Perception of the Pacific Northwest (pine, health, best weather)

[BrokenGopher]

You know, a lot of this is perception and what you are used to. I grew up in Colorado where you don't get much rain, but you do get snow. The difference is that usually by the end of the day the sun is shining and bright. I lived in Albuquerque where you don't get snow (much), and the sun is there almost all the time. Yeah, it's a desert. It's brown, and sandy. I have to tell you, though, I fell in love with the place. (weatherwise. Crimewise--no) I now live east of the cascades in the tricities, and I feel I have the worst of both worlds. Overcast 3 months of the year (this year at least), dry desert. I vowed I would never move to Seattle because of the overcast days (although I love the city), but now I would trade my position in a second. The freshness after a rain and the green vegetation helps to overcome the lack of sun. I've considered Portland as well, but no luck with a job. I do get seasonal depression, and you should understand that people who grew up in sunnier places may not adapt well to these areas. It's not an insult to the PNW, so don't feel so bad. Also, I lived in LA (area) and I have to say the weather is perfect up to a few miles from the coast. Lots of stuff to do. I hated it. Smog and traffic. But that's me. I have friends who love it there and call me a hick from the west (as though LA is such a bastion of good taste and culture).

[FunkyMonk]

I think the overall PNW stereotype is that it is full of environmentalist hippies and flannel wearing, bearded, gun shooting survivalists living in cabins in the wilderness, waiting for the world to come to an end with their stockpiled ammunition and food.

Seattle is stereotyped as having lots of IT nerds and pretentious liberals. I hear lots of people call Seattle snobby and things like that. I think a lot of people imagine a guy in a coffee shop, wearing a beret and black turtleneck, sipping a cappuchino and talking about how messed up the world is as he reads Noam Chomsy and other "hip" authors.

Portland is stereotyped mainly for it's hippies and usually seen as a hippy city. Dreadlocks and potheads and tree sittings and LSD.

Hope that helps

[subsound]

Originally Posted by FunkyMonk

I think the overall PNW stereotype is that it is full of environmentalist hippies and flannel wearing, bearded, gun shooting survivalists living in cabins in the wilderness, waiting for the world to come to an end with their stockpiled ammunition and food.

Seattle is stereotyped as having lots of IT nerds and pretentious liberals. I hear lots of people call Seattle snobby and things like that. I think a lot of people imagine a guy in a coffee shop, wearing a beret and black turtleneck, sipping a cappuchino and talking about how messed up the world is as he reads Noam Chomsy and other "hip" authors.

Portland is stereotyped mainly for it's hippies and usually seen as a hippy city. Dreadlocks and potheads and tree sittings and LSD.

Oh certainly! While people who fit the stereotypes are not the norm, I see them around like a rare bear siting in the woods...and honestly I can't keep myself from laughing Many seem to identify so strongly with the dress and attitude they took on, and what the world assumes they should be because of it, they almost become a 2 dimensional character from a book.

I do have to add that there seem to be a number that are "Young at heart"...such as dressing as young hippies or bohemians in their 70's! Not that spirit can't be young but at some point, for the sake of the people around them, some should hang up the shirts that show a lot of midriff and really short skirts.

[usabrit1]

Originally Posted by Nor'easter

Hi All:

I'm a transplant to the PNW and I've got to be honest...I really don't like the weather, nearly loath it . It may not rain 9 to 11 months of the year, but it is grey damn near that. I've been here two years and I long to return east. I'm originally from Maine and love the idea of 4 real seasons. I love the snow in the winter (and I don't mean having to travel to the mountains to see it), three months of rain in the Spring, Warm/Hot summer, and the Fall colors.
Rain/clouds or grey just doesn't cut it for me. The short summer is great, but not long enough. I've lived in Maine, Vermont, Virginia and here. I've been to Arizona, Montreal, Texas, (and here before moving) and a lot of other places during weather that was both typical and atypical for the areas, and this ranks down there with Fort Wortt, TX in death heat/humidity of August.
Many of the PNW lovers would probably hate Maine's changing scenery, and absolutely the snow, but as far as I'm concerned, PNW can be a very dreary place.
I'm not trying to anger anyone, but coming from somewhere else I guess I'm a little jaded. (ok, a lot jaded.)

Well said...it is very gloomy, dreary, wet, cold and depressing. I am a transplant myself and thought, "hey it can't be that bad"......guess what....it's horrible!

[Nell Plotts]

Yes, Seattle has more overcast days than Portland.

The Pacific Northwest has micro climates (an excellent book was written by a PhD meteorologist at UW on just that subject). Just live on the east side of the Cascades if you want lots of sun.

[TDNY]

Originally Posted by Seattletony

Hey everyone in Portland, I'm just curious for those true blue pacnorthwesterners like myself doesn't it irratate you when people take one aspect about your home (RAIN) and run with it as if its the end all be all.

Not only do they run with it but you hear ridiculous statements like it rains 9 months straight out of the year or I have even heard people say we only have two months of summer first!!! am I only the only one put off by that? What you didn't recognize how green it was year round or how clean the air is compared to where you came from or the mountains or the ocean and other forms of NATURAL water. Another thing that irratates me is when people who are so called natives of here perpetuate this stereotype. Maybe its because I'm a native I never paid attention but I'm someone with perspective having lived in other parts of the country.

I love Portland like I love Seattle I just wish people would get off the climate issue and see true gems we have in these two cities and the Pacific Northwest as a whole!!! just my rant

This happens to everyone. One time I was in Oregon, my wife and I joined some family friends of hers for a few days in Sun River. One evening, there was a deer just off the back deck of the house, and our hostess said to me, "look TDNY, a deer, I bet you've never seen a deer!"

Now, she said this because I'm from NY. The fact is, although I lived in NYC for a few years, I'm from the suburbs north of the city. Deer are so common that they have reached pest status. We have to get "deer resistant" shrubbery and watch out for them when we drive. I've hit deer three times.

The adult daughter of this woman, by the way, told me that she thought all of NY state was a city.

When I tell people here I'm moving to Oregon, they usually react as if I said I was moving to another country. It's always the same, first the head sort of jerks back, they say "whoah" or "wow" and then they say "why?"

I mean, why would I want to move to the wilderness?

[Nell Plotts]

I frequent a forum where one of the recent threads is "Do you love your city?" The most content respondents live in the Pacific NW.

[palvar]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

I frequent a forum where one of the recent threads is "Do you love your city?" The most content respondents live in the Pacific NW.

Can you give us a link to this discussion?

[Nell Plotts]

Sent you a PM with the info.

[MontyEX]

LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN...

I've lived in some pretty rainy cities, Miami and New Orleans.. and I love the rain! Because it makes everything fresh and green. I also lived in Las Vegas and the desert summers are unbearable.

People are either jealous of the NW or they are close minded. Either way, I have not met one individual who has visited Portland or Seattle and doesn't tell me how spectacularly beautiful the places are. Thanks partly to what? The RAIN. You have waterfalls, rivers, garden, parks, Flowers, Snowboarding and canoooeing,.. Witout the rain you would have to pump in sanitary drinking water and regulate your lawn/rock watering days like L.A. does. So bring it on.. The more.. the merrier!