People who moved from the Bay area-- do you miss it or is life truly better in PDX? (Portland: transplants, houses)

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by girlieNfamily

they actually held one specifically just for the non-white students-- to specially welcome them? I don't know. I thought that was very strange.

I don't believe this.

Sounds like you love where you live. You should stay put.

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by girlieNfamily

I already know that we wouldn't want to move to Eugene simply due to the total lack of diversity, worse than PDX's. My cousin went to law school up there, and while he thought the town was nice, he was very taken aback at how completely white it was. We are a mixed race family. I think he said that during early university orientation, they actually held one specifically just for the non-white students-- to specially welcome them? I don't know. I thought that was very strange.

Many universities want to do anything legally appropriate to increase diversity. Why do you find that offensive when you complain about the lack of diversity?

When I started to work in the mid 60s my place of employment was Paterson, NJ. My boss told me that I was the only natural blonde in town. That didn't bother me at all and I loved getting to know the community.

Embrace your differences and friends will abound.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by girlieNfamily

I think he said that during early university orientation, they actually held one specifically just for the non-white students-- to specially welcome them? I don't know. I thought that was very strange.

As Nell notes, Eugene and the UO don't have a lot of diversity, and I believe moreso at the Law School, so to try and be more inclusive/welcoming, there are targeted events just for the students they can draw to make them feel supported and to help create a tighter social network for them.

Some of my in-laws in the Eugene metro are mixed race and grew up there. For them it's all they've known so they don't really have a basis for comparison. I don't get much out of them when I do talk to them.

Beyond that, I'd say mixed-race in Eugene really depends on which race in particular you mean. Very roughly speaking, from easiest to harder:

Japanese/Chinese generally fine to good, especially if you make decent money (and two RN salaries in Eugene would be significant).
Samoan/Pacific Islander? Especially ok if you play football.
Korean/Indian? Ok as long as you accept the local cuisine is a bit lacking.
African? A nice novelty!
Native American? Depends. Which tribe and what percent?
Hmong? Eh...Most people won't have the slightest idea what to do with you.
African-American? From the experience of friends, this is the tough one to categorize. Really all over the map, and definitely depends on your willingness to be in a pretty white place.

Just anecdotally, the experience of two African-American male friends I had in Eugene, both single-mid 20s. One was from a major eastern city, darker skin, and he was never comfortable in Eugene working at the UO. Felt totally out of place and marginalized. Through his work he got to hear both the best and worst stories from students of color.

The other would, for the sake of argument, be described as mocha-skinned. Smooth-talking, nice guy, from a Seattle suburb who came to the UO for grad school. And perhaps above all he was flat-out attractive. He eventually left Eugene for work, but he never lacked for white female attention and being in fairly white Eugene wasn't really all that different than his suburban high school. His friends at home were white, his friends in Eugene were white. NBD.

Both had advanced degrees, about the same age, and yet completely different experiences of Eugene. I present those two not because they're universal, but I think they represent two archetypes I do see talking with people of color (particularly African-Americans) who move to Eugene from somewhere else.

[girlieNfamily]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Many universities want to do anything legally appropriate to increase diversity. Why do you find that offensive when you complain about the lack of diversity?

When I started to work in the mid 60s my place of employment was Paterson, NJ. My boss told me that I was the only natural blonde in town. That didn't bother me at all and I loved getting to know the community.

Embrace your differences and friends will abound.

I don't understand this statement. I love diversity. Like I said, that is one of the primary things that I would miss about the Bay area. So I do embrace differences. I just brought up the thing about the non-white orientation because when my cousin told me about it, I thought it was strange. I would not like to be singled out because of my race. Which, no offense, is quite different than having a different hair color.


In any case, we are not thinking of moving to Eugene, OR. This question was regarding Portland and how it seems to compare from life in the Bay.

[NWGirl74]

Originally Posted by girlieNfamily

but I left because, frankly, to be a single woman in PDX really wasn't great at that time.

Moot point for you now, but sadly, this hasn't changed.

Originally Posted by girlieNfamily

The things I would not miss are: traffic, high $$ for everything, the underlying competitiveness that seems to be everywhere, rude people, crowds everywhere--- oh my god, all the crowds...

Traffic is definitely a lot worse now than it was 10 years ago. Heck, it's a lot worse than it was 2 years ago! My friend lives in Tigard. It used to take me about 30-35 minutes to get from my house (in Vancouver) to his. Now, it takes about an hour. It recently took me 45 minutes to get from my house to the Lloyd Center at noon on a Saturday; it took me 20 minutes to get home. A few weeks ago, also noon on a Saturday, it took just over an hour to get to Beaverton.

I live in Vancouver but spend most of my social time in Portland. I now give myself at least an hour to get to my destination, whereas before it was 30 - 45 minutes.

[Cliftonpdx]

Originally Posted by girlieNfamily

I don't understand this statement. I love diversity. Like I said, that is one of the primary things that I would miss about the Bay area. So I do embrace differences. I just brought up the thing about the non-white orientation because when my cousin told me about it, I thought it was strange. I would not like to be singled out because of my race. Which, no offense, is quite different than having a different hair color.


In any case, we are not thinking of moving to Eugene, OR. This question was regarding Portland and how it seems to compare from life in the Bay.

What do you mean by diversity? What type of diversity are you referring to specifically? Though based on what I have read so far, I would suggest not moving because it sounds like you love SF and the Bay Area too much and would probably regret living a place you love.

[girlieNfamily]

Originally Posted by Cliftonpdx

What do you mean by diversity? What type of diversity are you referring to specifically? Though based on what I have read so far, I would suggest not moving because it sounds like you love SF and the Bay Area too much and would probably regret living a place you love.

I meant diversity of races, cultures, religions, socioeconomic classes, interests, and family backgrounds.


Lots to think about, and I really appreciate everyone's comments to my thread. Thank you, all! I feel like I'm leaning more towards a no than a yes in terms of leaving. I may also be suffering from nostalgia for my youth!


In any case, we will have a good time on our trip this summer, no matter what the outcome. Thanks, all who commented.

[Yankeemama]

I am originally from S.F. but moved to Portland from NYC. I have found community here and my kids love Portland and now, Beaverton. We lived in Portland for almost six years and now in Beaverton for almost a year. Our family has thrived in this area and our family lives mostly in the Bay Area and some in SoCal so visiting is quite easy. My husband telecommutes and so we avoid traffic except for a few days a week where we go to SW Portland. The lifestyle here is more relaxing than the Bay Area's new crazy expensive lifestyle is currently. Growing up in the 70's and 80's in SF was more like the current Portland. If you are familiar with Portland already and can survive the grey winter and spring then I would encourage you to check out homes. You can PM me and I can give you a great real estate agent. Good luck!

[Cliftonpdx]

Originally Posted by girlieNfamily

I meant diversity of races, cultures, religions, socioeconomic classes, interests, and family backgrounds.


Lots to think about, and I really appreciate everyone's comments to my thread. Thank you, all! I feel like I'm leaning more towards a no than a yes in terms of leaving. I may also be suffering from nostalgia for my youth!


In any case, we will have a good time on our trip this summer, no matter what the outcome. Thanks, all who commented.

I know what the word diversity means, I was wondering what type of diversity you were looking for? People tend to throw that word around when referring to a place they feel is "too white" for them or "not enough black people." It tends to be a hollow word....wouldn't diversity be people different from yourself?

As for the diversity of SF, I don't see it being much different than Portland, there just seems to be more people living there than here.

Staying where you are might be a great choice for you, especially if you want to move up to Portland because of your youth because that Portland is gone. I say that because the Portland of my single days is different than the Portland of my older, married days. Though there is nothing wrong with enjoying that nostalgia and visiting whenever you want, and comparing it to how much has changed.

I do hope you have a good trip visiting, but if you are happy where you are now, I think it is best to keep doing what you are doing.

[gray horse]

Traffic is a real problem in PDX, almost as bad as the Bay Area. Something I didn't expect when I moved up from CA.