Is all of Portland really this depressingly bad? (Eugene, Beaverton: crimes, theater)

[Brandon26pdx]

Portland is no different than anywhere else in that it's mostly what you make it to be. You can choose to like or dislike the place on a pretense, and whatever the choice is will be the more likely outcome.

That said, certain breeds of people will be far more likely to get the warm and fuzzies over this place than others. Like most cities it has it's characteristics that will either draw or repel newcomers, so people should definitely trust their gut reaction and take it into serious consideration if it's a matter of choosing to live here or not. One man's trash is another man's treasure, so to speak.

[tired of snobs]

you summed up the basic truth to it all. I remember not to long ago that I was driving down alberta from about 45th to 20th and not seeing but two black folk and it really made me sad to think that it was sooo bad that we had to run every decent citizen out of there (home owners, business owners, families etc.) to make room for the well to do frightened coffee drinking yuppies who felt like improving on what they considered a blight of a nieborhood into a domain for these rich implants from out of state.

[JesseJB]

I posted this over on Seattle's Skyscrapercity page. (Loved your city!):

I just got back from my first Portland visit. I can't believe how easy that was to get there on Amtrak. Just took the bus tunnel to the Amtrak station and you get dropped off in Portland for cheap round trip fare and you're downtown already. I had an awesome time and when we were done, we just walked to Union Station in Portland and came back up here to King St Station and took the bus tunnel home. Super easy. Super fast. And Portland rules. I was really happy about how friendly and less on-edge people were. And the girlfriend liked that they had boutique stores within walking distance of each other that were stocked with affordable, nice looking clothing instead of overpriced smelly, ugly vintage rags and overpriced basic stuff. And there is a ton of cheap lodging. Also they were a lot less uptight with their liquor laws. It seemed like nightlife ran the city (like in NYC) instead of the city tightly orchestrating nightlife. Also, the city was not nearly as dirty as we had been told (even PDX locals warned us).

It'll be nice to do more of our shopping and debaucherous nights-out down there.

[PDX_Home_Inspector]

You defenitely found the seamier side of PDX. One word of advice - unless you are a very "liberal progressive", stay out of Multomah County. Portland (Mult Co) is a haven for the libs - that is why there are so many panhandlers and bums - it is not socially correct to evict them. After all, they have their rights too - yeah right!! Problem is that they think they need some of your "rights" - as in your wages and house that you worked for years to get! Stick to Washington or Clackamas County - property taxes are lower and the residents are a little more conservatively minded. Crime rates are way lower also. You are right about Alberta but there are some really good restaurants over there.

[oregonn8v]

YES! Portland is terrible. DO NOT MOVE HERE! Whatever you do find some other place to live.

[kanhawk]

Is anyone old enough to remember Portland before the transients and homeless became so prevalent in certain areas? What was it like then?

[carolinajack]

Originally Posted by gnab gib

We're on vacation in Portland right now, and we are seriously underwhelmed so far. The scenery out in the countryside is some of the most beautiful I've ever seen, anywhere, but the city has so far given us the creeps.

We parked down along Naito Parkway to head to the Saturday Market, and one of the first things my wife saw as we left the parking garage is some guy crouched behind a bush, taking a dump. I smelled urine in at least three spots along the streets, and I saw one kid whip it out and take a leak at a park down by the Portland Building. There was some lunatic wandering around Pioneer Courthouse Square, wearing gloves and a winter coat on a nearly 80-degree day, stopping every few steps to look skyward, gesture, mumble something to himself, turn, take a few steps, and do the same thing all over again. There were bums everywhere, and lots of them were kids. One guy thrust his arm out at me and then another at my wife, explaining that perhaps his other arm was easier to read. He had something tattooed on his arm about giving him change for beer money. So this guy is apparently in a permanent state of begging, if he went to the trouble to get his begging mantra tattooed on his arm. And he didn't even want money for a meal, or a place to stay. He wanted BEER MONEY. Nice.

Then there are the strip clubs all over the place, and lots of lots of sketchy neighborhoods. Trailer parks, RV parks ... we were going to eat at a restaurant out on Alberta Street, but we turned on a side street to get there and thought we'd been transported to the world of tar-paper shacks down in the Mississippi delta. It was horrible. Our car probably wouldn't have been there when we came back, had we actually stopped.

Are there actually any nice areas in or around Portland? Anyplace with nice, clean neighborhoods, where the windows aren't boarded up or have bars on them? No strip clubs on every corner? A place where we can walk down the street without being accosted by some bum at every intersection? I've heard so many wonderful things leading up to our trip, and now that we're here, frankly, it's a dump so far.

Please don't lecture me about how I want too much, how I sound elitist, or whatever. We're a white couple in our mid-30s, and we now live in an older but safe neighborhood in Alexandria, Va. I've dealt with bums in D.C., but I've never had them throw their arms in my face, asking for beer money. We're out in the PNW now to scope things out for a possible move here, but right now, from what I've seen, I wouldn't feel comfortable moving my wife out here. We're just looking for a decent neighborhood. It doesn't have to be upscale yuppie heaven, just safe, quiet, clean, and family friendly.

We drove out to see Vancouver, Wa., today, to see what was there, and the west side wasn't too bad. From what I've been reading tonight, the east side, around Fishers Landing, is worth checking out. Would anyone agree with that? And are there are comparatively decent places on the Oregon side of the river?

i moved to Portland in 1998, hoping tht it was what folks hyped it as--openminded, friendly, cool and green. I found that it was Green and for the most part lovely except when people dump sofas on the bridge before the rose parade. I found that it was pretty and accessible by bike and public transport. I also found, if you didnt have a car it was hard to get out of town to enjoy the countryside. I didnt find it friendly, My wife and I were assualted verbally several times by racist epithets, and when we told so called Portland liberal friends about it, they were dismissive and acted like it was no big deal. Also for the most part people are either standoffish(perhaps theya re transplants,) curious--staring if you dont fit the mold or stereotype;or overly friendly and will say hello to strangers.

there are some nice areas of portland from NW 23rd street and down in Sellwood. the kitschy places are to be avoided, lots of hipsters adn liberals but not very nice people in general. LaurelHurst isnt that bad. lived on NE Glisan, alot like the Hawthorne and not very friendly area.

[ColoQuadRacer]

I've spent enough time in Portland in the last thirty years to discover that:

1. The stories about the rainy season are true.

2. The "diversity" everybody seems to love is more of a "cool" buzzword around here than the actual truth.
I think the word that's closer is tolerance. People in Portland are accepting of differing lifestyles.
However, if you don't agree with them, they will be intolerant of your intolerance, without realizing that makes them intolerant.

3. There definately is a Portland "uniform". North Face, Patagonia, REI, etc.. you have to look outdoorsy to fit in.

4. There is an awful lot of bike riders here, but they seem to only come out in force when the weather is nice, and then seem to think they are special and entitled.

5. Everybody seems to think that Portland is populated by twenty-something hipsters, yuppies, and green hippy people. There is that, but I see an awful lot of young families, older folks, just like anyplace else living fairly mainstream lives. I don't know where this hippy dippy image everybody has of Portland comes from. People must not get out of their own neighborhoods or only see what they want to. If you live here a while you get to seeing through the facade.

6. YOU CAN live a "normal" life in Portland without being a greenie, birkenstock wearing, Subaru/Volvo driving, fleece wearing, rainbow displaying, far left liberal tree hugging hypocrite with
"Coexist" and "KBOO" bumper stickers.

7. The beer is excellent here.

8. If you don't have a car, you are pretty much stuck in Portland. Going somewhere distant on a whim is difficult.

9. While Portland is great, THE REST of Oregon is much better. Even the people.

10. Portland was much better in every way in the seventies, eighties, and early nineties, although there WERE negatives to those times. In the mid nineties it got "discovered".
It's kind of like when a local band gets "discovered" and goes mainstream. They are still cool but they are not the same........that "edge" isn't there anymore.
The Portland that people are flocking to now is "manufactured", trying to recreate what it used to be naturally.

11. If you say anything negative about Portland, somebody will come along and tell you just don't understand Portland, and point out you are wrong.
Maybe they are right, maybe they are wrong, but everybody is entitled to their own opinions and observations.

12. I still love Portland more than ever, and it's interesting to see what newcomers are expecting compared to what they actually get. Portland's what you make of it. Just like any other city.

13. In reply to the above post, it seems like there have always been bums, hobos and transients in Portland. It is/was a seaport city. One of the biggest hobo camps on the west coast was in the Sullivan's Gulch area before the construction of the Banfield section of Interstate 84, in the 20's and 30's. There were also a lot of camps along the sloughs and backwaters of the Columbia where the airport is now.

[roneb]

Quadracer,

You've captured Portland really well. Excellent post!

[liloo]

HaHa. I just have to laugh at anyone who found ANY part of Portland so exeptionally seedy that he could not see fit to bring his poor wife there. Seriously guy? Sad. There are homeless people and strip clubs! Close your eyes white children! And just for the record, while there may not be all the homeless people in Vancouver, it does have a bit of a meth problem.