~Summarize Portland~ (rent, home, pros and cons)

[btheferrett]

Coming from Dallas, having lived all over Texas and SoCal, I would like to give the observations I have had. Having only been here 4 weeks, this is based on very little experience, but the immediately noticeable differences:
1. The biggest culture shock is very little cultural diversity. Considering where I have lived for 42 years, I am not used to being in the majority (I'm "white" whatever the hell that means). There are a few hispanics, and hardly any blacks. My husband (black) has to travel to the other side of the metro area just for a hair cut. The so-called rap station is actually a party station which also includes dance music, not the traditional rap station I am used to. No "black" night clubs either that I have found. That is honestly a huge culture shock
2. The streets are not very planned out....in fact it appears there is very little urban planning at all. I do understand why. It seems that goal #1 around here is maintaining the greenery, which it should be. But when you come from Dallas where every street is like 4 lanes on each side with huge medians and protected turns everywhere, the layout of the streets is very unusual
3. People in general are V E R Y S S S S L L L O O O W W W at everything. Drive slowly, speak slowly, think slowly. Just not in much of a time crunch for anything. This truly drives me nuts. However, on the positive side, it makes me look like I am extremely organized and really have my **** together, comparitively.
4. In relation to that, school is very easy for my kids. Very easy here compared to the Texas schools. However, schools here are at least better than Cali!
5. There are no Walmarts!!!! OMG, who knew this would have such a negative effect. I had no idea how dependent I was on Wally-world. The nearest one is like 11 miles away, so I have only been once.
6. The coast is to die for. Just went this weekend. Coming from Dallas, anything is prettier, but the scenery here even rivals Cali.
7. True that, what everyone mentioned about all the cyclists and cycling lanes. I work as a claims adjuster and the amount of claims involving cyclists is astounding.

Good luck! I have enjoyed myself so far. The only thing that would get me to move (aside from family in Texas) would be the #1 above. Everything else I can deal with.

[puerco]

[quote=btheferrett;159008781. The biggest culture shock is very little cultural diversity. Considering where I have lived for 42 years, I am not used to being in the majority (I'm "white" whatever the hell that means). There are a few hispanics, and hardly any blacks. My husband (black) has to travel to the other side of the metro area just for a hair cut. The so-called rap station is actually a party station which also includes dance music, not the traditional rap station I am used to. No "black" night clubs either that I have found. That is honestly a huge culture shock
[/quote]

You were just born to late, btheferrett. Portland in the 40s, 50s & 60s had a thriving AfricanAmerican neighborhood scene with plenty of clubs & places to eat good soul food. This is from Wikipedia:
The Cotton Club was a nightclub located in North Portland, Oregon. Located at 2125 N. Vancouver Avenue (and N. Tillamook Street), the club gained regional (and a bit of national) fame in the 1960s as the "only nightclub on the West Coast with wall-to-wall soul." Celebrities such as Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis, Jr., Cass Elliot, the Kingston Trio, Joe Louis, and Archie Moore would visit the nightclub when they were in town.
Paul Knauls moved to Portland, Oregon in 1963 in order to purchase the club. It was located in a neighborhood where African-Americans settled after Vanport was destroyed by flooding in 1948 and Interstate 5 and the Memorial Coliseum uprooted a number of black-owned business. By the 1960s, it was part of a thriving area that include the Blue Ribbon Barbecue, Lew’s Men’s Shop, and the House of Fortune Cafe.
(Vanport was an integrated city built between Portland & Vancouver to house workers at the shipyards during WW2. It was destroyed in a 1948 flood.)
I was a child in the 50s & a teenager in the 60s so didn't get a chance to see most of those places. By the 70s many of them were going out of business.
I DID run into Cass Elliot (Mama Cass from the Mamas & Papas) in the elevator of my dentist's downtown building one time. Didn't realize she was part of Portland's music scene, tho.

[Yankeemama]

Thank you for posting that info., Puerco. I have doing some reading on the African American experience in Portland and in Seattle during the last century. Portland isn's as diverse as many Other West coast cities but in some areas away from the trendy areas, it feels as diverse as Seattle or the Bay Area.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Sometimes I find it amazing that people that want to move here are mainly concerned about trees and parks and rain and fuzzy warm feelings, and don't even bother doing a little research on the history that shaped this city.
This is a general comment BTW, not directed at anybody.

[puerco]

Yankeemama, from the age of 11-13 my family lived on NE 11th & Shaver before we moved to a larger house on NE 16th & Stanton. The area around 11th & Shaver was about 50-50 white & black with many European and Asian immigrant families also. It was very diverse & being the 60s living there had a huge influence on my attitudes towards race. (I despise racism.)
There were still lots of black-owned businesses on Union & Williams. A couple of theaters in the neighborhood, restaurants, a CANDY store!, bowling alley, etc... There was a great record store (ala the original "Hairspray") called Bop City. I found a lot of great music there as an older teenager.
If you haven't visited these sites, Yankeemama, check out Vintage Portland & Lost Oregon.

[TygrrEyzz]

Trees, parks, the beauty of the surrounding area, as well as the general personality and vibe a city gives off is a HUGE reason for me wanting to move to Portland. I guess maybe those are my childish, romantic ways, but it's called following your heart. So far it's got me in a pretty good place! I DO respect what you mean about wanting to know the history of the place, of course. And I am very big on research, which is why I get on this Forum quite frequently. Who better to tell you about the city than all the different kinds of people that are living there? Oh yeah, school is a huge factor. Portland is the only city in OR with the accredited program that I need... oh yeah, and did I meantion how fuzzy and warm I get just thinking about it? lol.

[Urbanlover85]

Portland is a great city. It really is. But I would also like to warn you
to not be lured by the "Portland Mystique". Portland has a reputation for being some sort of green, liberal "utopia" where everybody is happy and healthy and organic and spiritual (but certainly not religious) and active and environmentally aware. And honestly, we largely are. But don't move here thinking that Portland will "do" something for you. Because it won't. I really believe that Portlands outstanding reputation leaves many people underwhelmed when they move here. If you live anywhere near downtown, you'll need to prepare yourself for, what I call, the "Portland characters". Portland characters include the trust fund "homeless" kids who think it's fun to live on the street and beg for money for weed, the legitimately homeless folks whose substance abuse problems have left them on the street, the hipsters who are too cool for school, the activists, the drag queens, the hairy
women, etc etc etc. It's sooooooo cool to be uncool here. It can definitely be a culture shock for some. I know it was for me when I first moved here. I've traveled all over the world and I've gotta say, there's no place quite like Portland. And, overall, I'd say that's a good thing.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by puerco

Yankeemama, from the age of 11-13 my family lived on NE 11th & Shaver before we moved to a larger house on NE 16th & Stanton. The area around 11th & Shaver was about 50-50 white & black with many European and Asian immigrant families also. It was very diverse & being the 60s living there had a huge influence on my attitudes towards race. (I despise racism.)
There were still lots of black-owned businesses on Union & Williams. A couple of theaters in the neighborhood, restaurants, a CANDY store!, bowling alley, etc... There was a great record store (ala the original "Hairspray") called Bop City. I found a lot of great music there as an older teenager.
If you haven't visited these sites, Yankeemama, check out Vintage Portland & Lost Oregon.

I really love the neighborhood that you grew up in and I think that is the street I take dance classes on. Shaver, I believe. I have read about the thriving African American neighborhood that grew after the Vanport flood. Portland has an ugly history with racism as does most American cities. I am very interested in Portland's history and it's architecture. I have been also reading a bit about Seattle and Tacoma, WA's positive history in regards to the treatment of Asian Americans and African Americans during the 20th century. Anyways, thanks for the info. I plan on checking out Vintage Portland and Lost Oregon. I hope you are still loving my home town. You seem like you fit right in. San Francisco has overcome a pretty racist past itself, and it is truly a welcoming city to every ethnicity and race, gender, sexual orientation. It is just so darn expensive now. It was very different only 20-30 years ago. It is beautiful though and a special place. I am glad that we switched places. I truly feel at home in the Pac NW as I am sure you feel perfectly comfortable in The Bay Area.

[puerco]

OPB once did a show on the history of African Americans in Portland. One thing that struck me was that after the war & the destruction of Vanport business leaders got together & made a conscious effort to provide decent-paying jobs to African Americans to avoid some of the problems associated with poverty. How well it worked, I don't know. But I knew A.A. families that were doing pretty well. I also knew some very poor ones.
Yes, I love living in your hometown. I was planning on walking to the beach & back today but it's raining so I think I'll stay in and watch an old movie instead.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by TygrrEyzz

Hmm... meat from a cart? Yeeahh... you can't pay me to eat that stuff, so no worries there. Who knows what's in it. Organic is what I want, baby! That's the great thing about the West Coast, organic seems to be huge out there. Is it fair to assume that it is so in Portland? It isn't so much here in the Midwest and it's one of the things that I can't stand about where I live.

Don't knock the Food Carts. There are several blogs dedicated to the Food Cart scene in PDX, Food Carts Portland is the best.

As you read through the reviews, pay attention to how many of them are owned by people who were Chefs at big name places. And how many of them are 100% Organic. Most have vegan or vegetarian options (even the BBQ places,) and the variety in one block makes a mockery out of any mall food court.