Portland, AKA the Enchantress City that captivated my husband (Beaverton: sales, apartments)

[Coastal_habitat]

Hello there,

So here I am starting all over again. We moved 2 and a half years ago from Oakland CA to Austin TX, due to (surprise!) eye-popping child care and housing costs. My husband always, since he was very young, wanted to move to Portland. But, I got a job here and so we landed in Texas.

And while I like Austin, my husband (raised in the very moderate climate of the West Coast) couldn't adapt. So I thought, hey, let's move to the East Coast! I posted a thread, and people from the great Connecticut and MA forums helped us plan our short visit to New England.

But, there's something called destiny I guess. And I'm starting to believe my husband and Portland are destined for each other. Of course, there's that, and the fact that we have family in the West Coast and know nobody back East.

My question comes here: for someone raised in Berkeley CA (like Dear Hubby) and someone (like me) raised in a place in South America where it rained perhaps half of the year and the temp was always between 65 and 75, would Portland weather be too much of a shock? Is it really that bad? Does the winter get to a point where going out to parks or for a stroll is out of the question?

I remember running with my rain poncho down the streets of Bogota as a child, so rain for me is part of reality.

Anyway. My second question is about schools around Portland. For my child: what school districts do you think are good? For me: is there a university with a strong program in Film?

And, my third question is, I hear Portland is becoming more racially diverse. I feel attracted to places where I'm not the only Asian around (I'm Korean but speak Spanish) where I can find good Asian food, and yes, as a big Indian Cinema fan, good Indian stores and even a theater where to watch the occasional Bollywood flick. (Yes, my husband rolls his eyes too).

Thanks for your help, in advance...! I really really need to make this move work for us this time!!!

[Rob Allen]

The weather will not be a shock. It will be a little chillier than you're used to, but that's all. A stroll in the park is possible almost every day of the year. There are lots of Koreans, Spanish speakers, and Indian food and movies.

I think you'll be deliriously happy here.

[John Shaft]

I am not a native Asian food eater, but I have been extremely impressed with the Asian food scene in Portland. The largest non-white influence on the northwest is arguably either Native American or Asian. It apparently is more racially diverse here than it used to be, but it will be far less than what you experienced in the Bay Area and Austin. Overall, it actually sounds like Portland matches up well with several things you are looking for.

[Coastal_habitat]

Thanks for your replies, folks. Actually, my DH and I are almost 90% decided to go there anyway, but there are a few details we need to get right before taking this huge step.

We were in Portland about 4 years ago and we absolutely loved it (I guess the city had a positive effect on me as well): the architecture, the lushness, and yes, the rain. It really seemed like an ideal place for us.


I guess from this point on, my questions are:

1- What are the best school districts in Portland? (Elementary School for now, but of course we have to think long term and include Middle and High School in the equation as well)

2- Would you consider Portland a "college town"? Or is it a bit like Austin, where you do have UT influencing the look and feel of the neighborhoods around it but apart from that, it's just like almost any other town? (not that it's bad).

3- How is the job market? And the housing market? Austin has not experienced the plunging that California has, but I'm sure the economy is affecting us all. Note: I'm in the environmental/city planning line of work, while my husband is in car sales (he's a Honda geek).

4- Why do you like Portland?

5- Why do you NOT like Portland?



Thanks again.

[EnricoV]

I'll play!

1. The best school districts tend to be in the SouthWest section of the city. Because those are the wealthier areas. Which also means housing is more expensive there.

2. No, not at all. There are several colleges in town. Portland State is in the downtown area, but is very much an urban school. No dorms, etc. So it tends to blend in. Also, an older median student body age.

3. I'm sure the job market will be difficult, probably moreso than other places.

4. It's gorgeous and green -- mountains on the horizon is what I always miss elsewhere. The weather is great (IMO) -- not too cold, not too warm. Great public transportation. A vibrant downtown. It's small enough to be managable, but large enough to have all the things you want (culturally, etc.). People are generally content to let others be different.

5. I don't like the bleeding-heart politics that dominates the city -- I'm a little too much law & order for them. I hate our mayor-elect with a passion. It's a long way from anywhere except Seattle. It'd be nice to have major cities nearer by, within a drivable distance. It's loosing it's down-home feeling as more and more upscale stores, restaurants, etc., people, come in. I don't like them. Allowing others to be different means there are a fair number of crack-pots!

[subsound]

I will have to say, the Asian food and seafood is incredible. I'm still looking for a good Indian restaurant around here, but only because there are not a huge amount (and I get sidetracked by another place to eat when hunting them down).

1) No clue, but Beaverton comes rated pretty highly in a lot of posts.

2) Many places are like a college town. Anywhere considered trendy (Lloyd, Pearl, Knob Hill, by PSU) make me feel like I never left. It's less like a frat house though, more sort of geeky chic (best way I can think of it). Get a bit away from the apartments and commercial areas and it gets more to a regular city atmosphere.

3) The housing market is still pretty inflated, it's going down at a slower pace then the nation. The job market is getting worse, but I would look at the Oregonian for exact percentages.

4) I love the public transit that I can go anywhere in the city without caring about what to do with my car. The natural beauty is unparalleled, especially places like the scenic highways and hiking trails. Lots of interesting things to do, like every weekend there's some sort of festival or fair or god knows what. Happy hour is an art form here, lots of cheap good eats in addition to the wonderful restaurants. You can find anything you desire from independent shops, plus Trader Joe's. I love the rain.

5) I don't like it's so car unfriendly in the city, with lots of narrow streets, small spots to park in, and some have insane twists and turns that are poorly marked till you get next to them. I hate that pretty much every time I step out my door or go downtown I get hassled by a homeless person, including some very aggressive ones. Cost of living went up a good bit when I came here from Denver in food, housing, and utilities costs.

[Rob Allen]

1- I have no children, so no direct experience with schools. By reputation, Portland is supposed to be one of the best "big-city" school districts in the country, but as with most cities, the affluent suburbs have better schools.

2- No, it's not a college town. The University of Oregon is three hours away, and Oregon State is two hours away. The big school in town is Portland State, which few people outside the Northwest have ever heard of. I've lived near Boston - now that was a college town.

3- The job and housing markets are suffering but not crashing. You are in a field that's a Portland specialty - the environmental/planning community here is very strong. And for your husband - I happen to have the Sunday newspaper handy, and I just checked the Help Wanted ads - there are four ads for auto sales people. He might be familiar with my employer too - I work for ADP Dealer Services. Our R&D headquarters is in Portland.

4- Both the physical and social climates are comfortable.

5- Traffic is getting worse.

[Lilly12103]

I just moved here, so while I don't have an entire bank of knowledge about Portland, I can tell you about my own experiences... I love the cultural diversity here. So many different lifestyles, being "different" is the norm here. Of course coming from California you might think I'm just naive, but it sure opened this MidWestern gal's eyes! My husband left his job when we came here (I transferred with my company). It took him a month to find a new job, and he actually had two offers to choose from. Both were found the old fashioned way- submitting a resume on the Internet and giving a great interview (my way of saying we didn't know anybody who got him the foot in the door). So while the job market may not be what it once was, it's not like nobody can get a job here. I love living downtown, I always feel safe, and I would have no idea how the traffic is becasue I never, ever need to drive anywhere.

Good luck!

[Coastal_habitat]

Thank you for your responses!!! It's great to know how people actually living there perceive their city. All I can say is, reading your posts confirms what I've been hearing. Thanks!

I guess that any city you go to has the potential of becoming home, and all the questions I've asked (cultural diversity, food, college town feel -or not-, job/housing market) are all but peripheral, material amenities that make a city what it is.

But after moving so much, I think I've learned that a city is pretty much made of the people that inhabit it. And that I consider the best amenity of them all...! (Which can be read as: home is where you can make good friends)

I've heard (and read here) that people in Portland can be this and that, or react to you if you come from certain state, etc etc... but I guess people are people anywhere, right? Or do you personally feel that the weather, traffic conditions and job market really influence the general character of people in a given place?

Sorry. I know it's a pretty general question. But I'll just post it and see where it takes us!

[argo69]

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal recently (I posted the link elsewhere) that detailed the results of a sociological study done across the U.S.. In a nutshell, the researchers said the results show that there really is such a thing as regional character and that the stereotype of Northwesterners being introverted and Northeasterners being stressed-out were borne out clearly by the results of the study.

Whether this is due to people being shaped by their environment or people of a certain type being drawn to particular parts of the country would be the next question I suppose.