Best Portland alternatives (Hillsboro, Durham, Lexington: transplants, wedding, to buy)

[ncrunner77]

Live in Raleigh, NC and LOVE Oregon.... we toured the state for our honeymoon (Portland, the coast, the mountains, wine country). OR is the real PNW IMHO; amused by folks who say "yeah, we've been to the PNW..... we visited Seattle".

Anyway, I'd give the Raleigh area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) a serious look. Ignore the poster who wrote it off because it is in "the south"; that is ignorant at best, intolerant at worst. Three major research universities in the immediate area (Duke, University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill, NC State). Durham and Chapel Hill are very liberal and progressive cities nearby. Raleigh is more moderate (true) but still has a very educated, young, creative and outdoorsy population. SAS and Red Hat started and HQd in Raleigh. Lots of other tech as well as very strong clinical/medical/biotech industry.

Great climate with true four seasons that attracts "tweeners" = people who find points south too warm and points north too cold. Lots of hills and forests.... very green. Trails, greenways, and parks everywhere. Weather very conducive to outdoor activity. Not much for water sports though; lakes are gross (high bar as I'm from MN originally). Of course, ocean is 2.5 hours away -ocean you can swim in! Also, mountains are 2.5 hours away (Boone). More to NC than Asheville.

Relative to just about anywhere along the west coast, it is extremely affordable. Save some money and do some traveling! Great place to raise a family as well -if you choose that route

[blaserbrad]

Tacoma has a similar feel to Portland, and it's in commuting distance/ 1/2 the price from/ of Seattle.
Great city, I'd highly recommend it.

[Squidlo]

Originally Posted by blaserbrad

Tacoma has a similar feel to Portland, and it's in commuting distance/ 1/2 the price from/ of Seattle.
Great city, I'd highly recommend it.

I could live in Tacoma for the proximity to Seattle (Love it) and even Portland (where I am from). Never really priced housing there as work sent me south. Housing is half of Seattle? How does that compare to Portland?

I have heard great stuff about parts of Brooklyn and Pittsburgh for the younger crowds.

My job field keeps me near ports, factories and distribution centers. Tacoma would be a decent compromise for someone in my shoes.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Squidlo

I could live in Tacoma for the proximity to Seattle (Love it) and even Portland (where I am from). Never really priced housing there as work sent me south. Housing is half of Seattle? How does that compare to Portland?

I have heard great stuff about parts of Brooklyn and Pittsburgh for the younger crowds.

My job field keeps me near ports, factories and distribution centers. Tacoma would be a decent compromise for someone in my shoes.

Tacoma: Median home value: $254,000, median rent: $1,700/mo
Seattle: Median home value: $684,000, median rent: $2,600/mo
Portland: Median home value: $420,000, median rent: $1,975/mo
Spokane: Median home value: $175,000, median rent: $833/mo

and since there was discussion of Raleigh:

Raleigh: Median home value: $222,300, median rent: $1,375

Source: Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/tacoma-wa/home-values/ Type in whatever city you want into the search bar to pull up the stats

[take57]

Just a word about Raleigh (Qualifications: Have homes in both PDX & RDU):

It's really a very lovely city but any expectations that you're getting a clone of Portland should be put to rest. Raleigh circa. 2017 is not all together unlike Portland circa. 1990, which, for some, may be very appealing. It's on the cusp of really breaking out and in some ways already has in terms of growth and civic amenities, but has a distance to go in making all the moving parts work, although not for lack of trying.

Folks in the city proper are for the most part quite welcoming to all shapes, sizes, colors and point of origin mostly because that's the demographic. As you gravitate outward things become less accommodating. (As I write that, I guess it's not too different than Portland after all) The nearby natural resources are close to par in comparison with Oregon (albeit no high desert) Weather will take some adjusting to. The humidity can and will take your breath away at times. Food and Arts scenes are well below Portland standards but that's not to say you're left in an abyss. It's more lively than you would expect for a town of its size.

I'd be remiss to not mention Durham. When I bought into Raleigh some five years ago I did look at Durham. At the time there were indications it was going in an upward trajectory but it was going to be a long time coming. It was in a word, rough. Now, not so much. The place percolating like an overheated coffee pot. I travel quite a bit and I don't think I'm overstating that Durham may well be the most promising, up and coming city in the nation right now. While still very much a work in progress, it's building a very solid resume on what a great place to live will be in the next twenty years.

Hope this helps...

[Leisesturm]

Originally Posted by ncrunner77

Anyway, I'd give the Raleigh area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) a serious look. Ignore the poster who wrote it off because it is in "the south"; that is ignorant at best, intolerant at worst. Three major research universities in the immediate area (Duke, University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill, NC State). Durham and Chapel Hill are very liberal and progressive cities nearby. Raleigh is more moderate (true) but still has a very educated, young, creative and outdoorsy population. SAS and Red Hat started and HQd in Raleigh. Lots of other tech as well as very strong clinical/medical/biotech industry.

Can't disagree with anything you've said. NC was on our short list. Specifically the Research Triangle. In the end we pulled the trigger for PDX and don't regret it. Spent a weekend in Raleigh-Durham looking around. Seemed nice and everything, but... to live there? It's in the south doncha know? <running, ducking>

[take57]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Can't disagree with anything you've said. NC was on our short list. Specifically the Research Triangle. In the end we pulled the trigger for PDX and don't regret it. Spent a weekend in Raleigh-Durham looking around. Seemed nice and everything, but... to live there? It's in the south doncha know? <running, ducking>

Common sentiment. I'm over getting riled up about it but, at least in the Triangle with it's significant influx of population from elsewhere, it really not very all things Southern anymore. Still, the humidity

[Upstateman92]

Originally Posted by SumTingy

Before giving up on the area, try the burbs. Do you like condo living and enjoy walking to restaurants, gyms, pubs, and the rail? Check out Orenco.

Is orenco affordable ? How would a commute be to Portland airport

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by Merry Lee Gather

You know where I found a lot of Portlanders living? Las Vegas.

Tucson, I could understand... but Vegas? That seems like an incredible culture clash... they're in neighboring states, yet they seem like different worlds.

[psichick]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

Is orenco affordable ? How would a commute be to Portland airport

Orenco Station? As in Hillsboro? If so, w/o traffic, the commute to PDX is about 30-45 mins. During evening traffic, it's taken me anywhere from 1-2 hours to get to PDX. I wouldn't suggest it as a daily commute.