Portland info for migrating urban 20/30-somethings (Phoenix: apartments, rent, lofts)

[gnubler]

I moved to Portland in 2004 after spending 8+ years in southern Arizona. I chose to move here for water, green trees, urban culture, and good beer. After 2 1/2 years here, I'm leaving for the same reason I have seen on many other postings here: rain. I want to share my opinions, as a single female Gen X (early 30s) metro city dweller, to others considering a move here.

I moved here during December. It was drizzling rain nonstop, moss was growing everywhere, flowers were blooming...I had never seen anything like this and I loved it. I stayed at the youth hostels on Glisan & Hawthorne (highly recommended for people of any age) and the Hotel Joyce downtown (recommended if all you want is a cheap place to sleep and can handle people pissing and dealing drugs in the hallways).

I had a full month to explore the city before I started a full time job - I hit many of the local pubs, live music venues, city parks, and fun districts like Belmont, Hawthorne, 21/23, Mississippi, and Alberta. I found the Japanese Gardens most lovely. I moved here without a car - by choice - and that was no mistake. There are times when the throngs of bicyclists almost rival Amsterdam, and the public transit system is the best I've ever seen in this US. Most of the main-line buses run every 15 mins or better, as well as the MAX train (and you can bring your bike on both). I can't vouch for traffic here because I've never driven a car here - never needed one. There is a company called FlexCar that lets you rent a car by the hour - good for running mass errands, and very affordable.

I learned about the craigslist website from fellow hostellers, and using that I got several job offers, found a place to live, met several new friends, and got a free bed! All the libraries have free internet (1 hour per day per person). If you have a laptop with wifi, you're set - it's hard to go anywhere in the metro area without getting a signal, particularly around coffeeshops.

This was such a different culture than I saw in the Southwest, and I totally loved everything about it. Getting cozy at one of the 8,000 coffeeshops around town, having a premium microbrew while watching a second-run movie, tons of vegetarian options across the board (I'm vegetarian), various bicycle rides and critical masses, community gardens, and a thriving nightlife RIGHT DOWNTOWN. In cities like Phoenix, Tucson and ABQ, the downtowns are merely centers of commerce, and are dead after 5PM and on weekends.

There is a huge 20/30-something urban hipster population in Portland - these are the same groups of people I see spending their days at coffeeshops trying to look cool in their thrift store 80s corporate tshirts and ill-fitting Wrangler jeans rolled up to mid-calf (because they all ride bicycles) spewing words like "MySpace" or "Kafka-esque" (I see & hear the same nonsense all around town). Sometimes I feel like it's just one big fashion show going to the bar or walking down the sidewalk. PBR is the #1 beer of choice in the hipster crowd (sad, when there's so many local microbrews). The hip look here is very androgynous and utilitarian (bullet belts, dangly keys from belt, black cap covering eyes). Love it or hate it. I can't speak for the outer suburbs because I tend to avoid such areas. Dreadlocks, tattoos, and multiple piercings (especially ear lobe plugs) are also very common - you can walk into a bank and see a clerk sporting such a look. I'm not criticizing, simply explaining - I used to have dreadlocks myself and it was no barrier in finding work here.

There are two prominent weekly papers, the Willamette Week and Portland Mercury. Both are good for learning about local stuff, but the 'Merc tends to be a bit more juvenile and often crass. Lots and lots of local zines, screenprinting, and artsy stuff in general. Check out Alberta Street's final Thursdays, which has now escalated into the "Mardi Gras" of Portland. And don't skip Powell's Books! Biggest book store in the US - you'll get lost in there.

There is also a very prominent "green/sustainable" community. Many organizations promoting earth friendly habits, recycling, reusing, etc. If you're a treehugger, you'll find many like-minded souls. On the other hand, the politics here are a bit fiery - kind of a battle between Democrat and Republican, to put it plainly. There are frequent demonstrations, gatherings, and parades for a myriad of causes & beliefs.

If you're a younger single person, you'll have no trouble finding a homeshare arrangement - check craigslist. Apartments/lofts in trendy areas are another story - I'd avoid those unless you want to spend upwards of $700 for a studio apt. I checked out several homes within 2-4 miles of downtown and finally chose a place in North Portland, a private room with bath/kitchen and a backyard garden and storage garage for $425/mo. Most other homeshares are less than than, but I opted for the privacy. The houses in the metro area are beautiful and classic - mine was built in 1927. Lots of special spaces to be found.

Something else about Portland metro is a very noticeable homeless population. Downtown and in the trendy districts, you will frequently be hustled for change (usually "Got a quarter?" - I still haven't figured out what a "quarter" really is). I ignore them and in the past would sometimes make muffins and give them to the bums sleeping under the Morrison Bridge.

So what went wrong?

By the end of August it was getting chilly. The rain started the following September. By January it just didn't stop, and we had 28 days of continuous gray sky and rain (that's day AND night, without stopping). It almost became a joke to look outside in the morning and say "Guess what!? It's raining!" I became mildly addicted to coffee (something I had never drank before) only for the warmth factor. I started waking up to get ready for work, and just didn't go in some days. Just went back to bed and burrowed. This was not like me, as I've always been a superstar employee without attendance issues. In the evening, I would hit the neighborhood pub for a few beers, but mostly because they had warm heat (heating these big old houses is crazy expensive and wasteful). And I felt like crap for it.

I hung on, waiting for the warm summer (which really doesn't start until June sometime) and it was great! The summertime here is wonderful - endless festivals along the waterfront park, patio dining, the beautiful outdoors. Soon enough - you're looking at maybe a 2 1/2 month summer - it got chilly and wet. Someone jokingly asked me if I was ready for 5 months of rain - it was no joke and I struggled through a third wet, cold winter. This time we had a moderate snowstorm (nothing compared to the midwest or east coast) but it was enough to literally shut Portland down, and that was fun because nobody had to go to work that day. But then the rain came back, and it rained and rained and I don't think I really saw the sun until I left on vacation to Arizona this past March, where it was in the 80s. I went away for just one month, and my entire BRAIN changed. Something powerful about that warm orb in the sky.

So basically I'm biased. If 8-9 months of solid wet, gray skies is of no bother to you (and I thought it wouldn't bother me!) - then this is a fantastic place to live. I was so positive about being here initially and had no idea that something like weather would make me become virtually suicidal. I may be in a minority, but I know it's not for everyone, based on other posts I've read.

So, in a few weeks, I'll be packing up and heading back south to sunnier and warmer skies. Who knows...I might come back someday.

[surveyorusa]

gnubler, like you I moved to Portland - almost 15 years ago - from Arizona (Tempe). I transferred with a co-worker up to Portland at about the same time he did. I loved it. He hated it. Moved back to Phoenix about 2 years later. Weather was a big reason for him, too.

I struggled with the weather for years, but I have come to love it, believe it or not. In Phoenix you take your endless sunny days for granted. In Portland you learn to appreciate them.

While I sympathize with your weather issues - some people just can't adapt, we all have different personalities and genetic makeups - I would say that it's a bit of an exaggeration that it rains "solid" from September to May. I'm a landscape photographer and I've shot most of my work in Portland during those "rainy" months - on dry days. And there have been many of them. In January and February we sometimes get a week or more of solid sunny days. A few winters ago there was serious concern in western Oregon about a drought because we had so little rain.

In truth, what people really complain about in Portland is not the rain but the overcast days. And when you get a week or two of them together, it can get depressing for some. It can get to the point where it seems like it's been raining for months.

The worst weather time for me in Portland is between Thanksgiving and New Years. It tends to rain pretty solidly during that time while the days get shorter and shorter til December 21. (Last year I went to Hawaii during that time for a few days - GREAT IDEA, hope to do it every year now!) But I find that by January 1, the days are getting longer, we are getting some sunny days mixed in here or there (or a few days at a time), and I don't mind it. I really don't complain much about the Portland weather after January.

But gnubler is not alone - some people can't adapt to the climate here. On the other hand, I've known people who grew up in LA who move to Portand and love the climate. It all depends on the person.

[oldtintype]

I agree--it does not rain solid and the sky is not gray for 9 months...I'm looking out my window this minute and it's gorgeous out. My relatives came to visit earlier this month and it was solid sun the four days they were here. My friends came in Feb to visit and got treated to 70 degree days with sun. And wasn't it 78 one of the days this April? My point--it rains a lot and there are some really gray days, yes!! That is accurate, but there will also be days in the time period that are nothing but gorgeous and you will appreciate them. It is pretty dark Nov-Jan, that is true (though I can remember brilliantly sunny days in December too), but the rest of the time is hit or miss with sun, gray, rain or a combination. And then of course you also get weather that can't be duplicated anywhere else June or July through September. If you want sun 365 days per year stay in Arizona. Like others have said, that kind of heat is my worst nightmare.

[surveyorusa]

I didn't like the heat in Phoenix, that's true, but it wasn't the area's biggest downfall. I would complain about the heat in Phoenix for the first week or two, then I'd get used to it and be done whining for the summer and just stay in the air conditioning. Honestly, I think the city of Portland feels more like a "real" city with character, a place you'd want to go for reasons besides jury duty or a baseball game. Nothing against Phoenix - it's just a very different kind of city, more typical of the Southwest. I prefer a city like Portland. Weather is but one consideration, but if you can't stand the rain or the heat in one place or another, you can't stand it.