Portland is starting to look like crap! (Beaverton, Beaver: condo, neighborhood)

[tickyul]

All of the west-coast, including Portland, has very nice weather, and are very interesting and desirable places to live.

Honestly, Portland's situation is pretty much the same as many cities on the west-coast.....and it will probably either stay the same or get worse.

San Diego and Seattle are both very nice areas.....but there is quite a bit of grunge, garbage, tents, homeless, lawlessness and depravity in both these cities.

When I was living in downtown San Diego, there would be a line of tents wrapping-around the downtown post-office....and nothing was done about it the whole time I was there, basically it was just accepted.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by tickyul

All of the west-coast, including Portland, has very nice weather, and are very interesting and desirable places to live.

Honestly, Portland's situation is pretty much the same as many cities on the west-coast.....and it will probably either stay the same or get worse.

San Diego and Seattle are both very nice areas.....but there is quite a bit of grunge, garbage, tents, homeless, lawlessness and depravity in both these cities.

When I was living in downtown San Diego, there would be a line of tents wrapping-around the downtown post-office....and nothing was done about it the whole time I was there, basically it was just accepted.

Other West coast cities have a sales tax and are wealthier cities. We really don't have the same tax base yet we have all the same problems, including homelessness on the streets, to fund.

[atadyticsucks]

Portland is a dump.

[ccjarider]

Originally Posted by atadyticsucks

Portland is a dump.

Thank you for offering significant, insightful commentary to the discussion.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I think that parts of Portland are starting to look like a third world country: villages olf cardboard shacks and garbage flowing in rivers down the hillsides. Except the local cardboard shacks are made of blue tarps because the cardboard just melts in all the rain.

The Portland government is allowing tramps to set up their makeshift tents on the sidewalks in front of businesses and in residential areas.

Decades ago, Portland was a very clean city. Residents were tidy and the rain kept the grime washed off of the buildings and sidewalks. There were panhandlers in the downtown area but they were not living on the sidewalks there and there weren't that many of them. They definable were not crapping on the sidewalks, although they were occasionally seen bathing in the fountains.

Those days are long gone and Portland is now dirty, trash strewn, and starting to look very much like a shanty town. Or maybe like the garbage dump in a poverty level Caribbean country.

[MN_Ski]

Does anyone feel like Portlands reputation could one day become hurt? Currently, the in migration and investor presence isn't going anywhere. But do you think one day people will have enough and just start to move away?

Personally, I find the whole history of Boom and Bust towns fascinating. Cities that deal with rapid growth, tend to follow with a catastrophic bust. Could all of Portland's progress be reversed during the next economic down turn?

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

Does anyone feel like Portlands reputation could one day become hurt? Currently, the in migration and investor presence isn't going anywhere. But do you think one day people will have enough and just start to move away?

Personally, I find the whole history of Boom and Bust towns fascinating. Cities that deal with rapid growth, tend to follow with a catastrophic bust. Could all of Portland's progress be reversed during the next economic down turn?

It's an interesting thought, but when I think of "boom and bust towns" I think about mining towns of the 19th century. Lots of these in Nevada where the population swelled to 10,000 but then everyone left when the mine stopped producing.

Maybe the best example of a big city busting is Detroit?

I think the things that these towns have in common is an initial draw that brings people to the town (a big mine, or the auto industry). That big draw runs its course--all the gold is depleted, or the auto makers move production of cars and parts to less union-friendly states or completely out of the US. When the draw isn't there anymore the people leave, leading to the "catastrophic bust."

So what's the draw to Portland? There's some industry, but not a GM/Ford/Chrysler level of industry. Why are people moving here in droves? Is it really climate refugees from drought-stricken California? Is it really the artistic class that find a lot of kindred spirits? Is it Fred and Carrie enticing people to live the Portlandia lifestyle (on their minimum wage salary while sharing a house with 5 other strangers)?

That's just it--I don't think it is any one thing that will end abruptly and drive everyone away. The climate will always be wetter than CA. There will always be artsy types here. Portlandia will have its run and be off the air at some point in the future--maybe when that happens that will slow down in-migration, but I don't really see people moving away once the show ends.

But maybe some of new residents are people who are just able to squeak by here because we have a false economy based on the in-migration and equity refugees? And as soon as the economy slows down there won't be as much money to support the marginal people and they will leave? Hmmm...

[Phrogg]

Originally Posted by jjpop

So what's the draw to Portland? There's some industry, but not a GM/Ford/Chrysler level of industry. Why are people moving here in droves? Is it really climate refugees from drought-stricken California? Is it really the artistic class that find a lot of kindred spirits? Is it Fred and Carrie enticing people to live the Portlandia lifestyle (on their minimum wage salary while sharing a house with 5 other strangers)?

Here in SoCal, it seems like nearly every 20something/30something artsy, alternative, or hippie-ish person wants to move to Portland; for some of them it's "someday", but others are actively making plans. (Sorry, Portland, I'm sure that's just what you wanted to hear. If it makes you feel any better, every now and then I come across one who doesn't seem Californian and whom I actually think would be a good fit for Portland.) It's usually the "kindred spirits" thing, or "I know it's not really like Portlandia there, but..." and then they say something that basically comes from Portlandia. Now and then someone says they want to live somewhere with trees and rain, but they don't really mention the California drought typically, so I'm not sure if they are quite climate refugees so much as "other-climate-preferrers" (?). Basically, what I am seeing down here is the trend of young people thinking Portland is cool, and when they find out I used to live in the area they like to talk to me about it. As I said, some of them I think would actually fit in there, but others have no clue.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Phrogg

Here in SoCal, it seems like nearly every 20something/30something artsy, alternative, or hippie-ish person wants to move to Portland; for some of them it's "someday", but others are actively making plans. (Sorry, Portland, I'm sure that's just what you wanted to hear. If it makes you feel any better, every now and then I come across one who doesn't seem Californian and whom I actually think would be a good fit for Portland.) It's usually the "kindred spirits" thing, or "I know it's not really like Portlandia there, but..." and then they say something that basically comes from Portlandia. Now and then someone says they want to live somewhere with trees and rain, but they don't really mention the California drought typically, so I'm not sure if they are quite climate refugees so much as "other-climate-preferrers" (?). Basically, what I am seeing down here is the trend of young people thinking Portland is cool, and when they find out I used to live in the area they like to talk to me about it. As I said, some of them I think would actually fit in there, but others have no clue.

I noticed that from the young 20 somethings I spoke to on my recent summer vacation in SoCal. I wasn't that surprised since being born and raised in an area doesn't mean it's an ideal place to live forever. I had to leave the west coast when I was in my 20's so I could explore and feel grown up. Portland is very different from SOCal so sometimes trying something different is enticing.

[Phrogg]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

I noticed that from the young 20 somethings I spoke to on my recent summer vacation in SoCal. I wasn't that surprised since being born and raised in an area doesn't mean it's an ideal place to live forever. I had to leave the west coast when I was in my 20's so I could explore and feel grown up. Portland is very different from SOCal so sometimes trying something different is enticing.

Almost everyone's got to move and try something new in their 20s (I did); I think that's the natural age for that. I still can't get used to the idea of Oregon being a cool destination though.

Guess what? A while ago at a coffee shop here, the barista was wearing a Beaverton t-shirt! It said "Welcome to Beaverton" with a picture of a beaver. I asked him if he was from Beaverton and he said no, he found the shirt at a thrift shop here and just liked it, then looked up Beaverton online and thought it looked like a nice place. Thought you might enjoy that!