Honest Opinion of Portland (Dallas: travel, job, housing)

[aalverson]

As a native Oregonian currently living in Portland, it is hard for me not to chuckle at some of the comments about the vibe of the city and how "weird" it is. I guess I am immune to the buttoned-up midwest or something?? In my opinion, Portland is simply composed of a rather diverse group of people, and diversity in mind and spirit is not just tolerated, but encouraged. People are extremely friendly here, and oh my, yes, your wife can ride the bus without fear of getting raped or robbed. I don't mean to sound sarcastic at all; it is simply that I am saddened that this even has to be a question. Don't get me wrong - no city is immune to crime but I feel, overall, quite safe at nearly any time of the day or night in most areas of the city.

You will find a wealth of organic food here, including plenty of farmers markets with local food. For anyone who isn't aware, the pacific northwest is leader of the pack in our country when it comes to environmental issues of sustainability and such. We take it pretty seriously and people actually participate in trying to make the earth a better place to be. (Yes, I'm proud of it!)

Hope this helps a little...

[HiggsBoson]

Originally Posted by rye-rye

Portland is definately an interesting city. There are so many little neighborhood districts, all with their own feel and style. Its a relatively compact city so its fun to explore on foot or biike. I find the people pleasant and very patriotic about their city. I find most Portlanders to be exactly the same; very liberal, earthfriendly, and generally prefer the offbased and non-mainstream. If you are counter to that, people can be very cold. If you visit, have a cup of coffee in Pioneer Square and people watch. Have fun

Its interesting, you always here about how open minded and diverse the people are in Portland, but you just hit on a sad truth. Often "open minded" people (not just in Portland, but in general) are only open minded if you agree with them and you have one of their acceptable belief systems/lifestyles.

[lovethegreen]

Since I've lived in both I can compare them a bit...Portland feels like a smaller, friendlier, funkier, worse traffic, more organic version of Seattle. Or you could say Seattle is a bigger, less friendly, more corporate, more efficient version of Portland. Both are a greener, safer, more organic, more scenic, clear air/water version of other cities in the US. As safety goes the worst area I keep hearing about on the news with violent crime on the MAX (public transport) is Gresham on the far east of Portland. From where you are coming from other areas in Portland are close to it should feel just fine. If there were a color to sum up each place for Portland it is green for Seattle is dark blue.

I find people in Portland to be a little earthier and warmer than up in Seattle where the reserve is deeper. And yet there is an efficiency and professionalism that is really nice in Seattle too but also a coolness. Since you are already married that is good, but single people would do much better in Portland. Salaries will be higher in Seattle, but so will the pressure on you to keep up to pay those higher rents and mortgages. Portland's prices are going up too but to me it still feels like a more relaxed looser place and that is a good thing.

About the clouds, my main focus at the moment. Take them seriously. After your first winter your stockpile of sunshine (perhaps in the form of vitamin D) may run out. Some of us crave sunlight as if it were coffee. Cloudy days are much darker than you are used to in the midwest - low dark oppressive cloud cover with only occasional "sun breaks" (out for five minutes maybe once a couple days) sometimes grey for a week or more at a time. Much depends on your individual biology and there are treatments though I find none perfect. Still there are huge positives here outside of that which is why I am here. Good luck to you!

[Cyg]

Have lived in Washington, and Seattle is a beautiful city, with some fantastic suburbs or smaller towns near. Seems they run one into another tho. Housing costs are very high in Seattle itself......but oh that town does swing! There is a high Asian and Russian population there, and some associated crime, but all in all, Washington is good,
Not terribly familiar with Portland, except for the traffic when we rv down to Ariz. Portland is a pretty city, but again, not familiar......have heard it is a bit cliquish. It has the advantage of being near the water, as does Seattle and environs. All I can say is visit and talk to folks, and don't make a hasty decision.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by lovethegreen

Since I've lived in both I can compare them a bit...Portland feels like a smaller, friendlier, funkier, worse traffic, more organic version of Seattle. Or you could say Seattle is a bigger, less friendly, more corporate, more efficient version of Portland.

Portland has worse traffic that Seattle? Boy, I'd never have said that with a straight face. I have never, ever been through Seattle when there wasn't horrid, bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-5 ... and that's usually on the weekends.

Aren't people and their differing perceptions interesting?

[WhiteSandsYucca]

I really like both Seattle and Portland. Seattle is, of course, the "shining star" of the two, and aptly so: It is a much larger financial hub and center. However, I feel Portland is really cozy, and also high-tech, and has a lot going for it, sitting notable and very likeable in NW Oregon, in the shadow of beautiful, pointy Mount Hood. The city seems like an "urban perfectionist" in the decisions it makes about sprawl, transportation, development, ect. I feel it really is a sharp town, for sure, and a great place to call "home." If you don't like grey and rain, though, I wouldn't head there. Overall, it may be even rainier than Seattle.

[cn1221]

Whitesandsyucca,
I think Portland and Seattle are about even with rain. Also Portland might have outgrown its "coziness". Portland metro has a population of 2,300,000 and growing. Traffic in the metro area is getting bad. Many of the highways around downtown haven’t been upgraded and are congested. The I-5 bridge into Vancouver is the worst bottleneck on I-5.

[Suzer]

I'll admit it - I'm open minded to just about everyone *except* neo-conservatives. That hate/bias thing gets on my nerves.

[robertpolyglot]

I'm long winded so I'll make it short

Positives
1. Natural beauty
2. Size is manageable
3. Weather is mild, meaning no snow

Negatives
1. Fitting in - great for alternative types and flat-lining WASPy types, if you have any type of personality, it will be squelched here
2. Not such a great employment market - many professionals are underemployed - it's a mystery as to how the plug into that scene, even with impeccable credentials
3. The gray skies last too long and summer is short

NEGATIVE 1 is the worst of all - the cliquishness that shuts out even conventional, attractive, educated professionals is unlike nothing I've ever seen. Bad in Seattle, too, but less so, as that is more of an international hub

[roneb]

Most of robertpolyglot's points are very good, but I've still got to take exception to the "no snow" listed as a positive - especially when long gray winters are listed as a negative. Cold weather that brings snow also usually brings higher pressure, which means higher cloud cover or (gasp) actual sunshine! Snow brightens otherwise gray days. Communities that get snow regularly (most of the upper midwest) learn to manage it effectively and get streets drivable. If you've got SAD or despise the Portland gray season you should be PRAYING for snow on a regular basis!