Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Oregon > Portland
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-12-2013, 02:37 PM
 
Location: PDX
320 posts, read 415,557 times
Reputation: 371

Advertisements

I just found and watched this great little clip about a family in Portland. This video made me smile and brings to life so much of what I have read and learned about the Portland Oregon mentality! Would you say this lifestyle is honestly typical in Portland, or more of a rarity?

Heres the link to the video. Sorry I couldn't post it directly.

We Save $5k by Being Green | Financially Fit - Yahoo! Shine
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-12-2013, 04:16 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,314,680 times
Reputation: 35862
While many people do this here, I would say it is not exactly typical because the majority do not have the resources to do it. There are many apartment dwellers who do not have the space and also home dwellers who do not have the time or inclination.

Chickens are not easy to maintain but you can see people growing a few veggies in small spaces around their little green spaces outside their apartments or homes. I used to see quite a bit more of this when I first moved to Portland back in the late 70's. Front lawns in my neighborhood were often turned into small veggie gardens. Not as many today.

As in many cities though, there are community gardens people enjoy although sadly as in my neighborhood some of these are being paved over with the building of large apartment buildings. There are waiting lists for the community gardens still standing. The good news is that I have read there are a few new ones becoming available this spring.

Something I found amusing, I don't know if it's true or not, is that people living in Malibu Beach, CA are raising chickens in their back yards. It seems it's all the rage right now.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2013, 08:32 PM
 
Location: PDX
320 posts, read 415,557 times
Reputation: 371
Thanks Minervah,

I actually spend a fair amount of time in Malibu, but had no idea about backyard chickens there You learn something new everyday! I did a little research after reading your post and found this...

"Malibu, CA-- lots over 15,000 sq ft may have up to 20 chickens per acre, housed 50 ft from all inhabited structures. No mention anywhere of roosters, so I'm going to assume that if you've got 20 chickens, you can be expected to have at least one rooster in the mix."
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2013, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
8,802 posts, read 8,862,358 times
Reputation: 4512
Their neighbors probably hate them.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2013, 09:40 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,314,680 times
Reputation: 35862
I don't think roosters are allowed in Portland because they crow in the morning. At least that's what someone told me but I never verified that. There are some chickens in my neighborhood. Just a few though. Used to be more.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2013, 12:03 AM
 
347 posts, read 666,320 times
Reputation: 388
I've lived in a country where all of this is done because they don't have access to do otherwise...interesting how the world works.

To be honest I'd rather not live that way again...it's very annoying to wait for your laundry to dry, especially in the winter.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2013, 12:04 AM
 
Location: Pacific NW
6,413 posts, read 12,089,620 times
Reputation: 5860
I just saw a Portlandia "extra" clip and the guy went to a bird rescue place. He had a bunch of roosters, he said they get them when homeowners buy chicks that were improperly sexed, and they turn out to be roosters. The implication being that they can't be kept by homeowners.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2013, 01:33 AM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,314,680 times
Reputation: 35862
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyled View Post
I've lived in a country where all of this is done because they don't have access to do otherwise...interesting how the world works.

To be honest I'd rather not live that way again...it's very annoying to wait for your laundry to dry, especially in the winter.
I remember before dyers and everyone hung their clothes up to dry. Back in Chicago during the winter months we hung our clothes in the basement. In the summer we hung them outside. Everyone in our large apartment building everyone had designated wash day. My mom had an ringer type washer.

My apartment building here in Portland has a basement with a few closelines and a big back yard with clotheslines. People use those but we also have a dryer that we all use. I can't imagine not having a dryer.

Hanging laundry on lines, especially sheets on an outdoor line on a sunny day is nice too. I would say that the main reason the tenants use the clotheslines is to save the dollar is costs to use the dryer but also because in the winter especially the basement is very damp and it takes forever for clothes to dry.

What cracks me up though is so many of these people who say they are "going green" by using their dish washers less or hanging their clothes to dry, or driving their cars longer before buying new ones, buying clothes from thrift stores, or growing their own veggies in a patch of land etc etc is nothing new and to me it's not particularly green or of any particular "city mentality."

It's just the way many people have lived for many years. It's the way I was raised in Chicago back in the 50's as was everyone else I knew. No dishwasher, no dryer, old used car, old TV when my parents finally bought one and kept forever, Chicago was recyling when I moved to Portland and Portland was not yet doing so, victory gardens after WWII, hand-me-down-clothes etc etc. Walked, biked and took public transportation everywhere.

The difference is, no one made such a big deal over doing these things as they seem to today that they have to announce it. I guess I am too old a geezer to understand why that is so.

Last edited by Minervah; 01-13-2013 at 01:46 AM.. Reason: Computer froze again.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2013, 04:08 PM
 
Location: Portlandish, OR
1,082 posts, read 1,902,684 times
Reputation: 1198
i did more of this in arizona, before moving here. We didn't have chickens (i wanted them, badly) but our neighbors did. I had a huge garden, canned my stuff, and enjoyed the heat drying my clothes faster than my dryer could. I worked less hours than i do now, which made a lot of this possible.

Now that we live here, we rent (no pets or backyard poultry allowed): no yard except for a patio (much smaller gardening possibilities) and no clothesline.

I *could* probably find alternatives to do some of these things, but I just don't have the time to make it happen right now. I agree with Minervah, "Green" is a big buzz word, and it's not just a lifestyle embraced by only people in Portland.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2013, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,314,680 times
Reputation: 35862
I was just now able to view the video since my seven year old computer doesn't load very well. So okay. They could save even more money by dumping the dishwasher and doing their dishes once a day. That's what PGE told me when I asked how I could save on my electric bill. Not that I have a dishwasher. I don't like them anyway.

It's nice they have the space to hang laundry and the time. It does take time to do that for four people. I wonder if the mom works like most moms do. But I guess if it's your own house, the basement or back yard, providing you have one is yours at any time. And it probably isn't damp or musty.

The chickens are cute but they do take a lot of time and effort. Still a family of four can eat a lot of eggs. I love eggs.

It's a nice way to live and good for them that they can do it. But to answer the OP's question "Would you say this lifestyle is honestly typical in Portland" No. At least I don't think it is.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Oregon > Portland

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top