I talk to Portland residents all the time who have never been to Mount Hood, The Gorge or The Coast!!! (Oregon City: theater, school)

[Oregon Transplant]

Since I moved to Oregon earlier this year, I have been traveling all over the State and visiting the many scenic, historical and cultural attractions. When I get back I tell my neighbors, friends and coworkers what I have seen. What is really shocking is how many of them have never left the City of Portland.

Many have lived in Oregon for years but never have been to the mountains, gorge, or coast. Many have never even crossed the river and seen downtown or the Rose Gardens or Washington Park. I have not talked to anyone yet who has seen the Pittock Mansion or Council Crest Park. I even ran into someone who had never heard of Mount Hood!

Are the average residents of Portland so isolated or have I just ran into a group of duds?

[oldtintype]

I think, given your attitude about Portland and Oregon in general, that you're bound to meet mainly duds. In every pocket of the world there will be people who don't get out much and are insular. I've met people from all over the place who have been just about everywhere. You'll always find what you look for. I'm also wondering if your attitude is so obvious that people can't help but fuel it for their own amusement.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Oregon Transplant

Are the average residents of Portland so isolated or have I just ran into a group of duds?

I remember there was a poster once named SUPERNOVA (who had many different incarnations - has since 'left the building' by mod request), but he/she just came on to post ridicuous things to intice or get attention/a rise out of people.

[tiffela74]

i totally agree with the 2 posts above........
although, I think even Supernova started out a LITTLE bit less down/degrading/pessamistic.

someone who lives in Portland that says theyve never heard of MtHood, is totally pulling your chain. Thats like someone who lives in Texas saying theyve never heard of the Alamo.
Or New York saying theyve never heard of the Statue of Liberty...

[Minervah]

Oh, I dunno, when I lived in Chicago I met people who never went to the wonderful museums or plays or other great things the city has to offer. Likewise I have met New Yorkers who have never seen a Broadway play or visited the Statue of Liberty.

It could be possible. But if some Oregonians choose to not take advantage of all the good stuff we have here, it's their loss.

[tiffela74]

never VISITED the Statue of Liberty is one thing, but how many New Yorkers have never even HEARD of it?

[oldtintype]

Or perhaps if it's actually true (unlikely but...) the person just MOVED here from another state and doesn't know the area yet...

[Waterlily]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

Or perhaps if it's actually true (unlikely but...) the person just MOVED here from another state and doesn't know the area yet...

Portland seems to be getting a lot of new people. Many of them are in the Y geeration and they may not know about the many places to go in Oregon yet. They'll learn after a while.

If these people grew up in Portland then they are very strange indeed.
Many of the people I know travel around Oregon on vacation. Some of us even travel out of state sometimes or (dare I say it) even out of the country.

[EnricoV]

Well, you're talking to me, even though it's not face to face, and ....

I've lived in Portland all my life, but have taken a City Tour, a Riverboat Cruise, a Jet Boat Cruise; Been to OMSI, the Zoo, the Forestry Center, Children's Museum, Historical Society, Art Museum, The Grotto, Toy Museum, Police Museum, Vacuum Museum, Oregon City Museum, End of Trail Museum, Council Crest, Oaks Park, McLouglin House, Pittock Mansion, Fort Vancouver, Bybee House; the Japanese Gardens, the Classical Chinese Gardens, the Rose Test Garden, Rhododendron Gardens; The opera, the symphony, the jazz festival, the blues festival, concerts at pretty much every venue in town; the comedy clubs, plays at pretty much every theater in town; seen professional basketball, baseball, soccer, football, tennis and hockey games.

Outside of Portland, I've been to every corner of the state except the far south-eastern (I really want to get to Frenchglen one of these days, even though there's really nothing much there). Traveled pretty much every highway. There's not many tourism sites in the state I haven't been to; climbed the Astor Column, Fort Clatsop, Bonneville Dam, fed the sturgeons at the fishery, Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, Multnomah Falls, Fort Vancouver, Oregon Dunes, Stonehenge, Oregon Trail Museum in Baker, I've walked in ruts of the Oregon Trail. Slept at Timberline Lodge, Wallowa Lodge, Mt. St. Helens, Crater Lake Lodge. Been in the Oregon Caves, to Jacksonville, to the Oregon Vortex, Oregon Coast Aquarium, the State Capitol, Oregon Wildlife Safari, Tule Lake Wildlife Preserve, the Painted Hills, Smith Rock, I saw the world's tallest Spruce before it broke, the Forestry Building before it burned, and Packy when he was a few days old. Dipped my toes (and more) in the hot springs at Ka-Nee-Tah, Bagby, Breitenbush. I've fished in Cascade lakes, dipped smelt in the Sandy, dug clams and crabbing on the coast, gone elk hunting. Not many festivals througout the state I haven't attended, been to the State Fair, to County Fairs, to Octoberfest, to Round-Up, the Shakespeare Festival; the Rose Festival, Highland Games, Re-enactments (Civil War & fur-trappers), to Chief Lelooska's. Toured Wineries, Alpenrose Dairy, Franz Bread factory, Tillamook Cheese Factory, Pendleton Woolen Mills, a sugar beet factory in Ontario, and a Smoke Jumping School in Grants Pass.

Just to name a few. And if you want to leave the state, I've been to all but six states, and to 25 foreign countries ....

Whoever you're talking too, we're not all shut-ins.

[Oregon Transplant]

I tried to pin down the person who had never heard of Mount Hood before. I told him it was that mountain that floated over the City that folks could see on clear days. He said he had seen mountains and hills to the east of town but had never really thought about them. I continued to pin him down by saying pictures of Mount Hood were all over the place in advertising. He said he never noticed.

Most people I guess just live in their own little world.