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Hi everyone, i decided to write this as a reply to some of the posts on this forum concerning a dumb stereotype about the rural areas outside of the Portland metro area.
Please note i just want to clear some things up...not tryin to ZING anyone!
So, i've read quite a few posts where interracial or black couples are looking to move to Portland. Usually their main concern is the lack of diversity in PDX, and if they will feel out of place, discriminated against or what not (which is just fine i'd be asking the same questions). Many people have responded with advice and suggestions saying that they should be just fine, as long as they dont leave PDX...and that the second they do, they better watch out for those crazy rednecks! Here are some examples: (these aren't verbatim but essentially the same)
"Pretty much once you leave PDX, it's 99% white and full of toothless cousin loving rednecks" and stuff like "yea, id be careful once you get into rural areas because you WILL be stared at and called names". "Outside of PDX everyone is really anti-progressive and very conservative so you will proabably feel out of place"
REALLY?!?! i have lived in the Molalla-Canby-Woodburn (MCW metro lol) area my whole life and i really have no idea what some of you guys are talking about. I understand that there are practically zero african americans out here, but that doesnt mean that it's not diverse and the people aren't tolerant....
.....Molalla, Canby and pretty much every town between PDX and Corvallis have good size hispanic and russian populations. In Woodburn for example a city with about 30,000 people, about 5 out of every 10 people are hispanic. Another 2 out of 10 are russian. Dont believe me? Make a trip out and see for yourself (outlet mall doesnt count!).
In the Mt. Angel area where i live now, most of the time when i go to the little country stores we have out here, i dont see ONE other white person. Usually just hispanics and russians. I think its pretty cool actually. I worked for a tree farm towards Silverton last winter (extra cash for college) and i was the ONLY non-hispanic worker. A lot of them are Mexican immigrants but they live here now and call Oregon home.
I would like people to understand that us "rural folk" aren't just a bunch of white-trash hicks that sit around drinking keystone light while shootin 'coons in our dirty wifebeaters. Sure, there's a good amount of people that drive big pick-ups and wear camo hats (the types city people call rednecks), but that doesnt mean that we are racist or close minded. And whats wrong with that (trucks and camo hats etc.) anyway? That's part of the culture out in the country, just as skinny jeans and black framed glasses are part of the culture in portland. Here's why us "rednecks" are indeed pretty tolerant to other cultures:
From the time we started school there have always been hispanics and russians in our classes. When we got old enough to work we got jobs on farms where we worked side by side with them. So basically from the time we are little we become accustomed to it and we co-exist. Its great, its the simple life!
About the white people that live out here: we are not white trash cousin loving hicks that dwell in single wide trailers. A good portion of us are small business owners and farmers that do very well financially and OWN nice homes with lots of property. We live here because we love the beautiful farm land, the fresh air, the quiet, and not being two feet from our neighbors.
So if you're Black, Asian, Polish or even Inuit and you are afraid of the rural PDX areas because you think you'll be greeted by a redneck in flannel with a .22 that says, "we dont take kindly to your "type" around here".......think again! Dont let any San Fran transplants that have left the PDX city limits maybe twice, scare you. It's just a nasty generalization.
Thanks for reading my post , i just needed to get this out as i was pretty offended by the put downs so many people threw this way.
Occasionally you will also find Oregon urbanites who mistakenly think there are White supremacist groups, militias, hate groups, and so forth in Eastern Oregon. Click on "Oregon" on this Southern Poverty Law Center map to find out where they actually are: SPLCenter.org: Hate Groups Map
True, many rural areas are diverse. I spent my teens in The Dalles and went to school with Mexicans, Samoans, a few Asians, and Native Americans. My half Japanese friend was called everything under under the sun. Nobody said **** to the Samoans, out of fear, or lack of slurs in our vocabulary. Mexicans were called everything under the sun. Everybody was cool to the Native Americans though, maybe out of respect for being here first. There was one Black kid in the entire town.
Oregon is diverse, but I think that being Black in Oregon could be hard. I won't dare get in to why this is, but I do think Oregon is far from being friendly to Black people, even in Portland.
Oregon is diverse, but I think that being Black in Oregon could be hard. I won't dare get in to why this is, but I do think Oregon is far from being friendly to Black people, even in Portland.
Exactly. I have never seen a post by a Hispanic (or Russian) person or an interracial couple with a Hispanic (or Russian) component asking about 'diversity'. It is disingenuous to claim as a defense of rural Oregonians that they tolerate Hispanics that outnumber them or Russians (who appear white) then say nothing, nothing at all about how black people fare in these areas. If you are any race, except black you will be at least ignored in any city in Oregon. A black person doesn't even have to do anything to be approached and harrassed, even in Portland. I could keep this post going for another ten minutes relating some of the amusing, silly, rude, or hostile things people have gone out of their way to tell me. All unsolicited.
Hi everyone, i decided to write this as a reply to some of the posts on this forum concerning a dumb stereotype about the rural areas outside of the Portland metro area.
Please note i just want to clear some things up...not tryin to ZING anyone!
So, i've read quite a few posts where interracial or black couples are looking to move to Portland. Usually their main concern is the lack of diversity in PDX, and if they will feel out of place, discriminated against or what not (which is just fine i'd be asking the same questions). Many people have responded with advice and suggestions saying that they should be just fine, as long as they dont leave PDX...and that the second they do, they better watch out for those crazy rednecks! Here are some examples: (these aren't verbatim but essentially the same)
"Pretty much once you leave PDX, it's 99% white and full of toothless cousin loving rednecks" and stuff like "yea, id be careful once you get into rural areas because you WILL be stared at and called names". "Outside of PDX everyone is really anti-progressive and very conservative so you will proabably feel out of place"
REALLY?!?! i have lived in the Molalla-Canby-Woodburn (MCW metro lol) area my whole life and i really have no idea what some of you guys are talking about. I understand that there are practically zero african americans out here, but that doesnt mean that it's not diverse and the people aren't tolerant....
.....Molalla, Canby and pretty much every town between PDX and Corvallis have good size hispanic and russian populations. In Woodburn for example a city with about 30,000 people, about 5 out of every 10 people are hispanic. Another 2 out of 10 are russian. Dont believe me? Make a trip out and see for yourself (outlet mall doesnt count!).
In the Mt. Angel area where i live now, most of the time when i go to the little country stores we have out here, i dont see ONE other white person. Usually just hispanics and russians. I think its pretty cool actually. I worked for a tree farm towards Silverton last winter (extra cash for college) and i was the ONLY non-hispanic worker. A lot of them are Mexican immigrants but they live here now and call Oregon home.
I would like people to understand that us "rural folk" aren't just a bunch of white-trash hicks that sit around drinking keystone light while shootin 'coons in our dirty wifebeaters. Sure, there's a good amount of people that drive big pick-ups and wear camo hats (the types city people call rednecks), but that doesnt mean that we are racist or close minded. And whats wrong with that (trucks and camo hats etc.) anyway? That's part of the culture out in the country, just as skinny jeans and black framed glasses are part of the culture in portland. Here's why us "rednecks" are indeed pretty tolerant to other cultures:
From the time we started school there have always been hispanics and russians in our classes. When we got old enough to work we got jobs on farms where we worked side by side with them. So basically from the time we are little we become accustomed to it and we co-exist. Its great, its the simple life!
About the white people that live out here: we are not white trash cousin loving hicks that dwell in single wide trailers. A good portion of us are small business owners and farmers that do very well financially and OWN nice homes with lots of property. We live here because we love the beautiful farm land, the fresh air, the quiet, and not being two feet from our neighbors.
So if you're Black, Asian, Polish or even Inuit and you are afraid of the rural PDX areas because you think you'll be greeted by a redneck in flannel with a .22 that says, "we dont take kindly to your "type" around here".......think again! Dont let any San Fran transplants that have left the PDX city limits maybe twice, scare you. It's just a nasty generalization.
Thanks for reading my post , i just needed to get this out as i was pretty offended by the put downs so many people threw this way.
LOL. I grew up in Molalla/Canby area as well, so agree with what you are saying.
True, many rural areas are diverse. I spent my teens in The Dalles and went to school with Mexicans, Samoans, a few Asians, and Native Americans. My half Japanese friend was called everything under under the sun. Nobody said **** to the Samoans, out of fear, or lack of slurs in our vocabulary. Mexicans were called everything under the sun. Everybody was cool to the Native Americans though, maybe out of respect for being here first. There was one Black kid in the entire town. Oregon is diverse, but I think that being Black in Oregon could be hard. I won't dare get in to why this is, but I do think Oregon is far from being friendly to Black people, even in Portland.
I think I know why that might be. In the beginning, Oregon had a law in the books barring blacks from settling in Oregon. This law was largely ingnored, but Oregon's reputation was part of why blacks didn't settle in Oregon in large numbers. That law was not removed from the books until 1926. There were still issues with bigotry in Oregon. Oregon was even a big stronghold for the KKK. It's primary target was the Catholic population, but minorities were not spared that much either. The black population in Portland rose dramatically during WWII because of the shipyards. After WWII, many blacks found it difficult to find opportunities in Portland, so many went on to other places like Seattle. Portland, believe it or not, was caught up in the urban riots of the 1960's. Link:http://ohs.org/education/oregonhisto...1B80B0527200A7
From the beginning, blacks were not wanted in Oregon.
Oregon has been a land of transplants for 20 years, the state is run by and has been since Barb Roberts by LIBERAL transplants. Oregon is so far removed from its roots that to say its not freindly to blacks is a "Oregon thing" is non sense. The place is run by extreme leftist. Can you say "Sam Adams" ? I rest my case.
I'm not sure it really matters. Unfriendly is unfriendly regardless of its origins. Massachusets has gay marriage but the racial intolerance and tensions of that region are legendary. I rest my case.
America has been a land of transplants for 200 years, the state is run by and has been since the royal British governors by LIBERAL transplants. America is so far removed from its roots that to say its not freindly to non-whites is a "American thing" is non sense. The place is run by extreme leftist. Can you say "Sam Adams" ? I rest my case.
Oregon is about the most tolerant area I have ever experienced, even to the point of making sure to celebrate anyone different. So many seem to think that white skin = racism, which is a form of racism in itself (any negative stereotype based on skin color) and just as bad as any other. Which denies the whole quality of free will and making decisions as a rational and intelligent human being and perpetuates the problem.
Part of the world is made about how people react to it. If some one expects everyone of a certain look to behave badly and treat them with malice, usually people will react to back to that person in the same way...reinforcing the belief. I know I would not care what a person thought of me if they displayed anger and hatred for what I am, if I have already lost there's no way to win but get away form this hateful person.
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i have lived in the Molalla-Canby-Woodburn (MCW metro lol) area my whole life and i really have no idea what some of you guys are talking about. I understand that there are practically zero african americans out here, but that doesnt mean that it's not diverse and the people aren't tolerant....
(outlet mall doesnt count!). 
