Where to live: miami or portland, OR?

[Lee151]

Everywhere you have lived is much sunnier than Portland and you've mentioned sunshine in your post so I would say if you think sunshine is going to be a big factor even though you will be indoors at school much of your time you better go to Miami.

Portland does have significantly more cloudy days than sunny days.

Many natives don't really notice or don't find them a problem but as a native who lived in Phoenix for fifteen years I've never gotten over the lack of sunny days.

[crazyma]

We lived in Miami Lakes, NW of Miami, in Dade county, from Nov. 06 to Feb. 07. We knew it was going to be a culture shock but went with open minds and hearts. After a couple of months we realized it was the biggest mistake of our lives. I have never been so estatic to have left some place.
We are stuck in Wichita now, result of a job downsizing, and hope a job is going to happen that would take us to Portland...never been there but there is no way it could be the hell we found Miami to be. Don't go to Miami! IMO Stay in America

[dinandriver]

Originally Posted by met1219

Well, I grew up in Portland and happened to move to Miami for a job. I despise it SO MUCH after living here 10 yrs, that I am moving back to Portland ASAP. I agree with the poster who said you should consider where you want to work once the residency is done. Here, IMHO, are the pros and cons of each city:

Miami Pros:

Great school with excellent teachers
Sunny & Hot
Close to Ocean
Close to Louisiana

Miami Cons:

Party town full of superficial jerks
Low pay/high cost of living
Loud, obnoxious neighbors, even if you pay $1,700-2,000/mo rent
When you complain to said neighbors about their partying loudly so you can't sleep prior to work or school, they tell you to go F*** yourself. Isn't that classy?
Hot and Humid year round
It rains "sideways" here _wind + rain, so no matter what you wear, you are soaked and umbrellas are pointless here
Fire ants, Bufo Toads, venemous snakes in hordes
Mosquitoes and no-see-ums 365 days a year (at least I get bitten daily)
As much rain as Portland, only it is warm and brings mosquitoes with it
Hurricanes getting more intense
Outdoorsy activities like walking 10 steps to your car must be preceded by covering yourself with DEET, which is not something I care to put on my body on a daily basis
Worst drivers on the planet - hence high car insurance rates
No clean, safe, efficient public transit
Poor air quality I don't have to take allergy meds in Portland)
Although culturally diverse, everyone more or less stays within their own group (i.e. Cubans with Cubans, Haitians with Haitians, etc.)

Portland Pros:

Great school with excellent teachers
Higher pay and lower cost of living
Tons of outdoor activities
Friendliest people in the U.S.
No mosquitoes or No-see-ums
Better drivers
Great public transit
Great air quality
Mild weather with change of seasons
No fire ants, Bufo Toads, few venemous snakes in the burbs
It is green year round
Diversity is embraced wholeheartedly

Portland Cons:

If you are a Republican, you won't like all the Liberals
It rains as much as Miami, but rain is cooler
You may have to purchase a trench coat or umbrella
Less opportunities to hear why Castro stole somebody's homeland
No good Cuban Coffee
Farther from Louisiana by a few hrs plane trip

Miami is great for people who like a tropical environment and loud partiers. I thought I would be able to enjoy the ocean here, but at least 50% of the time, I get stung by Jellyfish while standing in chest high water, so I have given up on it here. People have also gotten Staph infections simply from standing in the water here, which means the ocean is really polluted.

My husband and I are outdoorsy, laid back, and love to hang out with friends and BBQ or share a nice meal & bottle of wine. That is impossible here since there are few nice people. I truly despise it here and can't wait to get back to the nice, friendly people in Portland. With gas prices spiking ever higher, the public transit in Portland will be nice for a change.

Just my 2 cents worth...you should really visit both cities and decides afterward. Good luck!

100% on target...
I've been to Miami many times, I really like it but overall, I prefere Portland to live. If you study a lot, the winter season shouldn't be a problem. The thing that really turns me off about Miami is the super hot and humid summer and the importance of what brand name your clothes and sunglasses are... I would say, give Portland a shot, since we've lived in mostly tropical places already...