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Old 12-03-2014, 01:40 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,361 times
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Hi all, I'm considering moving to Portland but I'm not sure because I've never been to portland. Of course once I have decided, I will be visiting prior to lay out all the details so I guess that'll give me a better picture.

I'm from NYC and wanting a slower, more laid back lifestyle.
I'm 30 and female
What is the cost of living if I were to rent a 1br Apt?
How is the atmosphere and people?
How is the weather?
If I did move, can I get around on public transportation?
And if a car is a better option, what's the average car insurance cost (never been in a accident or tickets)?
And what are some areas I should look into for apartment hunting?
Also how is the asian community? I'm asian and I'm wondering if I'll stick out like a sore thumb..

Thanks for your input
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Old 12-03-2014, 02:38 PM
 
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Most of your questions can't be answered until you provide some specifics about what you're looking for, what you want, what job you'll do, what your budget will be, etc.
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Old 12-03-2014, 03:09 PM
 
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You can easily check craigslist, apartment renting sites, etc to see what the cost of apartments are.
COL = numberous sites that lay out the cost of living with comparisons to your current city.
Weather info: available online

When I was planning my move to Portland, I spent 2 weeks in Portland looking at neighborhoods, using public transportation, looking at apartments, etc.
I kept a weather app of Portland on my phone and checked it every day.

I would imagine, that if you are able to survive in such an expensive place as NYC, that you'll do alright in PDX once you find work.
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Old 12-03-2014, 03:35 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,001,409 times
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Most people from NYC tend to love Portland when they move here. But I would definitely visit first before making that choice, also keep in mind where your friends and family live because that could play a part in whether you enjoy living in Portland or not.
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Old 12-03-2014, 03:52 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BananaNutBread View Post
What is the cost of living if I were to rent a 1br Apt?
This will depend on the part of town you live in. A 1 BR downtown is going to be more than a 1 BR in the 'burbs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BananaNutBread View Post
If I did move, can I get around on public transportation?
Yes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BananaNutBread View Post
And if a car is a better option, what's the average car insurance cost (never been in a accident or tickets)?
Depends on the type of car. I currently pay about $84/mo for a 2010 Mazda3, which is a little more than I was paying for a 2006 BMW 325i, which was slightly less expensive to insure than a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer was.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BananaNutBread View Post
And what are some areas I should look into for apartment hunting?
Those closest to where you will be working, unless you either work for home or want to spend a couple of hours each day commuting.
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Old 12-07-2014, 01:45 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
605 posts, read 700,798 times
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Hi BananaNutBread, I sent you a PM regarding some of your questions, as I am in a similar situation as yourself - but I already have made the decision to move to the Portland area and wanted to share some of my insights to you.
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Old 12-07-2014, 03:49 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
10,987 posts, read 20,464,031 times
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BananaNutBread, we have two care sharing companies in Portland Metro: Car2Go and ZipCar. In addition Enterprise-Rent-a Car sometimes has deals on the weekend.
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Old 12-07-2014, 04:35 PM
 
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I would like to second what Urbanlife said. Most people I have met from the east coast are very pleased with the different, more relaxed and friendly pace.I would always recommend NW PORTLAND for a young person. It's within walking distance to
downtown, many shops, many decent rentals(apartments), borders the "arts" district,well linked to transport, is home to "Forest Park" and just lots of ...
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Old 12-07-2014, 04:41 PM
 
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Oh and about being Asian...Not really an issue.
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Old 12-08-2014, 04:39 PM
 
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While not as dominant a force in Portland as in Vancouver BC, you're not going to stand out in Portland for being Asian.

I'd say the bright side is that there's a disproportionate amount of Asian cuisine (though I'd love to have a good Sri Lankan place in town) compared to the actual racial demographics, and there's not really any one country of origin that dominates.

I don't get downtown much, but on the west side there's a fairly heavy presence of east/south Asians (at least in part due to the presence of Intel) and in southeast it skews towards east asians. Though in my experience quite a few of the Asians who run restaurants in and around the 'Jade District' actually live across the river in WA.
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