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Portland, OR - Dislike it here. Been here close to two years. Born and raised in the DC area, then lived in Michigan and Chicago for 5 years before moving to Oregon.
Pros:
-Solid music scene
-Surroundings areas are beautiful. Ocean and mountains right here. Columbia River Gorge.
-My hobbies of hiking, photography, skiing, running all fit in perfect here.
-Amazing coffee.
-Amazing food.
-Extremely walkable city. One of the best walking cities IMO
-Great public transit (when there isn't a screaming druggie on it-has happened twice for me).
-Surprising, Soccer games are fun. I was anti soccer when I arrived but got dragged to a Timbers game. Timbers Army is a ridiculously good time.
-Safe city. Though I never had any issues in Chicago or DC either.
Cons:
-I can't handle the weather. It is literally gray/rain 9 months of the year. It is exhausting.
-COL is insane. Rents and housing are sky high and not getting better.
-Beer is honestly overhyped. It is good, don't get me wrong but I much prefer the Chicago or San Diego beers. Much of the beer here tastes the same.
-Homeless tents everywhere. By far the worst homeless problem I have seen.
-Lack of diversity. Coming from a town outside DC that was ranked into the top 5 for diversity to this was a culture shock.
-Politics. Even as a liberal independent the extreme politics out here can be frustrating. Many of the people are not tolerant to even the slightest opposing view.
Overall, though I love the surrounding areas, the COL and weather will ultimately drive me out of here.
Don't get me wrong, there are some hot days, but the duration isn't as long ,both as far as season and lenght of time during the day.
It isn't even close. DC gets frequent breaks both in temperature and humidity. Florida is a wall of oppressive, moisture-soaked air around the clock from June to some time in October; even longer (and worse) if you have the unfortunate luck to live in South FL.
- My suburb is beautiful - green, clean, great schools, amenities, lakes, very affordable when compared to other cities
- Access to a big city and everything that goes with it - shopping, restaurants, entertainment options
- Big airport. I fly a lot, so that's a critical requirement
- Galveston when I feel like it
- Having moved from Chicago, I love it that I can go on walks near the lake by my house, in t-shirt, in November, December
Cons
- Not much access to the type of nature of my liking (I love Phoenix/LV type outdoors)
- The summer doesn't really bother me much but it is quite hot and limits time outside
- No real major natural attractions in driving distance
But overall, I love Houston!
(I've checked out Dallas/FW and almost moved there, but after checking out the various 'burbs of DFW, I will say this: The nicer Houston suburbs beat DFW hands-down in greenery. I prefer H-town to DFW)
It isn't even close. DC gets frequent breaks both in temperature and humidity. Florida is a wall of oppressive, moisture-soaked air around the clock from June to some time in October; even longer (and worse) if you have the unfortunate luck to live in South FL.
Having lived with both, you are totally correct.
Me: Richmond Virginia. Moved here from Boston. Love it, never plan to leave. Richmond is the next Austin, and its awesome to live in the middle of it while its happening.
If this means that insufferable liberals are finally starting to leave Austin, it might be a good time for me to move in
You might be surprised at how many older, conservative folks, retirees and inner suburbanites, are having to sell and leave thanks to property taxes and lack of transportation options.
And conservatives and liberals share more concerns than they sometimes think. Call me an insufferable independent.
Pros: very nice, friendly people, very clean, this particular town is extremely cute and quaint with a late 1800s-era downtown with a riverfront, shops and dining, and is extremely safe.
Also, low COL, traffic...what's that?, nice housing stock that is actually affordable, major league sports teams with large and loyal followings, Metro Detroit...yep, that's right, Detroit is making a huge and exciting comeback right now and it's fun to see it unfold. The University of Michigan...Go Blue!, the Great Lakes encircling the entire state, all kinds of opportunities for outdoor sporting activities, gorgeous scenery in many parts of the state with so much lush greenery, and unbeatable weather from April through October, sometimes November.
Cons: January through March...that's pretty much it for me. Winter weather in December doesn't bother me because I grew up with white Christmases and I think it makes it much more festive and fun, but January through March are tough due to being cold and often times cloudy.
We own a condo on the ocean in a southern state that we spend a few weeks a year at now but in a few years we will be snowbirds and spend the dreaded January-March down there and then I won't have any complaints about my beautiful adopted state whatsoever.
Count me in the "love it" category. Lived in Colorado from age 10 'til age 25. At that point I hated it and wanted out. So I moved to Dallas.
Lived in DFW for 12 years before getting tired of the sprawl, how hot it is from June-September, and how bloody ugly and bland the countryside is in that part of the country.
Moved back to Colorado almost 6 years ago and wish I'd done it sooner. Living in Texas gave me a big appreciation for how much better my quality of life is here.
Pros: very nice, friendly people, very clean, this particular town is extremely cute and quaint with a late 1800s-era downtown with a riverfront, shops and dining, and is extremely safe.
Also, low COL, traffic...what's that?, nice housing stock that is actually affordable, major league sports teams with large and loyal followings, Metro Detroit...yep, that's right, Detroit is making a huge and exciting comeback right now and it's fun to see it unfold. The University of Michigan...Go Blue!, the Great Lakes encircling the entire state, all kinds of opportunities for outdoor sporting activities, gorgeous scenery in many parts of the state with so much lush greenery, and unbeatable weather from April through October, sometimes November.
Cons: January through March...that's pretty much it for me. Winter weather in December doesn't bother me because I grew up with white Christmases and I think it makes it much more festive and fun, but January through March are tough due to being cold and often times cloudy.
We own a condo on the ocean in a southern state that we spend a few weeks a year at now but in a few years we will be snowbirds and spend the dreaded January-March down there and then I won't have any complaints about my beautiful adopted state whatsoever.
I've always wanted to live in Ann Arbor. Doubt it will ever happen, but yeah. And I've never even been to Michigan. Seems irrational I know.
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