Best time of year to visit (Portland, Salem: apartment complex, rental market, job)

[PDXJ]

My favorite month in Portland is June. The days are long, the nights are (usually) warm, and everything is incredibly green. Probably some showers but less chance of a heat wave than July or August. You can also drive up to Timberline and play in the snow, or at least look east and see a snow-covered volcano.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

The answers here may be relevant... how old are you both? How long have you been married? Why do you want to do this? Don't you think you are about to change too many variables at one time? Drastic is your word. If that's what you think it is, then you are front loading the venture with more angst than it really requires. Failure is a high probability in that case...

The overwhelming majority of people don't really need to leave their cities of residence and that is why their relocation attempts fail. I'm sorry, this country is just too big with too many metropolitan niches that can work for a typical American couple. I haven't heard anything in your o.p. that says" yes, Portland, its the perfect place for them. Visiting for a vacation and visiting as a scout are two very different objectives. Since you are scouting you should visit, as was suggested, in mid-winter...

Agree with Leis on a number of points. First off, why are you wanting to leave CT exactly? And are you sure that two people who've never been west of the rockies should suddenly jump to the pacific? And even if one grants the West Coast is the right fit, why Portland, exactly?

Being from the east coast, I had over a decade in the midwest before I transitioned out here, so I was used to being "away" from family, but a 2 hour flight is really different than a 6.5 hour direct flight. Once you start adding stopovers, it's a haul.

Is getting away from family part of the point, or will one/both of you be miserable? You don't have kids (at least yet) from the sound of it, but will you want to be closer to family when you do? And, you know, there is that little finicky problem of jobs, presumably, unless one of you is sitting on a goldmine of wealth.

Also, it's one thing to like the rain if you think of Gene Kelly, but Oregon doesn't (historically) get a lot of warm summer rain. Summers are generally fairly dry, and the rain falls in the winter when it's a charming 40 degrees out. If you live in the northeast part of the city, you get the extra pleasure of cold rain and a nice brisk wind coming down out of the gorge to blow it around/under your umbrella, assuming it doesn't instantly turn your umbrella inside out.

Taking a long trip together, while it can be fun, is also a stress-test. Moving across country is that same stress-test multiplied by 100x. And presumably part of your thinking here is that new scenery will be fun and a nice change.

But the reality is that change is as much a stress on relationships as drudgery. Will your beau be cute and charming in a porkpie hat with a full-body tattoo and RCTID fanaticism (Welcome to Portland!), or will it just be obnoxious? What happens when one of you makes new friends and the other doesn't, or one of you gets a job in a new place and the other one doesn't?

People take these risks all the time, but some of them do it wisely and informed, and others not so much. Others do it out of necessity, or in pursuit of a very specific goal (a new job, e.g.), and others just because the dream sounds nice.

All I'm saying is that you'd best be clear and honest with yourselves on whether this is a 'plan' or a 'dream.' If it's just a dream that doesn't mean you have to abandon it, but you really need to put the work in to make it an actual plan.

And for heaven's sake at least take a week's vacation together first and see if you want to kill each other after that.

[Shorty458]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

The answers here may be relevant... how old are you both? How long have you been married? Why do you want to do this? Don't you think you are about to change too many variables at one time? Drastic is your word. If that's what you think it is, then you are front loading the venture with more angst than it really requires. Failure is a high probability in that case. You don't need to visit. I'm serious. I'm not saying you shouldn't visit. I'm just saying that a visit is useless for learning anything meaningful about choosing Portland as a place to live.

We are in our mid 30's and our only "kids" have 4 legs. We want to do it, because based upon what we have read about Portland - it is the one region we can agree on! I grew up in Western MA (pretty much the same as here) and I just hate the northeast. The bitter cold in the winter is just unbearable for me. We moved to Florida in 2008 - and although I loved it there - he didn't. It was way to humid for him, and he didn't like not having the change of seasons. We moved back in summer of 2014.

Also, for religion purposes. He is an atheist - and I consider myself agnostic. The public transportation is something I really like as well. Even though, we have cars, it would be great not to have to rely on them all the time. The bike trails that I heard the city has, how good the city is at recycling, etc.

I only basically said "drastic" because I know our family - mainly my mom would be insanely upset if we moved that far. (She was upset when we were in Florida) Don't get me wrong - I love her, but I can easily just see my family a few times year. There is always skype and facetime!


The overwhelming majority of people don't really need to leave their cities of residence and that is why their relocation attempts fail. I'm sorry, this country is just too big with too many metropolitan niches that can work for a typical American couple. I haven't heard anything in your o.p. that says" yes, Portland, its the perfect place for them. Visiting for a vacation and visiting as a scout are two very different objectives. Since you are scouting you should visit, as was suggested, in mid-winter. But, I'll say it again. You will learn nothing. If you actually do relocate your success (or not) will not hang on anything about Portland's weather, or lifestyle, but on how the two of you work with the new dynamics in your lives. FWIW.

Oh I know visiting is different that living, but when I visited Florida before I moved there, one thing I did was look at apartments, familiarized myself w/ the area(s) I would want to live in, interviewed for jobs, etc. I guess I don't take "normal" vacations. LOL.

Originally Posted by PDXJ

My favorite month in Portland is June. The days are long, the nights are (usually) warm, and everything is incredibly green. Probably some showers but less chance of a heat wave than July or August. You can also drive up to Timberline and play in the snow, or at least look east and see a snow-covered volcano.

I would love to see a snow-covered volcano! I've actually used pics of those as my desktop wallpaper! Thanks for the tip!

Originally Posted by bler144

Agree with Leis on a number of points. First off, why are you wanting to leave CT exactly? And are you sure that two people who've never been west of the rockies should suddenly jump to the pacific? And even if one grants the West Coast is the right fit, why Portland, exactly?

Being from the east coast, I had over a decade in the midwest before I transitioned out here, so I was used to being "away" from family, but a 2 hour flight is really different than a 6.5 hour direct flight. Once you start adding stopovers, it's a haul.

Is getting away from family part of the point, or will one/both of you be miserable? You don't have kids (at least yet) from the sound of it, but will you want to be closer to family when you do? And, you know, there is that little finicky problem of jobs, presumably, unless one of you is sitting on a goldmine of wealth.

Also, it's one thing to like the rain if you think of Gene Kelly, but Oregon doesn't (historically) get a lot of warm summer rain. Summers are generally fairly dry, and the rain falls in the winter when it's a charming 40 degrees out. If you live in the northeast part of the city, you get the extra pleasure of cold rain and a nice brisk wind coming down out of the gorge to blow it around/under your umbrella, assuming it doesn't instantly turn your umbrella inside out.

Taking a long trip together, while it can be fun, is also a stress-test. Moving across country is that same stress-test multiplied by 100x. And presumably part of your thinking here is that new scenery will be fun and a nice change.

But the reality is that change is as much a stress on relationships as drudgery. Will your beau be cute and charming in a porkpie hat with a full-body tattoo and RCTID fanaticism (Welcome to Portland!), or will it just be obnoxious? What happens when one of you makes new friends and the other doesn't, or one of you gets a job in a new place and the other one doesn't?

People take these risks all the time, but some of them do it wisely and informed, and others not so much. Others do it out of necessity, or in pursuit of a very specific goal (a new job, e.g.), and others just because the dream sounds nice.

All I'm saying is that you'd best be clear and honest with yourselves on whether this is a 'plan' or a 'dream.' If it's just a dream that doesn't mean you have to abandon it, but you really need to put the work in to make it an actual plan.

And for heaven's sake at least take a week's vacation together first and see if you want to kill each other after that.

Thanks for the tips! Well, we are not too close to our family. If I see them just a few times a year - I am fine w/ that.There is always Skype and Facetime! No kids yet, we want kids - but not 100% sure. I have a condition I was born w/ (NF) and I have a 50% chance of passing it on to my kids - so our "kids" have 4 legs.

We have taken a few road trips together actually. We traveled up and down the east cost a few times. Just need to double that to drive to Oregon though. So, we know what it is like.

We've been reading up on Portland and it is just a perfect match.We are very informed! Everything that the city offers, does, etc is something we would love in a city.

I got the job that got us to Florida.(the company I worked for at the time, owned a company in Florida) He got the job that got us back to CT. It would be better for him to get a job to get us to Portland. He worked for the state of fl, and now works for the state of ct. Has never worked private sector. So if he could get in w/ the state or city there, that would be ideal. He works in IT.

The job would be the hard part for sure! Getting a job in state is hard enough, add 3000 miles to it - will make it even harder. People have done it though. So, I'm hoping one will come through for us. So, it is a plan - just need the job to make the plan actually happen.

[Cliftonpdx]

I would say visit whenever you want, maybe stay in an AirBnB place to give yourself a better feel of living in the city rather than the hotel room experience. Also, don't forget to check out the Puget Sound for possible areas to live.

Both regions fit what you are looking for, but both have their differences when it comes to the northwest. You might be surprised and end up liking the area you didn't think you would like rather than the area you thought you were going to like.

Either way, good luck exploring. I kind of miss seeing Portland and the Northwest with new eyes, but for me this place will always be home.

[Bluesmama]

My favorite months here are July and August. I'm a summer person to begin with and Portland AND the suburbs are rich with activities during that season. If you just wanted to visit I'd say definitely come during those peak months; however, I have to agree with some of the posters that it would be best to come during another period if you are considering relocation. Someone suggested February and I think that's a good one.

[Dwayne Lassiter]

The rain in Portland is drizzle. You walk through it with no problem. It doesn't slow you down. In Florida when it rains, you duck under something until it stops, and if you have a raincoat on, you're sweating like crazy. Unlike hotter climates, you can even wear a slicker comfortably in Portland. But yes, summer in Portland (June-September) is all about green, warmth and blue skies. Other months it's chilly (not particularly cold) and grey skies. Still green!

If you want to see how enjoyable Portland can be, come in the summer. If you enjoy staying indoors when it's gloomy outside, come in the winter, and see how enjoyable that can be.

[Shorty458]

Thanks everyone! Appreciate it!! I'm actually currently researching apartments. Found one I really liked - Sunset Summit. We need a place that allows dogs, and they do. Like the fact they are across the street from a Starbucks! From google images - it looks like a nice area.

Now, I know when I lived in Tampa - you wanted to live close to where you worked because of the horrible traffic. For example - I would have loved to live in St. Pete or Clearwater, but where my hubby worked - it just would have not worked out at all! Need to cross a long bridge everyday, and if there is an accident - you could be stuck literally for hours! At least though w/ Portland you have MAX! Something that Tampa needs for sure!

So, do people live on the "west" side and work on the "east" side, or is that not as common there? It appears from looking at the map - that the area I am looking at is the west side.

I know there was another post on here, about the difference in sides, and the west side is more like the suburbs if I remember correctly.

Thanks for any tips/advice!!!

[Cliftonpdx]

Originally Posted by Shorty458

Thanks everyone! Appreciate it!! I'm actually currently researching apartments. Found one I really liked - Sunset Summit. We need a place that allows dogs, and they do. Like the fact they are across the street from a Starbucks! From google images - it looks like a nice area.

Now, I know when I lived in Tampa - you wanted to live close to where you worked because of the horrible traffic. For example - I would have loved to live in St. Pete or Clearwater, but where my hubby worked - it just would have not worked out at all! Need to cross a long bridge everyday, and if there is an accident - you could be stuck literally for hours! At least though w/ Portland you have MAX! Something that Tampa needs for sure!

So, do people live on the "west" side and work on the "east" side, or is that not as common there? It appears from looking at the map - that the area I am looking at is the west side.

I know there was another post on here, about the difference in sides, and the west side is more like the suburbs if I remember correctly.

Thanks for any tips/advice!!!

If you live on the west side, work on the west side, it will save so many traffic headaches. Obviously if one lives on the west side and works downtown, it is best to use transit to get downtown.

[Dwayne Lassiter]

There is "west side" -- the West Hills, and the is "way west side"-- which is Beaverton-ish. Certainly the latter is "suburbs", which are sort of small towns in their own right. Yes, if you work, probably best to stay on the side you work on. But compared to many big cities I've lived in, Portland traffic isn't particularly bad. The hills are beautiful, but might be a little pricey.

On the basis of what you've said is important to you, it shouldn't make a big difference which side you live on. You might want to get a bike map, to be aware of where the best bicycle lanes are, and also scope out where public transit is handy. With regard to bikes, just remember that the Pacific Northwest is more often than not wet. To some, drizzle and bikes don't go well together. Be prepared. That is, in full-bore rain, you just duck under something for a few minutes. In Portland drizzle you'll be ducking for days.

[Hockeygirl063]

Summer and early fall are by far the best times to visit. But you have to understand what winter is here. it's not necessarily very cold but cloudy and rainy quite a lot. It can vary from year to year. I have lived here almost 28 years now and I still hate winter.