Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think you should look at Boston, actually. I've heard some really great things about it and Oregonians tend to be sort of... I can't really describe it, but it's not really easy to make a bunch of friends in Oregon unless you already have an "in".
I think you should look at Boston, actually. I've heard some really great things about it and Oregonians tend to be sort of... I can't really describe it, but it's not really easy to make a bunch of friends in Oregon unless you already have an "in".
Portland has the nice/ice phenomena, similar to Seattle's "Seattle freeze." That's what I'd call it.
Everyone talks about the freeze out here on the west coast but New England is not exactly friendly to outsiders either. I would argue it is even less friendly in many ways. There is an ingrained Yankee tradition of being suspicious of strangers and I think you find it even harder to penetrate cliques of people that have known themselves since 2nd grade. There is very little of the day-to-day politeness in either Boston or Portsmouth, NH that you find in the mid-west or out west. When I first moved out of New England I was taken aback at the level of friendliness exhibited by virtually everyone you run across. Now, when I go back east, I am amazed at how rude everyone is and how fast everyone drives.
These are my thoughts on Portsmouth as I worked there for several years. First off, it should not be considered a larger city. It is very small. It is a beautiful little city right on the mouth of a major river that empties into the ocean but it is cold in the winter. It is quaint, nice restaurants, cobble stone streets and 400 year old houses but it has nothing compared to a Portland or a Boston - they are completely different lifestyles and experiences. That said, you can be in Boston in an hour if traffic isn't bad (big if) and you have very easy access to the beaches of both Maine and NH. You can drive to the mountains of NH in 1.5 hours. Keep in mind that NH is more conservative than a Portland or even Burlington, Vt. if that matters to you.
I am worried that your list seems to have cities with a lot of contradictions. Do you want larger (1 million+) or smaller (100,000 or less)? There are huge differences between the options. Boston is very large, very fast paced, very career oriented - people in Boston in my estimation work a lot more hours in general than people in Portland. In addition to that they spend far more time in traffic. The cost of living in Boston is comparable to San Francisco so keep that in mind also. It is ridiculously expensive. If you are going to live on a non-profit salary Boston may not be the best choice but it will certainly have the most opportunities. The Boston economy overall is in good shape compared to the rest of the country and that trickles down to the non-profits.
I will say that there is much more focus on quality of life in Portland and people work much more normal hours here compared to back east and Boston in particular. All my friends back home have salaried positions and work 60-70 hour weeks. I do not know anyone who does that here with the same consistency. That means a lot in overall life quality. Portland is an easy city to live in. It's a nice size with a wealth of things to do both city oriented and outdoor oriented. Good luck with your search - there is so many variables and it can be a difficult choice.
"I want to be able to live somewhere where everyone is taking care of themselves... running, walking, gyms... rollerblading... and where there are preferably trees... because I LOVE to kayak and camp... rafting would also be awesome and maybe back packing though I have never been either of those"
Portland is not the place for the above. Yes, Portland has all the activities you want but you can't do any of them most of the year because it's either raining or cloudy or windy or something. As much as I would love to get all dressed up in the Portland outdoor activity garb, it's sucks the fun out of it because it ends up being too much work. By the time you get all ready to go the weather changes.
People do not take care of themselves here as much as other cities that I have seen. Trust me! If you want to see people in good shape go to San Diego or Malibu in CA.
"I want to be able to live somewhere where everyone is taking care of themselves... running, walking, gyms... rollerblading... and where there are preferably trees... because I LOVE to kayak and camp... rafting would also be awesome and maybe back packing though I have never been either of those"
Portland is not the place for the above. Yes, Portland has all the activities you want but you can't do any of them most of the year because it's either raining or cloudy or windy or something.
The secret is ignoring the rain and just doing whatever you want to do.
I have had some of my best hikes and campouts in the wet months. Rafting and kayaking too, because the water is better when the rivers are not at their low summer levels.
You can buy rain gear that is not bulky. You really don't have to overdress and look like you are going on some kind of an expedition.
Just stay away from cotton. Light wool and synthetics do not absorb water as much as cotton does and they will keep you warmer. They also dry faster.
Add a light rain jacket with a hood, some good waterproof boots or shoes and you are good to go.
Don't wuss out because it's a little wet and cool outside, or you won't be doing much of anything but complaining about the weather and how much Portland sucks.
If you don't like wet, cloudy, and cool, maybe the area west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest is not for you.
Rain does not melt people, clouds won't hurt you, and wind makes life exciting.
Last edited by pdxMIKEpdx; 04-16-2010 at 11:08 AM..
I think it's because the majority of my friends were born here and have had family living here for decades. They don't tend to be as liberal as newer residents. In fact in most issues they tend to be on the conservative side.
This also went for someone who worked at Roots brewery though who moved from Philly or a few other Californians who mighta been there too.
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 404,314 times
Reputation: 35
Phil,
I do not have family and friends. My "family" is in Indiana, and they are not family. My family is truly (or has been) the town of Burlington...
I am in Philly now living with my partner and we are not sure whether or not we want to continue a relationship. I am looking for somewhere to relocate that is very similar to Burlington, VT where I can start my young professional years and work steadily, possibly evolving into a career.
Burlington is great, but I am interested in exploring a city now. I may be interested in working with runaway or homeless youth in a nonprofit.
I am curious why you say Portland is not for me? Many people stated that it would be perfect for my tastes/interests. Can you be more specific?
What’s most important to me right now is finding work that is rewarding (That I can be passionate about), that will allow for me to make use of my special skills (see below), and pay well (competitive salary), in a community that is progressive (active/political, progressive, health & environmental-friendly, socially conscious, and supportive of the arts), in a place that is affordable (shared living), thus consequently being able to support my personal values and interests, enhancing my well-being and fulfillment.
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 404,314 times
Reputation: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by aroseinrain
I think you should look at Boston, actually. I've heard some really great things about it and Oregonians tend to be sort of... I can't really describe it, but it's not really easy to make a bunch of friends in Oregon unless you already have an "in".
Why is this? I mean, I have heard many folks say this before... that Portland is not easy to make friends.
I don't think I would have a problem making friends... I am introverted, but very warm/friendly, especially when it comes to certain interests... ie, psychology/health/spirituality.
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 404,314 times
Reputation: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhodan653
Everyone talks about the freeze out here on the west coast but New England is not exactly friendly to outsiders either. I would argue it is even less friendly in many ways. There is an ingrained Yankee tradition of being suspicious of strangers and I think you find it even harder to penetrate cliques of people that have known themselves since 2nd grade. There is very little of the day-to-day politeness in either Boston or Portsmouth, NH that you find in the mid-west or out west. When I first moved out of New England I was taken aback at the level of friendliness exhibited by virtually everyone you run across. Now, when I go back east, I am amazed at how rude everyone is and how fast everyone drives.
These are my thoughts on Portsmouth as I worked there for several years. First off, it should not be considered a larger city. It is very small. It is a beautiful little city right on the mouth of a major river that empties into the ocean but it is cold in the winter. It is quaint, nice restaurants, cobble stone streets and 400 year old houses but it has nothing compared to a Portland or a Boston - they are completely different lifestyles and experiences. That said, you can be in Boston in an hour if traffic isn't bad (big if) and you have very easy access to the beaches of both Maine and NH. You can drive to the mountains of NH in 1.5 hours. Keep in mind that NH is more conservative than a Portland or even Burlington, Vt. if that matters to you.
I am worried that your list seems to have cities with a lot of contradictions. Do you want larger (1 million+) or smaller (100,000 or less)? There are huge differences between the options. Boston is very large, very fast paced, very career oriented - people in Boston in my estimation work a lot more hours in general than people in Portland. In addition to that they spend far more time in traffic. The cost of living in Boston is comparable to San Francisco so keep that in mind also. It is ridiculously expensive. If you are going to live on a non-profit salary Boston may not be the best choice but it will certainly have the most opportunities. The Boston economy overall is in good shape compared to the rest of the country and that trickles down to the non-profits.
I will say that there is much more focus on quality of life in Portland and people work much more normal hours here compared to back east and Boston in particular. All my friends back home have salaried positions and work 60-70 hour weeks. I do not know anyone who does that here with the same consistency. That means a lot in overall life quality. Portland is an easy city to live in. It's a nice size with a wealth of things to do both city oriented and outdoor oriented. Good luck with your search - there is so many variables and it can be a difficult choice.
Rhodan-
Are you living in Boston or Portland?
I am looking for a place where I can be comfortable and make a good living. I really need to be surrounded by people who share the same values and interests as me, and I need trees... as I said before, if there aren't many trees, I need parks. Green/trees are important to me. I would ideally spend my weekends kayaking and camping. I think rock climbing would be neat to try, too, backpacking, and river rafting.
Nevertheless, health-conscious, really support of the arts, progressive, and bookworm/intellectual-ish (authentic, NOT superficial/snobby) is important. I am a naturalist and an artist. I desire nothing more than to live a healthy life right now, develop myself professionally in a nonprofit job which will pay at least 24K (minimum) a year, and be my best self.
I was really happy in Burlington, VT, but wanted a larger city... I'm in Philly now and it may be temporary. I'm looking for a new home to spend the next 5-10 (or longer) years.
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 404,314 times
Reputation: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by lookingup2
"I want to be able to live somewhere where everyone is taking care of themselves... running, walking, gyms... rollerblading... and where there are preferably trees... because I LOVE to kayak and camp... rafting would also be awesome and maybe back packing though I have never been either of those"
Portland is not the place for the above. Yes, Portland has all the activities you want but you can't do any of them most of the year because it's either raining or cloudy or windy or something. As much as I would love to get all dressed up in the Portland outdoor activity garb, it's sucks the fun out of it because it ends up being too much work. By the time you get all ready to go the weather changes.
People do not take care of themselves here as much as other cities that I have seen. Trust me! If you want to see people in good shape go to San Diego or Malibu in CA.
Hmm... so is there not a lot of this in Portland? The outdoor activities??
San Diego/CA is TOO sunny for me... I have very fair skin and cannot handle extreme sun. Sun/Heat, not my thing. Do you have any other suggestions?
The original list was:
Boston, MA
Northampton, MA
Burlington, VT
Portsmouth, NH
NYC (though I don't think I would like this)
San Francisco (though I don't know if I could afford?)
Philadelphia, PA (Because that's where I am now)
and of course PORTLAND, OR
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
