Portland: Your questions re moving here (Lake Oswego, Union: best city, sales, apartments)

[NativePortlander54]

I am a native Portlander and love my City. Now in my fifth decade, I've seen it grow a lot and am familiar with all areas and know most areas well. I've noted a pattern in some of the questions on this forum, so thought I would address them in an overview.

1) Yes. It rains a lot. The climate is changing and we don't get as much snow and ice in the winters as we used to, but much of the year skies are gray and it is overcast.That is why it is green here. Rainfall used to be nearly constant and drizzly; While we still get a lot of drizzle, now we get more frequent downpours between the drizzle. We are getting dry stretches alternated with heavy rain, the past couple winters, which is a change in the pattern, that is a bit worrisome. These days August and September and part of July are the drier and hottest months.

2) Crime and gang activity are increasing. Most of that problem used to be confined mainly to the areas of inner NE and North Portland. Because of gentrification in parts of those neighborhoods and the growing population that problem has spread to wider swaths of the city. Even the areas that used to have relatively very low crime, such as the Sellwood neighborhood, they are lately experiencing an increase in burglary and vandalism.

3) We have always had homeless population that mainly resided in the downtown area and inner parts of the city. We now have homeless in most parts of the city, and some, especially in downtown, are more and more aggressive. I work in downtown Portland, and you cannot walk a few blocks without being approached for money. I have to say, this almost as true for petitioners who seem to be on every corner as well, especially in the South end of downtown. While most of the homeless seem harmless, a growing number of them are seem threatening and a little scary. It is not as comfortable as it used to be to walk from one end of downtown to the other. That is for certain.

4) Housing costs have gone through the roof in the last few years. I don't know how anyone can afford an apartment--that is if you can find one. Most apartments cost as much or more than my mortgage.

5) We don't have the road infrastructure to deal with the increasing traffic. The city council is discussing a road tax levied against anyone who lives in or owns a business in the city, just to deal with maintenance issues.

There is no doubt that this is a beautiful area with lots of good restaurants. We have great coffee and beer, and a thriving cultural/arts community, an ingrained environmental awareness and sustainable practices, but this city is not without it's problems, and the fast growth it is now experiencing is adding to them. It has gotten very expensive to live here. Everyone thinks it's wonderful not having a sales tax (and it is), but the government and especially the Portland City Council, are looking for every opportunity to tax you or impose fees to make up for it. Crime and violence are growing problems, and large areas of the city (mainly the entire outer east side) are underserved and overtaxed. If you have a good reason for coming here, like going to school or a good job offer, consider it. If you are thinking of moving here because you think it is better than somewhere else, think again. There are almost certainly more affordable places with better opportunities. Portlandia really has a lot to answer for. Portland is not Portlandia. Really.

[Yankeemama]

To the OP- great post esp. about the taxes and housing costs. A must read for anyone thinking of moving to Portland.

[AndyAMG]

Portland has greatly improved in almost all ways since the 80s and 90s. Portland always has been the Missouri of the West Coast. Given that most multi generational Oregonians are from the Midwest and SE (Oregon Trail, etc), that is to be expected. It's not isolated but it's no high highfalutin fancy joint neither. I was looking at some old pictures of Portland today at the library. A little gem that was titled "Portland in Pictures" that showed the building of the Freemont Bridge, A skyline void of the Bankcorp and KOIN center. Pictures of dilapidated warehouses in what is now the Pearl, a defunct and dying Interstate Ave. corridor. Abandoned homes and businesses along Alberta and Ainsworth, as well as Grand and Union (MLK) and Portland Ave (Rosa Parks) areas. My how things have changed for the better. Technically, we owe the Portland we see today to Californians as much as I hate to admit it. Portland was very much like Memphis is now, during the 80s and 90s.

If only our housing was still affordable and our transport infrastructure and education was better.

[ninjamyst]

Thank you for the informative post! I am curious as to what you think are the "more affordable places with better opportunities"? It seems like Portland is growing so much because people think Portland IS the affordable place with better opportunities.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by AndyAMG

Portland has greatly improved in almost all ways since the 80s and 90s. Portland always has been the Missouri of the West Coast. Given that most multi generational Oregonians are from the Midwest and SE (Oregon Trail, etc), that is to be expected. It's not isolated but it's no high highfalutin fancy joint neither. I was looking at some old pictures of Portland today at the library. A little gem that was titled "Portland in Pictures" that showed the building of the Freemont Bridge, A skyline void of the Bankcorp and KOIN center. Pictures of dilapidated warehouses in what is now the Pearl, a defunct and dying Interstate Ave. corridor. Abandoned homes and businesses along Alberta and Ainsworth, as well as Grand and Union (MLK) and Portland Ave (Rosa Parks) areas. My how things have changed for the better. Technically, we owe the Portland we see today to Californians as much as I hate to admit it. Portland was very much like Memphis is now, during the 80s and 90s.

If only our housing was still affordable and our transport infrastructure and education was better.

Portland has always been the Missouri of the West? That doesn't make any sense.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by ninjamyst

Thank you for the informative post! I am curious as to what you think are the "more affordable places with better opportunities"? It seems like Portland is growing so much because people think Portland IS the affordable place with better opportunities.

It depends on what you're comparing to. It's lower cost than some other metros (SF/Bos/DC/LA/Seattle), and it has better opportunities in most regards than northern Wisconsin or Michigan.

So you get people from rural places willing to eat a higher COL for the opportunities, and people from more expensive places willing to trade-down in opportunities for the lower COL without sacrificing most of the niceties of urban life.

The illusion is the idea that it has both "better opportunities" and "affordability." By comparison, places like Pittsburgh/Richmond or even Cleveland offer similar opportunities with higher affordability. There really aren't many locales from which a move to Portland offers both lower prices and more opportunity - Honolulu, maybe.

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by bler144

...

The illusion is the idea that it has both "better opportunities" and "affordability." By comparison, places like Pittsburgh/Richmond or even Cleveland offer similar opportunities with higher affordability. There really aren't many locales from which a move to Portland offers both lower prices and more opportunity - Honolulu, maybe.

Cleveland? You must be kidding!! Housing is dirt cheap but the public schools so bad that even lower income parents send their kids to private schools. Cleveland Clinic and Case Western University are where the well paying jobs can be found. Otherwise it is a city of poorly educated poor people.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by bler144

It depends on what you're comparing to. It's lower cost than some other metros (SF/Bos/DC/LA/Seattle), and it has better opportunities in most regards than northern Wisconsin or Michigan.

So you get people from rural places willing to eat a higher COL for the opportunities, and people from more expensive places willing to trade-down in opportunities for the lower COL without sacrificing most of the niceties of urban life.

The illusion is the idea that it has both "better opportunities" and "affordability." By comparison, places like Pittsburgh/Richmond or even Cleveland offer similar opportunities with higher affordability. There really aren't many locales from which a move to Portland offers both lower prices and more opportunity - Honolulu, maybe.

I actually posted something like this. Then deleted it for fear of getting called anti-Portland and going off topic, but I'll post again. People move to Portland for a vibe. It is a vibe that is unique and unmatched by any American city, IMO, BUT it is not so great that it's worth going into financial ruin to move here. If you are looking for more affordable, better economic prospects, but still want at least some sort of vibe and culture and not a complete and total crap hole:

Pittsburgh
Richmond
Raleigh
Charleston, SC
Savannah
Louisville
Minneapolis
Denver (COL shows it just 5% cheaper than Portland, but still, probably more job prospects)
Cincinnati

But hey, if Portland is still goal, who am I judge as I made the move myself.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Cleveland? You must be kidding!! Housing is dirt cheap but the public schools so bad that even lower income parents send their kids to private schools.

Portland schools aren't exactly rosy from top to bottom either (not to mention, not every 20 something moving to Portland has kids yet anyway).

No question Cleveland has some really bad schools, but places like Avon Lake, or Solon, or any number of other suburbs are very strong districts, and housing is still a fraction of the price of what you'd pay to live in a mediocre district in Portland, much less Lake Oswego.

Though I agree VTHokie listed a number of choices which would probably win out over Cleveland, all things told.

[ninjamyst]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

I actually posted something like this. Then deleted it for fear of getting called anti-Portland and going off topic, but I'll post again. People move to Portland for a vibe. It is a vibe that is unique and unmatched by any American city, IMO, BUT it is not so great that it's worth going into financial ruin to move here. If you are looking for more affordable, better economic prospects, but still want at least some sort of vibe and culture and not a complete and total crap hole:

Pittsburgh
Richmond
Raleigh
Charleston, SC
Savannah
Louisville
Minneapolis
Denver (COL shows it just 5% cheaper than Portland, but still, probably more job prospects)
Cincinnati

But hey, if Portland is still goal, who am I judge as I made the move myself.

I dont really care for the Portland vibe. Portland is on my list because of the mild weather, availability of tech jobs, and decent COL. Yes I know it drizzles a lot and is gloomy all the time, but it sure beats winter in Chicago. It just seems to be the best city when you average out weather / employment / COL. It doesn't excel at any of them, but it's not extremely bad either. For example, Bay Area is great for weather / employment but extremely expensive COL. Minneapolis is great for employment / COL but extremely cold in the winter. There are some nice East Coast cities but I want to stay close to families in the West Coast.