Are you glad you moved to the Portland area(or glad that you always lived there)? (West Linn: ski resort, transplants)

[rsusi]

We are considering a move to Portland from a suburb of Boston. We have three children ages 5,7, and 9yrs. My sister lives in Portland and is finishing graduate school in a few months. She really loves Portland and would like to stay. We have visited a few times and are thinking West Linn might be a good area for us with good schools. I am concerned about quality of schools, and gray weather being depressing (although I wonder if we don't have just as many gray days). My children also have seasonal (grass and tree pollen) and food allergies. The milder climate, beautiful surroundings and outdoor activity as well as a more evironmentally conscious population is what attracts us (as well as my sister). It seems like it might be a better place than where we are to teach our kids what is important in life. It would be a really big decision for us, and if we move, my parents will also follow (no pressure!). Does anyone have any advice for me? Either from a native to Portland or from someone who has also relocated. Thanks!( This face because I am going crazy trying to decide what is the right choice for us!)

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I think West Linn is a fabulous place to live. Good schools, clean area, fairly good location.

Go for it.

[illinoisboy]

I could only wish I was in your position! My family and I love Oregon for pretty much the same reasons as you! It's probably one of the most beautiful places in the country,and from my expirience, it's people are the friendliest we've ever met! We're bored of the same old landscape up here in Chicago, and would love to move out west, specifically Oregon. I'm sure there are plenty of outdoors activities out there for you! I mean, you could travel an hour out of Portland and go skiing, and still be at the beach in time for the sunset. You can drive 4 hours out and be in the high dessert, plus Crater Lake is not toooo far away. In my opinion, Oregon is one of the most geographically diverse states in the country. Which is good! That just means more outdoorsey activities to enjoy, and I'll bet theres always something new to do!

Soooo, take it from a guy that's never lived anywhere but Chicago. Make the move! You won't regret it!

PS I don't know if you care, but did you know that Mt. Hood Meadows is the only ski resort in the WORLD open all year long? Thats right!! Actually we met some guy from Cape Cod, (somewhere you should be familiar with?) in Cannon Beach. He just got finished surfing and said he was taking his family over to Mt. Hood to do some skiing. IN AUGUST!!

PSS They also got the best clam chowder! (check out Moe's, on the coast)

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Originally Posted by illinoisboy

PSS They also got the best clam chowder! (check out Moe's, on the coast)

The best clam chowder was at the Dory Cove (before it burned down). Now, the best is at The Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach in Newport. Oh man, you have GOT to try theirs! Moe's is the Denny's of the Oregon coast.

[roneb]

Actually, it's Timberline Lodge that's open for skiing year round, not Meadows. As far as allergies go, you should know that the Willamette Valley (including Portland) has some of the highest pollen counts in the nation, particularly for grasses. The Willamette Valley is famous for its turf and grass seed.

[Northern Drifter]

Moved here almost a year ago, moving out of Portland in 2 weeks...Nuff said

[Venusian_Artist]

Originally Posted by Northern Drifter

Moved here almost a year ago, moving out of Portland in 2 weeks...Nuff said

Ummm, no, nuff hasn't been said. If you're moving out, do us all the favor of telling us why. I, for one, would be interested in hearing about it. What you did was give a "hit and run" comment--pretty useless for people looking to weigh the pros and cons of PDX.

[bobmulk]

And do us a favor by giving intelligent comments, not the attitude that comes just because you don't like something. And no ridiculous comments that it rains nine months out of the year. Something at which an intelligent person won't roll his eyes.

[GB1]

Originally Posted by Venusian_Artist

Ummm, no, nuff hasn't been said. If you're moving out, do us all the favor of telling us why. I, for one, would be interested in hearing about it. What you did was give a "hit and run" comment--pretty useless for people looking to weigh the pros and cons of PDX.

I'm not the original poster, but I'll oblige if the Portlanders don't get defensive, eh? I'm 'doing the favor' of telling why, and I'll try to give the city its due in the process.

I moved to Portland in mid-'06 and left this January without looking back.

It's a gorgeous place, as anyone who's been there can tell you. Besides the natural beauty, streets are relatively clean, public transport is modern and safe (in comparison to nearly every other American city), and the lack of sales tax makes your dollar go farther. (Though they'll get you on the other end when you receive you first paycheck.) The whole city is an ongoing experiment in urban planning, and many of the ideas are fine ones.

So why'd I leave?

1. The jobs. Not good anywhere these days, and particularly so in Portland. There's plenty of $9-hr. work for the many twentysomethings who are flocking there, but there's a glut of experienced workers and very few good-paying jobs for them.

Others have discussed the truth or falsity of Oregonians' recalcitrance to hire transplants, and the spectre of age-related discrimination in Portland (which, there, seems to translate to "over 35"). I'll accept that some people believe both those things to be myths, but I'm on the side of those who found them real.

2. The people. Polite as can be, helpful in a good-Samaritan way, and obsessed with the notion of community. All good things. But I'm with those who found them to be cold just under the surface (see the infamous "Seattle freeze" thread; there's one in Portland, too). I certainly met some nice folks, but overall there's a streak among Portlanders that leaves a good number of them to be passive-aggressive, closed-minded, and remarkably incurious about anything outside their own eco-system of beliefs.

And the continual boosterism of "Portland is the most awesome city in America" began to sound, by the end of my stay, not too much different than the "America is #1!" attitude you might find in an area with diametrically opposed political positions. The bellicose "Portland: love it or leave it" attitude is indistinguishable to me from "America: love it or leave it."

3. The myth of the 'creative class.' You can't be in Portland too long without hearing about the 'creative class,' that mythical group of folks who is supposed to creating wonderful things one after the other. But stay a bit longer and you'll wonder: what the hell are they creating?

The arts in Portland are moribund (few professional writers, dreadful stage productions, mediocre art) which may have something to do with the Pleasantville-ness of the place...there's just not a lot of impetus to get things done there. This week I read a comment from a comedian who had visited Portland and said he wanted to detonate an 'ambition bomb' in front of Powell's Books, and I knew what he meant.

---

Anyway, I'm gone, and there are some things I miss: the view of Mt. Hood on a crisp clear day, hopping the MAX to run errands, Portland's magnificent library, and other things.

But there are farmer's markets in other cities, and environmentalism, and liberal thinkers, and fine bookstores, and all the other things of which Portland is justifiably proud (and sometimes behaves like it invented). In my opinion, there are also better jobs and friendlier, more open-minded (and, yes, more diverse) people elsewhere.

Like anywhere else, Portland is right for some and not for others. That's not a knock on the city...but neither is it a knock on the "others."

[wtg]

I think Portland is fantastic. i moved here about 6 months ago. The winter hasn't been nearly as bad as I'd heard. Coming from the east coast, I find Portland has a very refreshing casual vibe. It's definitely not for everyone--if you're a super-ambitious type looking to change the world, stay on the east coast I'd say. If you like beer, weirdness, music, quirky theater productions, movie retrospectives, close proximity to mountains and ocean, and the like, Portland could be for you. I will say this though: it seems to be a very young town...I wish I'd moved here 10 years ago.