Really want to move to Portland (from CA) but afraid everyone will hate me (Bend: house prices, living in)

[LeavingNewEngland]

Originally Posted by JonathanLB

Ok, to be fair, as a lifelong Oregonian who lived in CA for 5 years, I think most of us are still wondering why you can't buy real alcohol at the grocery store. It's an idiotic inconvenience that is nothing but wrong. There are no two sides about it, it's just stupid. So I don't think anyone here, Oregonian or not, would disagree with that. You shouldn't have to go two places to get something very simple. This isn't 1854.

I don't think anyone really cares that much where you're from, but I guess some Oregonians really are that unwelcoming, who knows. Honestly though, who cares about them?! Move where you want to move, and if you want to live here, by all means live here. I've made the move to Los Angeles from Portland, then back again, then to Los Angeles again, then back again. So I've been there and back several times in my life (the first for college).

I can see how it would annoy Oregonians, though, when they hear about "back home" because let's be honest almost everything "back home" anywhere is better than Oregon, so it probably gets tiring hearing about all the ways other places are superior to Oregon. It's like, yeah, we get it, Oregon sucks, now let's not belabor the point. :P

But at least you guys got trash pickup LOL. If you want to see what 1854 is like, come to New Hampshire, dump your own garbage at a dump somewhere. Live in an old greedy mans house, pay his rent, mix up an old spice drink with water from his aged and dated spices and you'll be tasting 1854. Also go shopping at the dump while you're at it between snow storms or when the weather gets warm. Chop wood, have no ac even during the humid temperatures of the summer or with natural heat, you may not even have that in your bedroom. You may be told to open the door so the heat gets in your room from the parlor. Talk about 1854. Come to NH or old colonial New England, its extremely behind the times. I can live with not purchasing liquor at the supermarket as MA didn't let you do it either where I grew up for many years. And one more thing that will feel like 1854 in NH where I was just living is spotty internet. There are lots of dead wifi and reception zones. I dont recall seeing any anywhere in Portland. Even parts of MA have 1 to 2 bars on your phone driving through random towns. 3 tops until you get to one of their more prominent areas like a capitol city or 1st/2nd largest city in state. At least Portland has great internet and more wifi options and many places offer free wifi.

[LeavingNewEngland]

Originally Posted by ben young

You will have to get with the ANTIFA program ..Police stand back and Brown shirts direct traffic. Check the news of Portland before you leave the house..My daughter lives on the east side and does that every time she go's into Portland.

Sounds a little crazy dont you think? Some of this is true sure, but isnt this an overexaggeration? I heard about possibly checking times to go into Portland to avoid traffic sure, but not to where it revolves around Antifa. You have to plan your day around Antifa?? Sounds a little off as in most parts of the city, many aren't even present.. I know that from experience or the last time I was living up there anyhow.



Antifa is thriving off people being afraid of them, where I come from, people get afraid of things sure but not anything like Antifa. They aren't a large enough presence for starters. Small town NE people get afraid of Free staters or feel terrorized by them, but they aren't reasonable folks either. They think they're being held hostage by a group of people who simply want to cut back on government. They aren't nearly as big as antifa and are nonviolent totally so, outrage by the working class is there also so I still am skeptical when I see people getting scared of Antifa as well. If they give me any trouble, I'll fight them. I have no fear but chances are they won't as I don't attract them and if they talk normally to me, I won't have a problem with them, many are young and misguided, period. I don't think every Trump supporter helps solves the worlds problems either and what is something is the people who get victimized by one of Antifas attacks and just comments on it, brushes it off. They must have money for new windows or something like its no big deal. I'd want to throw detonators at them if someone destroyed my property. I'm italian, i take very little **** from people and got a bad temper myself and am a big guy. I don't just get problems from people but I also try not to attract it by putting a Trump sticker up either. Be in the right neighborhood at least if you're going to do that and know your limits, where to go, where not to with that silly thing on.



I learned a lot as I was totally behind George W Bush in 2000. There were anti Bush sentiments for sure and its the same old crap about them saying "hes Hitler" like they're doing to Trump now. Thats when I had my Trump moment and noticed when things were wrong in this country. I felt GW was going to save this country and saw him as a good honest patriot. But funny if you say that now, the left won't even look at you funny probably as Trump is the headline. In fact a Trump supporter told me I was a dumb azz once for believing GW was the best president in our time, even ahead of Trump, seeing I was too young or little to know what Ronald Reagan was doing at the time, I put GWB up there at the top.

[LeavingNewEngland]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

Good gosh - this tired old clap trap of "Better have a job before you come to Portland" is getting so old on this site.

$50-60K jobs are going unfilled all over this area. If you can fog a mirror, you can find work.

I honestly think people repeat it over and over to discourage new people, thats what I believe. Its not working anymore though as unemployment has dropped all across the board now and its all about part of town you're in. In Hawthorne, 100% hard to find work, same with Pearl or downtown. The outskirts could be another story though. It might be best to move to the outskirts but within reach of Portland so you can visit "the hot spots" but just not live in them. Plus I was living in NH a state with low unemployment but I never got a job especially in a local dominated college town with 23,000 people where I was told was the lowest unemployment rate in the entire state and my lack of stable address made it harder no matter how good the numbers on paper were so not having a job lined up, even going to immediate Portland area no longer scares me. I will work something out. But ya I have a feeling they will be running out of that excuse after awhile if not already. Or else Portland would not have something like a 3.2% unemployment rate. I think its harder to find work in Florida by far when you really do the numbers. Pennsylvania is extremely difficult I know. The rust belt may never bounce back in many parts.

[fortunatus]

Nope. Never advertised where I'd come from, always honestly answered when asked, and more often than not the person asking was another CA transplant. Never felt, or was made to feel, inferior because I moved from CA. And was driving with CA plates for at least a month without feeling any especial hostility (same %% of encounters with idiots on the road as later when I got my Douglas fir plates).

[marshallsteeves]

I'm a native and love people from California. I have to apologies for all the others that show so much dislike. It's unfortunate. Should never show hate toward anyone.

[Kmarrello]

You'll be totally fine. People from CA just try to freak you out. I got that warning when I moved here 17 years ago and nobody has ever been rude to me about being from CA. I meet tons of transplants and I'm a mortgage lender so I see a lot of people moving from CA in my business life as well. Come on over! You may miss the sun a bit but the beautiful summer and fall and occasional snow will completely make up for it.

[blau808]

I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone can generalize 40 million people simply because they're from CA.

Anyone who has preconceived notions about where people are from and projects their like/dislike of you accordingly is not someone you would want to be associated with anyway.

[Jane917]

I am a 5th generation CA native. I have never felt “hated” for my background,nor have I heard people talk in a negative way about Californians, except maybe in jest. If people judge you by where you came from, you probably don’t need them as friends. Everybody comes from somewhere.

[alloverandover]

I love to set this record straight. Hi. I'm from California and I moved to Portland in 2014. I was so worried about being from California because everyone on this exact site told me to be. The biggest advice? 'Change your plates, young woman! Change your plates, immediately!'

Well, that was cute because guess what? Oregon would not send me my plates! Nope! No plates for you! I seriously did not get my Oregon plate for like .... three months? Maybe even longer. It was ridiculous. I rocked my California plate everywhere in Portland. Everyone in Oregon! And the entire time I was all nail biting over here. Oh no! My car! My plate!

Yeah. Nothing ever happened. Guess what? Nobody cares I'm from California! In five years not one person- not one!- has ever batted an eyelash at me being from California. Not in Portland. Not in Beaverton. Not in Hillsboro. Not in Wilsonville. Not in Eugene. Not in Tualatin, Tigard, Woodburn, Forest Grove, Clackamas, uhhh... Mt. Hood... ok, you get it. Nobody cares!

So let it go. Please. My group of friends (that I've met since moving here) includes ladies from India, UK, Russia, Mexico, Idaho, Washington, and- yep!- other Californians. It is 2019 and this place is way more diverse than anyone will tell you.

There are a zillion things you should consider about moving here from California but don't let that be one of them.

[harrishawke]

People will be friendly to you on the outside, but you will never be part of the "inner-circle" when it comes to certain jobs and politics.