Did the "new Portland" begin about 20-25 years ago? (Sunnyside: for sale, neighborhood)

[Minervah]

Most of my friends are in their 50's and 60's and were born here so of course they really remember when Portland was different as far as what it looked like. I find it interesting to hear them talk about it. They aren't unhappy with more people moving here or new places being built although there are some places we are all sorry to see being demolished.

It's more of a concern of theirs about a reputation of being a place people will not take seriously so that businesses will not want to invest here and help Portland grow. Someone in another forum on CD actually made the comment it was a "shame" that Portland was getting a Target downtown whereas on the Portland thread here where it is being discussed, people including myself have pointed out what a benefit it will be for the downtown workers and shoppers.

Hopefully, objecting to a useful business in the heart of the business district downtown is not an example of the attitidue of the "new Portland." I don't believe it is.

[JakeDog]

Originally Posted by Deezus

That's like saying that at its heart LA is just a sunny town with a lot of Mexicans.

Goldschmidt was mayor in the 1970s. There hasn't been any real changes in Portland since then? Yeah right...

I've seen plenty of changes in Portland in just the last decade--both in inner Eastside neighborhoods being increasingly gentrified(and the black population moving east)--and further out on the eastside and to the west in Washington County--which demographically is starting to look more like other West Coast cities due to Hispanic and Asian immigration. The entire westside has changed a multitude since the 1970s compared to when my grandparents lived in Aloha and my grandpa was working at Georgia Pacific downtown and my uncle was attending Sunset High. Intel was just opening up shop in 1979 and Nike's big campus didn't open until 1990 I believe--both of which helped change the entire metro in terms of making Washington County a big sprawling center of business for the region.

Portland does have a provincial side to it--and while the frequent claims that we're just an overgrown town might be true at heart--it's a statement that ignores the fact that we're at the center of a metro area with 2.3 million people. People keep repeating it like a mantra in this town--but you have to face up to the fact that people are moving here still--and no amount of "back in the day" nostalgia is going to bring back the way Portland was in 1952 or 1977. It's a sizable metropolitan area with sizable amounts of big city problems and the question of where our regional economic future is going. Time to face up to it.

Biggest changes were in the 70s and 80s IMO. THere has been gentrification, but it isn't if the fundamental nature of the city has really changed all that much. Look at places like Charlotte or Austin that fundamentally changed in drastic ways- Portland hasn't changed dramatically when compared to other cities- it's very much the same. And LA is a wasteland with smog and mexicans to be more accurate.

[LowSlowMakesJuicyRibs]

Originally Posted by Minervah

It's more of a concern of theirs about a reputation of being a place people will not take seriously so that businesses will not want to invest here and help Portland grow.

This sounds like a Chamber of Commerce leaflet. I'm not anti-growth. But I think residents should be pretty demanding in the disclosure of what "growth" means. The previous decade was about growth driven by banker's insatiable appetite for fees. And the landscape is full of aborted growth experiments. Now "smart growth" is a new cliche, but at its root is a valid principle: Growth of any kind is not a valid goal. Selective pursuit of growth is what keeps an area from being a mess in progress. Developers are NOT your friend. They don't really care about you or any area they move into. You need a defensive strategy when they start cuddling up to you and purring and painting word pictures. They are really trying to lure people who live elsewhere. And those who already live in the area could just as easily be candidates for tossing into their volcanic appetites. Wake up and learn something from history. When some guy puts a "friendly" arm on your shoulder, push it off. And check your wallet just to be safe. The vulture should be our national bird, not the eagle.

I think Intel and Nike did help Portland grow. But for every two like that, there are hundreds who later show up on CNBC's American Greed. Don't be the stooge who is to be pitied in the aftermath of a slam bam thank you mam ripoff story.

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by JakeDog

Biggest changes were in the 70s and 80s IMO. THere has been gentrification, but it isn't if the fundamental nature of the city has really changed all that much. Look at places like Charlotte or Austin that fundamentally changed in drastic ways- Portland hasn't changed dramatically when compared to other cities- it's very much the same. And LA is a wasteland with smog and mexicans to be more accurate.

Is Portland largely the same place it was in 1989?

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by belmont22

Is Portland largely the same place it was in 1989?

What is so special about 1989?

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by Minervah

What is so special about 1989?

Idk, it's just kind of a landmark year I guess. End of the 80s and all.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by belmont22

Idk, it's just kind of a landmark year I guess. End of the 80s and all.

Okay. Well I didn't notice anything drastic just because a new decade began.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Minervah

What is so special about 1989?

Berlin Wall.

[LowSlowMakesJuicyRibs]

Portland had a Berlin Wall? Wow, that really does support the Keep Portland Weird slogan!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by hamellr

Berlin Wall.

LOL! I look at a lot of other forums and threads about other cities and I often see "Portland" as the answer to so many inquiries regarding relocation where by no stretch of the imagination does this city come even close to what the inquirer is seeking. It's always people who have never even been close to Portland who supply these answers with great authority and it's often pretty amusing.

That situation just jumped into my head when I read this response. I got a really good chuckle out of it.

But Hamellr is a long time resident so if he wants to put the Berlin Wall in Portland, then so be it!