Portland has the best weather. (Dallas, Phoenix: lease, crime, find a job)

[tiffela74]

I agree with the OP. I think Oregon has great weather. Where its wrong to say we have sunshine for 10months straight, its also wrong to claim theres only 8weeks of sunshine out of the year. I live along the coast, where it rains/clouds more than anywhere else in Oregon. Here it is well into Nov. and our rainy season just started. Even so, theres only been 2 days so far this school year where we've had to bring out the umbrella to the bus stop for the kids. And it wasnt even like it was pouring, just a med. rain, most the kids still just stood there w/their hoods up.
Halloween was fabulous. Kids were out all over the place, and it was nice enough that nobody needed jackets or anything. Clear and lovely out.
My son had to do a moon journal for school from Sept - Nov. 1st. and only a very few times was it overcast enough that he couldnt see the moon/stars to write about em. He also did fall soccer, and with games every weekend, and not once were we rained out. Broke out the umbrellas ONE game only, and it was for just a few min. for a cloud burst.
So we are in Nov. and it IS starting to gray up out here. My deck and lawns were wet this morning, but my husband has been running in and out for the last few hours and not a drop of rain. It is gray, but certainly thats not enough to make most people hunker down indoors. If anything like last winter here, we'll be in for a mix of gray days, rainy days, a couple of snow days, several hail bursts (where we get about 5min or less of pea sized hail then its gone) some pretty windy days and a few sunny days mixed in. Then, in Feb. it'll start getting more sunny days and just get more and more throughout spring. My only sadness, is fall is awful short around here. I drove here to/from Roseburg this weekend, and i swear, it took me an extra hour because I was looking at all the colors so much. I took some pics, I'll try to figure out how to get em up so people can see that where we may not have as spectacular colors as persay Vermont, its not just a mix of green and gray.
heck, i love living somewhere that we dont have to worry about tornados, or hurricains, dust storms or heatwaves that are killing people off. I can bundle up in my Columbia jacket and be fine and dandy all throughout winter and never be housebound. And if I dont get enough snow to make me happy (I do love snow!!) I can always head east for a couple hours and get my fill. I dont think I would be as happy living anywhere else....
gonna go search for those pics now....

[tiffela74]

fall colors in oregon. this is actually last weekend, by drain. the one that shows a white fence, is the entrance to a little covered bridge in Drain, Oregon.

[JakeDog]

For what you get, I'd say San Diego is about the same price as Portland, and has at least as many economic activities. Portland is expensive, and gloomy.

[ctr88]

San Diego is definately not as expensive as people think. I moved here from the Bay Area and it seems damn near cheap! Houses prices have come down a lot, and property taxes are lower than OR.

I think the San Diego weather gets boring actually. It has no "weather" per se, there are no seasons. It's weird living in a place where you WISH it would rain a little bit. San Diego is also very brown and there are little trees, grass and foliage. It's also has a lot of cookie cutter, charater-less sprawl and feels really commercialized to me. And you have a lot of the steretypical shallow southern cal types. It doesn't have that interesting artsy, progressive feel of the bette U.S. cities. I think the people and the area lack character. I'm probably out of SD in in 2 years to the Northwest or back to New England.

Not to completely rip on San Diego. The weather is near perfect (if you don't like seasons) and I do think it's a good place to live for many. But for me having lived in New England and San Francisco, San Diego just doesn't have enough charm or character. Plus you can't really drive to beautiful mountains, lakes, streams. The beach is overrated. The water is too cold to swim and most of the beach areas are really urbanized and not quaint at all. It's not like being at a beach in Hawaii, Florida or the Carribbean.

[Mr.SmithW]

This thread is a joke right? The weather in Portland is horrible. 8 months of solid rain, drizzle, clouds and then nasty winters with sporadic blizzards and freezing rain? In the last 5 years, we have only had 2 months of sun per year. Last three Junes it rained the entire month and was muggy and nasty. Living in Portland is like living in the clouds, literally. LOL

Yes, this thread is old. But take it from a guy who has lived here for 18 years that the weather in Oregon really is awful. The scenery is beautiful. But Portland is far from having the best weather.

Of course a lot of native Oregonians are naive. Rain is all they know. They jog, hike and have picnics in the rain. Also, when the sun comes out here the entire town of Portland becomes deserted as all the people horde to the coast and the Gorge to enjoy the very short-lived burst of outdoor activities.

I really yearn for sunshine.. Sooo much..

[TDNY]

Originally Posted by roneb

Once again, someone touts Portland's moderate weather as being ideal while bashing anyplace with cold and snow. Perhaps it's because I grew up in cold and snowy places (Montana and Alaska; college in MN), perhaps its my Scandinavian ancestry, but this drives me crazy! There is nothing wrong with cold snowy winters - particularly when the sun is out. Cold weather helps let you know you're alive! Please don't make blanket statements that list cold as snow as negatives. Not all of us feel that way!

IMHO snow also improves the scenery. Yes, it's beautiful and scenic in Portland, but gray winter skies and continuous green gets pretty damn monotonous after awhile. That's why I prefer the scenery east of the Cascades. The browning grass (in summer) or snow (in winter) set against the evergreens and BLUE sky makes for a much more interesting view. I prefer the Rockies to the Cascades for the same reason.

Just remember: If there ain't snow, it ain't really winter!

I totally agree. We are moving to Portland from the NYC area. My wife, who's a native Portlander , was kinda hung up on moving because she likes the winters here in NY so much more. Colder, more snow (usually), yet a lot more sun. I agree with her, but you can't have everything. There's no perfect place.

[Yankeemama]

TDNY,
Welcome to Portland!

[Mr.SmithW]

Here is advice for anyone living in this dark city.. Stock up on Vitamin D and get your Vitamin D levels checked frequently. The continual overcast skies most of the year cause a great deal of health problems, especially with our poor Western diets.

[classicanne]

Good grief, Mr. Smith! I'd find someplace I liked better, if I were you! "8 months of solid rain, drizzle and clouds" is a vast generalization. Today in Portland it's sunny and quite clear (and cold, for those who like a true "winter" feel), and will be partly cloudy for the next couple of days. The weather changes here frequently throughout the day, and there are very few days with no sunshine at all ("sun breaks" qualify as sunshine to me). After many years of suffering in Florida I LOVE Portland's weather.

If you're yearning for constant sunshine, there are plenty of such places to go. So go!

[pathrunner]

I generally agree with Mr. Smith. Yes, there can be patches of sun and blue skies, but classicanne did you live through the spring and summer of 2010 in Portland? It was hideous. No sun or blue skies for several weeks. This winter is predicted to be a harsh one with La Nina. This morning, where I used to live, it was 21 degrees/96% humidity.