Anyone move to Portland from the Midwest?

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Considering there are so many people here now who are from the Midwest, you probably won't have too much trouble fitting in.

I wear t-shirts almost all the time when not in work apparrel, often times ablazoned with Ohio teams (e.g. Buckeyes, Browns, Zips, etc.). I can't tell you how many times I've had someone make a comment about them being from the same area as I was from. I swear that half the people currently in PDX weren't born/raised in Oregon.

[MNMom07]

I'm going to ask a very dump question - how come winter in Portland Oregon is generally not as cold as Midwest? Based on the responses from this thread - it sounds like not much snow. The state is on the west but it's not that far below in term of longtitude when compared to like MN.

I too am considering to move here but want to make sure I'm not moving from one snowing, freezing location to another. A typical winter in Portland, how often does it snow...once or twice per season, or once a week? How cold does it get - average 30/40 degrees in the winter or drop down to the teens?

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by MNMom07

I'm going to ask a very dump question - how come winter in Portland Oregon is generally not as cold as Midwest? Based on the responses from this thread - it sounds like not much snow. The state is on the west but it's not that far below in term of longtitude when compared to like MN.

I too am considering to move here but want to make sure I'm not moving from one snowing, freezing location to another. A typical winter in Portland, how often does it snow...once or twice per season, or once a week? How cold does it get - average 30/40 degrees in the winter or drop down to the teens?

Very simply, it has to do with our winter weather being dominated by marine air masses which are comparatively warm in the winter, vs MN air masses which are continental in nature and cold, dropping out of Canada. Even though it's roughly the same latitude, it's worlds of difference because of proximity to the ocean and the jet stream.

[Nell Plotts]

The Pacific Ocean functions just like a heat pump, it cools in the summer and warms Arctic weather systems. Generally speaking (and I mean generally) we have one week of snow and one week of 95+ degree weather annually. Keep in mind that the NW is not one climate as east of the Cascade Mountains is a high arid region.

Weather in the Pacific Northwest by Cliff Mass is the go-to book. You may be able to find in in your local library or by inter-library loan.

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by MNMom07

I'm going to ask a very dump question - how come winter in Portland Oregon is generally not as cold as Midwest? Based on the responses from this thread - it sounds like not much snow. The state is on the west but it's not that far below in term of longtitude when compared to like MN.

I too am considering to move here but want to make sure I'm not moving from one snowing, freezing location to another. A typical winter in Portland, how often does it snow...once or twice per season, or once a week? How cold does it get - average 30/40 degrees in the winter or drop down to the teens?

Here, elevation makes a rather big difference when it comes to snow. Unlike Minnesota or Ohio, where elevation is generally irrelevant - when it snows, it snows everywhere - here, it can be snowing at 2000' or 1000', but not a snowflake will touch the terrain at 250' (which much of Portland lies below). In the two years I've been here (I live at 150' elevation-wise), I've yet to consider shoveling, and have only seen one snowfall over about 1" in depth. There was a huge snowstorm in late 2008 that dumped 22" of snow in Clackamas (I've seen pictures of it), but that is an EXTREME rarity.

Frost is quite common in the winter months (mid-December to late February). I park outside, and average probably 30% of the days having to scrape a small layer of frost off my vehicle's windows. And I mean frost - not ice. Therefore, it does get down all the way into the 20's, but really nothing below that. I've been keeping track since we moved here in 2011 - the lowest temperature to date (happened twice) was 18. Usually, most winter days (again, mid-December to late February) are very similar - grey, kind of rainy/misty, and often between 30 and 45 degrees for the low and high. Occasionally a sunny break, but a truly sunny day (w/sun most of the day) only happens about every 2-3 weeks in that stretch.

On the flip side, rain and clouds are extremely rare in the summer (July-September) months. You might have some clouds in the morning, courtesy of the marine layer, but they are usually gone by 10am, if even occurring at all.

[danwilsonbsee]

Originally Posted by wanderbygrace

I wear t-shirts almost all the time when not in work apparrel, often times ablazoned with Ohio teams (e.g. Buckeyes, Browns, Zips, etc.). I can't tell you how many times I've had someone make a comment about them being from the same area as I was from. I swear that half the people currently in PDX weren't born/raised in Oregon.

Ha - you'll probably be hearing me say some snide comment about those cheaters in Columbus. Go Blue! You're right though, I almost see more midwestern team apparel around town than local/west coast teams. I'm from Michigan originally and there are more than a dozen other Michiganders in my building alone (downtown). Young professionals that were disheartened by the economic collapse picked up and headed west over the last 10 yrs. As such, Portland seems to be over represented by 30 something midwesterners. I got a lot of flack when I first moved here for "taking locals jobs". My usual response is that if they had a locally qualified candidate they wouldn't have recruited me and moved me here. The nice thing is if I go to a bar to watch Red Wings hockey there's usually someone else there rooting them on (or watching the Lions lose )

[smpliving]

My 24-year-old daughter lives and works in downtown Portland, and knows quite a few other Iowans and Midwesterner's in the city. She loves the warmer winters!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by danwilsonbsee

Ha - you'll probably be hearing me say some snide comment about those cheaters in Columbus. Go Blue! You're right though, I almost see more midwestern team apparel around town than local/west coast teams. I'm from Michigan originally and there are more than a dozen other Michiganders in my building alone (downtown). Young professionals that were disheartened by the economic collapse picked up and headed west over the last 10 yrs. As such, Portland seems to be over represented by 30 something midwesterners. I got a lot of flack when I first moved here for "taking locals jobs". My usual response is that if they had a locally qualified candidate they wouldn't have recruited me and moved me here. The nice thing is if I go to a bar to watch Red Wings hockey there's usually someone else there rooting them on (or watching the Lions lose )

I moved here 35 years ago and still wear my University of Illinois T shirts. Yeah I got the same "You took a job away from an Oregonian" when I first moved here. I was than a 30 something transferred by my company. Are people still saying that?

I continually meet people from Chicago and the Chicago area. Just a couple of days ago I had a very young cashier who noticed my UofI T shirt who told me she had recently moved to Portland from Arlington Heights IL, a suburb of Chicago.

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by danwilsonbsee

Ha - you'll probably be hearing me say some snide comment about those cheaters in Columbus. Go Blue! You're right though, I almost see more midwestern team apparel around town than local/west coast teams. I'm from Michigan originally and there are more than a dozen other Michiganders in my building alone (downtown). Young professionals that were disheartened by the economic collapse picked up and headed west over the last 10 yrs. As such, Portland seems to be over represented by 30 something midwesterners. I got a lot of flack when I first moved here for "taking locals jobs". My usual response is that if they had a locally qualified candidate they wouldn't have recruited me and moved me here. The nice thing is if I go to a bar to watch Red Wings hockey there's usually someone else there rooting them on (or watching the Lions lose )

Or watching the Wolverines lose to the Buckeyes. Okay, there I'm done w/the OSU/UM war games.

Definitely quite a few Big Ten people around here. See them all the time. I will say this, though - I have not yet been told once that I took a job from a Portlander. But considering the company I interviewed with (prior to moving here), interviewed eleven locals and still opted to fly me out here and hire me, I guess my experience/longevity back in Ohio helped. Although it didn't last - I found a much more enjoyable (and higher salary) position at another company last month.

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by iagal

My 24-year-old daughter lives and works in downtown Portland, and knows quite a few other Iowans and Midwesterner's in the city. She loves the warmer winters!

There are many reasons for me not ever wanting to move back to the Midwest - that is one of them. Brought the snow shovel with me, but have only used it to move mulch (or bark dust, as it's called out here).