Portland, what a wonderful city (Eugene, Salem: how much, home, subdivisions)

[crazylegs5150]

My wife and I recently completed a trip to Oregon and Portland for relocation purposes last week and what a trip it was. I was nervous. Was it going to live up tp the "hype" and our expectations we had built up for it. To simply answer, YES! of course, the weather was superb.Uppers 70's and low 80's and sunny the entire time except our trip to Multnomah Falls. I guess the main thing is that everywhere we wnet from downtown PDX, to wine country, to Eugene, and back to Bend, we did not come across ONE miserable/unhappy person. Not one! Can you believe that. It was very strange. Everyone just seemed so content with life and what they were doing. It was certainly a big inspiration and the affirmation that Oregon is indeed, the place we need to be. When i asked multiple people the dreaded "weather" question, the answers were pretty much the same. They said that yes it gets grey. It may not always rain like most people think but it looks like it wants to. It does not get too cold and if it snows, it's a picture worthy event as it does not happen too often. Then, when you are sick of it, you get spring and summer comes and it's over. While I suppose this is a rather simple account, it seems that everyone just does not let it bother them. You can choose to either accept the weather or **** and moan about it. Those that accept it choose to go about their lives and do the things that they would if it were not rain. Biking, hiking, or whatever.
So, thanks to all you Oregonians for making a great trip amazing. It's obvious you enjoy life and taking things one day at a time.

[jread]

Thanks for the post.. it's great to hear this!

My wife and I will be making our first trip to the area within the next few weeks.

[AndNYC]

Portland is a city I have to visit.

[meltinjohn]

What the op was saying made sense to me big.
I maybe found a few unhappy people at most but thats all. Most people I met were friendly and even if many arent like some say and like I have seen also, it really doesnt matter if you got the good ones in your life. The grey skies there wouldnt bother me like FL weather bothers me. The NW should be the place those who try to leave regular snow climates should come to. FL is hot and sticky and lots of bugs and swamps. NW is just so pure despite the problems some may say it has.

[jread]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

What the op was saying made sense to me big.
I maybe found a few unhappy people at most but thats all. Most people I met were friendly and even if many arent like some say and like I have seen also, it really doesnt matter if you got the good ones in your life. The grey skies there wouldnt bother me like FL weather bothers me. The NW should be the place those who try to leave regular snow climates should come to. FL is hot and sticky and lots of bugs and swamps. NW is just so pure despite the problems some may say it has.

Exactly. My wife is from Florida and I was expecting to love it after all the great things I'd heard. The reality is that it's a horrible cesspool of tourists, illegal immigrants, old people from the Northeast (FL is where everyone goes to die), oppressive heat and humidity, and swarms of nasty bugs. The landscape is also flat and uninteresting. I really don't like anything about the place.

[tiffela74]

Im so happy you had such a great trip out here! Ive lived in Oregon all my life, and dearly dearly love it here.
You truly did visit during a beautiful weather time frame it sounds. And heck, who could be unhappy and rude during such glorious weather? ..(.well, i know theres SOME people,but they were probably all indoors somewhere, grumbling about how its gonna rain soon or something like that. lol )
Anyhow, wonderful that youre experience here was so good. So when are ya'll coming back? You oughta try during the winter months. Some people find it gloomy...I find it rather cozy. In my experiences, people are just as friendly in that weather as they are in the sunshine. It seems very laidback and "lets sit and chat, have a cup of tea or a beer while we dry" kinda deal. At least for me and mine. I know theres others on this forum that talk endlessly of the negative, the gloom/doom and grumpy folk. I guess Im just luckier than most because the majority of the people i meet/encounter are friendly, helpful and all up for a chat.
Anyhow, just my take. And again, so glad to hear you enjoyed your visit!!
Tiffany
ps, Florida scares me. I hate bugs, humidity, and Im scared to death of alligators. Id like to visit there someday because I think its fun to experience new/different things, and Im sure Florida, just like anywhere, has some incredible sights/people, but I dont really see myself happily retiring there......

[meltinjohn]

Originally Posted by jread

Exactly. My wife is from Florida and I was expecting to love it after all the great things I'd heard. The reality is that it's a horrible cesspool of tourists, illegal immigrants, old people from the Northeast (FL is where everyone goes to die), oppressive heat and humidity, and swarms of nasty bugs. The landscape is also flat and uninteresting. I really don't like anything about the place.

Its so true dude. Its flooded with morons, old people, yuppies in these new subdivisions their building, a flat landscape like that of Nebraska only hotter all yr round. It takes a certain kind of person/personality to love FL and retire there OR people in their 50s who arent retired but they move there 10 yrs or 15 before they retire.
Its definitely one of those states you think will be great, but it isnt even close to how they present it. Its like the government prized state they love to recommend because all the hurricanes hit there and the goverment is not on americans side so they in no way shape of form will promote Oregon as a place to move.
As far as northeasterners who come here to retire, I am from the northeast and my parents moved there and are not retired but I can tel you that if I see old people from my home state, its not a big deal. I no longer care if ppl come from MA because the people got nothing or little in common with me and true friendships arent about location entirely so the old northeasters moving there doesnt excite me or what unless their actually cool people then it makes it better to some degree.

[juliempdx]

We were in Clearwater, FL this spring and though it was beautiful I absolutely hated Florida. Overall I just thought it was trashy and both me and my husband found ourselves saying over and over again...... Can you imagine living here?? Glad to see other people agree

[crazylegs5150]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

What the op was saying made sense to me big.
I maybe found a few unhappy people at most but thats all. Most people I met were friendly and even if many arent like some say and like I have seen also, it really doesnt matter if you got the good ones in your life. The grey skies there wouldnt bother me like FL weather bothers me. The NW should be the place those who try to leave regular snow climates should come to. FL is hot and sticky and lots of bugs and swamps. NW is just so pure despite the problems some may say it has.

Haha. That's so funny. Ironically enough, my wife and I live in Florida now and that's why we want OUT! This place SUCKS! Why anyone would wanna move here is beyond me. Now don't get me wrong, it has it's bonuses. WE have horses and live in north central florida which is horse capital of the US ( Sorry Lexington) . Beautiful rolling green hills and oak trees. The problem is the peeps and the weather 95% of the year. Rednecks and the good ol' boys is not for me. Also, I really value the choice of fresh produce available in many outlets in the west not to mention the selection of wines. I can't find any of that in this area.
But I digress, this was not a "**** on Florida" post. Lol. Although we can make one!!!!
Oregonians were so happy and content. Yes, we plan on going back in winter to see "the other side" of Oregon , but know the people are what make it so beautiful.Even grey skies are "cozy" . I am so sick of sunshine and HEAT all year long. Don't get me wrong I love the sun, but when it's so darn humid all year and I cannot turn off my AC until late october and then back on in April it's too much. I love leaving my windows open t night and feeling the breeze and fresh air.
After reading so much stuff about oregon ( good and bad) it was a relief that it lived up to our expectations. While it was not quite Amsterdam like I had heard previous comparisons, I did find some smaller similarities which struck me as progressive and cool. I loved the Max and the streetcar. Why can't more cities get on board with this concept? How much sense does it make? TOTAL!!
Small walkable blocks were a big plus too. We had scoured the city pretty much in one day it's that easy to get around with no car.
We'll definately be back. One last thing I loved was that I did not see one "Mccain " sticker anywhere but was surrounded by "Obama" signs in front yards and store fronts. I lost count. It definately fits the "left" minded individual.

[PDXmom]

Originally Posted by crazylegs5150

One last thing I loved was that I did not see one "Mccain " sticker anywhere but was surrounded by "Obama" signs in front yards and store fronts. I lost count. It definately fits the "left" minded individual.

We moved from Portland to NC, and while our humidity and heat is not as bad as FL I understand your dislike of the hot, wet, wool blanket that is handed to you every time you walk out the door between May & October.

I love Portland and to me it will always be the home I picked. But I wanted to comment on your Mccain observation. Oregon is very much a divided state politically. Portland and the environs are very progressive and carry the democratic party in Oregon. Eugene falls into this category too. Salem is purple, Bend is purple... becoming more blue. But most of the rest of the state is pretty red. There is a HUGE difference between the needs and desires of people in Pendleton and Portland. And it always shows up on election day. Williamette Week did a great cover article on the changing Oregon... I think it was back in 2006. Check out the WW around election time.... I'm sure they will have some good coverage of this.

Personally, I always thought that Oregon and Washington should be split down the N/S lines of the Cascades. West of the Cascades should be one state and east of the Cascades should be another state. Because they are historically very different.

I hope you love Portland as much or more than I do. And I hope you tolerate the rain better than my hubby. (One of the reasons we are no longer there. The things we do for love. )