Moving from Austin to Portland?

[nancy thereader]

Portland has a far grungier almost industrial feel to it.

I never heard it put that way before. Does that seem right to all of you?

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

Portland has a far grungier almost industrial feel to it.

I never heard it put that way before. Does that seem right to all of you?

I think that 10 years ago that would have been a more realistic description. Most of the industrial areas are either converted to high rise apartments/condos or in the process at this point and are the complete opposite of grungy.

[Lillietta]

My daughter thought it was somewhat industrial when we were there this summer but not all over. It looks that way in some areas, one of which is looking across the river from McCall Park. The city is not all beautiful; there are seedy areas and there are beautiful areas and in between.

[Jkronkite]

For all of those considering moving to Portland, take these into account:
- 6 to 8 months of rain, day and night. I'm not joking, it is insane. You are always living under a big gray cloud. Forget about the Sun for a long, long time.
- Do you want to rent a crappy studio for 900 dollars a month? Well, Portland is the right place.
- Are you conservative? Don't move to Portland. Here the liberal kind rule. Which is not bad if you agree with them (and I do), but if you are conservative, prepare to suffer.
- The traffic is getting horrible. It is becoming like any other big urban area.
- Lots and lots of homeless in Downtown.

[oldtintype]

[quote=Jkronkite;1940176]For all of those considering moving to Portland, take these into account:
- 6 to 8 months of rain, day and night. I'm not joking, it is insane. You are always living under a big gray cloud. Forget about the Sun for a long, long time.




Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been out in the sun all week enjoying myself!

[jojo4]

This October was really awesome, more sunny days than June.
The problem is I work 8-5, take in commute time and it's dark by the time I get home. So I only got to enjoy the sunny days on the weekends.
It looks like sunny days are over now though.

[oldtintype]

You bring up a good point that I never really thought about--those with 9-5 indoor all day type jobs don't really get anything but weekends to enjoy the weather so if it's sunny all week but rainy during the weekend, it probably DOES feel like it only rains all the time...

[sendintheclouds]

Originally Posted by jread

Hello everyone,

My wife and I currently live in Austin and are considering relocating to Portland in the near future. We are originally from green places (I'm from Southeast TX and she's from Orlando) though we hated the humidity of the Southeastern U.S. We do love Austin and it has a great culture but it's just too freaking hot here most of the time. The summers are just brutal and miserable. We both love rain, cool weather, fog, lushness, hills, etc. and feel like Portland would be the perfect place for us (though we've never been there).

So, is there anyone on here who can compare the two cities? How is Portland's job market right now? Also, how is it not humid in the Pacific NW when there is so much moisture (this has never made sense to me). How affordable is housing in the area?

All input is most appreciated!

yea! there are others who hate the sun & heat too! Native Austinite here - want fog & rain dont care how much - just get me outta this hellish weather. The portland summers sound tough with all that sun, but I guess two months of it is better than 10...p.s. I just raced to San Francisco to get out of the heat & it is 92 & blistering here! It seems to follow me...good luck & I may see you in Portland...

[bigdave01]

Also Portland is liberal in a very conservative way.

Can you please explain this? I don't really understand it. I have always though of Portland as very liberal.

[SeattlitefromNC]

Originally Posted by bigdave01

Can you please explain this? I don't really understand it. I have always though of Portland as very liberal.

I took that statement to mean that someone moving to Portland might be taken aback by how "in-your-face" liberal the place is.

Which I guess I could understand -- especially in relation to most parts of the country.

My one exception with that statement is that I've never heard Portland, OR marketed as anything other than a "alternative" and "liberal" place to live. It would be one thing if Portland was marketed primarily as a place for families, or a place to find jobs, or something else. However, all of the market research that I have seen shows that not only is Portland marketed to others as a "liberal bastion", "creative city", "green urban boundary", and other tag words that one associates with alternative youth lifestyles and liberal urban planning ... but studies show that people moving to Portland are primarily drawn to living that particular lifestyle.

Portland isn't Omaha; the marketing emphasizes that, so I assume that people moving to Portland have some idea of what they are getting into socially. As someone who does marketing for a living, I will say that while marketing is simply "the fine art of stretching the truth", there is no doubt in my mind that Portland is every bit as "weird" and "liberal" as it advertises itself to be. Take it or leave it.