I finally arrived in Portland. Here are my impressions so far. (2013, homes)

[coastaltrav]

Welcome to PDX!

I think you'll find people in Portland to be very accepting of all, so hopefully the visible lack of diversity won't be something you personally experience in a negative way.

[mateo384]

Originally Posted by rass33

Well I finally made it to Portland! right now, I'm staying at a motel waiting to find a suitable apartment, but for the last week or so I've been traveling around the city extensively trying to learn the different areas and I must say, I have had a fairly easy time getting around the city for the most part. Here are my impressions of Portland so far:

Downtown Portland: I have to say, coming from Chicago, downtown Portland is definitely the whitest downtown area I have ever seen. Is this a bad thing? absolutely not, it's just a little different for somebody like myself coming from a big diverse city like Chicago. I think most people believe Portland lacks diversity because the initial areas that most tourists travel to is in the downtown area which gives out of towners the impression that Portland is a bastion of whiteness. Actually from what I've seen so far, there is diversity in Portland, but it tends to be concentrated in certain areas but i'll touch on that later. I'm actually falling in love with the laid back live and let live vibe of Portland already. I ate at a few restaraunts in the downtown area and the food was very good for the most part. I didn't feel uncomfortable or discombobulated because I was the only black guy around. The people appeared to be very easy going and nice and I had a good time.

Alberta Arts District-North Portland: The first day I arrived in Portland I went walking around this area. I had heard from posters on this board that this area was one of the most dangerous and crime-ridden areas in the city so I made a note of it and out of curiosity, I went to check for myself. As I'm walking around North Portland, over around killingsworth, all I see are people riding bikes, eating at restaraunts, pushing baby strollers and going about their daily lives I had to laugh to myself. I found the area to be pretty nice and up and coming and not nearly a menacing drug and gang zone that posters would have me believe. I can see that the area is gentrifying as I saw both blacks and white families living in the area. Most of the black families in this area appear to be holding on to their house for dear life. The area looks like its turning trendy and expensive and because of that, I don't expect that there will be many black families living in this area in the near future. I have to say, the homes in this area look very nice and I never seen so many trees in my life until I moved to Portland.

Homelessness: In Chicago, the great majority of the homeless loitering around the downtown area are black and white guys in their 40's and older, mostly the result of unemployment, alcohol, drugs or a mental disability, here in Portland, the homeless are a bunch of able-bodied kids who seem to relish their homeless role in the city. I never seen anything like this before, not the fact that their homeless but the fact that they are so young, younger than me. I mean, people in Portland treat the homeless better than anywhere I've ever been. In Chicago, the homeless are usually herded away to some unknown location when Barak Obama comes to town or whenever there is some big political event attended by important dignataries. Here in Portland, I could actually make a living here as a homeless person.

Diversity: I would like to start off by saying that Portland does have minimal diversity, it's just that the areas that contain this minimal diversity are located in certain pockets of the city. Growing up on the south side of Chicago, it feels different for me not having many black people around. Most of the diversity here appears to be asians and hispanics as opposed to African Americans. Also, Portlanders are not the stand around type. Most people appear to mind their own business and go about their day. It's kinda refreshing not having to look out my window and see young black guys standing on the corners wasting their day away which was often the case in Chicago. I've noticed that here in Portland, there is very little interaction between the races. Everybody seems to go about there own lives with very little fan fair as possible. I thought it would be different because Portland is more like a big town than a big city to me, which gives it a more personal and intimate feel to it. Portlanders of all races appear to be very quiet and low-key and stick to their own social circles. I'm not complaining. That's not a bad or good thing its just the way it is.

Meth: People who do meth tend to wear it on their face. I was in 7 Eleven on 82nd Ave the other day and I saw so many meth addicts in that area. Thats got to be the number one drug out here and I'm just going by the number of people I have seen who confirm the signs of meth use. Also, I have never seen a black person hooked on meth until I came out here to Portland.


Overall, I'm loving Portland so far. I just need to find myself a nice apartment in a nice area of the city and everything will be fine. I'm tired of sitting in this hotel, I have narrowed my apartment search down to a few places so I should have something soon. But I have finally arrived and I have to say, a lot of what the posters on this board were telling me was definitely true, some was untrue or at least a little exaggerated. But I'm happy to finally be here and I'm looking forward to experiencing all that Portland has to offer.

meth is still a huge issue in Portland. I lived right next to a meth house. The people I saw belonged on the "faces of meth" Portland documentary. They didn't bother anyone (or me) of course, but it was scary to look at on a weekly basis.

[Nell Plotts]

Meth is a huge issue everywhere!

[Mellowdude]

Welcome to Portland! Don't forget to grab some delicious food at one of the many food carts in the area. Some of the finest meals come out of those little boxes on wheels. Voodoo Donuts, is to die for, yummy!

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Meth is a huge issue everywhere!

Not in my house.

[sayulita]

Nor mine!

[Nell Plotts]

Nor mine.

[scottinpdx]

nor mine!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Meth might not be inside my house, but I am affected by the meth locally. Meth and theft go hand in hand, so now everything has to be locked.

A couple of decades ago, nobody even owned a key to their house. It's a big lifestyle change to have to worry about having your car broken into, items stolen out of your yard and garage, and home invasions.

[hamellr]

It is in mine. I hate quadratic formulas and trying to remember which sign to take care of first.