How's Oregon like? (Portland, Detroit: apartment complexes, lease, insurance)

[valene1992]

Hi, I'm just wondering how is Portland Oregon like?
I heard its nice, I might be going out there to visit some family friends.
How is it?

[BLAZER PROPHET]

It has the most beautiful & diverse scenery one can imagine.

[bliss60]

Portland is a complete oversell with regard to quality of life.

I don't understand why everyone is rushing to live in 50 inches of rain and $100. a month rent increases, after initial lease expires. There are major, greedy corporations in charge of the large apartment complexes. Five major companies, including Essex Property Trust, Equity Property, Cass River Stone and Affinity are requesting that you get a $50,000 liability insurance policy..an unprecedented move that makes the tenant liable for almost everything.

Don't even think about living downtown, where there are more homeless people reside than almost any other city in the u.s. Decent paying jobs are hard; Portland has never been a hotbed for corporations and continues to be the bad stepchild of Seattle and San Francisco.

Traffic is gridlocked! Infrastructive (old bridges) are scary.

My best advice: don't risk becoming another homless person in Portland.

I stayed away on this kind of good advice and feel real lucky.

Do come for a visit but negotiate, negotiate for hotels rooms, which are also overpriced.

If you really want a glorious Northwest experience, stay in one of the small towns in NW Washington. See the rain forest, ride the ferries, drive up into the Cascades and restore your soul, instead of getting depressed in Portland.

We don't need any more anti-depressents in our water supply.

[kpaq]

It's a very nice place to travel to in the summer, but I wouldn't recommend coming any time between November and June (including Nov and June).

I also wouldn't recommend living here, there's just something strange about it for outsiders. Most of the people here were born and raised here, and many have a very strange attitude. You can tell that there are a lot of weird people with the "Keep Portland Weird!" bumper sticker being so common.

[bobmulk]

Wow, someone has an (ignorant) bee in their bonnet.

It does NOT rain fifty inches a year. As for rent increases, once again sounds like someone had a bad experience. Chances are, the issues mentioned above happen in pretty much every large city.

As for being strange...that is a perception. Perhaps people experience what they reflect? It will depend on your attitude and perception. What are you looking for? As for the largest homeless population of any large city, well, can you say "lie"?

I think you're intelligent enough to weed past the dog poop in these forums and find the truth.

Truth is, Portland is not for everyone. For those who do love it, they love it with a vengeance. Portland is super liberal to a truly disgusting socialist degree. Trying to get a decision made by the city is almost impossible.

Rents are going up, that's because the population is booming from so many people moving in and because many have been priced out of the housing market. This is the sign of a vibrant community. Better than having a housing recession like Detroit, eh?

Portlanders are very independent-thinking and rabidly green. They are vehement about supporting local businesses and local producers. They're concerned about preserving their neighborhoods. They're not open to people who challenge far-left ideologies.

The weather is not what people make it. The worst months are Dec-Feb. That's when you get the most rain, but even then you'll get some wonderfully sunny days, albeit cold. Spring has rain, of course, indeed, rain occurs pretty much all year except for a few months in summer. Summers here can't be beat; they're glorious. And the Indian summers in autumn are wonderful.

The economy in Portland is made up of more small companies. Portland is not friendly to large corporations. It has an attitude towards success that belies its status as an also-ran among world-class cities. That being said, there are thousands of small businesses without the corporate grind mentality. It is attracting a large number of the "creative class" that cities want--young, hip, vital, educated people who have a creative bent.

There's much to do in Portland, the arts, the outdoors, festivals, fairs, wine country, ocean ninety minutes away, skiing an hour away. And it's a walkable city. You can walk around downtown, Old Town, the Pearl, Multnomah Village, Hawthorne, Nob Hill. It's relaxing.

Yeah, traffic can suck. Again, pretty much any place that's worth living in is going to have traffic nowadays, right? Compared to places like L.A., it ain't nothin!

OK, I've gotta go. Could go on forever, if you want to know more, drop me a note.

Best of luck.

[Fiendish Fu Manchu]

"Wow, someone has an (ignorant) bee in their bonnet."

Heh, an off-topic thought. Do you have to make it 'an' if you're using ignorant as a silent yet implied modifier? Should it be someone has a (ignorant) bee in their bonnet? I know very off-topic, but I thought it was funny.

[provincal b]

Originally Posted by valene1992

Hi, I'm just wondering how is Portland Oregon like?
I heard its nice, I might be going out there to visit some family friends.
How is it?

It is the capital city of California's Canada. It is nice. Come enjoy our quirky city and spend your money in our pleasant small shops and cafes. Thank You.

[Jimrob1]

I would describe Portland like this. A nice city with a scenic backdrop of the West Hills to the west, and Mt Hood to the east. It really has some beautiful views. I don't know if your coming here to visit with the intent of perhaps relocating here at some point. I have lived here close to 3 years now and quite frankly its too much for me, its nice but its not for alot of people. I think some of the natives seem offended if one is not comfortable with some of the personality traits here, and I have learned to just keep my comments to me. I don't want too live that way, its rather a suffocating feeling but it appears if you are not of the general opinion about things here, you can find yourself an outcast very quickly. The economy seems very weak here, and most people have told me it is even weak when the rest of the country is doing well. There are many people that seem underemployed here and for some reason a large number of people don't seem to be employed. THere is alot of homeless and vagrants in this city, and its suburbs also, I don't know what that is all about. You will have your own impression of the area when you come for your visit. I think you will find many aspects of Portland that you like, but always remember visiting and living in a place are two very different feelings.

[awilbur7]

In my opinion, Oregon is a land fill.Portland DOES HAVE quite possibly the largest homeless population in the country. Every time you get on or off of a freeway, as long as you don't get hit by the usual crappy oregonian driver, you have someone with a sign begging for money. AND YES, IT DOES RAIN PRETTY MUCH ALL YEAR; SUMMER IS NOT GUARENTEED IN OREGON. Native Americans reffered to the willamette valley as the VALLEY OF SICKNESS! It makes sense seing as how the willamette river is full of sewage. Don't go in the ocean unless you would like a case of hypothermia. Don't forget about the drivers, one word describes them perfectlyRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!

[illinoisboy]

Great People
Great Scenery
Great Nighlife
Great Parks
Great Mass Transit
Great Restaurants
Great Shops
Great Art Galleries
Great Downtown

Overall, a pretty great place