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Yeah, they are cities people really have no idea about who don't live in the immediate area so they just judge them off the stereotypes.
The Tulsa stereotype is the entire city is conservative, religious, and elderly and the most entertainment they have is going to a movie or Wal-Mart.
And the Portland stereotype is that it is we are all hipsters, crunchies, yuppies or hippies and if you want to raise a family go elsewhere. A place where young people go to retire blah, blah, blah.
Maybe some of it is true. All stereotypes have some grain of truth. But not to the extent that people from other places make it out to be.
I live in Portland and have for over 30 years. We are a lot more diverse than the stereotypes. It is my opinion that people often form their opinions about this city from the stereotypes they read about or see on TV. That is why I would never judge any other city unless I have either lived there or spent a good deal of time there.
A little while back, I asked where people got their impressions about both Portland and Tulsa. Only one person responded. Thank you, by the way.
This gives me the impression that many responses here about both cities are based on stereotyping rather than actual observation. So I guess the poor OP who asked the question isn't really going to get his answer. At least not a completely accurate one.
Yeah, I am sure there is stereotyping on both sides, but Portland is a media darling and has an overwhelmingly positive stereotype while Tulsa has an extremely negative stereotype that screams "uncool" in every way possible. Hence the overwhelming Portland praising and Tulsa bashing in this thread.
After having spent time in both of the cities (Tulsa and Portland) and have become familiar them as well. I've started to notice some growing similarities between the two. Now put aside the location difference gap between them, and which just seems to be the hippest (as of present).
Key Similarities:
* Both are River Cities
* Both have districts named The Pearl
* Are in States (OK & OR) with near similar populations and neighbor states with more than twice its pop. as well (TX & WA,CA)
* Similar cityscapes
* Large Foodtruck scene
* Portland has bridge with traffic on the top and rail system below, while Tulsa is in the process of creating a near similar one called the Multimodal Bridge
* Tulsa is home to two Billionaires, Portland one
* Both are in upper corners of their states, and have been ranked amongst the greenest cities in the Country
* Increasingly similar shopping venues
* And Tulsa even wants to Host the 2024 Summer Olympics (???)
So what do you think does it look like Tulsa secretly modeling itself after Portland or are these similarities purely superficial.
Having grew up in Tulsa OK 1954 to 1976 and lived on the west coast well over 30 years I can say that Tulsa is a " superficial Portland " ( they are like comparing Pineapples to Apples ) they both have the word Apple in them.
The whole Tulsa River Park , Brookside ,Cherry Street and Woodward Park/Tulsa Garden Center is like Portland Oregon , and maybe throw in a little bit of the classier sections of Uptown Tulsa and that would be about it (Tulsa Pearl District can't hold Portland Pearl District Jock Strap ) or to clean it up a little bit Tulsa Pearl District can't hold a candle to Portland Pearl District..
Austin Texas is the smaller Portland Oregon , but all three have a thriving independent music sub - culture to theirs metro area...Tulsa with the BOK Center , Brady Theater , Cain's , Hard Rock Hotel Concert Venue and the Mabee Center offer twice the entertainment of a city Tulsa Oklahoma sizes.
However Austin and Portland are solid blue and hip with Portland having a very large hippie hangover from the 1960 - 1990 era and a tremendous street people problem which is something that both Tulsa Oklahoma and Oklahoma City does not have . Every County In Oklahoma Went Red In Both 2008 and 2012 Oklahoma is not and will not be Radical and Liberal like Portland for the next 100 Years At The Very Least.
Yeah, I am sure there is stereotyping on both sides, but Portland is a media darling and has an overwhelmingly positive stereotype while Tulsa has an extremely negative stereotype that screams "uncool" in every way possible. Hence the overwhelming Portland praising and Tulsa bashing in this thread.
That is what makes both unrealistic to me. Too much exaggeration on both sides.
However Austin and Portland are solid blue and hip with Portland having a very large hippie hangover from the 1960 - 1990 era and a tremendous street people problem which is something that both Tulsa Oklahoma and Oklahoma City does not have . Every County In Oklahoma Went Red In Both 2008 and 2012 Oklahoma is not and will not be Radical and Liberal like Portland for the next 100 Years At The Very Least.
This is probably the largest reason cities like Tulsa have such a negative national reputation especially with young people. Voting red is about as "uncool" as you can get in 2012.
That says, you can still find pockets of cool even in an uncool place.
I would say that Spokane Washington is a smaller scale Portland Oregon for the over 30 years old set. Spokane offer everything but hippies locked into a time warp and crowds of homeless travelers ....
Portland Metro is 1/2 Million Larger Than Austin Texas.........
Right -- my bad transcription. But Austin City is still larger than Portland city.
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Spokane Washington A Smaller Scale Portland Oregon
