Denver vs. Portland, OR (Pueblo, Westminster: transplants, real estate, foreclosure)
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Mazimitsu, thanks for a great recap of the two cities.
EVERYONE please give mazimitsu POSITIVE REP by clicking on the scales of justice (upper right), thanks.
Regarding the light rail, I'm glad to see the two mayors work together, as the cost to design and tool-up from scratch a new light rail car and system is huge; conversely, if you can use an existing design and factory tooling, there are huge cost avoidances or savings. There was a time (a smarter time) in our nation's past when the Presidents of most big city streetcar lines formed a Conference Committee to design and built a single standard streetcar for all cities, with the intent being to reduce the cost to buy and maintain the cars. Thus was born the PCC Car, still seen in some cities like Phila or SF, CAL, for more, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCC_streetcar
I agree. If the light rail in Portland is really a successful one then it only seems like the right choice to follow the example of a city similar and work along side it. I think that both cities can learn from the pros and cons of each other. And I think someone did post this thread in the general us forum also
Location: Governor's Park/Capitol Hill, Denver, CO
1,536 posts, read 6,086,729 times
Reputation: 1131
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike from back east
Two things to keep in mind regarding trolls, flamers and other undesirables:
- IGNORE THEM. Do not reply, that is what they want so don't give it to them, don't start bickering with them.
- REPORT trolls, flamers, spammers, etc by clicking that red/white triangle in the upper right of the post, tell the MODs what the problem is, let us MODs take care of it. I've deleted many posts and banned many people as a MOD which has earned me some DMs that would curl your hair, but we will keep the CO forums a safe for gentle people to make their inquiries and discuss any side of a CO issue. We can attack ideas via healthy debate, but we will not attack each other.
Thanks Mike! And for all your hard work, this pics for you!
In Portland I lived also mainly in the western suburbs of Hillsboro, Aloha, Beaverton, etc.
I've been researching the same areas as I might relocate down the road (could be years away or not happen at all). The things that appeal to me in those areas include mild weather, low altitude, not nearly as dry & near the coast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazimitsu
6. Nightlife....One frustration I always had with Portland, and this may sound silly is with pizza. I can get a pizza most hours of the day and night in Denver. However Portland seems to shut most things down by 10p-12a. With repsect to other types of food I have found many places open all night in Denver, but fewer in Portland. The number of clubs and bars seems to be fairly evenly matched between the two cities. Both cities have movie theaters that will serve you meals while you watch movies.
The availability of pizza late at night does not bother me, but I wonder about Mexican food. Portland is closer to CA, so I'm guessing it's generally much better than CO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazimitsu
12. There are also on occasion earthquakes in Portland and as far as I know is over due for a "big one" like in California.
Now this is one thing I just cant stand. One of the reasons I left CA was due to earthquakes. Call me a sissy, but I just cant stand 'em.
I've heard some people say the Portland area is gloomy for 9 months out of the year with rare sunny days. I don't mind gloom, but 9 months? This seems like an exaggeration.
I've heard some people say the Portland area is gloomy for 9 months out of the year with rare sunny days. I don't mind gloom, but 9 months? This seems like an exaggeration.
From the research I've done, I would say that is NOT much of an exaggeration.
5. Public transportation in Portland is much more accesable than in Denver. The new light rail system in Denver is a carbon copy of the sytem that Portland has had for several years. The mayors of the two cities worked together on the Denver project when it was being designed. Having a car in Denver is a must to get around town. There are many buses but the schedules are often cumbersome as is the placement of the stops if you happen to live in the suburbs. The light rail in Denver covers a small area but planning on a city-gov level is underway to expand it further. The light rail in PDX runs east-west through the core of the city including downtown and to the PDX airport (DEN airport is car only). Very helpful for nightlife activites and traveling via the airport. The bus stops that I used in PDX were always well located and the buses seemed to run every 15 min. making planning a snap.
It's true that there are no trains running to DEN. However, you can ride the express buses that are run there by RTD from around the metro area, so it's not strictly car only. They're not as good as MAX's Red Line, but I find them sufficiently convenient and also cheap. There will be a rail line running to DEN by 2015, however, so this is being worked on. Frequency and availability of public transportation is also being worked on, and I agree it would boost nightlife in Denver.
Good to know that it was useful more than me babbling about my favorite cities
Oberon thanks for the info and the rep! I was not aware of the RTD option and will look into that in the future.
Mike from back east- interesting info regarding the Conference Committee, too bad we don’t have that or something similar now. And thanks for the kudos!
Ditto-
I agree, Portland tends to be more mild overall. One thing I notice among those I know in PDX is they tend to be more alarmed about bad weather, however rare it is. Not really a bad thing they simply aren't as used to it and that caught me a little off guard. With 2 inches of snow in PDX my friends were unwilling to drive their 4x4 to pick me up. To compare I sometimes drive my Chrysler 2wd sedan in 5 inches of snow without much trouble. The key is to not slam on the brakes and drive slow. On the otherside of that token, many in Denver seem to think that 4wd also means 4 wheel brakes......It can be a bit tense driving on a sheet of ice about 30-40 mph when a 4x4 pulls up behind you doing about 70mph. Also kinda weird when you see them in a ditch a mile or two later.
It can be cloudy and dreary for months on end in Portland. 9 months continous is unlikely though, I'm guessing that's an average. More like 5 days clouds 2 days sunny, 1 month clouds, 2-3 days of sun then cloudy again.Thats the pattern I remember.
***********this reminds me of something I did not mention in my original post that might be important to anyone thinking of moving to or from these areas........I learned to drive in Oregon then moved to Colorado. The tests in Colorado are much easier and not all drivers here are the best. I'm actually happy I learned to drive in Oregon as the process there seems much more detailed. The DMV in Oregon was much more streamlined and cheaper for me personally.
Speed limits in Colorado are also much faster then those I know of in Oregon. The highest I've seen in Oregon is 65mph, while Colorado goes up to 75mph. Not only that, but in my exp. drivers in my Colorado tend to be MUCH more aggressive. If you are in the fast lane doing the speed limit people are likely to tailgate you and get mad. Also drivers I run into tend to forget the use of turn signals....and sometimes turn from the wrong lanes. But there are bad drivers everywhere so take that with a gain of salt, I might just be unlucky. ************************************************** *******
Back to my response to Ditto-
In regards to the Mexican food, I would say it is actually better consitently in Colorado than in Oregon. It might be my driving patterns, but it seems like there are more mexican resturuants here in Denver as well. I'm not really certain as the exact reason for this.
I have only noticed 1 earthquake during the entire time I lived in Oregon and it measured about 5.5 and hit in the early am. The damage was very minor as most building codes in Oregon prepare for this issue. As I understand it the quakes are way less frequent than in California. below are a couple of good websites that cover the geology of the NW and the world in general.
www.pnsn.org This site is a bit dry and technical and mostly covers the NW. Seems to be geared for scientists and geologists. If you click on the webcorder link you can see live seismographic readings. I e-mailed them with some questions once and the actually answered back. Seems the sensitivity of the devices varies and sometimes picks up tides and ocean currents. Also they tell me type of soil is a factor in the readings. The Volcano links are cool also, show graphics of what all NW volcanoes are doing and the ST Helens link leads to live webcam feeds..
www.usgs.gov (US Geological Survey) this link covers the world and has similar info for nearly every spot on earth. I recomend going to the real time natural hazards gateway then clicking on the recent earthquakes link. Leads to some cool maps and info. Incidently this group if I'm not mistaken in is based in Golden Colorado, a suburb of Denver.
www.noaa.gov will lead you to flood, tornado, airquality info, as well as weather. media outlets sometimes get their info from this source.
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Another thing I forgot to mention about jobs in Denver is there is a lot of Telecom business here.. Several companies have their HQ's and NOC's here. Don't know of much Telecom stuff in Portland, and I have not checked the Seattle metro. Also there is much aerospace industry in Colorado, below in the military section you will see why......
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Portland has a what they call the "rose festival" in the spring and summer. My favorite parts of that include a Airshow in Hillsboro in which the US Navy Blue Angels, USAF Thunderbirds and their Canadian counterparts the Snowbirds often have great shows. Portland is a seaport and as such you can see huge ships docked near downtown. During the Rose festival US Navy and Canadian Navy warships dock in downtown PDX and give tours of the ships to the public. A carnival is opened next to the ships and it's party atmosphere. There is also a parade as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Rose_Festival http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_...tional_Airshow
Correction.....the airshow is now a seperate event.
A note on military bases and such....If you are in the millitary I only know of 1 ANG base in PDX that you could transfer to. However Colorado has many millitary bases. Some have closed, but still many remain. There is 1 or 2 bases in Denver (Buckley AFB part of Space Command/Central Command I think) (Lowry AFB closed a few years ago...but the aircraft museum remains). Colorado Springs (60 miles south of Denver and the 2nd biggest metro in Colorado) has 4 military bases that I know of. Ft Carson (Army), Peterson AFB, Shiver AFB (US Space Command), and a little place called Chyenne(sp?) Mountain.....but if you have seen the 80's movie "Wargames" you would know it as NORAD or North American Aerospace Command http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_A...efense_Command
www.norad.mil/50/index.html (http://www.norad.mil/50/index.html - broken link)
There are more bases that that in Colorado, I just don't know much about them.
A co-worker of mine here in Denver is thinking of a move to the Portland area and she tells me she likes the Vancouver area due to lower prices of homes and close proximity to Portland.
Portland is a Runner's paradise and the Nike corp is based in Beaverton. Running at altitude in Denver has many advantages, but with bigger extremes in weather and altitude, it seems tougher to run here. There are many sports events for running in both areas, but Oregon seems better in quality and quantity last time I checked
If you move to Portland you should pronounce Oregon = Orygun. People often joked and corrected me on this. Also the river Willamette river should be pronounced Wil·lam·ette and not Will - a - mette. People might poke fun at you and correct you if mispronounced. A device to remember that I was given is: Willamette = damit. The following link goes to some interesting info about Oregon watersheds and a cool wide angle picture of downtown PDX towards the bottom. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_River
One other very fun thing to see near Portland is Multinomah Falls. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multnomah_Falls
The second tallest continous waterfall in the USA. Very scenic, there is a trail up to a bridge over the lower pool and if adventerous you might be able to walk around behind the waterfall as well. It's located in the Columbia river gorge ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Gorge ) which also makes for a fun scenic drive a short distance from Portland. Home to various river dams most of which generate massive electrical power for the NW. The most famous (that I know of) is Bonneville (sp?) Dam which also serves as a tourist trap. I understand you can take tours and watch salmon through windows swimming upstream during certain times of the year. If you want to see the area in a movie, first rent the "Postman" with Kevin Costner. Movie details aside, there are many shots of Oregon in the movie including dams in the river gorge.
Incidently, the movie "the hunted" with Bencio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones was largely shot in Portland and surrounding areas.
I can make a list of movies that were shot in both cities if anyone is interested.
Thats it for now, I have to go. Thanks for the comments and input! Send more questions if you want
Mazimitsu-
Last edited by Mazimitsu; 12-22-2007 at 03:57 AM..
Reason: many extra characters unintenionally added
Mazimitsu, you're awesome! Your observations are so much like mine.
To clarify pronunciation, Willamette has the accent on the second syllable. The letter "a" is pronounced like "hat", and the other vowels are barely pronounced (the last "e" not at all). Oregon has the accent on the first long "O" and the other vowels are barely pronounced.
As I recall the faucet turns on around September 15 and then shuts off about the end of May. There are occasional breaks, even a little bit of sun. We go to Portland every Christmas since my parents still live near there. We can almost count on rain. Yet we still find breaks in the weather (which we define as drizzle rather than heavy rain) when we can visit the coast or otherwise pretend the sun is shining. Once in a great while there will be an ice storm or snow. It rarely goes below 20 degrees in Portland, while in Denver it goes near zero more than once a year.
In exchange for putting up with almost 9 months of rain, you are rewarded in the summer with full-time sunshine and some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.
As one of the primary Wikipedia editors of the current generation RTD-related pages, I encourage you to offer any suggestions for improving it. And of course any of the Denver or Colorado pages on Wikipedia. That includes adding criticisms, which I suspect would come from people like ditto... as long as you can give me external citations!
MobyLL on City-Data seems to be another editor of these pages. Thanks for your contributions!
Last edited by oberon; 12-22-2007 at 04:08 PM..
Reason: added thanks
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