General Questions (Portland: low crime, house, neighborhood)

[spacelord75]

I am in the very, very early exploratory stages of considering moving to Portland (would not be for another year or two) and wanted to ask some basic questions to see if it's something even worth considering. First of all, some background - 30s, married, living in Atlanta - my wife is in advertising and I am in accounting (public and private experience). We currently own a $400k house in Atlanta with about 1/2 acre land in a nice neighborhood. I was recently to Portland and LOVED it. Granted the weather was awesome and I run quite a bit and therefore am in lust with Wildwood Trail. What is the economy like in Portland, in terms of finding jobs for myself and my wife in our respective fields? Is it true that it rains ALL winter long? I believe that, per annum, Atlanta actually gets more rain, but at least it's broken up by periods of sun (even in the winter), but continuous gray rainy days could be hard to deal with. Are the rains pouring or just drizzle, spitting, but all the time? Finally, what type of home/area can you get for b/w $400-500k? Key interests are good schools, low crime (it's all relative coming from Atlanta!) and good running trails nearby. Thanks for any replies, as this will help me decide if this is an avenue I even want to consider pursuing further.

[JakeDog]

Rain is mostly drizzle. There are some heavy downpours, but it is not a hard thunderstorm type of rain that you are used to. It is very dark in the winter b/c of the clouds. It is wet in the spring and fall, but there are some breaks in the weather. Summer is awesome. I think the accounting field is probably not too bad- Portland's economy isn't terrific, but it is always possible to get a decent job if you are a professional. In the 400-500K range you can get a nice house, but your options are far more varied than they would be in Atlanta (which is home of the McMansions in my opinion). You could get a nice historic home on the East-side in some fun but somewhat funky areas or a ranch house in a more traditional westside area with better schools. Based on your interests/desires I'd look at Bridlemile, Raliegh Hills, and other close in West-side areas. These would provide access to Forest Park where you could get in some great runs. It's a very different place from Atlanta. The people are probably just as friendly, but they are not as outgoing. If you live on the West-side of Portland in a family neighborhood, you can pretty much forget about crime. Culturally it is far more liberal and "granola". Oregon is one of the least religious states (if not THE least religious) in America. I don't know if that matters to you (to me that's a plus).

[spacelord75]

Thanks for the info - it's very helpful. One thing that would be an unthought-of plus would be getting away from the bible belt South. It seemed like a lot of the people at my client lived in west-side suburbs, which would jive with your post. Re: rain - I know that Portland is kind of a running mecca for the trails, but does the continuous rain make for basically un-usable trails due to mud? It rained while I was there, but the trails still seemed pretty hard (then again it had been bone dry for a week before hand). Thanks again for your input.

[JakeDog]

The rain generally doesn't interfere with most trails. Although it is cloudy and does drizzle, it never interferred with my outdoor activities. When I lived there I walked to work (Downtown) from the NW 23rd area most days.