Possible move to Portland. Help. (Oregon City, West Linn: for sale, homeowners association, neighborhood)

[Barleysoda]

Originally Posted by jlr1023

Am I going to get my SUV set on fire?

that's funny you mention that. I've had my SUV egged twice out at edgefield in Troutdale, (east of Portland) It doesn't appear very environmentally friendly though. I'm the only one I've ever known of that has had that happen here.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by Barleysoda

that's funny you mention that. I've had my SUV egged twice out at edgefield in Troutdale, (east of Portland) It doesn't appear very environmentally friendly though. I'm the only one I've ever known of that has had that happen here.

But is yours the only SUV that's been parked there? And is it the only veichle that's been egged?

Establishing a reason for something happening is a pretty hard thing to determine without overriding evidence.

[Barleysoda]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

But is yours the only SUV that's been parked there? And is it the only veichle that's been egged?

Establishing a reason for something happening is a pretty hard thing to determine without overriding evidence.

oh I'm pretty sure there has been other SUV's parked there....

funny how the same SUV, in the same parking lot, and 2 different times, gets egged. the first time the car next to me got hit with one egg also, but looked like it was one that just missed mine, so other than that, I've never heard of anyone else.

It washed right off so I'm glad they didn't do anything else.....

[hml1976]

Well, we're libertarians too and I found the election a bit difficult here, of course I found politics in conservative Tennessee difficult as well. I do think that living on the Washington side of the river, the politics are a bit more temperate. That said, I wouldn't let politics decide where you're going to live, we've lived in very liberal NYC and Portland and love both cities.

[ceeglass]

If you value having at least one day without rain - know that you will only get that in Portland from early July to mid to late September. We moved to Portland in 1997 from Southern California (by the way, Oregonians HATE Californians and will tell you to your face) and we moved back to California in 2000. I could not take one more winter there. The last winter we were there it rained 93!!! days IN A ROW. O M G, if there is a sunbreak in April and it hits 60 degrees, they are breakin' out the bermuda shorts, switching from their Doc Marten's to their openwork Birkenstock's, throwing on the tank top, donning the sunglasses and calling it "summer." Portland and Seattle have the highest suicide rates in the country. They have a larger than usual Goth group and everyone wears a lot of black up there. There is also the old hippie crowd with tie-dyed t-shirts and peasant skirts galore who don't realize it's not 1965 and "The Dawn of Destruction," or "The Age of Aquarius," anymore. If they're freakin' going to San Francisco they by God are gonna wear a flower in their hair 'til they get there even if it takes until 2025 and they'll be hugging every tree along the way, assisting those who wish to commit suicide and saving the Spotted Owl. Then there are the preppy types ("oh, the Gap, I love the Gap") and finally the "I can't decide if I'm a truckdriver or a cowboy" crowd. The guys wear wrangler jeans with roper boots and huge silver belt buckles and above the waist it's a flannel shirt and a baseball cap with the bill curled tight and John Deere or Mack Truck emblems on them (think Larry the Cable Guy.) There are the "ivory girls," too. They wear no make-up, Mom jeans, Nike's or Birkenstocks and flannel (Oregonians love flannel) shirts. All native Oregonians would just as soon that you don't move to their state. They feel it's becoming too crowded and over populated with people who want to come in and build planned communities with - Oh No! - homeowner's associations, "those dam-ed Californians, if we want a car up on blocks in our front yard right in the middle of Milwaukie (a suburb of Portland), who the he-- are they to say we can't." So, welcome to Oregon and plan on doing EVERYTHING in the rain. Kids sports - in the rain, camping - in the rain, yard work - in the rain, shopping or a night out on the town - in the rain. You better not carry an umbrella either, "you big sissy - it doesn't rain that much here." So, welcome to Oregon, you won't need your sunblock or moisturizer. Enjoy!

[Lilly12103]

So what you're saying is that Portland is full of nothing but hippies, goths, preppies, country boys and... ivory girls (?). It sounds to me like a pretty diverse, if not ridiculously pigeon-holed group of people. Seriously ceeglass, your negativity is not funny, accurate, or welcome. At least say something worthwhile if you feel the need to go on another diatribe. Well, I'm off to go to my monster truck rally then commit suicide using recycled rope.

I LOVE GAP!

[Aylalou]

I visit Portland as much as I can because I really like it and find it has much to offer. I believe there is a Hispanic population there, and you will find libertarians. I think employment is a big issue, and it's housing isn't cheap, but I find it just right, if not more.

From what you say, I think you will get a lot more out of Portland. There are gorgeous parts and funky parts and seedy parts - a good mix, and the state itself is incredibly beautiful.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by hml1976

.. I do think that living on the Washington side of the river, the politics are a bit more temperate. ...

I feel this way as well, especially after attending a legislative event in OR yesterday. There is a polarity in OR that can be uncomfortable (and at times scary). OR and VT are the Boulder and Berkeley of the states. With the potential for significant political / economic change, and potential social unrest, I will stay in WA at the moment (tho all left coast states are falling off the abyss eventually, except AK (which will probably get nixed by an earthquake, or have to secede from the union, and join CDN)

interesting times ahead.

Hispanic and with a new accounting degree, I would choose Vancouver or Camas, WA, and hopefully secure a job eventually with Fisher Investments (coming to Camas soon, if they have any dough left after meltdown)

BTW, AK would not be a bad choice. There are many areas that are very moderate, and unemployment low, services high. I would also look at WY, ND, SD for employment opportunities and lower cost of living. CO is nice and even affordable, but wages are lower due to it being a desired destination.

[John Shaft]

Originally Posted by Lilly12103

Portland is a lot different than Dallas- Dallas is one giant sprawling suburb, wheras Portland has a vibrant city center and many small neighborhoods, with not much outside the city.

Jlr, having grown up in Ft Worth and lived a signficant amount of time in both Dallas and the Portland area, I have to disagree with several of the comments on this thread.

The CITY of Portland itself is hyper granola-liberal. It really does contain the last vestiges of hippie-ism. In the surrounding areas, however, it is much more a mixed bag. During the last election, for example, in my surburb and elsewhere you saw both McCain and Obama bumper stickers and yard signs. Within Portland, it was like Obama was the only person running for office. Honestly the city politics lean more socialist than traditional democrat.

I also contest the notion that Portland = cool city with no burbs and Dallas = no city with all suburbs. I lived in a couple pretty urban areas of Dallas. Portland is just a lot more self-conscious about its urbanity. Also, the Portland suburbs are actually quite nice and not "nothing outside the city." Easy access to the countryside and far fewer kooks and crowds of tweaker youth. I would never want to live within the Portland city limits but find the outlying communities to be very nice indeed.

Your salary to cost of living will go a LOT farther in the Dallas area. A LOT. on the other hand, Portland's advantage is the far more temperate climate (if you can bear the numerous grey days), natural beauty, and more outdoor activities.

Portland is a VERY white city. Those who say otherwise have probably not lived anywhere that is not really white. I am not hispanic so I don't know how you would "feel" in that setting, but I am always amazed when I go back to D/FW and am among crowds that are actually very ethnically diverse. The largest Hispanic presence in the Portland area is in the west suburbs...Beaverton/Hillsboro/Cornelius. Pretty much the only decent Mexican food in the area is out here!

I haven't figured out the overall Portlander attitude toward Hispanics. I can't figure out if there's hidden racism/resentment or if people just don't know what to think because they've never spent time around very many non-whites before. There is definitely distrust - I think a lot of it is because (whether they believe they do or not) they associate all Hispanics with illegal job-stealers. That is different from the southwest where Hispanics families have been in the US for generations and aren't immediately considered to be here illegally.

In Dallas, you do have a large number of holier-than-thou folk. In Portland, there is a similar group of greener-than-thou/angry bicyclists saving-the-world group. The amusing thing is how similar these two groups are in their self-righteousness.

I hope this helps in some way. Portland and D/FW really are very different and I have enjoyed comparing and contrasting their differences while living here. It's also not so dang hot.

[jlr1023]

Thanks for all the input everyone. It's good to hear all the different viewpoints about the two cities. Obviously not everyone is going to have the same view of Portland or Dallas, because they each have so many residents. I'm pretty sure I would enjoy either place. I've got to say I am also a huge sports fan, and the fact that Portland just got an MLS soccer team definitely adds some appeal. I know I would love all the outdoor activities up there. Like I had said earlier, I think, keyword being think, I would really love the weather, even in the winter. All we get here is sun and wind. It gets very hot during the summer and very, very cold during the winter. I just hate the extremes.

I'm glad I asked about how Portlanders feel about Hispanics too. I like hearing all the responses. I know a lot of people around the country feel the way John Shaft said. To clarify my background, my family has been in the New Mexico area for around 400 years ever since the first Spanish settlers came here. As long as most people are willing to not judge a book by its cover, and treat me different because I have darker skin than most, I don't mind being one of the only darker ones. I truthfully fit in better with anglos than I do with most Hispanics.

Anyway, thanks again for all the replies.