What was Portland like in the eighties? (Milwaukie: transplants, living)

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Bay Area Hillbilly

Obviously the gentrified area was much less in scope. That made it more affordable. However, the downside was greater prevalence of gang bangers, etc.

True, but they never bothered me so I didn't bother them. They really weren't all that prevalent. And there were no drive by shootings.

You could always find a cop on a Saturday night; they were next door doing a drug bust.

[Larry Caldwell]

Another thing about Portland in the 1980s was Jimmy Corno's.

Photograph: 'Corno's Market', Martin Luther King Blvd, Portland, Oregon, Photo Format: Standard, Album: IMAGES

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

Another thing about Portland in the 1980s was Jimmy Corno's.

Photograph: 'Corno's Market', Martin Luther King Blvd, Portland, Oregon, Photo Format: Standard, Album: IMAGES

I forgot about Corno's. Loved the veggies on the roof.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Minervah

I forgot about Corno's. Loved the veggies on the roof.

Professional wrestling got it's start in the back of that building. Andre the Giant, Rowdy Randy Piper, etc, all wrestled there.

[Rider51]

Wanted to chime in and say about Portland I agree with Doity.

As to state-wide and logging, let's not forget both Crown-Zellerbach, and Willamette Industries, who were very large during the 80's.

When logging was curbed, due to various reasons not just the spotted owl like many believe, the Silicon Forest grew.

Here are some other factoids from the great 80's:

In Portland both the KOIN Center and US Bank (big pink) were built.

Waterfront Park was built in the late 70's, but got expanded and renamed after Tom McCall in 1984.

Portlandia (the statue) was born in 1985.

In the 80's Bud Clark was a pretty good mayor, and a great face for the city.

We also used to have a lot of moderate, independent thinking Republicans (Hatfield, Frohnmeyer, Paulis, Atiyeh, Packwood, McCready, etc.).

We got a lot of power from Trojan nuclear power plant...when it worked.

Who could forget the Rajneeshees?

Remember KISN radio? Some local ex-employees and fans have brought it back on the internet.

If you want some looks of Portland in the 70's, see the movie The Lathe of Heaven.

Some folks might also recall that if you drove up to Mt. Hood or into the Gorge, a lot of the trails were empty, and several were barely marked.

[Larry Caldwell]

Ah yes, the Goose Hollow Inn, and the tavern owner who became a very popular mayor. Here's a copy of the "Expose Yourself To Art" poster that Bud Clark did.

Expose yourself to art « Amusicology

He also went, "Whoop Whoop," when entering a room. It was a sound his guinea pig made. Now what was somebody saying about the '80s being before "Keep Portland Weird?"

[StealthRabbit]

$.15 stamps, eggs and milk the same, gas ~$1.25 gal
CPI 82 vs. 227!!!!

Carter era 12-18 % interest rates and repercussions thereof.... 13+% inflation 5% unemployment (back when they reported REAL numbers)
There were some high paying labor jobs in Portland, but also an early 80's recession. (and a big impact on Boeing / FL employment). There were MANY tool and pattern builders (High, VERY HIGH skill and pay).

205 bridge didn't open till ~'83. Thus I had a friend driving daily from Damascus to Camas via Jantzen Beach (which BTW was doing pretty well). If I-5 Bridge traffic was too bad he could always go to Cascade Locks... (BTW, the I-5 bridge lifted FAR more frequently than now). I know several folks from Ridgefield. WA that frequently had to drive home from Portland via Longview

There were very few house boats on the rivers, and what there was were NOT high class...
Water front development on West side was nil. Omsi was at the Zoo.

DTWN Portland was pretty mellow, I don't remember as BOLD or as many Homeless.

Best of all, there were no Pious', or accompanying Attitudes (I had already been getting 50 mpg since 1976...(as I still do (in the SAME car!!! )). No dinosaurs or OPEC (wars) required. No fluff, just the SUSTAINABLE facts.

[Minervah]

[quote=Larry Caldwell;23822796]Ah yes, the Goose Hollow Inn, and the tavern owner who became a very popular mayor. Here's a copy of the "Expose Yourself To Art" poster that Bud Clark did.

Expose yourself to art « Amusicology

He also went, "Whoop Whoop," when entering a room. It was a sound his guinea pig made. Now what was somebody saying about the '80s being before "Keep Portland Weird?"[/quote]

Bud rode a bicycle to work when he was mayor and no one made a big deal over it. Neither did he. People who didn't care for him called him "The Little Burgermiester" because he owned a tavern.

That's when I would call Portland genuinely weird. Today it just seems like a bunch of people trying too hard to live up to some perceived image.

[hamellr]

Lloyd Center was an open air mall in the 80's. Jantzen Beach Mall, and Eastport Plaza were actually decent malls in their own right.

[Minervah]

Eastport Plaza was a nice mall with a Mervyn's and a Newberrys. There were other nice shops to and it was enclosed. And didn't they at one time have a water slide?