools had to shut down because there wasnt enough money. You cant get more underfunded then that.
You're right it's not the rain thats the problem, its the number of cloudy and gloomy days that depressing. Only Seattle has more cloudy days.
Oregon had the highest unemplyment rate in 2003. Also wages do not pay enough for the rising cost of housing thanks to everyone moving here from California.
And how many years ago now did the schools shut down early? And was it ONLY Portland, no, it wasn't. It was a one time issue it's not happening on a yearly basis. And unemployment statistics for 2003? Isn't that a stretch? How about showing them for 2006 or 2007?
Yes there are homeless people (you think 2300 homeless people is bad, try San Francisco's 12-16,000), yes there are drugs but it's not specific to Portland--visit any major city! Your complaints are about cities in general and your complaint is valid because it sucks and shouldn't happen but it's not specifically Portland that has a homeless population. Ever been to Vancouver BC? Despite Canada's great social services there is a huge drug and homeless population there too.
The meth thing is an Oregon problem and now pretty much every where else in the country too.
It's not that you're complaining about Portland it's that you have nothing nice to say at all. There are things about Portland that could be improved most definitely but you make it out to be some kind of squalid wasteland that never sees the light of the sun. I'm curious how much traveling you've done to other cities/countries.
Last edited by oldtintype; 11-24-2007 at 10:43 PM..
These forums are meant to show an opinion of a city both positive and negative. Unfortunately there are people in Portland who have an attitude that their city is the best in the world and can do no wrong. This isnt true. Portland has problems like every other city. So I created this thread for people to post what they don’t like about Portland.
Portland Negatives:
Gloomy weather 9 months of the year that will depress you if you have SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
Economy in Oregon is never good. If you are looking for high paying jobs in Oregon you should look elsewhere.
Politics in Portland is extremely liberal. This might be a positive if you are a liberal.
Schools are underfunded in Portland. Public schools in Portland have had to shut down early because of a lack of funding.
Too many homeless people in downtown Portland. Also Portland has problems with homeless children.
Traffic is continuing to get worst. The I-5 bridge into Vancouver was rated the worst bottleneck on I-5.
You can get on the freeway; i-5 will go both south and north. i-84 will go east for a long ways. More than one highway will bring you west to the coast. You have options. You can move.
There is no perfect place. You try to solve what problems there are to make the best of it.
Gloomy weather 9 months of the year that will depress you if you have SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
I like the "gloomy" days. Spending time in the south with the blazing sun drove me mad. Below freezing winters with dirty slushy snow in the northeast drove me insane also (although less so). The short winter days is a bummer as I have issues with "sad" but I'm from the northeast so I am used to it. The payoff are long lighted summer days with mild temps.
Quote:
Economy in Oregon is never good. If you are looking for high paying jobs in Oregon you should look elsewhere.
You can get a decent paying job you just need to look harder. It's a pain, but the cost of living is lower. A tradeoff that works for some people. Also works if you are self employed of some variety. But if you are looking for a traditional "corporate" position I guess Portland isn't the best city for you. Many don't place that as a priority.
Quote:
Politics in Portland is extremely liberal. This might be a positive if you are a liberal.
I'm moderately liberal w/ a libertarian streak. Sometimes the extreme lefty's get on my nerves, but I will say that extremely liberal cities IMO are the nicest places in America. They tend to have excellent public services such as transit, parks, libraries. More conservative areas are more privatized where public life seems hidden from view unless you "buy your way in". Two other aspects of conservative areas; endless sprawling landscapes and fundamentalist Christian culture make me VERY depressed to be around. I'm happy both those are mostly absent from Portland.
Quote:
Schools are underfunded in Portland. Public schools in Portland have had to shut down early because of a lack of funding.
don't have kids and am not planning on it so I won't comment on this as I haven't looked into it. I think America in general is a horrible place to start a family today however; unless you are rich. Hardly unique to Portland.
Quote:
Too many homeless people in downtown Portland. Also Portland has problems with homeless children.
I actually see this as a positive. Not that people are homeless, but the fact that they are allowed to exist and be visible. Many cities make the streets very hostile places for homeless people to keep them out of site. Problems don't go away because they are swept under the rug. The visibility of the homeless keeps people in tune to the housing crisis in America.
Quote:
Traffic is continuing to get worst. The I-5 bridge into Vancouver was rated the worst bottleneck on I-5.
Well I'm from Boston so I actually find traffic in Portland to flow smoothly. Everyone complains about the traffic in their city, all over America. Then they visit Boston, DC, LA, the Bay Area, or Seattle. Portland beats all these cities by a long shot and features many of the same amenities (albiet in smaller quantities). Portland also beats the sprawling nightmares of the sunbelt. All that said, I'll give you that traffic seems heavy here for a metro of 2.3 million. But we also have a transit system that is way above average which makes civic life much more inclusive (kids, old people, the disabled, people without licenses) can get around and participate in city life with a sense of independence. Also we don't have massive ugly freeways slicing up our city neighborhoods. So it's a trade off but in my mind the benefits outweigh the risks.
I dont think Portland is all negative. The people in Portland are generally very nice. Although the weather is gloomy and cloudy its not humid or uncomfortable. It can get cold but its not as bad as the midwest. If you like coffee shops and bookstores there are plenty in Portland. Also the west hills and the zoo are very nice and there is some good hiking up there. Also there are many nice places to eat and shop in NW Portland. So I do see some positive in the city, its just the negatives outweigh them for me.
I like the "gloomy" days. Spending time in the south with the blazing sun drove me mad. Below freezing winters with dirty slushy snow in the northeast drove me insane also (although less so). The short winter days is a bummer as I have issues with "sad" but I'm from the northeast so I am used to it. The payoff are long lighted summer days with mild temps.
You can get a decent paying job you just need to look harder. It's a pain, but the cost of living is lower. A tradeoff that works for some people. Also works if you are self employed of some variety. But if you are looking for a traditional "corporate" position I guess Portland isn't the best city for you. Many don't place that as a priority.
I'm moderately liberal w/ a libertarian streak. Sometimes the extreme lefty's get on my nerves, but I will say that extremely liberal cities IMO are the nicest places in America. They tend to have excellent public services such as transit, parks, libraries. More conservative areas are more privatized where public life seems hidden from view unless you "buy your way in". Two other aspects of conservative areas; endless sprawling landscapes and fundamentalist Christian culture make me VERY depressed to be around. I'm happy both those are mostly absent from Portland.
don't have kids and am not planning on it so I won't comment on this as I haven't looked into it. I think America in general is a horrible place to start a family today however; unless you are rich. Hardly unique to Portland.
I actually see this as a positive. Not that people are homeless, but the fact that they are allowed to exist and be visible. Many cities make the streets very hostile places for homeless people to keep them out of site. Problems don't go away because they are swept under the rug. The visibility of the homeless keeps people in tune to the housing crisis in America.
Well I'm from Boston so I actually find traffic in Portland to flow smoothly. Everyone complains about the traffic in their city, all over America. Then they visit Boston, DC, LA, the Bay Area, or Seattle. Portland beats all these cities by a long shot and features many of the same amenities (albiet in smaller quantities). Portland also beats the sprawling nightmares of the sunbelt. All that said, I'll give you that traffic seems heavy here for a metro of 2.3 million. But we also have a transit system that is way above average which makes civic life much more inclusive (kids, old people, the disabled, people without licenses) can get around and participate in city life with a sense of independence. Also we don't have massive ugly freeways slicing up our city neighborhoods. So it's a trade off but in my mind the benefits outweigh the risks.
Got any more?
this cheers me up, as i'm from albany and have been living outside boston for 7 years now. my 2 big worries about moving to portland are the jobs and weather. the weather less so, because 6 months of clouds and rain is a lot better than 6 months of dirty snow piles, and the temps aren't as biting. the job situation still scares me. i am in biotech, and i need a job that pays 40-50k for 3+ years experience. i have no idea if that's reasonable or not, and my fiancee is trying to get into marketing, human resources, or something similar, has an MBA, and would like to make the same. again, no idea if that's possible out there. the property cost being half or less of boston suburbs helps, but we're not going to move across the country to go work at powell's books and a local coffee shop.
as far as the rest of the criticisms from the OP, a too-liberal city is a lot better than a too-conservative stepford-ville. i'd rather see people chastised for not recycling than for being openly gay in public, for instance. i don't know about the schools, but i don't really care. we'll do private school if they're that bad, but that's 10+ years away.
another question, actually: i have to get a new car in september. (fiancee has a crappy one that won't make it with us). we were thinking of getting a nice car to share, instead of 2 so-so cars. is it realistic to have 2 20-somethings ride the max all the time, to work, and to stores, etc.... or is it like riding the buses in downtown boston, that is sort of a last resort, not a good way of life?
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