Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why? (divorce, relocating)

[PNW-type-gal]

Having in the Portland, OR area (several parts) - I would recommend it for single, older women, assuming the weather isn't an issue for you. You can live in the heart of the city or one of the suburbs, depending on how much noise/crowd/activity/personal space you want. There are book clubs, gardening clubs, knitting clubs, travel clubs, cooking clubs and probably a bunch of others I'm not aware of.

It's true that the central city has a lot of "young hipsters" (real and alleged), but that's not the whole story.

The drawbacks of Portland are:
Some very gray winter weather - it starts drizzling (for a few minutes at a time to a few hours to all day) in October and can rain through June - with sun breaks of a day to a few days to a week or so at a time and usually a false spring in February (when the bulbs start popping out) and the most gorgeous May imaginable.
Property crime - car break-ins, thefts and burglaries. It's no worse, really, than any other city the same size, but it is something to consider. It's common enough that the police don't always dispatch an officer for car theft. If you've been a woman alone for any period of time, you know the measures you have to take for your personal safety. I wouldn't ride the Portland light rail and buses in the lean hours of the day/night, for instance, but during the day and very early evening it's fine.
Relatively high prices - if you're retiring on a limited budget, rent/home prices are reasonable for the west coast but high compared to a lot of the country. The food supply, though, in terms of restaurants, farmers markets and fresh foods, is great. The farmers markets run March to November, and they are all over the city, several times a week.
Airport - as airports go, PDX is a nice airport. It's clean, has some nice stores, two main security checkpoints (so that the entire airport doesn't funnel through just one). The wait for checked luggage isn't too bad. You can get there via light rail (depending on where you start), and the number of places in the US with a direct connection - including Hawaii and Mexico (sun! warmth!) - is pretty good. There are also direct flight to parts of Europe and Asia. It has two main terminals with a connecting walkway that doesn't require another pass through security, and it's possible to catch one of the little golf-cart shuttles (indoors) between the terminals. It's also a major stop for Amtrak (off-topic rant: someday, the US will realize (again) what a great resource Amtrak is and actually fund it).

Upsides: Powell's Books, Annie Bloom's Books, Murder By The Book, Portland Nursery on Stark Street, the PSU Farmer's Market, the Saturday Market, FOX Cinemas (all kinds of strange movies), Cinetopia (movies in the most comfy chairs imaginable plus wine, beer and food service), McMenamen's (microbrews, second run movies), the Japanese Gardens, Forest Park, the Chinese Garden downtown (and the dim sum place about 2 blocks north), downtown funky stores, great (but upscale and expensive) shops on NW 23rd, ditto on Broadway, funky, less-expensive stores in "bohemian" Hawthorne (including GREAT yarn store), Pazzo's italian restaurant, Jake's Fish House, Hudson's, South Park, Henry's.

[Tesaje]

You must spread some rep - yada, yada. Sorry. Thanks for that great post on Portland for older single women!
---
As far as moving the the car across country with a truck drive moving option - you can rent a tow thing to tow it behind the truck or it would be 2 trips.

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

Having in the Portland, OR area (several parts) - I would recommend it for single, older women, assuming the weather isn't an issue for you. You can live in the heart of the city or one of the suburbs, depending on how much noise/crowd/activity/personal space you want. There are book clubs, gardening clubs, knitting clubs, travel clubs, cooking clubs and probably a bunch of others I'm not aware of.

It's true that the central city has a lot of "young hipsters" (real and alleged), but that's not the whole story.

The drawbacks of Portland are:
Some very gray winter weather - it starts drizzling (for a few minutes at a time to a few hours to all day) in October and can rain through June - with sun breaks of a day to a few days to a week or so at a time and usually a false spring in February (when the bulbs start popping out) and the most gorgeous May imaginable.
Property crime - car break-ins, thefts and burglaries. It's no worse, really, than any other city the same size, but it is something to consider. It's common enough that the police don't always dispatch an officer for car theft. If you've been a woman alone for any period of time, you know the measures you have to take for your personal safety. I wouldn't ride the Portland light rail and buses in the lean hours of the day/night, for instance, but during the day and very early evening it's fine.
Relatively high prices - if you're retiring on a limited budget, rent/home prices are reasonable for the west coast but high compared to a lot of the country. The food supply, though, in terms of restaurants, farmers markets and fresh foods, is great. The farmers markets run March to November, and they are all over the city, several times a week.
Airport - as airports go, PDX is a nice airport. It's clean, has some nice stores, two main security checkpoints (so that the entire airport doesn't funnel through just one). The wait for checked luggage isn't too bad. You can get there via light rail (depending on where you start), and the number of places in the US with a direct connection - including Hawaii and Mexico (sun! warmth!) - is pretty good. There are also direct flight to parts of Europe and Asia. It has two main terminals with a connecting walkway that doesn't require another pass through security, and it's possible to catch one of the little golf-cart shuttles (indoors) between the terminals. It's also a major stop for Amtrak (off-topic rant: someday, the US will realize (again) what a great resource Amtrak is and actually fund it).

Upsides: Powell's Books, Annie Bloom's Books, Murder By The Book, Portland Nursery on Stark Street, the PSU Farmer's Market, the Saturday Market, FOX Cinemas (all kinds of strange movies), Cinetopia (movies in the most comfy chairs imaginable plus wine, beer and food service), McMenamen's (microbrews, second run movies), the Japanese Gardens, Forest Park, the Chinese Garden downtown (and the dim sum place about 2 blocks north), downtown funky stores, great (but upscale and expensive) shops on NW 23rd, ditto on Broadway, funky, less-expensive stores in "bohemian" Hawthorne (including GREAT yarn store), Pazzo's italian restaurant, Jake's Fish House, Hudson's, South Park, Henry's.

Great information ! Any thoughts about a 59 year old woman (with great references and experience) finding an office job in Portland? Need health insurance, and salary can be modest. Not a career job, just something that helps to pay the bills. I'm reading a lot (on the Portland threads) about how hard it is for the older worker to find employment in Portland. Any thoughts?

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by xz2y

Great information ! Any thoughts about a 59 year old woman (with great references and experience) finding an office job in Portland? Need health insurance, and salary can be modest. Not a career job, just something that helps to pay the bills. I'm reading a lot (on the Portland threads) about how hard it is for the older worker to find employment in Portland. Any thoughts?

My employment areas (geology and engineering) were always so specific that I'm not sure I can help. In engineering, being over 40 is bad, let alone any older. If you want to work at Nike or Weiden and Kennedy or one of the "hip" places, it's distinctly a disadvantage. But most of Portland is like any other city - there are insurance offices and medical offices and business offices of all kinds. Finding that first foot-in-the-door job on moving to the city is a probably the hard part. Check out the Oregonian's Sunday classified section (you can find it on the web at Everything Oregon - OregonLive.com) for the list of regular, advertised jobs, keeping in mind that a lot of jobs aren't posted in the classifieds anymore.

For a first job, you might try a headhunter agency or a temp agency - I think some of the temp agencies have a 6 month commitment. Plus, if you find an employer-funded temp agency, they'll be pretty honest about the job market. Can't hurt, anyway. Although I would get a gmail or hotmail or yahoo account rather than giving them your main email address - there are legit temp agencies, but then there are "other."

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

My employment areas (geology and engineering) were always so specific that I'm not sure I can help. In engineering, being over 40 is bad, let alone any older. If you want to work at Nike or Weiden and Kennedy or one of the "hip" places, it's distinctly a disadvantage. But most of Portland is like any other city - there are insurance offices and medical offices and business offices of all kinds. Finding that first foot-in-the-door job on moving to the city is a probably the hard part. Check out the Oregonian's Sunday classified section (you can find it on the web at Everything Oregon - OregonLive.com) for the list of regular, advertised jobs, keeping in mind that a lot of jobs aren't posted in the classifieds anymore.

For a first job, you might try a headhunter agency or a temp agency - I think some of the temp agencies have a 6 month commitment. Plus, if you find an employer-funded temp agency, they'll be pretty honest about the job market. Can't hurt, anyway. Although I would get a gmail or hotmail or yahoo account rather than giving them your main email address - there are legit temp agencies, but then there are "other."

Good suggestions. I think a temp agency is a great idea to get started in an office job. I'm not looking for a high paying career job, just an interesting office job with health insurance. Temp agencies are also a good way to check out various companies without making a commitment. When I visit Portland in March or April, I'll stop in to a few temp agencies to get a feel for what is generally available. Thanks for the info.

[suncat]

I live in Portland and have no intention of retiring here. The weather is dismal and cold, and the population seems to get younger and trendier (and I don't think that's just my middle-age talking).

[brightdoglover]

Hey, Suncat,
I hear ya. From what I hear of Portland, it wouldn't be a place of choice unless one is under 30, very white and well-off (preferably with a trust fund).
Of course, if people have roots there , they might decide to "age in place." But to make a big move and choose it... nah.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Hey, Suncat,
I hear ya. From what I hear of Portland, it wouldn't be a place of choice unless one is under 30, very white and well-off (preferably with a trust fund).

As someone who lived there 25 years, that just isn't true of any but a few selected parts of town.

From the City Data pages, cities 500,000-700,000 population:

PORTLAND, OR (Multnomah County)
Males: 261,565 (49.4%)
Females: 267,556 (50.6%)
Median resident age: 35.2 years
Oregon median age: 36.3 years

DENVER, CO (Denver County)
Males: 280,207 (50.5%)
Females: 274,429 (49.5%)
Median resident age: 33.1 years
Colorado median age: 34.3 years

JACKSONVILLE, FL (Duval County)
Males: 356,284 (48.4%)
Females: 379,333 (51.6%)
Median resident age: 33.8 years
Florida median age: 38.7 years

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Marion County)
Males: 378,310 (48.4%)
Females: 403,560 (51.6%)
Median resident age: 33.5 years
Indiana median age: 35.2 years

[brightdoglover]

"As someone who lived there 25 years, that just isn't true of any but a few selected parts of town."

Ya got me. I was relying on individual data points and anecdote. Fine for chatting, but not appropriate on a forum where someone is asking a real question. Thanks for the correction.
I do believe the complaints about winter weather are accurate. Some people just really can't stand the greyness or damp cold. Then again, some people loathe Boston winters, whereas I can't stand the humid summers. The sun comes out often enough and is pretty against the bare trees. Some winters it barely snows at all (this winter isn't one of those). If retired and it snows, so you just can't go out to drive that day, the next day, the roads are clear. No big deal.
The summers have actually been pretty dark and dismal. Humid, but a lot of grey.

[NewToCA]

Though I am a guy, I would like to chime in here for a moment (thank God they disabled the negative reps!).

For those who consider the California coastal areas too expensive and Portland too dark and wet, let me offer up the idea of Sacramento or one of the surrounding small cities. We have a lot of sunshine, only six months with intermittent rain, and lots of scenery in the surrounding areas. The cost of living is fairly moderate, for California, with many apartments in nice complexes for under $1,000 per month, and modest sized homes and condo's in the $250-$400K cost range. I know it isn't "cheap", but it is for California.

Just a thought, I felt some of you may want to at least consider the possibility. Here are some neat surrounding towns, and a little insight for Sacramento:

Old Sacramento - Shopping. Dining. Entertainment.
Downtown Sacramento Partnership
http://midtowngrid.com/images/maps/EatGridSummer2007_proof.pdf (broken link)
Sacramento Art Walk, Second Saturday - This month's Special Events, Photos of the Art Walk and List of Sacramento Galleries

Placerville, California (CA) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders
Auburn, California (CA) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders