Yet another generic "Where should I live?" thread (Portland: big home, neighborhood)

[Steve Pickering]

Anybody who watches Judge Judy, and I do, knows a roommate situation is almost always a cause for drama.

[pdwpdx]

Interesting! Milwaukee is one of the cities I've considered moving to from Portland someday. I lived in Madison for a couple of years. Really, the winters are about equal in terms of misery. Not as cold in Portland, but way less sunshine than WI. Milwaukee seems like a pretty cool place. I love the old neighborhoods and architecture.

[bler144]

Personally I'd probably opt for Pittsburgh or Richmond over Portland, if it were wholly up to me. In the east, if a place or job doesn't work out, it's fairly easy to be mobile. And both of those cities have big upside with a lower COL.

The outdoors is arguably the big advantage we have here. And I didn't see you mention that as a draw.

Once you pack up and move to the west coast, you're way out on the limb. (The drive to Pdx is 30 hours, compared to 8 for Pitt of 13 for Richmond). And if you don't find work, the high COL here will eat up whatever savings you have left, and you're a bit limited in terms of other options.

Portland is really the job bright spot of Oregon (despite being somewhat woeful), and other than Seattle, there's not really a 'plan B' option out here. Salem or Albany are cheaper, but not exactly booming. Eugene, Corvallis, and Bend have appeal, but they're all tough job markets with high COL as well.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by bler144

Personally I'd probably opt for Pittsburgh or Richmond over Portland, if it were wholly up to me. In the east, if a place or job doesn't work out, it's fairly easy to be mobile. And both of those cities have big upside with a lower COL.

The outdoors is arguably the big advantage we have here. And I didn't see you mention that as a draw.

Once you pack up and move to the west coast, you're way out on the limb. (The drive to Pdx is 30 hours, compared to 8 for Pitt of 13 for Richmond). And if you don't find work, the high COL here will eat up whatever savings you have left, and you're a bit limited in terms of other options.

Portland is really the job bright spot of Oregon (despite being somewhat woeful), and other than Seattle, there's not really a 'plan B' option out here. Salem or Albany are cheaper, but not exactly booming. Eugene, Corvallis, and Bend have appeal, but they're all tough job markets with high COL as well.

This post pretty well says it all. It should be a sticky.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by bler144

Personally I'd probably opt for Pittsburgh or Richmond over Portland, if it were wholly up to me. In the east, if a place or job doesn't work out, it's fairly easy to be mobile. And both of those cities have big upside with a lower COL.

The outdoors is arguably the big advantage we have here. And I didn't see you mention that as a draw.

Once you pack up and move to the west coast, you're way out on the limb. (The drive to Pdx is 30 hours, compared to 8 for Pitt of 13 for Richmond). And if you don't find work, the high COL here will eat up whatever savings you have left, and you're a bit limited in terms of other options.

Portland is really the job bright spot of Oregon (despite being somewhat woeful), and other than Seattle, there's not really a 'plan B' option out here. Salem or Albany are cheaper, but not exactly booming. Eugene, Corvallis, and Bend have appeal, but they're all tough job markets with high COL as well.

And a big amen to this. It's just practical advice. I was transferred here back in the late 70's with a fantastic job. But about five years later my company decided to close the branch office where I worked and it was Hell on earth trying to find a new one. Unlike the city where I came from, the choices in Portland were limited and the competition was fierce even then.

I don't mean to be critical of Portland, this can be the situation anywhere. It's just something that should be taken into consideration when someone is planing to relocate to a new city. The employment situation and not weather or culture or politics or how many coffee houses exist in a city should be on the top of the list of concerns. Without an adequate paying job, none of these things are going to matter no regardless of where one moves.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by Minervah

And a big amen to this. It's just practical advice. I was transferred here back in the late 70's with a fantastic job. But about five years later my company decided to close the branch office where I worked and it was Hell on earth trying to find a new one. Unlike the city where I came from, the choices in Portland were limited and the competition was fierce even then.

I don't mean to be critical of Portland, this can be the situation anywhere. It's just something that should be taken into consideration when someone is planing to relocate to a new city. The employment situation and not weather or culture or politics or how many coffee houses exist in a city should be on the top of the list of concerns. Without an adequate paying job, none of these things are going to matter no regardless of where one moves.

More great comments.

Why the number of Coffee Shops, Food Carts, Bars, or Cool Places to pick up men or women would have any bearing on a person leaving their home, traveling thousands of miles, and living in substandard housing until they found a subsistence job that they may never get, is just ludicrous.

Just asking the question is foolish.

[kitkat0825]

I am extremely grateful to those who actually took the time to answer my post instead of trying to convince me otherwise. "Convince me otherwise" was not what I asked in my original post so I'm not really sure what you all think you are going to accomplish. This is something I am going to do whether or not you think I should. I asked a pretty specific question to which only one or two people has actually answered.

I have my priorities, there are things that are more important to me than others, and if you disagree, well.. that's not my problem. You are not me.

Sorry to be rude but I am really not interested in hearing why you think I shouldn't attempt something I have always wanted to do. Unless you are willing to actually offer assistance in the form of answering the original question I asked or offering useful advice then I would politely ask that you skip over my thread and move on to someone else's.

Also, you guys are all off your rockers for trying to say that a Portland winter is as miserable as a Milwaukee winter - we regularly see subzero temperatures that can get as cold as -50 with wind chills, along with massive amounts of snow. Milwaukee averages 54 inches of snowfall in a year while Portland averages 3.

According to NOAA, the coldest temperature recorded in Portland was -3 and that was in 1950. That is an average winter temp over here. Portland winters may be chilly but they are nothing like Milwaukee winters. And I said that was fine! I enjoy 4 seasons, I just literally cannot stand another winter where you cannot even go outside lest you become so cold you just want to curl up on the sidewalk and die. That kind of cold and the physical pain that comes along with it cannot even be described. Unless you have experienced it then you cannot even begin to understand so please stop trying to tell me that wanting to relocate for less extreme weather is a frivolous thing.

Originally Posted by pdwpdx

Interesting! Milwaukee is one of the cities I've considered moving to from Portland someday. I lived in Madison for a couple of years. Really, the winters are about equal in terms of misery. Not as cold in Portland, but way less sunshine than WI. Milwaukee seems like a pretty cool place. I love the old neighborhoods and architecture.

Madison is a *lot* different than Milwaukee.. the two cities are not even really comparable at all. Milwaukee is a very poor, dirty, and very segregated city whereas Madison is full of rich government workers.

[Steve Pickering]

You asked a question and you were answered. You wanted us to tell you what we think. We and that would be most of us as a collective we, think coming here without a job is foolish. Don't drink the utopia Kool-Aid.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by kitkat0825

I am extremely grateful to those who actually took the time to answer my post instead of trying to convince me otherwise. "Convince me otherwise" was not what I asked in my original post so I'm not really sure what you all think you are going to accomplish. This is something I am going to do whether or not you think I should. I asked a pretty specific question to which only one or two people has actually answered.

Also, you guys are all off your rockers for trying to say that a Portland winter is as miserable as a Milwaukee winter - we regularly see subzero temperatures that can get as cold as -50 with wind chills, along with massive amounts of snow. Milwaukee averages 54 inches of snowfall in a year while Portland averages 3.

I've lived places colder than Milwaukie. Some people still find it miserable here - it's cold and damp and grey for long stretches. Sunny days from Nov-Mar can be pretty rare. And going in the house often doesn't help, because a lot of our housing is poorly insulated. And mold can be an issue. It may look rosy compared to where you are, but it still wears on people in a different way. Just like WI, February can be a rough month where everyone is desperate for winter to wrap its butt up

Though anecdotally, I do know quite a few Wisconsinites in Pdx and the valley who love it. And I suspect the weather is a much harder adjustment for southwest transplants. But I wouldn't assume anyone will come in and not find our winters detestable.

On the bright side, we rarely have slush on the sidewalks or shoveling to do. The winter gear you have for Milw. will mostly be useless here, where you'll instead want layers and water resistance/proofing. An umbrella is the mark of a non-native, and with the wind, it may not help anyway even if it survives. But like the upper midwest, you can certainly be active and outdoors year-round if you do have the right gear.

And with apologies to Leinenkugels, our beer (and wine) is better. A lot of people seem to find that helps.

But really the biggest challenge here is economic right now. The job market has improved, but it's still not stellar, and housing is incredibly expensive. For the short run, especially as a single person in your 20s, you can make do if you're willing to use shared housing (find roommates, or more likely rent a room in an owned house). There are some relative bargains to be found that way, and $500 is feasible.

You can at least get by and enjoy Portland for a few years if you're smart and relatively frugal. It's a much tighter squeeze once you get into your 30s and have a family and have to pay for stand-alone housing, either on the rental or purchase market.

[NWGirl74]

Originally Posted by kitkat0825

I enjoy 4 seasons, I just literally cannot stand another winter where you cannot even go outside lest you become so cold you just want to curl up on the sidewalk and die.

I moved here from Idaho, and growing up I experienced a few winters where it was too cold to go outside in Eastern Washington. Even though I hate the snow and cold, one of the things I did miss when I first moved here was 4 distinct seasons. Fall, winter and spring pretty much just meld together, and summer weather typically starts right after the 4th of July.

Originally Posted by bler144

For the short run, especially as a single person in your 20s, you can make do if you're willing to use shared housing (find roommates, or more likely rent a room in an owned house). There are some relative bargains to be found that way, and $500 is feasible.

Looking for a roommate situation is mentioned a lot on this forum as an option for affordable housing. I agree it is. However, I rent out two rooms in my house and won't rent to anyone who doesn't have a verifiable source of income. I don't want high turnover from a slew of people who can't pay their rent a few months down the road because they haven't found a job. With the vacancy rate as low as it is, I'm guessing I'm not alone in that.