Anyone else who has moved to Portland find it vastly overrated? (rental, layoffs)

[princessgrace79]

It was hot but it still was livable. Still no real humidity. And we did have all those nice 70 degree days they were all in April, May and September and October. Most of the rest of the country is either 100 degrees, or 80 degrees but sticky with humidity and cloud cover (east coast weather is horrible!). The places with nice cooler summers almost always have horrible winters with feet of snow. PNW is one of the most temperate places in the country on both ends of hot and cold.

Some people just aren't happy no matter what though.

[Cliftonpdx]

Originally Posted by thedownlow

Lol please, last summer was horrible, record heat with 90's and brown dead grass everywhere. It was rare when we actually had 70's, give me a break.

It was too hot for me, I am rooting for a mild summer, heck, I wouldn't mind some more cool, gray days, that is my favorite kind of weather. Throw in some drizzle, and I am in heaven.

[Yankeemama]

Portland is not overrated but before moving here you just have to know that it's not cheap as it it once was. If you have a secure job or can telecommute then Portland will be more affordable than many major popular cities. I would recommend that transplants check out the burbs as well as Portland proper. My family moved here from out-of-state and lived in Portland... then moved almost a year ago, to Beaverton. Moving is expensive but it was worth living in Portland first for US. For another family it may be wise to move straight to the burbs. There are still way more affordable places than Portland in the PDX Metro and if you drive during off peak hours the traffic isn't bad.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

BTW, The most popular lawn grass in Portland is perennial ryegrass, and it always goes brown during the summer.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

BTW, The most popular lawn grass in Portland is perennial ryegrass, and it always goes brown during the summer.

Even with sprinkler system?

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

Even with sprinkler system?

It will stay greener a lot longer, but for the most part when it gets to be summer, it's going to go brown, then come back in the fall when the cooler temps and rains start.

IMHO, it's not worth the waste of water, unless you HAVE to have a green lawn.
Kentucky Bluegrass / Ryegrass mix is what's commonly sold around here.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

It will stay greener a lot longer, but for the most part when it gets to be summer, it's going to go brown, then come back in the fall when the cooler temps and rains start.

IMHO, it's not worth the waste of water, unless you HAVE to have a green lawn.
Kentucky Bluegrass / Ryegrass mix is what's commonly sold around here.

My grass in Portland stayed kind of green when I watered with a hose though it got old doing that. Now in Beaverton we have a sprinkler system so our grass stayed green last summer and fall. Have no idea what kind of grass we had or have now.

[SWCM7950]

I don't look forward to moving to OR At ALL!!! Ive lived in Orange County, St. Louis, Denver, etc. and Portland is one of the most pathologically overrated cities in the country. Seriously, the obsession that has become Portland is nauseating. Like another poster said the economy is absolutely terrible. Contrast it where I'm at in the twin cities which has more fortune 500 companies than most places. After living in CA for 8 years it boggles my mind how much people will
sacrifice for things like nice weather and leisure activities at the expense of raising a family, getting ahead financially etc. MN has pretty uncomfortable weather for most people but talk about a wonderful place to get ahead financially and raise a family where a nice house in good school districts is still affordable, it's here. People used to be smart, they'd live and work in maybe an area that wasn't as cool, fun etc. then save their money and travel or retire early and move to a place like OR.

[SWCM7950]

Originally Posted by oregonpdx

OP points crack me up. Some of these issues (see Traffic) are certainly true, but mostly they are not, in my experience (someone who came from S. CA).


Cost of Living: $1,500/mo for a 1 bedroom in the best parts of a major city on the West Coast is LOW. Don't like that? Move to Des Moines.

The real estate market seems over inflated: No offense, but you don't come across as an expert in the field. I also have the advantage of hindsight now...You are incorrect. And $350,000 median home price is LOW for a major city on the West Coast.

Weather: It's good here April thru October. 2015 - 2016 was El Nino!!! But yes, there's a lot of grey in the winter but have you checked out the Midwest and East Coast? That's weather that you can't believe. If you want good weather, move to San Diego (as I did for 5 years). However, then take a look at the COL and tell me how you feel.

Economy: This is just flat out incorrect. I'm in an industry which tracks the Portland economy and you couldn't be further from the truth. Contractors can't find good help, the tech industry is moving here, manufacturing has always been strong here. This is just sour grapes for not lining up a job beforehand as everyone clearly told you to do. My general advice...DO NOT MOVE ANYWHERE without a job lined up. Seems a little arrogant otherwise.

Traffic: Agreed on all accounts. With all these people moving here, it's putting a major stress on the infrastructure. But Seattle? I read the other day they have the 2nd worst traffic in America. Bad traffic is everywhere. Let's hope Lyft and Uber help that over the next 10 years. Or flying carpets would be nice as well.

People: Intolerant people? This is a silly generalization. I moved here from Southern CA and couldn't disagree more but if you don't like the people around you, find new people.

In short, and I'm no therapist (clearly), but I think the root of your unhappiness is stemmed from lack of employment (or under employment). That would weigh on me too, but shoot man...You needed to line up a job first.


Here are some cool things I've come to appreciate about Portland (at the end, the points in quotes had links but I can't get them to look right):


* Legal pot
* Right to Die
• Renowned hospital - OHSU
• No sales tax
• superior land use planning / UGB
• close proximity for snowboarding/skiing
• More access to shopping needs and stuff in general (no BR in SR BG!)
• Best quality of life/Cost of living ratio
o Rare oppty to live in a home right next to a thriving downtown major city in that you can buy a fully remodeled home in prime location for $276/sf (as I did within the last 12 months)
• It's green, lush, and beautiful
o two massive rivers that intersect the city / waterfront park
• Cultural centers - Museums, natural art, arboretums, etc
• Saturday markets on every other block (seemingly)
• Varied neighborhoods vs homogeneous sprawl and strip malls
• Very good international airport
• don't pump your own gas
• Best summers in America
• No real drought threat
• fortune 500 hundred companies / larger job opportunities
o tech migration/boom
• most socially liberal larger city in america ("Least Relious city in America")
• Two great professional sports teams
• tier 1 colleges (Reed and Lewis/Clark)
• A public university - Portland State
• Top 10 public transportation
• More public park land than another major city (we're talking massive forests with little rivers and trails in the heart of the city)
• #1 food cart city in world
• #1 Bike city
• 13.7% of Bay Area residents who left, came to PDX in 2015. That is up from 4% YoY.
• #1 Dog City in America"
• "#1 Beer City in America"
• “#1 Best food city in America"
• "SF's creative class leaving for Portland"
• "SF's tech exoduc is real"
• "Why Portland Might be the Best city in America"
• "Everybody is moving to Oregon"

LOL See the is why you prove so many people right about this pathological obsession with Portland. Plus you obviously lean very left politically as Portland has some of the most looney colleges making the news lately! Have you actually ever lived anywhere besides the west coast??? The weather in the midwest while harsh can be absolutely beautiful. I'm not going to dignify most of your completely ignorant assertions but here are a few:

Denver and other cities have as much of a thriving beer industry as any other area. In fact there are more microbreweries in CO than any other area of the country if I remember correctly.

OHSU? LOL while it's a great institution it pales in comparison to say The Mayo clinic etc.

Oregon schools are some of the worst in on the west coast and in the country!!!

Portland's economy along with ths rest of the state is terrible compared to a place like Minneapolis or Raleigh etc.

Glass Door just came out with it top 25 cities to work in and Portland didn't even make top 25. lol St. Louis outranked Portland!!!!

While Portland may be a fun, cool city to live in while your young, those who care about raising a family and financial security and getting ahead there are many other areas that outclass OR by far.

[SWCM7950]

LOL and the Portland Trailblazers suck!! What other pro sports team exists???? lol soccer? Sports teams as much as I hate pro sports brings in the money.

And Portlands Fortune 500 scene is laughable!!!