What BestPlaces Users Say about Portland
Portland, Oregon is a dynamic city known for its vibrant arts scene, outdoor recreation opportunities, and progressive culture. It has a population of over 600,000 people and is consistently ranked as one of the best cities to live in the United States. With such high praise, it's no surprise that many people have chosen to make Portland their home. To get a better understanding of what it's like to live in this city, I have included summaries of user reviews from BestPlaces.net.
According to a review from "Mark," Portland is "a city that truly lives up to its reputation." He goes on to mention the city's charm, friendly residents, and abundance of coffee shops and microbreweries. Another user, "Samantha," agrees, stating that Portland is "a dream city for anyone who loves nature and outdoor activities." She also highlights the city's food scene and bustling downtown.
However, not all reviews are glowing. A user named "Jonathan" mentions that while he loves the city's culture and opportunities, the high cost of living can be a challenge. He also points out the growing issue of homelessness in certain areas of the city. Similarly, "Jessica" mentions that the traffic and commute times in Portland can be a downside, although she still enjoys living there overall.
In summary, it's clear that Portland has a lot to offer, from its unique culture to its beautiful outdoor spaces. While some reviewers mention challenges such as high costs and traffic, the majority of users are happy with their decision to live in this dynamic and diverse city. As "Mark" puts it, "Portland truly is a gem in the Pacific Northwest."
based on 386 ReviewsGet to know Portland with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Portland
Portland is great for open minds. - 6/2/2021
I've lived in Portland for 6 years and I love it. Yes, it's liberal and progressive. That's a good thing in my life. It's a city in change, trying out new things that sometimes work and sometimes don't. That's also good to me. Most of the people in Portland proper are open-minded, easy-going and a mix of races though it's majority white, the suburbs south and southeast east are a lot more conservative and white, the suburbs west are fairly typical upper middle class white with quite a nice community of South Asian mixed in. The dining is the best I've experienced with lots of interesting food carts and a wide range of vegan to steak house available to try out. I've lived in several cities in Southern Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington with New York City thrown in there for awhile in the last 30 years and Portland is by far the best overall. The grey winter weeks take some getting used to but are mild and the rains help keep the surroundings nice and green
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good for established persons, but inequitable. - 2/14/2021
I've lived here from 2018 to late 2019, and then came back in late 2020. I'm going to try to be as factual about my experience and what I perceived here as possible.
2018 and 19 was definitely a different experience than 2020 to now. I rented in the SW area close to the highway. The public transit has a very large and accessible system that can take you to most higher density places you might need to go. The west side's vibe is definitely a more luxurious and forefronts more nature and higher incomes. there is also a big difference in the amount of people in roommate situations and house/space sharing situations than in the east. its a bit mixed in downtown. I currently live in the east side and there is a big difference in the vibes here. There's a very heavy millennial and shops/business influence that is good and bad. closer to where NE and SE meet theres an imbalance I feel. Downtown is way more prominent that way with the big money stores and inhabitants vs. the very large
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Complaining in Portland is like a fine wine - 2/3/2021
I've lived on the East Coast, in the Southwest, and in Alaska, and in Oregon overall for about 7 years. Even as someone who is from the more neurotic Northeastern culture, I underestimated just how much people would complain about everything when I got to Portland. Yes, there are social problems here, but not more than in your average large Midwestern or Southern city. Yes, it's not a place with the kind of wealth you now find even in Seattle. And yes, it really is gray and/or rainy for a *lot* of the year.
But unlike other places I've lived, behind the complaining is a desire for change and there are the movements and actions that can and are leading to actual change -- now, if you want to move to a place only to make sure that it stays exactly as it is when you arrive, Portland is not the place for you -- very probably in the Midwest you can find something closer to what you're looking at (the Twin Cities in Minnesota are underrated in my opinion). But if what
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not safe anymore - 1/26/2021
lived in Portland all my life recently moved to Florida once they let rioters loose on the town its not safe and de funding the police had made it even worse gun shoots everyday i was beat by BLM but the charges were dropped by the DA don't not move here
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Hard No coming from NYC Native - 1/12/2021
I lived in NYC for 30 years and moved out here about 6 years ago. It was actually ok when we first moved here although you could see the downward spiral starting. I can't tell you enough how bad it is living in Portland and it has nothing to do with the weather. The irony is the weather is actually not that bad...beautiful weather from Spring to Fall. Portlands main issue is politics and it's a big one. The mayor and the people who surround him are ineffectual and just don't know what they are doing. This is not a rant just a heads up that you will encounter a large population of homelessness along with dirty streets and no policing or enforcement of any kind. They recently legalized...I mean decriminalized all drugs, including heroine, cocaine, meth etc.. . If you are a super bleeding heart liberal type of person this place might appeal to you but even then it could be a hard "pill" to swallow. If you have kids stay away as this is no place to raise children. Cost of living is on par
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Where’s this hand basket headed? - 1/5/2021
Born and bred here, and have lived many other places as well... Truth be told, Portland has gone to hell. Drugs, gangs, shootings, violent crimes taking over the greater PDX area. Homelessness is destroying neighborhoods (not genuinely dislocated people, but those who move to PDX to take advantage of the perks here). Anarchy is tolerated, destroying businesses and our downtown. I’ve had liberals say to me, “I’m a liberal, but this place has gotten TOO DAMN LIBERAL! It’s not working anymore!” They’re right ~ Portland is broken. In addition to these, it’s gotten REALLY expensive to live here ~ especially housing. Lockdowns may affect that as more small businesses go out and people can’t pay their mortgage. So sad...
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Great city with amenities - Millenials beware - 10/16/2020
I've lived in in the Portland area for 27 years (grew up here). It has a lot of things going for it. Great restaurants, breweries and bars, and neighborhoods, plenty of events and groups, coffee culture is rich and so are the sweets and treats, forests to the east and west of the city. Mountain ranges with ski resorts (Mt. Hood is 2-3 hours away). And the coast is 2 hours away, too. As a millennial, its a great city with lots of things to do. Like most, the city is very segregate with the Hispanic population living in the margins and suburbs and the Black communities in the North, though it's experiencing gentrification at an alarming rate. There is a huge white population here though most folks are very open-minded, and welcoming. There's been more and more transplants here from what I can tell. Lots of people from many different parts of the country but mostly from California. This makes it hard for most of us local root folks to buy real-estate as prices are absurdly high for most
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Moved from Tx to Portland love portland! - 10/14/2020
Moved here to portland, recently, from houston texas. I was lucky to have lived in a trans friendly area in texas (Montrose) but new landlord decided to “remodel” a few apartments ( in the middle of a pandemic because apparently that’s the best time to kick people out who’ve never missed a days tent in 20years) and of course Texas doesn’t protect renters at all so we were SOL. Decided since the trucks already packed, and Texas is so repressive to trans people , to keep on moving and moved on to Portland!... and so far so good! I’m not far from downtown (nob hill) but it’s quite peaceful here, I know downtown is a little crazy right now and most just wish the cops would stop being so brutal and rioting every night and tear gassing neighborhoods where people are trying to sleep. And Most I’ve met just wish the racists and fascists would stop coming from their redneck towns stirring up crap in portland (where they don’t live. ) And that police would learn the meaning of the word “
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A city like no other - 9/29/2020
Seeing that the 2 star reviews are all from 2020 I'm wondering if they're all legitimate. Portland is a very unique city. The unofficial slogan is Keep Portland Weird. It's a different city and the residents are proud of that. There's a lot of homelessness, but morning more than many other major cities of it's size. It's a great city for walking. Downtown is beautiful. People are friendly. Some great things about Portland that you don't find anywhere: there's a book store that takes up an entire city block and is multiple levels, it's called Powell's and it's on Burnside. The music/concert scene is amazing with many small clubs hosting affordable shows. The beer... Oh the beer! If you're a beer fan, you'll love Portland! There are also many great, unique cafes. The weather... That could be a pro or con depending on your preference, but you get 4 seasons with nothing too dramatic, though there is A LOT of rain. But thanks to that rain Portland has amazingly clean air!!! I grew up
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Portland sucks - 9/27/2020
Portland Oregon is a massive slumhole. I’ve been here 6 months and I’m leaving. Homeless people is a very serious problem here, it’s not that their homeless it’s that their mentally insane they just start screaming at you for no reason. I smell piss as soon as I walk out of my apt. We’re sick of the rioting and the violence that’s a big issue. People here are extreme you can’t even voice your opinion the people jump down your throat. And the people do not know how to mind their own damn business. They butt in to your conversation. Their tyrants. Cost of living is too high you can’t buy a home
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