Have You Re-Thought Your Decision To Relocate To Oregon (Portland: crime, live)

[suncat]

Thanks for THIS quote, Mayor.

"Portland isn't discouraging the young and educated from coming, though the glut of workers puts more stress on city services. "I'm hopeful people will stick around," says Portland mayor Sam Adams. "Even if they come to my city without a job, it is still an economic plus."

Exactly how is it a plus to have a growing number of unemployed people living there?

[JLR29]

Originally Posted by suncat

Thanks for THIS quote, Mayor.

"Portland isn't discouraging the young and educated from coming, though the glut of workers puts more stress on city services. "I'm hopeful people will stick around," says Portland mayor Sam Adams. "Even if they come to my city without a job, it is still an economic plus."

Exactly how is it a plus to have a growing number of unemployed people living there?

Because eventually the economy will turn around and having a base of well educated, young workers is a huge economic plus for your city. It will help Portland attract business that does not depend on unskilled labor that can be outsourced to Mexico or India. It might suck now, but in the long run it will be better. In the end, it's the equivalent of building better schools.

But I don't live in Portland, so take what I say with a huge grain of salt.

[classicanne]

I haven't taken Portland off my short list at all; in fact, I am moving to Portland from the Tampa Bay area as soon as my house sells (which may take some time due to our current real estate market). I have wanted to move to the PNW for years, and now due to a divorce, I can at last choose where I want to live.

The job market is a non-issue for me; I telecommute and can work anywhere there's high speed internet service. I agree with Argo69 that the other complaints listed are endemic to any metropolitan area. I prefer cities and their amenities and am willing to deal with the other issues; they don't ruin my day.

The weather was a bit of a concern for a time; I am used to a good bit of sunshine, and like to see it for at least part of the day. That concern was allayed by going to the Weather Underground and looking at Portland webcams. Choosing several 24-hour loops at random throughout various months, I could see that the sun does indeed peek out from time to time even on days considered generally cloudy. Looking at those loops confirmed to me that I'll do just fine.

Regarding friendliness, Americans in general seem to often have a problem with going to a new location and immediately either criticize or expect others to adjust to them, rather than making the effort to appreciate a new area and learn to become a part of it. Since I know I'll be moving to Portland, I'm learning as much as I can about the city and the state of Oregon. I watch Portland newscasts and listen to local Portland radio online. I am learning to say "Wil-AAM-mut" and do not expect local folks will want to hear me talk about how we did things in Florida (as if I would want to talk about that!). I expect people will be friendly to me if I'm friendly to them, and I expect to be very happy in my new home city.

So actually, there's really no short list; it's Portland!

[pacowang]

oops- sorry, someone already posted a link to this article. didn't mean to double post.
in regards to this topic, i must say that i was very fortunate to find work here in portland after i moved here from michigan last november. it took me 2 1 /2 months of extreme searching/interviewing (i was also actively seeking work for 5 months before i moved). had i known that portland would be in such bad economincal shape, maybe it would not have been a great idea to move my family here last summer before i movd here and had a job. it was really rough for three months not working. of course, i am now glad i took the risk, because i would have been even more miserable in michigan working away in a depressing environment!

[subsound]

I wouldn't rethink my decision to move here, though I have pretty much decided against staying in the long term. I moved out because I was hired out of grad school to a large inpatient facility, a type of experience I need in my career not available where I was living due to the largest facility owner moving it's back office work out of state. I like the rainy weather, it's pretty nice to watch out the window...and my type of industry/experience has recruiters still calling so I don't worry on that front. Plus I think people should always try living outside of their element for a bit, you never know what you'll find out about yourself when you do.

I love all the types of cuisine and micro brews though, it will be hard to give that up. I love all the cool vegitation and houses as well, it's so neat to walk around looking at it.

My big issue really is that in the health care industry I think there is a big storm growing due to state issues about the uninsured (OHP/uncompensated care) and the rising rate at which people need it. It's happening in a good number of places, but there are bills coming up we get to view that will make the situation worse in our discussions. It's just my opnion though, but in the last 4 years my nose has saved my butt from being caught in a bad situation a number of times...so I give it a good consideration.

[Raelyn28]

Like I said, I think Portland and Oregon in general is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. I would move back there but I am only being honest to a question that someone asked about the weather. Compared to where I have lived and visited Portland does get a lot of moisture and the sky is grey a lot. Look at the statistics. It is mentioned as one of the top 101 cities in the US with the least amount of sunshine. Many people are not bothered by it... but I was.. I was depressed and felt tired a lot and my SAD was confirmed by a DR. We are all here trying to help others with their relocation questions. Personally, I want to know the truth about a place before I move. Everyone has their own opinion and viewpoint based on one's own unique personality. For me the weather was rough. I would however, struggle through the weather before returning to Southern Cal, but then I would rather stay in Spokane than return to Portland. I do miss the beauty of it but I don't miss the weather. Just trying to be honest and give my evaluation. Besides the weather I would rate Oregon as a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. That is a pretty high rating....

[Neal2009]

Originally Posted by Raelyn28

Like I said, I think Portland and Oregon in general is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. I would move back there but I am only being honest to a question that someone asked about the weather. Compared to where I have lived and visited Portland does get a lot of moisture and the sky is grey a lot. Look at the statistics. It is mentioned as one of the top 101 cities in the US with the least amount of sunshine. Many people are not bothered by it... but I was.. I was depressed and felt tired a lot and my SAD was confirmed by a DR. We are all here trying to help others with their relocation questions. Personally, I want to know the truth about a place before I move. Everyone has their own opinion and viewpoint based on one's own unique personality. For me the weather was rough. I would however, struggle through the weather before returning to Southern Cal, but then I would rather stay in Spokane than return to Portland. I do miss the beauty of it but I don't miss the weather. Just trying to be honest and give my evaluation. Besides the weather I would rate Oregon as a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. That is a pretty high rating....

I think there are 3 categories as far as transplants and the weather goes

A.) Those who come here already having had a love for clouds and rain and it doesnt phase them in the slightest. The climate just seems to suit them perfectly and while others are suffering from SAD, they are out dancing in the rain, enjoying the thick layer of clouds that loom over Western Oregon for 7 to 9 months out of the year.

B.) Those who come here and discover the first winter is much worse than they thought. After 2 or 3 months of grey skies and rain, the depression and fatigue start to kick in. Will we ever see the sun again? The winter seems unrelenting and after 4 or 5 months there is the question if it is worth it to stay. Then the summer comes in all its glory and lasts 3 to 4 months and makes us forget all about the gloom(this does happen) Seeing how absolutely divine this place is in the summer makes people want to give the winter another go and makes them determined to beat it. The second winter isnt as bad and by the third winter they are completely used to it and it doesnt phase them anymore.

C.) Those who never adjust, despite what they do. No matter what efforts are made, the clouds and rain just cant seem to be overcome and after a couple years they move to another place with more sunshine.

...I think I fall into the B category. The first winter here was ROUGH. After 4 months of gloom I seriously had enough, but then summer came and I tell you now, it made me willing to endure another 8 months of such weather, thats how nice the summer was. I am slowly getting used to it and may stick around another couple of years.

[argo69]

I don't care much for the heat so the climate of the Pacific Northwest suits me just fine. I await the weather cooling so that I can wear my trapper hat again. That said, people are wise to seriously consider the impact the dark months may have on them, especially if moving from a relatively sunny climate in the Southwest. If you haven't lived in the Pacific Northwest before it may seem silly for climate to be such a factor in deciding where to live, but I have known numerous people who tried the move and fled back to Southern California.

The job market woes in Portland have been covered in so many articles by now (including a long one recently in the Wall Street Journal) that it should go without saying that someone should have many months of money saved up if they intend to move to the city w/o a job. Just spoke with someone today who had moved to Portland with her husband 8 months ago and have now moved back to Washington because he was never able to find work there.

[subsound]

Originally Posted by argo69

The job market woes in Portland have been covered in so many articles by now (including a long one recently in the Wall Street Journal) that it should go without saying that someone should have many months of money saved up if they intend to move to the city w/o a job. Just spoke with someone today who had moved to Portland with her husband 8 months ago and have now moved back to Washington because he was never able to find work there.

Oh but it doesn't, I remember a recent posting in LJ where a woman wanted to move out from DC (rated in the same papers as one of the best in the nation for employment now) with nearly zilch savings while couch surfing with a friend and try and get a job out here after being let go. Typical responses too...it's not that bad, well I will love it there 100% (she had never been as far as I saw stated), things are hard but I know I will beat the odds because I'm special, you people are not in the know with Portland (even living there)....

Situational awareness failure *sigh*

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Just curious, have you taken Oregon/Portland off your short list because of information you read here or heard around? Inquireing minds want to know.

I wasn't smart enough to pay attention to the warnings on this site. My husband and I had to spend a huge amount of money, time, and energy relocating to Portland to discover it wasn't for us. Live and learn.