Looking to relocate. Auto industry healthy? (Portland, Beaverton: sales, find a job, buying)

[garciawork]

Hello all! Been lurking for a while, reading all about where to live and how best to accommodate a relocation up north from the Bay Area, now I have a couple of questions.

First though, a little background. Me and my soon to be wife are in our mid twenties, and looking to get out of the Bay Area (Pleasant Hill specifically) and into an area with a lower cost of living, better weather (we HATE heat and love rain), and a better allergy climate for her. She lived in Seatlle for a year, and that was the first experience she has had not being miserable nonstop through spring and summer. The Portland area seems to check off all of the boxes for us.

We are not into the bar/party seen in the slightest, so Beaverton seems to be more of a fit for us. We would both own cars, so walkability isn't even on our radar. We both grew up in the suburbs, and have in fact come to like it quite a bit.

So, now for the fun part, finding a job. I have been in the car business for 5+ years, and am without a degree, so sticking with what I know will probably be the best bet, at least at first. Does anyone on here work at or know the general health of the auto industry in the Portland area? I have a lot of experience in different roles, so I should be able to find a job relatively easily, but I would like to make a lateral move at the least, and if the outlook up there is reasonably positive, I think the odds are good we will be up that way in six months to a year.

Thoughts?

[Squidlo]

When you say Auto-Industry. Do you mean car sales, manufacturing, parts distribution or vehicle distribution/logistics?

I can't speak for car sales. The manufacturing & PDC/VDC are tight. Parts distribution being better off.

Car sales are set to increase nationally. I don't know what percentage Portland will play.

[garciawork]

Sorry for not clarifying. My experience is with franchised auto dealers, mainly in ecommerce and appraising/buying used cars and inventory management.

[hamellr]

Luckily there is a huge number of car lots in Beaverton, including the typical dealership after dealership. You can also find the same on 82nd in Portland. Now it they're hiring... that's a different story.