Move to Oregon (Portland, Eugene, or Corvallis) from Seattle? (Beaverton: live in, hire)

[Hawk J]

Howdy Illyrianmoon

When our four younguns were toddlers we took them for swimming lessons at the YMCA. My honey also took a Jazzercize class...

[Larry Caldwell]

You will find that people in Oregon don't "neighbor" like folks in the midwest. You will find the social environment in Oregon almost identical to the social environment in Washington, with minor differences.

Working from home you are not going to find friends at work. People in Oregon find friends through mutual interest groups, like ski clubs, hiking clubs, square dance or ballroom dance clubs, astronomical societies, mycological societies, volunteer work at animal shelters, homeless shelters, food banks, libraries, etc. Having an active social life in the PNW depends on getting out there and doing stuff. You will pick up friends on the way. I have a friend who writes romances, so she holds a weekly writer's workshop at a local coffee house. Everybody brings their laptops and writes. It breaks up the solitude of working from home.

Oregon might be a bit cheaper place to live, but I'm not sure it would justify the expense and hassle of a move. You might try applying PNW social strategies to your current location. Things might get better.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

In the greater Portland area there are two small towns with colleges: McMinnville (Linfield College) and Forest Grove (George Fox) however I don't think they have the vibe you are seeking.

Close. George Fox is in Newberg. Pacific University is in Forest Grove. Linfield, as you note, is in McMinnville. George Fox is a Quaker college. If you have ever been around the Society of Friends, they have a very interesting vibe.

[Illyrianmoon]

Thanks again, everyone, for the feedback. I really appreciate the suggestions and I'm noting them all.

Hawk, my parents took us to swim lessons at the "Y" too. Must have been a good, affordable option. Maybe it still is!

Larry, I have some experience with Quakers, although not much. Where we came from, the college was actually Mennonite. I was surprised to find that liberal Mennonites (yes, they do exist!) are among the most peaceful, accepting, and inclusive people I've ever known. As someone who was raised in a fire-and-brimstone church that scared me away at an early age, it was both humbling and lovely to meet such people, even though I came and left as a non-religious person.

[Nell Plotts]

It is hard for me to compare the start-up mentalities of Seattle vs Portland. My gut says that Seattle programmers are very Microsoft focused. Portland was actually the natal site of forensic software and for several years the FBI stationed their experts here. Search "FIOS" as an example of this skill-set. Portland professionals also were the early developers of computer driven graphics.

In Seattle CRAY is moving away from chip-sets (hardware focus) to data management.

To survive technology companies must re-invent themselves every 5-10 years least they die. While working for a start-up seems attractive my information is that it is a lot of fun for a while but in short time it is a grind. The key is to find a firm that has a proven product that is continually adapted for a changing environment. The same could be said for programmers which is why I think that you should be in a community with a critical mass of like-minded peers.

FWIW there are software professionals in Portland who work in a corporate environment during the day but develop apps in the evening and weekends. They make more money from their apps than their day jobs. To do that sometimes takes partnering with a graphic programmer.

Take my comments with a grain of salt as I am in my 70s, born to soon to play in high tech. My daughter works for a VC in the Silicon Valley. While she can't really share anything I do hear with a 'third ear' about her world and the people who work in it. Think strategically, you are a business even when you work for someone else.

... on another subject. The Mid Willamette Valley (think around Albany) there is a large community of Mennonites. They even have a continuing care community that is well regarded. The young men have the reputation of sowing their oats for a few years before settling down and conforming to their community values. IMHO a very sensible approach to the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

[Illyrianmoon]

Thanks for another great reply, Nell. I find your words insightful and wise. I have to agree with you about Seattle and Microsoft, and also about startups. My husband and I have found a whole different brand of technologists here vs where we came from. In our previous county, there were virtually no corporate tech employers. If you were a technical person, you worked for a startup, one of the RV manufacturers in the area, or for a university or school system. Here, it's Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Wizards of the Coast, etc. I'm sure there are startups around, but we don't find a lot of people who work for them. That is neither good nor bad, but it does create a different vibe.

The problem you mentioned with startups happens a lot. Still, my husband works for a company that was started by a friend of his, and I work remotely for the company (an internet-based distributor of boat parts) that I worked for in Indiana. This allows us both to be home with our daughter while she is young, a gig that neither of us is willing to give up right now. I am also working on an advanced degree part-time, which I hope will give me a choice of corporate (or mid-sized company) jobs when our daughter is school-aged.

That's very interesting about Willamette Valley and the Mennonite community. Where we came from, you had the progressive Mennonites in the city, the more conservative ones on the outskirts, and then the Amish communities out in the farmlands. It's an interesting spectrum to experience, but one I gained a certain respect for as an "outsider". The bakeries around there were amazing.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

It is hard for me to compare the start-up mentalities of Seattle vs Portland. My gut says that Seattle programmers are very Microsoft focused.

Portland is very much at the fore front of the open source movement. Microsoft has an office in the Pearl, but they're a minor player in the PDX tech world.

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Portland was actually the natal site of forensic software and for several years the FBI stationed their experts here.

And the NSA had a small, very competent group of people here in the PDX area in the 90's.

[Blue_Tulip]

I don't know if you've moved yet, or what you decided to do, but I'd like to chime in. If this reply is too late for you, perhaps, perhaps it will help someone else down the road.

I was raised for the last 6 years of my childhood in the Seattle area, and my parents still reside there. I met my husband, got married and had both of our children in Oregon before moving to Northern California 7 years ago. I lived in Oregon for 12 years. My husband was born and raised in Corvallis. We lived in the Portland area, Corvallis area, Salem area, etc. I know the entire region well.

I completely and totally know what you mean by the "feeling" in Seattle area. I tried so hard to like that area...as a teenager...as a young adult...and even now. But every time I go back there to visit, I get that feeling again.

Corvallis sounds very much like a place you would enjoy, and NO, it is not like Seattle in the way that it feels. I would say parts of Portland can have that feeling a little bit, but not much. Not like Seattle. Portland, in my opinion, is just much more different in the 'vibe' you get there.

Corvallis is an awesome town. Very liberal, yet down to earth people. You can get a lot of house/land for your money, and the schools are wonderful. There is something about the town that just has a high level of interest in education in general.

We are actually in the process of preparing to move back to Oregon in 8 months. We were considering Portland area, but are now thinking maybe Corvallis instead. We love it so much. One of the main reasons we're moving back is to be closer to my aging parents. We tossed around moving towards Seattle to be really close to them, but just can't. There are wonderful people there, and much of the scenery is gorgeous. But I just can't live there because of that 'vibe' you described. It just does not sit well with me.

Just wanted to chime in because I don't often hear people talk about the same sorts of things I've noticed about Seattle area, and be interested in a place I know a bit about(Corvallis). Feel free to PM me or ask any questions...as I said, my husband was born and raised there and he has a lot of family still in that area. We know it well.

[doneit]

Just a quick note. I have lived in Seattle, Portland, and now for 10 years have lived and enjoyed Southern Oregon and all that it has to offer. Snow in the mountains, lakes abound, and beautiful hiking country. Yes, there are great colleges. My kids and grand kids love it here also and they have traveled being in the service.
If you need any information about the area, I can help. Happy searching

[Janadoo]

South of Spokane is Pullman, home to Washington State University cougars. World class face to face. Pac 10 football in the fall and the Lentil Festival the weekend before school starts. Nice small town, little crime, public schools are top notch, college prep quality.