Honest Opinion of Portland (Gresham, Troutdale: crime rate, how much, buy)

[Minervah]

I heard complaints about safety on Max long before it ever hit the news. I do not believe it was the the Media that created it. I am glad it got on the news though because it made the public more aware and when that happens, solutions follow. And I would expect my local news program to report something like this before it reported on Iraq since it is the local news and we can get national news on the national news broadcasts.

One can't have a major transportation system like the MAX and not have public safety concerns. One follows the other. I have seen violence on the buses as well but again, that's a problem that will crop up in any city and needs to be dealt with on any major transportation line.

It is not only NE. There have been problems reported on other areas too. Once the bad guys realize they will be watched, things will get better.

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by Minervah

One can't have a major transportation system like the MAX and not have public safety concerns.

Exactly, that's why the poster's comments about problems not occurring on NYC transport is unrealistic and why I think it's overblown that MAX is dangerous.

I think people are really used to Portland being safe and small and the complaints about transport (as well as most things) are due to typical bigger city type things. I think people blow things out of proportion. The few publicized cases in outer SE were pretty bad but the majority of MAX issues can (and are) found on any public transport system heavily used anywhere.

And again, I ride MAX pretty regularly because I live a block from a station.
95% of the time I'm on it it's problem free. The only issues I've personally experienced is loud and obnoxious people. Other stuff may happen, but it's not a regular thing to where people need to proclaim the system is completely unsafe. I do think it would be nice to do away with the free areas though because then most of the idiots would go away.

[cyberdelicat]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

No crime occurs on NYC public transport? Wow, that's amazing, and pretty unrealistic. Crime happens everywhere...

True but look at the stats and you'll see how low transit crime rates are in NYC- it's because we put lots of money into our police force and that resulted in a huge crime drop over the past decade; NYC had fewer violent crimes last year than Portland -in RAW numbers NOT even adjusted for the vast population/size difference!

Originally Posted by oldtintype

It's sure not cheaper to grocery shop in SF than here and SF is cheaper than NYC...

I've been to SF and yes groceries-and everything- is pricier than here. But again, look up the data: SF is MORE EXPENSIVE than NYC (SF usually ranks as the costliest US city).

[Tesaje]

From what I saw in NYC, I think it could be less expensive for groceries and other necessities. It can also be much more expensive depending on what you want. I was amazed at how low some of the prices were there. Real estate and rents, especially in the more desirable areas are, of course much higher. Manhattan is much safer than it was. Guliani really did make a difference there regarding crime.

One question, does the Portland MAX have transit cops all over the place? And do they restrict what you can do on the system?

Here in DC, the metro has lots of transit cops and no eating or drinking is allowed anywhere inside the stations or cars. Makes it safer and cleaner for the most part, altho there have been some horrible incidents from time to time.

[cyberdelicat]

Originally Posted by Tesaje

From what I saw in NYC, I think it could be less expensive for groceries and other necessities.
One question, does the Portland MAX have transit cops all over the place?

Nope... one of the reasons there's more crime.

Originally Posted by Tesaje

And do they restrict what you can do on the system?

They're not around so i guess not!

[mrsptobe]

I moved to Portland from NYC and found it a literal welcome breath of fresh air. However, I do agree with the other 'big city transplants' that there's not much to brag about with Portland unless you're looking for a quiet, clean place to live. Even though that is changing too.

There is crime everywhere so I find the comments about the MAX v. MTA unfounded. I have too many friends and family in NYC that have been mugged. I will say that I lived in Portland for 6 months without a car and it was fine. If you live far out and commute to downtown, well of course, there will be challenges. That's a given anywhere, especially in a car.

The groceries are priced pretty high given the median income in Portland. I don't know about the property debate as I'm a lowly renter


Oh and I don't know what someone was talking about regarding nothing to do unless you're religious- what?!?! Portland is one of the most ANTI-religious places I've ever lived. But anywhere there's a church you will likely have a church group. That's a non-argument.


I think someone on here said it the best - it is not NYC. It has a much smaller, WAY LESS diverse population than there. You come to Portland, and Oregon in general, because you want to live somewhere pretty and you're fairly active. At least that's how I see it.

[Leisesturm]

I imagine there are higher rates of crime in every corner of this United States than ten years ago. NYC is still touting old crime statistics even as key economic indicators and city policies have resulted in a vastly increased population of indigent and volatile people. Even though I live here I am not active on the NYC forum telling people from Portland not to come here, but I could. I believe in using a resource like City-Data to do research on a city one does not know rather than to use biased insider insight to sway undecided voters. That said, if someone says in a Portland thread that NYC subways are models of safety and efficiency I will have to say that that is not my experience and I ride the subway each and every day. I pass bodies laying in piles of rags and I don't even know if they are alive or dead. In Midtown Manhattan! Anyone who wants to pay $1500/mo for 400sq.ft. of one bedroom apartment in a written off corner of the city is welcome to the experience. I had hoped, however, that people in Portland would be more aware of the fact that the things that they think are so awful and prevalent in Oregon in general and Portland in particular are common to huge numbers of American cities and there is no escape. You cannot run from the homeless, they are everywhere, social reforms will have to do that. Ditto joblessness. Ditto high(er) rents/house prices. The intrinsics of a state/city, now that's different. These are the things it makes sense to discuss but the naysayers pay scant lip service to Portlands beauty and prefer to focus on the high amount of winter rainfall. I haven't done the checking with a weather site but I can tell you that it absolutely cannot have rained or been 'gray' any less this year anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic than in Portland. FWIW.

H

[oldtintype]

And FWIW we've had BEAUTIFUL weather the past several weeks

[Tesaje]

I don't know how anyone could compare a city the size of Portland to NYC. They are completely different. No place on earth is like NYC. It is a unique place.

I too have noticed a lot of the complaints about Portland are no different than in any other city. A lot of that won't be any different until you go to a very small town or rural area.

And you know what they say about the weather - Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it. It is what it is. You either like it or you don't. You can stand or or you can't.

[Rhiannon29]

Originally Posted by JTJ1977

I am originally from Iowa, with a climate in the summer that's similar to Philly--minus the so-called "island heat". I think that's what it's called...lol. The heat that's exacerbated in places like Philadelphia, Chicago, etc. from all of the people residing in those places. It's weird how you said that you and your husband encountered many strange looks from Philadelphians; then again, Philly has had historically high segregation indices, correct? (I'm not all that sure myself)

It's not mayhem 24/7 but Philly is VERY segregated. The only area that is even close to being mixed is Northwest Philadelphia. And even then, the black people tend to live on certain blocks and the same with white people. Downtown is fine, if, like any other city, you can afford the rent. Other areas? I never went to Northeast Philly or areas near the Northeast.