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I would say that Burlington, Vermont would be your best bet. It's of course much smaller than Portland but carries a similar vibe, although the winter weather will be quite a bit to get used to.
What, exactly, is the winter weather? When my sister went there, I just remember a really (really really really really) short summer, mud seasons (spring and fall) and a long winter.
Also, I've heard it is difficult to break into the community there as an outsider.
Last, is it too much of a college town? We currently live in Charlottesville, the home of UVA -- University of Virginia, and if you don't love UVA then you don't belong.
Have you looked into Portland, Maine? It's actually a very picturesque city along the southern coast of the state, which makes its winters more mild than the rest of New England. Providence, RI also comes to my mind, as does Burlington, VT. I can't think of anywhere in Upstate NY, NJ, or PA that come close, other than perhaps Rochester. The South will obviously not offer what you are looking for.
Yeah -- we're finding that -- why is that? I feel like with the whole "southern hospitality" we should find some place . . . but we just aren't.
Have you considered Long Island (New York)? It has a climate similar to Portland, I believe (Zone 7, with winters milder than anything further north/New England); surrounded by water (hence the milder climate); and within an hour of the culture of NY City.
Also, the slugs are less numerous and much smaller than in the Pacific Northwest.
three still, we sure have alot of those places on the east coast.
Key West
Portland Maine
Portsmouth NH
Burlington Vermont
Annapolis MD
Brattleboro Vt
Northhampton Mass
are just some of them. I lived in portland oregon and while I can agree with some of what you say--I loved Hawthorne, Sellwood, Northwest 23rd, Natures Stores, Laurelhurst, KBOO. People were not all that nice, i guess because we were middle class out there and Interracial so they were not nice to me because of my color(i am guessing because they were not that nice). I had the N word yelled at me more time in one year than my whole life growing up in the South.
Also try Austin
DC
Alexandria VA
Columbia MD
Philadelphia Pa
Santa Fe New Mexico and Boulder Co and Minneapolis MN
three still, we sure have alot of those places on the east coast.
Key West
Portland Maine
Portsmouth NH
Burlington Vermont
Annapolis MD
Brattleboro Vt
Northhampton Mass
Austin
DC
Alexandria VA
Columbia MD
Philadelphia Pa
Santa Fe New Mexico and Boulder Co and Minneapolis MN
Honestly, the lack of diversity was one thing that we weren't very fond of in Portland. You do bring back a lot of memories with the mention of those parts of Portland
I really appreciate the other suggestions that aren't just on the East Coast.
Have you considered Long Island (New York)?Also, the slugs are less numerous and much smaller than in the Pacific Northwest.
Who doesn't love the banana slugs? Hmmm . . . I'm originally from Cape Cod, MA, so thinking about becoming a Long Islander is something that I've never really thought about . What about cost of living there? I know that in Portland, when we left two years ago, housing was going crazy, and I imagine the same thing is/was going on in New York, especially with the proximity to the city. Can a teacher and an IT person with no contacts afford to live on Long Island?
It is still not clear to me just what elements of Portland you are trying to capture. I would certainly suggest visiting the places that interest you instead of taking the word of a bunch of us on city-data before packing up and moving.
Quote:
We currently live in Charlottesville, VA because people had informed us that it was like Portland -- I don't think they could have been more wrong.
If you are looking for a similar green-vibe, with environmentally-minded people who are liberal and like the outdoors (that is what I think of when I think of Portland) I think Burlington, VT would be close. Again, the weather is different and the mountains are not as big, but it is similar.
Another option might be Asheville, NC. It's smaller but again a similar vibe. The weather is a little milder. It's the south but not as conservative as places like Charlottesville.
The people that I work with from Portland tell me that Pittsburgh has a lot of similarities: rivers, a lot of green hills, cloudy, similar size, lots of neighborhoods, light rail transit, compact walkable downtown, a bit gritty, similar mix of blue collar/white collar, access to the outdoor life, struggling with relative isolation and slowish economy.
I would guess the differences are : Portland has warmer winters, a more progressive outlook in some respects, less diversity, fewer professional sports venues . Pittsburgh has larger Universities and is a large banking center. I guess maybe we have one or two fortune 500 companies left, Portland might not have any(?)
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It's actually a very picturesque city along the southern coast of the state, which makes its winters more mild than the rest of New England. Providence, RI also comes to my mind, as does Burlington, VT. I can't think of anywhere in Upstate NY, NJ, or PA that come close, other than perhaps Rochester. The South will obviously not offer what you are looking for.
. What about cost of living there? I know that in Portland, when we left two years ago, housing was going crazy, and I imagine the same thing is/was going on in New York, especially with the proximity to the city. Can a teacher and an IT person with no contacts afford to live on Long Island?
