Are a lot of people moving out of Portland, OR? (home, job market)
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This has been an enjoyable thread to read. A long time ago I moved to Portland without a job or place to live, just a friend of a friend who put me up a week or two. I got a job as a cook--but I was surprised it took me a few weeks so I got down to beans and rice even though I had a roof over my head. I loved it and don't regret the experience, in fact I often wish I had stayed. I got very sick with an infection and took a plane back home to family.
I think if you are single and adventurous, life is to be experienced. As soon as my last kid leaves home I want to do it again. Of course, it is a lot harder to get work once you look old.
How much do you have to spend for a nice home, 1500 sq feet 3/2 in NW or SW portland, can you get earthquake insurance? Are people worried bout St. Helens erupting and if so, is there a safe place to be in the area?
I hope someone answers me! We may have a job offer very soon, actually its in the works and I REALLY need to know! Thanks!
I see you are interested in schools, look into what school the pearl is assigned to, if I remember there was some flack as to where this formerly warehouse area's children would attend, there are few kids there, Lake O as it is know is an upper income area, rather old family money, top schools, Portland schools are struggling for funding, also Portland's county has its own special tax, good luck
Fair disclosure: i have retired to MT from Or after a lifetime of living there, beautiful state, no problem with the rain but needed to keep 2 jobs going just to get by, property taxes, utilities, ect going up. No ill will, like to check on the goings on in the state. Lots of change in the past 20 years, but that is progress.
I see you are interested in schools, look into what school the pearl is assigned to, if I remember there was some flack as to where this formerly warehouse area's children would attend, there are few kids there, Lake O as it is know is an upper income area, rather old family money, top schools, Portland schools are struggling for funding, also Portland's county has its own special tax, good luck
sorry, i was corrected on another thread, the county tax has expired
I actually enjoy the gloomy weather. I have a sun allergy related to a chronic illness so the weather suits me fine. Also I don't really think it's any worse than the Midwestern winters I used to endure. Summers are usually nice here.
One big reason many of my friends moved away and why I am looking at other cities is the job situation. Jobs are not easy to come by and the wages are low. They do not keep up with the cost of living. One of my former co-workers has a wife and two toddlers. The wife is a stay-at-home-mom. They have moved to three different apartments in the past three years each time because the rent got too high. We do not have leases here as they do back East so rents can be raised whenever the landlords please. So this family is moving to Denver where the husband already has a good job lined up and will be able to afford a house.
I have seen many friends leave this state as their jobs disappeared. They tried to find other jobs but could not. There is much age discrimination in this town. I have experienced this first hand as have my friends. Of course one can't prove it but when employment ads use words like "Dynamic, fresh, starting" etc. they are usually looking for young employees. When business magazines describe new businesses they often use the word "young" and "fresh-thinking" as if anyone over 20 can't have an idea.
Of course one can find age discrimination anywhere but when AARP lists businesses that are age friendly, they never list Portland. Still if you are young, that won't be your concern. But if you plan to grow old here it might be.
Portland has some great neighborhoods and public transportation is pretty good except for the MAX trains which can be dangerous to ride. It's a city going through a lot of changes and that can be a good thing or bad depending on what you are looking for.
For beautiful surroundings, I don't think anything beats the Pacific NW. For ease of living; not so much.
I actually enjoy the gloomy weather. I have a sun allergy related to a chronic illness so the weather suits me fine. Also I don't really think it's any worse than the Midwestern winters I used to endure. Summers are usually nice here.
One big reason many of my friends moved away and why I am looking at other cities is the job situation. Jobs are not easy to come by and the wages are low. They do not keep up with the cost of living. One of my former co-workers has a wife and two toddlers. The wife is a stay-at-home-mom. They have moved to three different apartments in the past three years each time because the rent got too high. We do not have leases here as they do back East so rents can be raised whenever the landlords please. So this family is moving to Denver where the husband already has a good job lined up and will be able to afford a house.
I have seen many friends leave this state as their jobs disappeared. They tried to find other jobs but could not. There is much age discrimination in this town. I have experienced this first hand as have my friends. Of course one can't prove it but when employment ads use words like "Dynamic, fresh, starting" etc. they are usually looking for young employees. When business magazines describe new businesses they often use the word "young" and "fresh-thinking" as if anyone over 20 can't have an idea.
Of course one can find age discrimination anywhere but when AARP lists businesses that are age friendly, they never list Portland. Still if you are young, that won't be your concern. But if you plan to grow old here it might be.
Portland has some great neighborhoods and public transportation is pretty good except for the MAX trains which can be dangerous to ride. It's a city going through a lot of changes and that can be a good thing or bad depending on what you are looking for.
For beautiful surroundings, I don't think anything beats the Pacific NW. For ease of living; not so much.
good honest answerrising cost of living is a major factor.
financially, it can be difficult...but sometimes if you look outside the box, in employment, you can do very well in this area. I only work very part-time, in a non-conventional job that isnt for your average joe/joesephine and i make pretty good money. No college experience needed, yet i can do my job in any state, or any country (language barrier excluded) We have 3 kids and they dont have to be in daycare, they can come to work with me as needed. My husband has pretty much the same deal. Not your typical 9-5, tie and jacket, some college background that helped him land it, but the other guy that works there, nada. And we make enough that we're doing okay. We may not take Mexico vacations each summer, but we just bought our own house. Sometimes, it just takes some creative employment, and some switching around....
admittedly though, many jobs here in Oregon that are the Engineer, computer, etc. type do have difficulties.
Tiff
my boyfriend and i are thinking of moving to portland in the next 6 mos. he is looking into the pacific northwest college of art. i can transfer to portland with the company i am with. can anyone help with info on the lifestyle/housing we will be able to have with one person in school/working parttime and the other working full time? we are still young, but our combined income will i would expect to be around $50,000-$60,000/yr. does anyone know the reputation of adidas headquarters? what about pnca?
I actually enjoy the gloomy weather. I have a sun allergy related to a chronic illness so the weather suits me fine. Also I don't really think it's any worse than the Midwestern winters I used to endure. Summers are usually nice here.
One big reason many of my friends moved away and why I am looking at other cities is the job situation. Jobs are not easy to come by and the wages are low. They do not keep up with the cost of living. One of my former co-workers has a wife and two toddlers. The wife is a stay-at-home-mom. They have moved to three different apartments in the past three years each time because the rent got too high. We do not have leases here as they do back East so rents can be raised whenever the landlords please. So this family is moving to Denver where the husband already has a good job lined up and will be able to afford a house.
I have seen many friends leave this state as their jobs disappeared. They tried to find other jobs but could not. There is much age discrimination in this town. I have experienced this first hand as have my friends. Of course one can't prove it but when employment ads use words like "Dynamic, fresh, starting" etc. they are usually looking for young employees. When business magazines describe new businesses they often use the word "young" and "fresh-thinking" as if anyone over 20 can't have an idea.
Of course one can find age discrimination anywhere but when AARP lists businesses that are age friendly, they never list Portland. Still if you are young, that won't be your concern. But if you plan to grow old here it might be.
Portland has some great neighborhoods and public transportation is pretty good except for the MAX trains which can be dangerous to ride. It's a city going through a lot of changes and that can be a good thing or bad depending on what you are looking for.
For beautiful surroundings, I don't think anything beats the Pacific NW. For ease of living; not so much.
I agree with everything Minervah wrote, except the MAX trains, which have a few problems (particularly out in the east) but nothing that other major cities experience with public transportation.
1. The weather isn't all that gloomy, to me (though I know someone who is leaving just because she needs a sunnier climate).
2. The job situation is not good, and to be honest I think a lot of the locals would like to keep it that way -- it keeps transplants down (people in Portland would prefer no one else move in), and it's less competition for people who already have jobs.
3. The age-related job thing is huge here. It's tough for people over 40 to get decent jobs anywhere in the country these days, but it's particularly striking in Portland. There are a few reasons I'm leaving, but that's #1. I wouldn't recommend anyone over 35 move here unless he/she had a job lined up and ready to go.
4. There are definitely more people moving into than out of Portland these days, because it's beautiful and well-planned. Most of them, however, fall into one of two categories:
a) twentysomethings who don't mind an $8/hr. subsistence job while they pursue their creative dreams;
b) their counterparts in their early 30s, with young kids, who don't want to live in the suburbs.
If you're in either category, you might find Portland is for you.
Who's moving out?
1. Slightly older people who can't find decent-paying work.
2. Minority folks (mostly black) who can no longer afford their traditional working-class neighborhoods (which are being gentrified at the speed of light).
3. People who enjoyed Portland's slower pace and more rural feel. It's still plenty slow and rural compared to San Francisco or Seattle, but those who yearn for the country are exploring southern Oregon, Idaho, etc.
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no work 4 u
rising cost of living is a major factor.
