Culture Shock? Portland, OR to Cambridge, MD (Baltimore, Waldorf: houses, movies)

[TomatoPurl]

Sorry ahead of time for the lengthy post!

My husband has a potential job offer at Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge. If the funding works out, it won't be a question of whether or not to move there, we will be moving there.

I am born and raised in Portland, Oregon and went to college in Los Angeles. I have never been to the east coast at all. I love the west coast but married a guy from Milwaukee, Wisconsin knowing that when he finished his PhD, that we would have to move wherever he found a job. He has been to visit Cambridge, but I have not. He seems to think that it will be a huge culture shock to me. Since I haven't been anywhere on the east coast I have no frame of reference (except for movies!).

I have a lot of anxiety about moving anywhere completely new and starting over, but Cambridge is about as far away from home as we could possibly go. We are in our early 30's with a 2 year old daughter. We (or at least I) probably fit a lot of Portland (have you seen Portlandia) stereotypes. Very into eating organic, farmer's markets, gardening, doing outdoor activities like camping and hiking, yoga, coffee, thrift shops/vintage stores and Waldorf/Montessori education for our daughter. I work full-time now, but when we move I will probably stay at home, since we would like to have more kids. I worry that I won't find a niche of people or other moms so I don't feel isolated and alone. All of my family is in Oregon. I guess some of my questions are:

- Are people generally friendly or are they more vocal, in your face? My husband thinks west coast people are not friendly, but I guess it's a matter of what you are used to. I am a pretty laid-back, reserved person. Are people going to think I am rude or stuck-up?

- Where should we live? In town, or find a place further out? We will probably rent. I don't want my husband to have to commute very far, and we would like to have a garden wherever we live. I have read a lot of negative things on the posts here, with a few people speaking up that its a nice place to live, but most everyone talks about the crime, poverty and lack of economic development. In that respect, would it be better to find a place outside of town to raise a family? I was kind of put off by the sex-offender map of Cambridge in comparison to the area we live now.

- It seems that Delmarva still has a lot of agriculture. Are there decent farmer's markets or health food stores we you can access local and/or organic produce, hormone-free meats/poultry? What are our food shopping options?

- Natural disasters. In light of hurricane Sandy, I am definitely concerned. I actually work in emergency management for the State of Oregon, but obviously we are not a hurricane-prone area. What was the damage and flooding like in Cambridge, since that is on the western side of the peninsula? I am familiar with riverine flooding, but not storm surges and hurricane winds. Gosh, we don't even get run of the mill thunder storms out here! Obviously, I plan to be prepared as possible or evacuate, but I don't even want to move to an area that is known for flooding, but that may be hard to avoid since there is doesn't seem to be much elevation change on the peninsula. What about power outages? Are those common during storms?

- What about summertime? We don't have humidity in Oregon. I went to Wisconsin once in July and absolutely hated it. I am used to summer being the time to be outside all of the time, doing outdoor activities, enjoying your garden, eating outside. My husband said that when its hot and humid you just stay inside. This summer the record high temps on the east coast were in the news a lot. I think we got maybe 5 days of summer that were over 90 degrees in Oregon. It sounds miserable to me. What do you do in the summertime?

- What about mosquitos or other bugs? I am not a bug person at all. My husband says that there virtually no bugs in Oregon compared to anything east of the Rockies.

Since I don't really have a choice in the matter as far as pros and cons of moving here, what are some pros that I can look forward to, or what advice can you give to help me make the most of our time here. Thanks!

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by TomatoPurl

Since I don't really have a choice in the matter...
what advice can you give to help me make the most of our time here.

Try to keep this stop on the roadtrip of your life a brief one.

meanwhile... read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Swim.../dp/0316923354

and then this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Chesapeake-Nov...ref=pd_sim_b_3

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Horn Point is really neat, and what they do there is very valuable. However the town of Cambridge and the eastern shore in general will leave you with a lot to be desired. I could not think of anywhere more different than Portland to be moving to. There is some organic and farm to table stuff there but not much, most farms are under the control of Big Chicken - thus most corn grown there goes to feed the chickens that are produced there.

Cambridge is very much in "the south" - politically, it could not be more different than Portland. Humidity will upset you. Spring and Fall are nice.

However the area is very pretty and if you can "make your own fun" with outdoor activities like boating, hunting, hiking, etc - you might make it. I think you'll miss Portland a whole lot, though.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Try to keep this stop on the roadtrip of your life a brief one.

meanwhile... read this book:
Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay: William W. Warner, Consuelo Hanks, John Barth: 9780316923354: Amazon.com: Books

and then this one:
Chesapeake: A Novel: James A. Michener: 9780812970432: Amazon.com: Books

Or maybe OP could open her mind to the experience of living in a very different place than where she grew up and see if she actually likes it or not. Many times we are what we are only because it is what we have experienced, not because it reflects our true inner nature.

A bit of advice, don't retreat inside your house all summer. Avoid the temptation to turn on the AC as long as possible, let your body acclimate to the heat and humidy slowly. It will be very hot and humid based on what you are what you have experienced in the past, but you will get used to it if you let yourself. If you crank up that AC on the first warm day of spring, you won't get used to the weather and May-Sept. will be unbearable. Also, there will be lots of bugs. Heat, water, humidy, is great for them. Again, rather than accept retreat away from your new natural environment, try to get used to it. Use bug spray to keep ticks and mosquitos away. Wear hats and sun glasses to keep gnats off your face. Bugs can be darned annoying, but don't let them ruin an otherwise good time.

The good news is that if you like the outdoors, there you are! The geography is flat and very water-centric. Rivers, the bay, swamps, etc. The Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland is very rural and farm based. It is very suited to outdoor recreation and you will have no problem finding great produce and farm goods very close to home.

It will be a transition for you. I will let folks from the ES tell you more about the people and the area. But, if you keep a good attitude and enjoy the area for what it is, you can enjoy your time there, even if it does turn out to be temporary.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

It will be a transition for you. I will let folks from the EC tell you more about the people and the area. But, if you keep a good attitude and enjoy the area for what it is, you can enjoy your time there, even if it does turn out to be temporary.

In spite of my concern, this is certainly true and good advice.

[North Beach Person]

Fitting in:
Rural people are generally friendly unless you start talking about how you did things so much better "back home", or complain about not having things you're used to like chic boutiques, Sri Lankan restaurants, hipster coffee bars, etc. (there are reasons why those things aren't there). Also, don't comment about how the natives are inbreds, brag about your education or complain about the houses (one of which you bought). Don't call the Sheriff if you see people in camoflauge clothing carrying shotguns with what look to be birds on long strings (those are called decoys) or whenever you hear a gunshot. In the farming areas don't complain about the smells, sounds and animals, most MD Counties have Right To Farm laws. Don't complain about how slow farm equipment goes.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Fitting in:
Rural people are generally friendly unless you start talking about how you did things so much better "back home", or complain about not having things you're used to like chic boutiques, Sri Lankan restaurants, hipster coffee bars, etc. (there are reasons why those things aren't there). Also, don't comment about how the natives are inbreds, brag about your education or complain about the houses (one of which you bought). Don't call the Sheriff if you see people in camoflauge clothing carrying shotguns with what look to be birds on long strings (those are called decoys) or whenever you hear a gunshot. In the farming areas don't complain about the smells, sounds and animals, most MD Counties have Right To Farm laws. Don't complain about how slow farm equipment goes.

All "golden rule" kind of stuff, really. Treat others with kindness and respect and you will receive it in return. It is important to understand that Maryland has a VERY strong urban/rural dictomy, and rural people get torn down alot with the kind of statements NPB mentioned. Many of us rural Marylanders have family roots that date back to colonial days and our communities are a like a part of ourselves. Comments about the area are normally taken personally, both good and bad.

[TomatoPurl]

All good advice, thank you. In my OP I did neglect to mention the things that I am looking forward to: a new adventure, learning more about the history of the east coast and being able to visit historical places, and the relative affordability of the area which will allow me to stay at home with my child(ren). I certainly carry a bias to what is familiar to me, but I think that everywhere holds its own unique beauty, whether it is an urban or rural place. Maybe that is the geographer in me.
The extreme weather and bugs will be something to come to terms with. We plan to do a lot of weekend warrior trips to other places on the east coast, so maybe it will be nice to have a quiet rural place to come home to.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by TomatoPurl

We plan to do a lot of weekend warrior trips to other places on the east coast, so maybe it will be nice to have a quiet rural place to come home to.

yes it will. Cambridge is a nice location for that.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Fitting in:
Rural people are generally friendly unless you start talking about how you did things so much better "back home", or complain about not having things you're used to like chic boutiques, Sri Lankan restaurants, hipster coffee bars, etc. (there are reasons why those things aren't there). Also, don't comment about how the natives are inbreds, brag about your education or complain about the houses (one of which you bought). Don't call the Sheriff if you see people in camoflauge clothing carrying shotguns with what look to be birds on long strings (those are called decoys) or whenever you hear a gunshot. In the farming areas don't complain about the smells, sounds and animals, most MD Counties have Right To Farm laws. Don't complain about how slow farm equipment goes.

And please do NOT insisst that they say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. I live in Baltimore County even and many people here are offended when people say Happy Holidays. Also do not be bothered by the Confederate flag, or complain about food, or look down on Walmart, or lectrue people on how great Obama is. Most of Maryland is actaully quite rural and conservative. Its a shame our state government is run by the freak show known as Montgomery County.