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Not just the common things that people list, but what do you do in Portland that is different from other cities? How does the city enhance your lifestyle?
I am overwhelmed researching the pros/cons of Portland and Seattle. Hubby gets to pick where he can live between the two cities. I am not too picky. I would love to be IN the city, but since we have kids, that might not be the best option. I am trying to figure out which city would be best for us.
I keep running across people that tell me how wonderful Portland is. I am curious to know why? I have never been to the PNW, so I feel completely lost. However, I am drooling over the google images of Oregon beaches. They look gorgeous and remind me of Northern CA beaches, which I love.
Not just the common things that people list, but what do you do in Portland that is different from other cities? How does the city enhance your lifestyle?
I am overwhelmed researching the pros/cons of Portland and Seattle. Hubby gets to pick where he can live between the two cities. I am not too picky. I would love to be IN the city, but since we have kids, that might not be the best option. I am trying to figure out which city would be best for us.
I keep running across people that tell me how wonderful Portland is. I am curious to know why? I have never been to the PNW, so I feel completely lost. However, I am drooling over the google images of Oregon beaches. They look gorgeous and remind me of Northern CA beaches, which I love.
Thanks for your insight.
In Northwesternerspeak, one would "google images of the Oregon coast," not of Oregon beaches. And they're even prettier in real life! More dramatic than NorCal beaches, for sure. Most of the coast goes head to head with Big Sur for beauty. You'll love our "beaches" I'm sure.
Of course, the accessibility of the coast is a big thing I love about Portland. Nature in general. I love the hills and the greenery and the fact that there are basically urban forests. You can drive into the West Hills or down south past Burlingame towards Lake Oswego and feel like you're really in "the woods" almost. I love the views of Mount Hood and St. Helens on clear days. I love the river. I love the proximity to the Columbia Gorge and all the waterfalls and wine country. Really, these are the things that I think truly make Portland, Portland, and set it apart from other cities.
And for more the city itself...
I love the food carts, I love the restaurants. I love the vibe of youth and creativity. I love the grey and wet winters and the dry, clear summers. I love the bike and public transit culture. I love the alternativeness of everything in Portland. I love Powell's Books. I love all the old Craftsman bungalows. I love the character of all the old inner neighborhoods. I love all the live music that is available. I love the quirky shops. I love the liberal, progressive outlook. I love the friendliness of most people. I just love most things about Portland.
Are there downsides? Yes. But they are far outweighed by all the amazing things that Portland has to offer. I won't go into the bad unless you ask, since you asked what we love about Portland.
And as for kid-friendly areas IN the city? You definitely can find them. No, not every part is going to be the ideal for a family, but there are many good areas to be found.
A lot of people right now I think would envy your ability to choose between Seattle and Portland to live. They're both incredible and, in my opinion, two of the best and most liveable American cities. I do not want to discourage you from Seattle either, as it is also very beautiful. It's just different in a lot of ways. P-town and Sea-town are as different as they are similar, so it's important to find out those subtle and not-so-subtle differences so you can determine what will be the best fit for you and your family, especially relative to what you've experienced in the past. If you'd like more specifics, feel free to ask.
Last edited by backdrifter; 09-18-2009 at 04:31 AM..
Simply put, I love Portland because it is everything that the *bland Southern California community I grew up in isn't. I wanted to live here as a child, I wanted to live here as an adult, and finally got to make the move.
*I am a Native Oregonian, born at Emmanuel Hospital BEFORE Legacy added its name. I have a right to be here because of that, and because my mother's family is historically Oregonian for generations.
In Northwesternerspeak, one would "google images of the Oregon coast," not of Oregon beaches. And they're even prettier in real life! More dramatic than NorCal beaches, for sure. Most of the coast goes head to head with Big Sur for beauty. You'll love our "beaches" I'm sure.
Of course, the accessibility of the coast is a big thing I love about Portland. Nature in general. I love the hills and the greenery and the fact that there are basically urban forests. You can drive into the West Hills or down south past Burlingame towards Lake Oswego and feel like you're really in "the woods" almost. I love the views of Mount Hood and St. Helens on clear days. I love the river. I love the proximity to the Columbia Gorge and all the waterfalls and wine country. Really, these are the things that I think truly make Portland, Portland, and set it apart from other cities.
And for more the city itself...
I love the food carts, I love the restaurants. I love the vibe of youth and creativity. I love the grey and wet winters and the dry, clear summers. I love the bike and public transit culture. I love the alternativeness of everything in Portland. I love Powell's Books. I love all the old Craftsman bungalows. I love the character of all the old inner neighborhoods. I love all the live music that is available. I love the quirky shops. I love the liberal, progressive outlook. I love the friendliness of most people. I just love most things about Portland.
Are there downsides? Yes. But they are far outweighed by all the amazing things that Portland has to offer. I won't go into the bad unless you ask, since you asked what we love about Portland.
And as for kid-friendly areas IN the city? You definitely can find them. No, not every part is going to be the ideal for a family, but there are many good areas to be found.
A lot of people right now I think would envy your ability to choose between Seattle and Portland to live. They're both incredible and, in my opinion, two of the best and most liveable American cities. I do not want to discourage you from Seattle either, as it is also very beautiful. It's just different in a lot of ways. P-town and Sea-town are as different as they are similar, so it's important to find out those subtle and not-so-subtle differences so you can determine what will be the best fit for you and your family, especially relative to what you've experienced in the past. If you'd like more specifics, feel free to ask.
all of the above ^ plus the fact that it isn't the deep south where I grew up-thank the lord!
I lived in Seattle for 6 years, and now Portland for six. They are both great places with much to recommend them.
Seattle:
with hills, the Sound and the Olympics, the surroundings are more physically stunning
Seattle is more ambitious and type-A (by west coast standards)
Seattle provides higher incomes, significantly more and better employment opportunities
Seattle costs more for just about everything
Spending plenty of time in a car is a fact of life for many Seattlites. A ride across town often means encountering gridlock or near gridlock even when it isn't rush hour
Seattle feels bigger and more cosmopolitan than Portland
Portland:
Though less physically stunning, people here still love the surroundings
The city is smaller, and more accessible
The city is much more laid back, not type A
Few people come here to make it to the top of the heap career-wise
This lack of ambition annoys some people, but is just right for others
Seattle skews young, but inner Portland seems VERY young these days
Portland is more "bohemian" and hipster these days, a positive for some, negative for others
Rains somewhat less than in Seattle, but not much
There are things I miss about Seattle, and if I had to look anew for work, I'd consider moving back in a heartbeat. I would just say visit. You can get a good feel for Portland in about three or four days, I'd say.
Since I have been soundly chastised for posting factoids without having an evil-mad-hidden type agenda behind my postings, here I go again with nothing more than answering your question.....
Back in the mid-1980s I made a business trip for 3 weeks to Seattle and a co-worker who had living in Seattle for 6 years told me the following: Seattle in mid January is basically depressing, dreary, and devoid of most out-door activities since Xmas is over, credit card bills are coming due, the daylight hours are short, and it is raining all the time. Therefore, when locals go out to diner, drinking or what ever, they crave light. I was taken to three places: pizza joint, swinging dance club bar, and a local neighborhood bar. All three were actually brightly lit up with enough bright lights one could actually see who you were sitting with. And this was late spring and the bars were still brightly lit up. The point I guess, I was use to being in bars dimly lit.
I have noticed, so far, that Portland does not have the bright lights in it's bars, saloons and coffee shops. But there dang sure is a lot of 'm around. And it seems that almost every small neighborhood as a small social gathering area with a few small shops, and quite a few watering holes, alcoholic or coffee, plus a few small independent restaurants. Very few of the cookie-cutter suburban chain restaurants (TGIF, Friday's, Ruby Tuesday's, Texas Roadhouse, etc.) which I was more accustomed to on the other side of the Mississippi river. Your actually have to go outside the city limits into Portland's 'burbs to find your sit down chain restaurants for the most part.
Portland seems to me, and this may be just my impression with no proof, to have way more very inexpensive social goings on, like almost free ballroom dance classes, cheap tai-chi exercise classes, and so forth. There is a rumor that there is a knitting wine bar somewhere in the Portland area for those who want to sip wine while knitting sweaters for their cats. (That is snarky, I know, I know..)
So, there you have it, you can deal with looking at your hubby and your dinner under bright lights, or you can just walk to someplace close to home and meet new friends. And leave him watching TV at home. (Don't recommend the other way around, lots of loose women in this here town.)
This is just IMHO
Phil
PS: did I mention there are a lot of local bars and coffee shops around Portland?
Very specific things I love about Portland in no particular order...
--The view on a clear day from I-5 past the Terwilleger curves when Mt. St. Helens comes into view--and then looking to the right to see Mt. Hood---and realizing that if I wanted to I could be on the edge of it in just over an hour to either hike in summer or snowboard in winter.
--Leaving work at lunch and pondering which food cart--everything from Bosnian, Korean, Cajun, Egyptian, Polish and so on--I'm going to drop $5-$7 on.
--Having a couple beers and dancing to zydeco and listening to delta blues on a balmy July evening at the Waterfront Blues Festival.
--The Trailblazers when they're winning, and the love this city shows for them...And the crowded drunken MAX rides home fro the Rose Garden on the Yellow Line when they do win.
--Hiking up along Balch Creek in the dead of winter on a wet day, staring at hundred shades of green--and feeling like I'm in the middle of the Coast Range when I'm only ten minutes from downtown.
--Driving to the coast on a rare sunny February day and having Short Sands beach feel like Northern California.
--Riding my bike along Willamette Drive all the way to Cathedral Park on a crisp fall day.
Very specific things I love about Portland in no particular order...
--The view on a clear day from I-5 past the Terwilleger curves when Mt. St. Helens comes into view--and then looking to the right to see Mt. Hood---and realizing that if I wanted to I could be on the edge of it in just over an hour to either hike in summer or snowboard in winter.
--Leaving work at lunch and pondering which food cart--everything from Bosnian, Korean, Cajun, Egyptian, Polish and so on--I'm going to drop $5-$7 on.
--Having a couple beers and dancing to zydeco and listening to delta blues on a balmy July evening at the Waterfront Blues Festival.
--The Trailblazers when they're winning, and the love this city shows for them...And the crowded drunken MAX rides home fro the Rose Garden on the Yellow Line when they do win.
--Hiking up along Balch Creek in the dead of winter on a wet day, staring at hundred shades of green--and feeling like I'm in the middle of the Coast Range when I'm only ten minutes from downtown.
--Driving to the coast on a rare sunny February day and having Short Sands beach feel like Northern California.
--Riding my bike along Willamette Drive all the way to Cathedral Park on a crisp fall day.
Thanks everyone for these responses. It sounds wonderful in Portland. I guess we will just have to get a feel for both cities.
Portland sounds great though, since we are coming from a laid back city (San Diego). We are ambitious, but that is definitely secondary to happy/fun/carefree living. We have kids, so I am not sure about the super young vibe that Portland has going on. We aren't hipsters or anything like that. I think my hubby would die if I asked him to wear a pair of girl jeans and a scarf, LOL. Though I have friends that only date those kind of guys. "Band guys" I call them.
I doubt the woman being loose is a problem. That did make me laugh though.
I love the fact that there is a big park in the city. What is it like? Is it similar to central park? Are there any good public schools IN the city?
What are these street vendors like? I am thinking hotdog stand in NYC or taco cart in CA. Is the food actually good? Sounds interesting.
Thanks everyone for these responses. It sounds wonderful in Portland. I guess we will just have to get a feel for both cities.
Portland sounds great though, since we are coming from a laid back city (San Diego). We are ambitious, but that is definitely secondary to happy/fun/carefree living. We have kids, so I am not sure about the super young vibe that Portland has going on. We aren't hipsters or anything like that. I think my hubby would die if I asked him to wear a pair of girl jeans and a scarf, LOL. Though I have friends that only date those kind of guys. "Band guys" I call them.
I doubt the woman being loose is a problem. That did make me laugh though.
I love the fact that there is a big park in the city. What is it like? Is it similar to central park? Are there any good public schools IN the city?
What are these street vendors like? I am thinking hotdog stand in NYC or taco cart in CA. Is the food actually good? Sounds interesting.
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And they're even prettier in real life! More dramatic than NorCal beaches, for sure. Most of the coast goes head to head with Big Sur for beauty. You'll love our "beaches" I'm sure.
