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My personal situation is a bit different from the "norm," if norms even exist. I grew up as a child in Reedsport, a tiny town a couple hours from Portland, until I was about 10. Most of my family on both sides is in the NW area -- grandparents in Idaho, parents plan to retire in a few years to Idaho, cousins my age and my "cool aunt" in Portland, more cousins in Lake Oswego and Bend, a cool uncle in Seattle, etc. However, when I was a kid my dad joined the Armed Forces, which caused my parents and I to move a lot -- Maine, Europe and eventually I finished high school and went to college in Florida.
I got a job lined up in Florida right after graduation from an awesome state university there, and have been living in the Tampa/St. Pete metro area since. I'm currently 24, financially independent 100% of my parents, have an apartment in the city, friends, etc. I work as an executive assistant and communications coordinator (small enough company that my duties include both roles), and also do the bulk of written communications for my office.
I want to move back to Portland, but am seeking to line up a job there first (am visiting for a week and staying with my aunt in the near future, and working to line up interviews for the week I'll be there). For me, Portland is my "home," due to the fact that most of my family lives around there, including the family detailed above and my best friend from childhood. I have gone to the cultural events in Portland, have friends there and once I'm there, I'd plan to stay in that area (or at least a close driving distance from it) for the long-haul in life. Due to the background of moving constantly as a kid, the idea of living a moving-oriented life really puts a nasty taste in my mouth - I am not willing to constantly uproot and have no sense of permanent home. However, due to the fact that Florida is so far from everyone AND the culture is very flat compared to Portland, I don't think Florida will ultimately sustain me for a lifelong home and would prefer Portland instead.
I have recently been connecting with a lot of recruiters/headhunters and business consultants (who would know the employers wanting to hire) via LinkedIn. I have already arranged a meeting with someone during the week I'll be in Portland, and I have another phone interview with a recruiter arranged for this Tuesday.
Again, for me, Portland is "home" for a multitude of reasons. I'm not just going to check out the scene because I read it's cool in an online article, or because I want to check out their craft beer.
In an analysis of Portland vs Tampa, it boils down to this:
- 90% of my family in driving distance of Portland, as detailed above, compared to no family in Florida
- I'm realizing I might be a lesbian, and the gay scene in Portland is much better than in Florida
- I'm a writer and I enjoy talking about things like philosophy, science, ideas about things for the future, creative concepts and projects, politics, the environment, intelligent books and movies, etc. In Florida, the only friends I have who I can genuinely connect with are far older than me. Everyone I meet in FL who is my own age just wants to talk about online dating, drama, going out and partying with the sole goal of finding a partner, etc. and seems to have no ambition in life. Florida also has a lot of narcissists and image-driven people
- Portland is far more walkable and urban than Florida, which I like - I want to be able to walk to the heart of thriving urban life, and/or hop on the public transit to easily be close to everything. Florida can have walkability in small bubbles, but overall is far more spread out, which for me is a pain.
- I like forests, hiking, rivers, swimming in lakes, etc. Florida has none of this, except the beach which is awesome, but I'm not really a surfing/beachy type. I go to the beach occasionally and appreciate it while I"m here, but would much rather go on a challenging mountain hike and then swim in the rivers before hiking back down, which I did a lot of in Oregon.
I could go on, but I would just be droning at that point. I guess I"m just looking for a place to rant. I know that those of you from Portland are wary of people from California etc coming up to ruin it, but I'm not some random wannabe transplant with no ties to Portland who just wants to crash in and start ruining it, lol. I actually have very deep ties to Portland and really just want to go home and never leave again.
And it's so frustrating meeting people my age in Florida. In Portland, there's a very friendly scene with lots of potential for meeting someone if you're gay as well. In Portland, the people in their 20s are involved in startups and creative things and business and making the world a better place. Where I live, the people in their 20s just want to talk about their Tinder date, going to the bar, relationship drama, etc. I understand that there's smart people everywhere, and also annoying douches/bimbos everywhere, but what I described is like 99% of my experience in Florida. All my friends are in their 40s, despite me being 24. Out of all my friends, only one feels like a genuine kindred spirit, and she has yearly conferences in Portland so we'd see each other anyway (and I'd visit her as well). I do get out a lot, meet new people, go to events etc. but Florida just seems to have an anti-intellectual majority that drives me insane!
Also, the cockroaches in Florida are crazy. I have no problem with spiders, snakes, lizards, mice, rats, ants, or any other type of nuisance creature, but I've had a deeply-rooted fear of roaches from a very young age, and in Florida they're enormous, like 3 inches long at times. In Oregon they're practically nonexistant!
Is this thread suppose to just be a rant about why you hate Florida? When someone who is from the northwest, but living somewhere else, sometimes you just feel like you belong in the northwest.
I love to visit other places, but I always get that sense of being home when I am in Portland....though my second home is Astoria because if I ever left Portland, that is where I would be headed.
Anyway, good luck with your move back, save up as much money as you can. Opt to drive across the country if you own a car and plan to take your time traveling because we live in a pretty amazing country worth seeing. Also, rely on family and friends to help you get on your feet in Oregon because that is where you have the upper hand on most transplants that move to the northwest.
"Is this thread suppose to just be a rant about why you hate Florida?"
No, because a quick skim over my OP is more about why I want to move back to Oregon. Although it's true that I'm frustrated with feeling stuck in a place that's a bad fit. So I suppose it's both.
Thanks - I do plan to drive over, because most of my furniture I either bought cheap from friends or got at thrift stores, garage sales, etc. The one exception is that I do have a nice bed that I got for an amazing discount due to the fact that my first job here was in sales at a mattress store. But overall, I didn't spend a lot of $$ on furniture, so it's not worth the cost of paying to have moved. Most of my other stuff I can either donate to goodwill or pack - the stuff worth taking, I"ll be able to fit in the trunk and backseat of my car. My best friend said she wants to ride along with me, see her pals in Portland and then fly back to FL when I do leave, so I'll have someone to come along.
I'm 24 and I want to be in Portland as soon as possible, but at the same time, I'm not comfortable making the plunge without having a viable job lined up that I can support myself on. If a matter of years go by and I still haven't found a job, then I still have plenty of time to re-assess that and still make the move to Portland before I'm 30 or so. But, I've only been networking with recruiters and consultants for about a month, and I"ve had more success than I thought I would -- lots of helpful responses, a phone interview for this Tuesday, a meeting in-person with someone at a job-finding source for the week I'll be in Portland! Given this rate, I'm hoping that by the time my 25th birthday rolls around in another 9 months, I'll be on my way to going home to PDX.
When I do line up a job and get moving, I'll probably stay with my aunt for a few weeks to months (she's said this is OK - her kids my age have moved out too) while I get into the swing of my job, save up $$ to buy new furniture, scope out the Portland scene and get used to public transit, decide where I want to get an apartment, etc.
I'm not exactly sure what your point is in posting this. As the first response indicated, it just seems like a rant about Florida. You seem to have your mind made up so if you can swing the relocation financially, it seems like Portland is the place for you in your mind but once again, it doesn't sound like you need any of us to tell you that.
What does concern me a bit is that your "ties" to Portland doesn't sound all that deep as you'd like to think. Also, there does appear to be some superficial perspectives on what Portland may be like that appear misguided. I'm not in my 20s but I don't get the feeling that these hipsters and wannabe hipsters are having deep conversations about philosophy or the meaning of the universe anymore than elsewhere. I'm a bit surprised that at 24, you don't know your own sexuality but maybe that is normal in some people. You seem very much in the midst of "finding yourself" and I fear that you are also another transplant looking for the "idea of Portland" more than the reality of it. Whatever the case, best of luck in whatever you decide to do.
The title says you grew up in Portland, but the text says you grew up in Reedsport and does not mention you ever having lived in Portland. If your desire is to go home, why not Reedsport? It's fine if you want to move to Portland, but to couch it as a return to your hometown seems disingenuous. You seem to feel that being from Portland is more desirable than being from Reedsport.
The lesbian scene seems to be in North Portland and in the SE quadrant of Portland. I have met many Portlanders that ended up to be as flaky as other areas of the country that are considered flaky soooo I just want to put that out there. I will say that my kids' teachers who have given their souls and hearts to my kids have all been PacNWers so I def. can see why your heart aches for this place. I assume my older child will settle someplace in the PNW regardless of where she goes to college. The PNW does indeed seem to be a reader culture full of introverts so probably the opposite of Florida. Your plan seems pretty solid and you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders. Let us know on CD how we can help with specific questions. The forum is pretty slow now so we love questions. Good luck!
Last edited by Yankeemama; 08-07-2016 at 11:16 PM..
OP, you don't have to convince me why you would rather live in Portland than Tampa, regardless of where you actually grew up. Of course you're not going back to Reedsport, you're 24, you need to live in Portland. I spent my 20's living in San Francisco and I loved every minute.
The job market is competitive as you can imagine, since quite a few other people have decided that they want to live in Portland too. It sounds like you have good office skills though,so you should be ok. Sign up with a temp agency; they are really busy right now. I did some temp work last summer and there were more jobs offered to me than I wanted to work. And I hadn't set foot in an office in 30 years. Also, a lot of companies fill permanent positions that way. You should be working, at least part-time, within two weeks of your arrival.
If you want more info on the temp agencies, let me know and I'll send you a DM. One I recommend, and one I don't.
Sounds like you'll be fine as long as you line up a job. I think you'll like it here, and you have some support system in your relatives to help you get settled.
"In Portland, the people in their 20s are involved in startups and creative things and business and making the world a better place."
This may be true compared to your current location, but I don't know how true it is in general. Most people here are in normal industries doing normal things. The "weird" thing has been overstated forever, and to the extent it was true is now being thoroughly gentrified out of the city.
Be sure to check out housing prices before or during your trip so you know what to expect. This is no longer a cheap place for young people to get started, but sounds like you have a good career start.
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