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Portland does sound great. I know someone who used to live there. They loved it for years before they were transferred yet again. I've never been there so have no frame of reference for the city. But, is it a fairly rainy climate, similar to Seattle?
I've read this entire thread and have lots of connections to many of the discussions so far.....So, I thought I'd toss in my 2 cents.
I've lived in Texas but not Austin. However, I've been to Austin and am fairly familiar with it.
Let me say that Texas hot is sooo much hotter than NC hot in the Summer. They aren't in the same league at all. NC may have some extremely hot days but it's usually just a few in a row and they are often associated with dryer air masses. My experience in Texas was much more severe in terms of heat+humidity for a much longer stretch of time. I remember one summer that yielded 90+ days in a row with highs over 90 degrees. That doesn't happen in Raleigh. Of those 90 days, 30 were over 100. It's freaking hot.
I split time between Raleigh and Miami Beach and my Raleigh place is in Glenwood South. I'm childless and not part of the young party crowd. I'm not old either. I really like the area but it's definitely more expensive than living in other parts of the city. For me, it's an easy trade to get a more convenient location with more to do nearby than to have more real estate. While I say it's more expensive, you will still find it much cheaper than Sunnyvale because, you see, I know because I have also lived in the South Bay and still work for a Valley company. Nothing in the entire Triangle is going to compare to the costs of living in the Bay Area.
Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, etc., are all essentially daisy-chained together like the cities in the Bay area albeit with a looser "chain" that allows each to express their own identity and vibe. Choosing any one of them allows access to all the things available in the others as well with a short drive primarily on 1-40. From Raleigh in the east, one travels through Cary, Morrisville, Durham and Chapel Hill in less than 30 miles.
No matter where you go in the Triangle, you are going to be near universities, colleges or both. UNC is in Chapel Hill, Duke is in Durham and NC State is in Raleigh. While more are aware of UNC & Duke, NC State is the largest university in the state. Other smaller universities and colleges dot the area, especially in Raleigh.
Raleigh and Austin have many similarities but also their differences. While you've read about their differences, it's good to remember that both are state capitals, college towns, are rapidly growing and have tech focused economies.
Oh, one last thing...I see that Portland has crept into the conversation. I have a link there too. I was born in Oregon. LOL
Portland is an awesome city --- IF you are not looking for sunshine and warmth. Visited many times, and lived in Seattle for 13 years, so I have direct experience. Seattle is the 6th LEAST sunny city in the United States, and Portland isn't far behind. Though I'll admit it has a LOT going for it, especially in that it's smaller than Seattle and hasn't been nearly as gentrified (yet), and the downtown, access to the outdoors and coffee scene is wonderful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould
If not for kids and such, I'd be in Portland, Oregon. Great bookstore, wonderful restaurants, gorgeous parks, good people.
It might be a little spendy. Not California spendy but still. Lot of rainy days. Bit of a hipster, ain't-we-special, self-righteousness about recycling and so forth.
YES! It's an awesome city - less expensive than Seattle and most of CA (for now) but gentrifying rapidly and the weather is just too depressing (for me).
Portland does sound great. I know someone who used to live there. They loved it for years before they were transferred yet again. I've never been there so have no frame of reference for the city. But, is it a fairly rainy climate, similar to Seattle?
Portland does sound great. I know someone who used to live there. They loved it for years before they were transferred yet again. I've never been there so have no frame of reference for the city. But, is it a fairly rainy climate, similar to Seattle?
If you take note of my user location information, Portland appears as well. I'm exceedingly fortunate that Portland is for summer, Raleigh is for winter and Michigan is for the paycheck. In that light, my earlier joke about the witness protection program doesn't seem that farfetched...
If you take note of my user location information, Portland appears as well. I'm exceedingly fortunate that Portland is for summer, Raleigh is for winter and Michigan is for the paycheck. In that light, my earlier joke about the witness protection program doesn't seem that farfetched...
What a life!
If you don't mind drizzly days, Portland is a great place to live. Powell's Book store. Wonderful parks. Saturday Market. Portland Saturday Market
Raleigh/Durham has some wonderful attractions as well.
On Indian Wells Road.
I didn't want to stay around to see the trees, gardens and homes bulldozed --- and then see them put up a "Tree Protection Zone".
I'm not sure, but I heard the homes will be in the 600k+ category.
We lived there for thirty years, so it's a bittersweet trip to the bank.
Yeah. Wells. That's it. Looks like a good many more are selling, too.
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If you don't mind drizzly days, Portland is a great place to live. Powell's Book store. Wonderful parks. Saturday Market. Portland Saturday Market
Raleigh/Durham has some wonderful attractions as well.
Notice you don't have Austin on your rotation.
Yeah, no Austin. I just arrived and am right now on the light rail airport to downtown. As much as I love Portland, every time I return it's more and more like a "Portlandia" episode. It takes me a couple of days to get reacclimated to the vibe.
I'm only half kidding that I need to go smoke a bowl to settle in..
It's so interesting that Portland made its way into our discussion, as it's a city for which I've always had tremendous curiosity. "What would it be like to live in Portland," I'd ask myself. Seems like an incredible town. In fact, much of the Pacific Northwest has always interested me, including Washington state, and particularly the city of Seattle. Guess I watched too many Frasier episodes and drank the kool-aid! But, I do agree with Professor46, I like warmth and sunshine, and though both Portland and Seattle seem like amazing cities in many respects, I think the regular cloud cover and rain would get to me after a while.
Now, if I could only live like take 57, and spend summers in Portland (or Seattle or Northern CA but without the prohibitive housing costs!!) and winters in Raleigh, I'd have it made.
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