Portland Oregon,Phoenix or Scottsdale

[Minervah]

If you plan to be dependent on public transportation in Portland, you must choose your neighborhood very carefully. All neighborhoods are not served well. Usually the most expensive neighborhoods will be the less expensive ones not so much. But even the better served ones have their limits and with the increase in multi-unit apartment building construction going on the neigbhorhoods that are better served now will be pushed to the limit.

The good news is that in the latest edition of one of our locat newspapers is that our transportation system intends to add more buses to the routes that have been either cut back or eliminated in the near future.

But at best right now, it is not all that reliable for those who need to use it during the daytime hours other than the rush hour commute or for getting to entertainment venues. And I have been living carless in Portland for 35 years so I have seen the downgrade happening.

[francescaph]

My sister in law is from Medford Oregon and she went to Oregon State U. She really loved living in Arizona but started off out in Peoria. The heat took awhile for her to get used to, but she always stayed nearby a pool. The winters were fabulous compared to the dreary and snowy ones she was used to.

One thing that made it easier for her to adapt was how nice the people are out in Phoenix. If you were moving from Oregon to San Diego you might find some culture shock with the rat race that Cali embodies, but out here in Phx you run into nice people who are living a quality life.

In regards to Scottsdale vs. Phoenix it really depends on what type of scene you're looking for. If you like public transportation and a quaint city atmosphere you will really like Old Town Scottsdale. Ollie the trolley is a free trolley service that runs throughout Old Town as north as Chaparral. There are tons of companies to work for in Old Town Scottsdale as well. There are MANY MANY boutiques, fairs and great restaurants within a 5 mile radius of Old Town. If you want good public transportation but a metro lifestyle, you might be interested in Phoenix. Phoenix has the light rail system, and has many bars and hip spots as well. I would say the character of Phx vs Scottsdale differs as Phx is more city life. I personally prefer the atmosphere of Old Town Scottsdale and like that it is close enough to Phx when I want to try that city life. "Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there." The Ollie the trolley routes are very convenient for public transport and FREE! When I moved to Scottsdale I stayed at these furnished apartments for 1 month ([url=http://www.scottsdaleparksuites.com]Scottsdale Furnished Apartments - Scottsdale Park Suites[/url]). It was really nice to move into something furnished so I had plenty of time to find something more permanent, and I just bought all new furniture when I moved into the Glen Eagles Apartments (nearby TPC).

[kamau852]

Do you really, really enjoy sunshine?

Resident of Phoenix, lived in east valley for a decade. The summers here in Phoenix are hot. Temps in the triple digits from mid May through October. Beginning in July the low temp for the day is in the 90s, and that is at 3 am.

I would like to relocate to Portland where we have friends. My wife needs sunshine. We are considering townhouses in Phoenix and Portland, or just renting in one city.

Healthcare in Phoenix metro is outstanding.

Scottsdale is fairly safe. Phoenix depends on the area. (Neither are like Detroit)

Phoenix is a major sports town. baseball, football, basketball all have pro and college teams. Spring training brings in out of town MLB teams. We have a NHL team here in the desert. The Phoenix Open happens right after a bowl game. Either Phoenix or Tucson hosts NCAA tournament rounds.

The bars and nightlife reflect the sports, college party atmosphere. Not at all sophisticated. Scottsdale perhaps more so.

Unless you live downtown Phoenix, public transport is spotty. The opposite of Portland.

Plenty of hiking trails and beautiful scenery, all desert.

I enjoy Portland when I visit, but have not lived there

[lookinforhorseparadise]

Originally Posted by FSF

I realize it's a preference thing and to each his own. But I just can't even remotely fathom how anyone would want to live in the blithering heat of Arizona, or the sweltering humidity of many areas of the South.

I hear you there....I am in Florida now. Nice place to visit but (for me) a bad place to live. "Summer" is close to year round....a/c mostly used year round. Sweltering is the right word. If you are lucky the humidity drops in the "winter". If you are a migraineur, Florida is the wrong state to live in. I am looking forward to Portland's clouds.

[oldtintype]

I don't have a car and I find public transport really easy. But yes, I chose where I live based on transportation options. For the first person who mentioned having to live near the tracks--I'm assuming you were in the suburbs. I would not want to be without a car there (well actually I wouldn't want to live in the burbs period) but in inner Portland I find it super easy and pretty painless to not have a car. I do use Zipcar occasionally. I think some bus lines are more reliable than others too.

[InLoveW/3Boys]

I was born and raised in north Scottsdale and can tell you the public transportation is awful. It's really not practical at all. As one poster already said, the city is very spread out. However, I don't know anyone and have never heard of anyone keeping their car running while they shopped in the summer, as another poster stated. That would be so intense for your car. Your gas bill would be enormous. Scottsdale in the summer is obviously hot but it's not so bad. You can typically buy a very affordable home with a pool which always helps, all we did as kids in the summer was swim. North Scottsdale is very safe with a ton of options for apartments and houses for rent or buy. Plus the sun is always so bright (even at 6am) you have no problem getting up, working out, etc. The healthcare is really fantastic, lots of options on providers. Scottsdale has every retailer you could probably think of, seriously it's ridiculous. All this being said, I will probably never move back. I love green grass, trees, rivers, lakes and snow so Scotttsdale obviously won't work for me. About Portland, just one piece of advice...it's beautifu and fun but can also be dreary, semi-dark and definitely wet, which can affect people's moods (something to take into serious considertion). Good luck!!

[InLoveW/3Boys]

Oh I forgot to mention, if your a golfer Scottsdale/Phoenix is your city. Golf is a big deal, courses everywhere.