What is the hippest part of Portland currently? (Beaverton, Beaver: apartments, new home)

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Cliftonpdx

Oh I fully agree, but my point was there was still a label for that.

For the 2000s, Portland was home to something that was rather unique to Portland in the sense that it is what made Portland, Portland to the people living here. I am not saying other places didn't make beer or coffee or made their own products, it was just something a city as a whole celebrated here. I am very happy to have been single in Portland for the 2000s. The best decision I ever made was moving down here from Washington rather than choosing to live in Seattle at that time.

Yup! Portland is way less corporate than Seattle even though Seattle has some very cool neighborhoods. Portland reminds me of SF and The Bay Area in the 70's - 80's so maybe that's why I feel so at home here. We moved here over 6.5 years ago and though Portland is rapidly changing it still has a really smart and engaged population that sometimes I take it for granted. My older kid is in middle school in Beaverton and she and her friends talk about ideas and concepts and read novels weekly for enjoyment. Kids in other areas are not being raised to be as interesting IMO. SF used to be like that before the yuppies and dot commers set their sights on the regional city. I think Portland has a good chance at retaining some quirkiness that makes it desirable but some areas are already too expensive to stay hip. I keep saying that Madison South is going to see the hip factor very soon!

[The Global Citizen]

You all provide an interesting perspective. While I don't want to play the race card, I wonder why my perspective is somewhat different as an ethnic minority.

*Please note, I moved here from Denver, which has a hip identity in its own right.

**Please note, this isn't a race-trolling query or comment, just using dialogue to explore ideologies and phenomenological viewpoints.

[Cliftonpdx]

Originally Posted by The Global Citizen

You all provide an interesting perspective. While I don't want to play the race card, I wonder why my perspective is somewhat different as an ethnic minority.

*Please note, I moved here from Denver, which has a hip identity in its own right.

**Please note, this isn't a race-trolling query or comment, just using dialogue to explore ideologies and phenomenological viewpoints.

Honestly, I think only you can respond to this because it is your perspective. We can only really speak from our own perspectives and I couldn't tell you why yours would differ from mine other than maybe age and time frame of living here.

Portland does have a very racist past. Oregon was founded by white supremacist, so I like to think the city and state has come a long way since it's founders.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by The Global Citizen

You all provide an interesting perspective. While I don't want to play the race card, I wonder why my perspective is somewhat different as an ethnic minority.

*Please note, I moved here from Denver, which has a hip identity in its own right.

**Please note, this isn't a race-trolling query or comment, just using dialogue to explore ideologies and phenomenological viewpoints.

I have mentioned many times on this forum that I am mixed race and my husband is brown. I don't know why you think every poster here is white.

[CanuckInPortland]

Originally Posted by The Global Citizen

You all provide an interesting perspective. While I don't want to play the race card, I wonder why my perspective is somewhat different as an ethnic minority.

*Please note, I moved here from Denver, which has a hip identity in its own right.

**Please note, this isn't a race-trolling query or comment, just using dialogue to explore ideologies and phenomenological viewpoints.

I'm half-Chinese and my wife is Arab/North African, though we sometimes get mistaken for Hispanic in Portland. People are nice to us in general, but they often rightfully assume based on our looks and slight accent that we're not from Portland usually(though they never guess we grew up in Canada). I've had people assume we were Mexicans from the Midwest or California or Asians/Pacific Islanders from Hawaii. Someone asked us if we were enjoying our visit to Portland a few months ago and I said, yes, it's been a great 7-year stay.

[The Global Citizen]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

I have mentioned many times on this forum that I am mixed race and my husband is brown. I don't know why you think every poster here is white.

I simply wanted to make sure that I was political correct. I am new to this forum and had no previous knowledge of you or your background. However, thank you for sharing. Also, I am aware of the racial undertones that posters carry on city data from time-to-time and didn't not want to come across offensive to anyone.

[The Global Citizen]

Originally Posted by CanuckInPortland

I'm half-Chinese and my wife is Arab/North African, though we sometimes get mistaken for Hispanic in Portland. People are nice to us in general, but they often rightfully assume based on our looks and slight accent that we're not from Portland usually(though they never guess we grew up in Canada). I've had people assume we were Mexicans from the Midwest or California or Asians/Pacific Islanders from Hawaii. Someone asked us if we were enjoying our visit to Portland a few months ago and I said, yes, it's been a great 7-year stay.

I'm a black male that lives in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Portland. My wife and I are in our upper 30s. She is South Asian. There are no other blacks in Laurelhurst ... literally. We are talking about a close-in neighborhood. People look at us look at us all the time like we are lost. We've both lived and worked all over the world in many of the larger cities. It's a different vibe through my lens. People are not mean, they are just not comfortable.

[Cliftonpdx]

Originally Posted by The Global Citizen

I'm a black male that lives in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Portland. My wife and I are in our upper 30s. She is South Asian. There are no other blacks in Laurelhurst ... literally. We are talking about a close-in neighborhood. People look at us look at us all the time like we are lost. We've both lived and worked all over the world in many of the larger cities. It's a different vibe through my lens. People are not mean, they are just not comfortable.

I don't know if I would look too much into that. My wife and I aren't white and we too would probably stand out in Laurelhurst too there because we definitely could not afford that neighborhood.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by CanuckInPortland

I'm half-Chinese and my wife is Arab/North African, though we sometimes get mistaken for Hispanic in Portland. People are nice to us in general, but they often rightfully assume based on our looks and slight accent that we're not from Portland usually(though they never guess we grew up in Canada). I've had people assume we were Mexicans from the Midwest or California or Asians/Pacific Islanders from Hawaii. Someone asked us if we were enjoying our visit to Portland a few months ago and I said, yes, it's been a great 7-year stay.

You and your wife sound like me and my husband!

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by The Global Citizen

I'm a black male that lives in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Portland. My wife and I are in our upper 30s. She is South Asian. There are no other blacks in Laurelhurst ... literally. We are talking about a close-in neighborhood. People look at us look at us all the time like we are lost. We've both lived and worked all over the world in many of the larger cities. It's a different vibe through my lens. People are not mean, they are just not comfortable.

I know exactly what you mean. When I lived in Portland would get asked if we owned our house. Yeah, weird. That has never happened anywhere to us. Like we are having breakfast on our porch and strangers would ask that. Nope, we are the hired help making ourselves comfortable on a Sunday morning in our pjs. I actually got some pretty racist stuff said to me. Laurelhurst was built to be "a high class neighborhood" in the early part of the 20th century. I saw a vintage ad for the homes being built and that is what the ad said. There were to be no blacks on that hood. Google it and check out the history of Laurelhurst. Very interesting.