Sadly, I must leave Oregon due lack of sunshine! (Portland: appointed, house)

[LittleBlackShihTzu]

Well..I've been here for 7 years and it finally got to me. This is by far the worst winter/spring I recall the past seven years. I used to tell visiting friends that I welcomed the rain because it kept Oregon from becoming California ...but I'm not laughing as much this season. But I am disappointed because if it wasn't for the darkness and damp, I'd likely stay. I have roots here. I'm happy in every other area. I LOVE it here when the sun is out. But, more than ever, I feel a distinct drop in energy and mood the moment I wake up to dreary skies. I don't recall it happening to me so easily as this year. I probably have that S.A.D. condition, I'm sure.

I spent a week in Austin visiting a friend in February. Austin weather was sunny and gorgeous and I felt a complete lift in mood and energy. When I returned to Portland, I went straight down again as I stepped into the chilly, dark air.

I LOVE this town. I love the people here. But the climate has become too much for me. I was telling a friend today that I feel like I've been cold and wet for 9 months....my house is wet....my car is wet....my bike is wet. Even my dog is wet. My dog has two rain coats, by the way...so we can have one dry one handy while the other one dries! I keep looking at my summer clothes and wonder if I'll ever wear them again! Oh...and did I mention what this weather does to one's appetite? Eating becomes an activity for sure!

I'm reading many posts about people leaving due to climate. I take some comfort in knowing I'm not alone...mainly because I thought maybe I just needed to buy a therapy light or try and get to Mexico every winter and deal with it. But the way things have been this season, I would have had to be gone all year! I literally cannot remember more than two days in a row of sun since last summer.

Sorry to vent, everyone, but well...as I'm typing this, I'm hearing the weather guy say we "might see a short break in the rain on Monday". And...well..today is Wednesday! Need I say more???

Oregon..I'll miss you!! (But not as much from November through June)!

[RockyMtnr]

Just to give you a quick-fix of different perspective:
New here. Just moved in a couple of months ago.
Came from 40 below, chipping ice and blowing thigh-deep snow almost every day ... for the 4 months previous.
Your Oregon winter that you say is dragging on you is still like summer to me.
Just a quick shot there. Good luck.
Believe it was snowing in Texas the other day.

[nocoldiron]

My husband use to do happy war dances in front of the TV when the weather was nasty back home but the rain/gloom has gotten to him also.We miss lightning storms,winter sunshine,sitting outside on a warm summer night.We have been here 5 years,will have to check back with you (RockyMtnr) after you have been here for years.The ability to stand Oregon wet winter weather seems to wear thin after years.We look forward to leaving Oregon in several years-he hates the rain.Lovely state but we need our solar batteries recharged.

[kukla1]

Is eastern Oregon drier? We too enjoy sitting outside on summr nights, and we love that winter sunshine.

[nocoldiron]

One side is subtropical but has 8 months of limited sun,the other side desert,and a very tall mountain range divides them.Extremes.Look at a map of Oregon,look at the south east side of the state and try to find cities.That should tell you something.

[furyu]

I can't imagine ever becoming tired of the Northwest coastal climate. For seventeen long years I lived in the SoCal area, seven of those within two miles of the coast. The sparsity of rain and the monotony of sun and heat were nearly unbearable at times. The environment and the culture/society the climate has spawned is artificial, phony.

I do understand how rain and dreary weather can wear on people. I personally do not feel that way, but I do understand its affects on others.

Throughout the day yesterday and during the night, numerous 'squalls' of rain and even hail passed over us. It was warm and cozy inside our home. The storms are at times exciting. The nicest surprise about living in this area is how rarely the electricity goes out. We had outage after outage in SoCal --for no apparent reasons -- but here, in four years, we've only had two outages, storm related, and even they were minor.

Spring is here and summer will soon be upon us. For at least four or five months we'll have absolutely beautiful weather: fog in the early morning which burns off to sun and warmth throughout the day and into the long summer nights. We comfortably sit out on our deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean until 8 or 9 p.m. The Brookings area has a microclimate, often called "The Banana Belt," and our weather is usually warmer and drier than other coastal areas.

I love living here!

[LittleBlackShihTzu]

Originally Posted by RockyMtnr

Just to give you a quick-fix of different perspective:
New here. Just moved in a couple of months ago.
Came from 40 below, chipping ice and blowing thigh-deep snow almost every day ... for the 4 months previous.
Your Oregon winter that you say is dragging on you is still like summer to me.
Just a quick shot there. Good luck.
Believe it was snowing in Texas the other day.

certainly can have crazy weather..but it is all about the big picture. Look up any weather website and you'll see that Oregon's dark days are in the three digits...whereas Texas is double digits. (Cannot remember exact numbers!)

I think for me it is more about darkness than the rain itself. So....it could be 80 degrees here and dry...but if it isn't sunny, I feel a shift in my physical energy and mood.

But..I loved it here so much when I first arrived, that I didn't care about the dark. Maybe because it was so different than what I was accustomed to in Dallas. Anyway...I think some people, like myself, have their limits and I've hit mine.

If you can handle it, more power to you. I envy you!!!

Have a great day

[RockyMtnr]

Originally Posted by LittleBlackShihTzu

certainly can have crazy weather..but it is all about the big picture. Look up any weather website and you'll see that Oregon's dark days are in the three digits...whereas Texas is double digits. (Cannot remember exact numbers!)

I think for me it is more about darkness than the rain itself. So....it could be 80 degrees here and dry...but if it isn't sunny, I feel a shift in my physical energy and mood.

But..I loved it here so much when I first arrived, that I didn't care about the dark. Maybe because it was so different than what I was accustomed to in Dallas. Anyway...I think some people, like myself, have their limits and I've hit mine.

If you can handle it, more power to you. I envy you!!!
Have a great day

Actually, I live at the coast - and I hear that's where all the folks in the cities come to get some sun in winter. Guess we have more of it than y'all. Pretty easy weather-forecasting here, I notice. Just predict rain and if it doesn't you're a hero!
I've lived in Texas some. Might want to stay in America. Might not. They're a little short on Oceans over much of the state.
My problem here will probably be water-temp. I love to swim natural waters - I'm thinking it's not gonna be too warm at any waterfront here.

Have a great day[/quote]

[lilypad]

I hear you LittleBlack! I also lived in Portland 7 years, have family and ties there, but just could not take the constant cold and drizzle. The summers are beautiful though. So in my distant memory I remembered Texas had a lot of sunshine growing up. Am SO glad I moved back where the sun always shines! Actually we did have snow last weekend, but it moves on quickly and sunshine back out quickly. I do get up to Portland every summer for a visit, and miss it greatly.

Best of luck in your move to the Land of Sunshine!

[Pippa]

I'm with ya little black. I am from the northwest but after living in many other places where there is more sun and then returning here for three years, I am beyond ready to go.
I prefer any kind of extreme weather. I'm also super energetic and friendly and boy, I feel like a cheerleader here...that part is draining. LOTS of depressed people around even if you're not.
So I will miss the greenery and the good transport and all the healthy food spots but to live 3/4 of your life under a dark cloud? Nahhhh. I'd take the cheeseball plastic fantastic lifestyle that seems to reign in sunny climates over this now.
CAN I GET A RIDE???
All the best!