Possible move to Portland. Help. (Dallas, Donald: fit in, transplants, house)

[jlr1023]

How's it going everyone? I live in Albuquerque, NM right now. My family and I (wife and 3 kids) plan on moving to a new city as soon as I get my Bachelor's degree in Accounting, which will be in another 2 years. The two choices are between Dallas and Portland. I know they are nothing alike. Alright here are my questions. We are a pretty conservative bunch. Neither of us like Bush, and we aren't staunch republicans, but consider ourselves more libertarian than anything. I have heard that Portland is a very liberal city. Would we be able to fit in, in a city like Portland? Also, I am hispanic and saw that there aren't many hispanics in Portland. Am I going to stick out like a sore thumb? I think Portland is beautiful and I like that the climate doesn't get any extremes one way or the other. I love Dallas, but it is obviously much bigger and much, much, much hotter. Just thought I'd ask. Thanks for any help.

[subsound]

If you believe everyone is savable no matter their own decisions, think every environmental statement about consumption and movements is true, question everything the government says, and ride your bike around everywhere...come to Portland. Everyone is like that, all the time, everywhere. If some one says everyone is different, don't believe them...they are aliens. My mind is being warped as a transplant, I'm thinking about buying a bike and recycled everything after protesting fluorinated water because it controls kids minds to crave McDonald's.

[jlr1023]

Alright. Good to know. That's why I asked the questions. I haven't ever spoken with anyone from Portland. I don't know how everyone actually thinks and acts. I heard it was a very liberal city, and thought I would ask real Portlander's how conservatives are percieved there. Am I going to get my SUV set on fire? Am I going have strangers calling the cops if I spank my child? I believe these are legitimate questions.

And with regards to the being Hispanic question, I only ask because I have a Anglo wife and while in Pittsburgh visiting her family, I felt very out of place. I recieved tons of stares while checking out the city. I obviously don't get that here with the high percentage of Hispanics, but was just wondering if I am going to feel a little out of place.

Anyway, thanks for any help.

[Lilly12103]

People are people no matter where you go, and there is never going to be a place (outside of a cult?) where everybody thinks, acts, and dresses exactly alike. 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. Dallas is H.O.T. Portland rains a lot, much more temperate. Both are full of transplants.

My husband and I don't fit this Portland mould Subsound has described at all. Yet we are happy, actively social, and have a ton of friends. You'll gravitate towards people like you, stay away from the negative *******s, and life will be good no matter where you go.

[Lilly12103]

Originally Posted by jlr1023

I heard it was a very liberal city, and thought I would ask real Portlander's how conservatives are percieved there. Am I going to get my SUV set on fire? Am I going have strangers calling the cops if I spank my child? I believe these are legitimate questions.

Sorry I was so worked up by the response to your question I didn't even see your follow-up. My husband and I drive an American SUV (a small one though) that has military stickers and used to have an out of state license plate on it. If my car survived 6 months in downtown Portland, anybody's will. You wouldn't talk about politics and religion in polite company in New Mexico, don't do it here. A heated debate with friends though? Sure. You wouldn't abuse your child in public in New Mexico, don't do it here. People aren't spying on how you vote or how you raise your children so they can publicly mock you. Just live your life and you'll be fine.

[bluebird39]

I have family in both Portland and Dallas, and I'd pick Portland in a heartbeat. But that's me. Portland has a ton more character than Dallas. A better attitude too. I swear people in Texas think they're their own country! I also cannot handle the extreme bible belt mentality. Portland is SOOOOO beautiful too, and Dallas, IMO is plain ugly. I'd take the rain over the endless summer any day. And you can be at either the ocean or in the snow in less than a few hours.

As to the Hispanic population, I think it's under represented in statistics, because there are many illegal folks there. I think you'll find that there's more Hispanic people in Portland, especially on the edges, than what the stats say. It won't be as much as New Mexico, but in general the West Coast has a pretty respectable Mexican population, and I'd say that there's much less animosity against Mexican people in Portland than there is in Dallas. I say Mexican because that's what the Hispanic population is on the West coast predominantly. I think in Dallas you'll find more Hispanic people from South and Central America, and even the islands. Dallas will also be much more racially diverse, because it's such a bigger city.

That said, I'd say that Dallas will have better job opportunities and the cost of housing there is MUCH less than in Portland. Also, I'd give the schools a better edge in Dallas than in Portland.

Portland isn't as radical as to be afraid to drive an SUV either.

That's my $0.02.

[Nell Plotts]

Actually to be obviously Hispanic might be an advantage. Oregonians aren't particularly race/ethnic conscious in a bad way but to be different will cause employers to give you a second look.

True story: the daughter of a friend was packing for her freshman year at Stanford. Dad was helping her with the paper work and negotiating with the school to increase her scholarship $. He checked the box "Hispanic". She said, "Dad!!! I am not Hispanic!" He said, "You are but you don't know it. Remember all the summers you spent in LA speaking Spanish to your grandparents?? They immigrated from Mexico. I am Hispanic, you are Hispanic." She, "Oh. I never paid it any attention."

Most Portlanders have a strong libertarian bent. Many try to rescue others from the consequences of bad decisions. People don't discuss religion except with members of their own faith, for example. They don't like the beliefs of others imposed on them.

My DIL was an accounting major, D finance. D is now a CFO. I worked HR, so I have had the opportunity to observe how the profession plays out. REALLY focus on getting good grades. Set your sights on a JR position with a major who has offices in Portland, see if you can do a summer internship there while you are still in school and then negotiate for a position in Portland. There won't be the number of audit slots in Portland as Dallas because there are fewer corporate headquarters in Portland than Dallas. Research the industries the house audits as that will effect employment opportunities after your public accounting stint. For example, auditing in the oil industry is of no value in Portland.

[Wicked Felina]

Originally Posted by subsound

If you believe everyone is savable no matter their own decisions, think every environmental statement about consumption and movements is true, question everything the government says, and ride your bike around everywhere...come to Portland. Everyone is like that, all the time, everywhere. If some one says everyone is different, don't believe them...they are aliens. My mind is being warped as a transplant, I'm thinking about buying a bike and recycled everything after protesting fluorinated water because it controls kids minds to crave McDonald's.

HAHAHA...the vegan/get-a-bicycle or drive-a-Subaru mind-meld is taking hold! So sorry, too late for you subsound~~

jlr1032...seriously, no worries. You won't stick out like a sore thumb because you're Hispanic, nor does one have to go to "the edges" to find diversity. I've had friends from Pitt, and even they (WASP males!) felt out of place there because of the racial animosity. Portland is nothing like back east at all. Of course you'll find judgemental #$%es everywhere, but I've never seen the kind of racial tension here that I've seen in east-coast and southern cities.

On the downside, we're got our share of rascist pigs, and homegrown constitutionalist nutjobs who want to overthrow everybody and everything. But they are not welcome here by the good people, and have very vocal opposition.

On the upside, I don't think anybody cares what you do, where you come from, or how you look. IMO and experience~~~

It's pretty hard to define, but I'd say Portland was liberal - but every single neighborhood and over the top kind of liberal? No. This isn't Berkeley in the 60's, if you catch my drift. There are plenty of areas here which are conservative.

I have friends who are hunters, farmers, whose children are in Iraq, etc. Yet, they all have a live-and-let-live attitidue. This area will be a lot less judgemental than that typical bible belt mentality that someone mentioned.

I also agree with a lot of what Lilly12103 said. I just don't see a problem for you at all. "Just live your life and you'll be fine" - well said.

[jlr1023]

Thanks for all the responses. I realize no where is going to be like it is here in regards to the ethnicity, but that's ok. I think Oregon is beautiful, and love the rain, being as we don't get any here in NM. I believe the biggest reason why I am leaning towards Dallas is because of job opportunity and cost of living. I appreciate all the feedback though. We will probably be making a trip up there within the next year or so to see how we like it. I can't wait to try out all the micro-breweries.

[subsound]

LoL, no it's just an absurdity view of the situation. You're going to find things a bit different in each region then anywhere else, because "They way things have been done before" are different in each place. If one place is "Liberal" or "Conservative" it's not going to be like going to another country or another planet. Especially considering there are no set popular definitions for being "Liberal" or 'Conservative". People are going to be pretty much the same everywhere you go, and if one is not in their face about it people generally couldn't care less one way or another.

The people that complain about it like they are are being repressed by those crazy extremists are generally protesting, angry, championing overly emotional pleas and in strangers faces screaming like the world is ending...then react badly when they get yelled back at or people aren't in 100% agreement (of any side of the argument). You get the same people in each city, just the mixes of categories of people are different.

The only concrete thing I can say is that anyone who lives in Houston has no skin...it's way the heck too hot there!