transportation in portland? (rent, neighborhood, living)

[gadgetwk]

i'm heavily considering moving to portland sometime within the next year. i have a couple of friends up there and i've grown tired of the south and need a change. i need a more creative community, specifically in comics and i hear portland has a great comics scene.

the thing i'm worried about is transportation. i don't have a car and where i live there is next to no public transportation. if i save up for a car it will double the amount of time it will take for me to get out of here and i really hate this place. what i'm wondering, is if i move to portland/portland area, will i really NEED a car? is there a train/subway system? i hear that bike riding is a big thing in portland, would i be able to get away with just riding a bike around? or walking? any help with this question would be appreciated, thanks.

[Neal2009]

Yes, Portland is one of the easiest cities in the nation to live car free in. Most of the people I know do not own cars. The city is relatively small and the transportation system is one of the best in the country as well. The system is called trimet and has a great bus system and light rail system which can take you anywhere in the city. The system extends all the way out to the edge of the city, so if you decided to live somewhat far from downtown then it would be little problem getting there, just a longer commute time.

And to answer your other question, biking is practically a religion here in Portland and many people commute daily to work with their bikes. There are bike lanes everywhere and it is very safe to do this. I could easily get by without a car here, as I ride my bike practically everywhere and the only time I desire a car is if I want to go to the beach, or in the mountains. I would recommend finding friends who can take you to these places, because you certainly dont want to miss out on the natural beauty of the pacific northwest.

I dont think you will need a car by any means to move to Portland or to even visit for that matter.

[sundaysmile]

You definitely don't need a car around here! The mass transit system is a dream -- there are dozens of bus lines, a light rail called MAX, and a streetcar that runs through the downtown and northwest neighborhood. The MAX will even take you from downtown straight to the doors of the PDX airport, if you're catching a plane.

I haven't needed a car at all while living here, and yes, it's incredibly bike-friendly. And on the occasion that you do need to get somewhere public transportation can't take you, you can rent something called a ZIP car for a pretty low price.