Please Tell Me Portland Has Less Tension Than Seattle (sublets, crime)

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by Sherwoody

Before moving here this was always my impression of anywhere Oregon.



And I was right!

Just kidding.....

Growing up on the east coast I always thought the Northwest was Seattle and the rest was country rural land with a few medium cities. I seriously thought Portland would be a lot like Spokane and I thought Spokane would be a lot like Eugene.

Needless to say, I was impressed with how much bigger Spokane was than I originally thought, and I fell in love with Portland when I found out it was everything I ever wanted in a city.

[Minervah]

This wasn't the KKK but just before I moved to my SE neighborhood in the late 80's I had been told that there was an enclave of skinheads who had been chased out. They were supposedly a motorcycle gang that wore Swastikas. True or false, I don't know. I never saw anything like that. If they were there or any remnants left over, I guess I just would have had to hide my menorah on Hanukkah. But I never saw anything of the kind.

The only thing I had ever heard about Portland living in Chicago was that it rained a lot. After the people I knew moved to the area told me about it, I learned more. That's when I decided to see for myself.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Deezus

That's funny, though people are morons if they thought there was actual KKK in Portland in the 80s. I never heard that once in the 80s when I was a kid growing up in California, all I ever heard was that the city had good weed from my uncle who grew up in Portland and about the Trailblazers. The only time I heard anything about that racism in Portland was the whole Mulugeta Seraw incident.

That's sort of like when I was driving by Oroville, California in the late 90s on a high school trip(where I have a lot of family) and one of the teachers(who had gone to nearby Chico State) said that he always heard there was a huge KKK chapter there. There's garden variety rednecks there, but KKK? Gimme a break. Heard the same thing about some little towns in Southern Oregon when I lived there, but once again, people throw out all kinds of fake stories and bogeyman.

Honestly, I heard just as much blatant racism in supposedly liberal Santa Cruz, California growing up as I ever heard since moving to Oregon. In general there's some racists everywhere. I've got relatives out in Milwaukee, Wisconsin suburbs or North Florida, dear lord they're backwards in terms of racism...

I grew up in S.F, gad family in NYC and NY Tri-state area, Oahu... fairly diverse places. In some ways, though exposed to diversity, people who grow up in diverse metro areas tend to be "in a bubble" and places like Oregon are kinda Scary.. Now that I have lived all over and have realized that there are so many other transplants here in Portland... I am not so scared.. My family from CA even cone to visit and a relative moved to the PDX area recently too.

[Minervah]

My relatives who never set foot out of their Chicago neighborhoods back when I told them I was moving to Portland thought I was nuts. They just couldn't imagine anyone moving to the wild, wild west. The pictured cowboys all over the place. The first thing everyone would ask me was "What's in Oregon, why would you want to move there?"

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

Growing up in S.F. during the 70's as a kid, I never had any kind of impression of Portland, OR. By the 80's, Portland was known in CA as the West Coast capital of the KKK. Even now with the liberal Portlandia persona, my family and friends in CA think I am crazy for living in Oregon.

Interesting because I'm also from SF, where there was a huge racist skin head problem at the same time that was happening in Portland. Then it all died down in the 90s, just like here. Most of my friends in SF (all different races) want to move here. Although it's more white than SF (obviously) they've all visited me several times and like the city. No one thinks it's crazy to live here among my diverse group of friends.....

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by rass33

tattoos, hoodies, beards, cigarette butts, pickup trucks, economy cars, strip clubs, 7 eleven, etc.

I see no value in it and would never have a child with an excessively tattooed woman. Ink carcinogens, breast milk contamination, cancer link... 40% of adults in my age group gave in! Individuality, not expressions scribbled on skin, but distinguishing character is dying. I browsed Portland strip club websites and saw several dancers and servers with tats. Visually, the markings diminishes the dancers' natural physical attributes - a dancer's curvaceous figure isn't as apparent with ink across the body; breast nipples and montgomery glands get lost in all the ink too. Blazers' Rookie of the Year, Damien Lillard - very talented guard, contributes off the court too, but all his tats just look ridiculously unprofessional and bores me because every other player has them. For anyone who is truly green-minded tats should seem unnatural.

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

It sucks that Seattle isn't working for you, it is a really great city, but it definitely isn't for everyone.

When I left last year I felt really sad and depressed about it not panning out; cried at the airport. But Portland motivates me to give the PNW one more try. I just like the idea of living in the NW location of our country. Evergreens and more trees, mountains, and clean air. Here in Indiana, the air smells awful even in freezing temps (-18 tonight). The tap water looks soapy. Feels like I'm in a toxic environment.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

Interesting because I'm also from SF, where there was a huge racist skin head problem at the same time that was happening in Portland. Then it all died down in the 90s, just like here. Most of my friends in SF (all different races) want to move here. Although it's more white than SF (obviously) they've all visited me several times and like the city. No one thinks it's crazy to live here among my diverse group of friends.....

I grew up in Cow Hollow neighborhood. There was not a big skinhead problem where I lived. I went to private high school and no skin head issue. Maybe in the suburbs but I didn't have any friends or family in the burbs. My parents were transplants so our S.F. life was contained mostly to the city. I haven't lived in S.F. for almost 20 years now but I have family in the city and in other parts of NorCal. The attitude from my family is that Portland is more of a town than a city so that's the real reason they would not live here. I don't think The KKK is really a factor. Back in the early 90's I had some friends, originally from SoCal, who moved here and I had the attitude that they were going to a much smaller metro area. I never considered living in Portland until recently since my age, motherhood, and crime rate are factors In where I live now. Back then, in my 20's, Portland seemed way too small.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

Growing up in S.F. during the 70's as a kid, I never had any kind of impression of Portland, OR. By the 80's, Portland was known in CA as the West Coast capital of the KKK. Even now with the liberal Portlandia persona, my family and friends in CA think I am crazy for living in Oregon.

How funny. Especially if you read the link about the KKK in Oregon (in the 1920s) ... because they came into Oregon from Californians.

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by gypsydoc

If you're looking for cleavage, you can always watch the Spanish soap operas. If you don't speak Spanish (and I don't - neither does my husband), but he likes to check them out once in awhile.

Beware, tho, the pretty ladies can yell when they are angry at their men. But, they are gorgeous and dress, well, check it out for yourself. We are slowly learning some of the language.

As far as whether you'll have less tension in Portland or Seattle, I haven't a clue, really. It may just depend on your own stress level in your life in general and what you expect to happen. I do hope it all goes well for you, no matter what you decide.

You must have telepathic powers because I enjoy watching Spanish soap operas occasionally for those reasons. The grandmothers are the hottest, imo. Thanks for the KKK link. I'm currently in Indiana (state of birth) and it has deep KKK roots. I'll never forget my college dormitory roommate telling me he opposed miscegenation and this was in '03. Stuck on stupid is rampant here.