Review of Portland from a 32 Year Old (8.8/10)

[The Big Lebowski Dude]

Good post, OP. I was on vacation in Portland in Summer 2015. For the most part, great city & friendly people.

I've thought about moving to the Pacific Northwest over the years, but the cost of living in this area is reprehensibly expensive. I don't know how most people can afford living there - unless you have an extremely well-paying job - and maybe not even then.

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by The Big Lebowski Dude

Good post, OP. I was on vacation in Portland in Summer 2015. For the most part, great city & friendly people.

I've thought about moving to the Pacific Northwest over the years, but the cost of living in this area is reprehensibly expensive. I don't know how most people can afford living there - unless you have an extremely well-paying job - and maybe not even then.

Thanks!
I think the area is due for a change though.
I can't speak for Seattle, but it seems as though Portland is building an incredible amount of "anthill" apartments.
Just rode through the Pearl the other day...North end has sooo many constructions!
Perhaps rents and demand will go down with the building...I am thinking another year for those constructions to come to fruition.

[magicturtle]

Originally Posted by MDCB

Hello all - before I delve into my post, I want to make it clear that this is MY opinion and I am posting this here to drive helpful conversation and contribute to a forum that helped me during my moves.
The CD forum is a tough crowd and again, my point is not to offend anyone.
I am sure that the regulars, more experienced Portlanders, and the well traveled will assist me with their thoughts and addendums.

I have lived in Portland for about 2.5 years now. Previously from the midwest and was in Tucson, AZ for 3 years prior to this move. I did a review of Tucson after I moved there and some had pointed out that it was a helpful review - I hope to do the same and share my experiences of moving to and living in Portland! (//www.city-data.com/forum/tucso...r-old-6-a.html

I will say, that there are lots of caveats and exceptions to the rules that I post, but the most important truth I believe is the LIFESTYLE that ONE CREATES FOR THEMSELVES. Whether you have a stable job, relationship status, financial status, exposure to people/ideas, and overall outlook on life will define your experience in a city - please keep that in mind when reading my review/making a decision to move here or anywhere.
I had the opportunity to live very close to work and that has definitely changed my outlook on the city that I am about to review.
It is a larger city with multiple metro areas and your experience will change drastically depending on where you live - I am mostly reviewing the city and my experiences living on the west/SW side of town.


Portland is the 26th largest city in the US based on population ~ 630K (comparable to Nashville or OKC) but has a large metro area population (MSA) of ~ 2.5 million people.

Pros (what works for me):
- The weather these past few years have been reportedly milder than usual, but I have enjoyed the weather immensely. The PNW summers are hard to beat; absolutely gorgeous. 70s-90s. Clouds, sun, a bit of rain here and there, flora blooming everywhere. The winter was great. I enjoyed the somewhat rainy, gloomy weather even though I lived in AZ the past 3 years. Not much snow to speak of. Went hiking in the snow many times and it was glorious! (8.5/10)
- Related to the above is the nature around here - has been stated ad nauseum on these boards, but an incredible collection of the coast, mountains, rivers, volcanic land, etc. I have yet to experience the desert east, but a beautiful state/city. Can't stress the amount of natural beauty here. Hikes and nature lovers galore, even in the winter. The city is built on a beautiful river and rolling hills. (10/10)
- Public Transport - again, talked about quiet a bit on these forums, but a great interconnectedness of rail, bus, BIKE (absolutely love biking around in the summer/drier months - incredibly bike friendly), through a bit of Uber in there - got yourself a great city with PUBLIC transport. So easy for me to get to the airport - don't need my buddy to take me there - hop on the Max. Street car is uber slow though. Traffic is another story - see below in cons. (9/10)
- Food scene is diverse in both tastes and cost! Beer galore! Distillery Row! Food Carts! Want Kombucha? We have great vegan/veggie food! Great chefs! Can you tell that I like to eat? My personal fav, guilty pleasure, and go to recommendation is Tails and Trotters. (10/10)
- Culturally speaking, an incredibly array of offerings from free movies in the park, festivals on the water front every wknd in the summer, indie movie theaters, powells, concerts/comedy/opera/orchestra, and all big city amenities. I fail to come up with anything lacking. (10/10)
- Good access to shopping either downtown with the brand name stores or local stores on streets like Hawthorne, Alberta, etc. I personally like that the Walmart is on 82nd outside the city, but I do order things on Amazon Prime. Good farmers markets, Saturday market, etc. (9/10)
- People are generally nice - see below in culture (7/10)
- Aesthetically a top city in my opinion. Beautiful downtown skyline (for a city it's size) cradled in the pined west hills topped off with a beautiful river and a variety of architecturally interesting bridges! (10/10)
- Progressive ideology (this one is likely going to be highly controversial) in terms of programs like needle disposal boxes, Nike's Biketown, etc. Could see more along the lines of renewable energy, discounts for EVs, more free health clinics, etc. (9/10)
- Beautiful neighborhoods/microsections that bring their own mood, attitude and feel; my favs are the Alphabet District, Ladds, SE Division neighborhoods...guess I have many. (10/10)
- Top notch parks. I have spent more time in parks in this city than any other. Some of my favs include Peninsula Park, Mt. Tabor and watching the sunset with dinner at Skidmore. I could sing Forest Park's praises all day. Riding the river bank esplanade. (10/10)
- Diversity. Though accused of being a very white town, I have found diversity. Have met a large Russian population, delved into the SE asian population around Halsey area, but certainly less diverse than other large/larger cities? (7/10)
- Great airport. No complaints. Easy access via public transport. Good size. (10/10)
- Great day/wknd/week trips all around the area. Anywhere from the gorge/mt hood to Bend to Crater lake, to the Cascades up in WA or even to Glacier. (10/10)

Cons (what doesn't work for me and please note, much less informed about these issues):
- Cost of living in terms of housing and taxes. Very controversial topic especially in this neck of the woods with the UGB. Nonetheless, both rent and cost of buying a house are both astronomical at the time of this post. And arguably so with the above Pros list - many want to live here. Everyone struggles with this. As someone with midwest exposure, it is difficult for me to consider forking over 600K-1 million for a 2-3 bdrm with safe access to city amenities. But forking over that much in rent comparably is grotesque also. Potentially cheapest big city on the west coast? State income tax is high especially relative to WA right across the river. Though, of course, no sales tax.
Most heartbreaking - I see some very ugly residential buildings being built that look like massive anthills to increase profits from an already lucrative rental market. (3/10)
- Homeless population. It is true, we do unfortunately have a large homeless population and many on this thread know more about this issue than I. I personally live in a very secure building and have not had any overt issues, however have been affected by needing to worry when friends bike to certain parts of town, Spring water Corridor issues when I bike, the new island communities, etc. I don't have a solution, but the city has not done well in terms of providing one either so far. Much unfortunately is driven by drug use, psych disease, and inadequacy of resources from what I have read. Lots of disparity just like any other city in the US (4/10)
- Traffic. I don't drive often as I live close to work. I do drive for groceries and "lucky" to live in a building with a parking spot included in the rent. Having said that, when I do need to commute 6-10 miles around the city during rush hour, I can count on 30-45 minutes of drive time. Popular city, limited answers to US26. Lucky to live in the city where I can mostly walk, bike or take public transport. (3/10)
- Culture. Quirky of course. Given the abundant natural resources and booming economy a sense of boastfulness also pervades the air. But lately tinged with isolationism and fear. A bit of hatred towards the changing ways of the city and arguably rightfully so? I meet a lot of transplants (myself included) changing the face of the town, driving up housing costs, contributing to the above mentioned traffic, etc. This is breeding some hatred from long term residents. This can be seen by trends like "keep portland secret", the anti-california stickers, etc. There is an element of hype to the city also. The marketing is superb. Tourists rent a Biketown bike, ride the beautiful city, drink coffee and beer, and run into the occasional homeless person while buying something from a foodcart. Little do they realize the cons above. Somewhat similar qualities of life can be had in cheaper cities.
Having said the above, great, creative people. Educated for the most part. Kind in my experience. I just think that the city needs a cohesive goal now that it has seen a huge influx of residents. (5.5/10)

If you are considering moving here, I advise moving close to work. If you work in Beaverton/Hillsboro, live in Beaverton and come visit the city in the evenings when the traffic is lighter. Life is different in the SW in comparison to the west hills as it is compared to living in Sellwood, Lake Oswego, etc.
As much as I complain about the costs, I do enjoy a carless (not careless ) life with other city amenities as mentioned above.

I am sure I have missed many aspects and it is difficult to be all encompassing. I am sure other can comment on the dating scene/nightlife, jobs/economy/industry, being a potential city to retire in, life in the metro area/suburbs, growth, future plans, etc.
I have had a wonderful time living in Portland thus far, plan to continue to live here in the short term future. Please let me know what I have missed/misrepresented, etc. Also, given the above concerns with the city - especially the cost of living/housing, any other cities I could consider moving to in the future? I was eyeing Boise? (I love the west coast)

Thanks for reading/skimming this long post! Hope it helps!

Same thing was happening in Colorado in the early 90's. "Don't Californicate Colorado" bumper stickers and "Thanks for visiting - now leave"

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by magicturtle

Same thing was happening in Colorado in the early 90's. "Don't Californicate Colorado" bumper stickers and "Thanks for visiting - now leave"

We had similar stickers in CA.

[oregon911]

I agree with most of OPs points. One thing I might add is that Portland is the 26th most populated city in the US but it has the 9th worst traffic. So the city's traffic problem is even worse than how OP paints it and it will only get worse since we won't build any new roads while we will continue to build new houses and apartments.

[oregon911]

Originally Posted by jjpop

I think it's the transplants with their equity. They can come up here and live in the $600k McMansion and drive their $90k Tesla because they sold their 1600-square-foot rancher in Mountain View for $1.4 million. They can still live comfortably making $85k at Intel or Nike if they don't have to pay a mortgage or car payment.

Average Intel employee in Oregon makes $170,000. Most Intel employees I know make much more than that.

Here is a source: Intel layoffs: Questions and answers on pending job cuts | OregonLive.com

[Cinema Cat]

Originally Posted by harrishawke

Many of those homeless people you speak of are people that are capable of working or DO work, but can't afford the asinine rents.

Many? How many? A thousand? A hundred? A dozen? Do you have verified numbers?

I've read news reports that most (yes, the majority) of chronically homeless people, in every part of the U.S., are drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, or some combination.

Were I -- or any normal person -- unable to afford a particular city, I'd move to a more another city where I could afford to work and live. Chronically homeless people choose to live that way.

They're all over Santa Monica, where I live. Been that way for all the 30 years I've lived here.

Yeah, Santa Monica is expensive. Really expensive. So why don't they move? Because liberal Santa Monica's generous homeless programs make it easy for them to live in the parks and on the beach. And being crazy, alcoholic druggies, they don't much mind living in parks and on the beach.

[Gaylord_Focker]

Nice post OP.