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
Cloudy - 3/7/2013
There are many things to like about Portland. It's a very walkable city, with lots of eateries, bars, and nightlife. And the people here are incredibly nice. The big challenge is weather-related. Not rain, really, as it doesn't flat out rain as much as you might expect. But the percentage of cloudy/overcast days is really quite sizable, except during the summer months. The rest of the year there are an awful lot of cloudy days. Having just recently relocated from Singapore, where it's sunny almost nonstop, I've found that transition to be quite
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uninteresting and unpleasant - 3/3/2013
Unlike many people who hate Portland, I am politically quite liberal and do not mind rainy weather. In fact, rain in Portland is a plus because it keeps the annoying population indoors rather than wandering around being loud and horrible.
I thought I would enjoy this city: I moved here five years ago, a new young professional with some free time and a good attitude toward the place. I have always made friends pretty easily and have lived in some large cities in Europe as well as Seattle, San Francisco and some smaller Oregon towns. I like a rich grassroots culture (not when it's overly contrived though). I am curious and energetic and just fine with being a stranger in town. I love places with a sense of history and I like to be among educated and creative people. I thought Portland would be the place for me in Oregon, but it is far worse than some other Oregon cities and towns in my opinion.
It feels uneducated here and mind-bogglingly, fist-eatingly
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Portland is Not a Decent City - 11/26/2012
I'd like to start by qualifying my opinion of Portland. I grew up in Austin, went to school in West Texas, lived in Summit County, CO for 5 years, lived in denver for 5 years, and lived in Japan for a year and spent a season in Antarctica. I've traveled all over the world and have seen some really unique and "weird" places. Trust me, Portland is nowhere nearly as "hip" as I was lead to believe.
The only thing "weird" about Portland is its complete lack of character. Just because you recycle and have a "Free Tibet" sticker on your dirty car doesn't make you a hippy. It makes you annoying.
The in-your-face political correctness is nauseating. Everyone spouts about "diversity acceptance", but what they really mean is - We accept you if you're a caucasian, secular, gender-bending jobless freak.
Portland sucks. Can't wait to
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The Hotbabeville of the Northwest - 11/20/2012
I lived here for about 6 weeks in summer 2011, and this city has more sexy chicks than, I think any other city of comparable size. It also has a very high number of breweries and strip clubs. Bottom line is if you love hot babes and beer, you'll love Portland. Can't wait to go back one
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Have loved it and hated it - 10/28/2012
Why live here? Well, because there are many good things. Downtown is small, but it is probably the safest of the many, many cities I've seen in the U.S. The urban decay of the rust belt where I grew up is absent.
I love the outdoors. I camp, hike and ski a lot. Had only one weekend at home this summer. We have an enormous back yard in the endless national and state forests (about 1/3 of this state is public land including the beaches - they belong to the people). No one will try to convert you to their way of thinking (though this is good - it's because they're completely disinterested).
Our son has grown up here. He is in love and will probably marry his long time girlfriend and have children in the near future. I will stay here to be near he and his family.
Why not live here? My story isn't the whole story, but that's all I've got. I moved here 16 years ago. I expected an adjustment period; that's normal. What I didn't expect was that all
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Glad I'm out of that town - 10/7/2012
I was so glad when it was time to leave this place. I was so glad that is my review on Portland, Nothing more needs to be said.
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This place is painful. - 9/29/2012
Painfully stupid.
Let me tell ya about Portland. You know about the incessant rain. Yes it really is that bad. And yes it really does make you depressed. It lasts forever. Drabby drizzles all day long every single day for 10 months. Probably why the people here are so rude. When they're not being phony nice that is.
The culture is very insular. Church people abound. If you don't believe in "their" God, you're either out or a prospect for conversion. Uh, I got my own philosophy on life thank ya very much.
Which brings me to the lack of intelligence. It's mind-boggling! They think they're sooo sophisticated but it's more like the backwoods of Arkansas than not.You cannot get proper service here to save your life. I'm not talking about the restaurants. Other than their sad habit of aping the French, restaurants here are good. That much is true. I hate the roadkill and pets on the menus though. It's like backwoods hillbilly meets European wannabe.
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Keep Portland Weird - 9/14/2012
I lived in Everett, Washington for two years and would visit a friend in Portland any chance I had. At first Portland seemed really romantic. Everything was beautiful; the weather, the shops, the food and especially the people. We ate healthy food, biked or walked anywhere that we went, and listened to live music until it was time to sleep. Everyone had dreadlocks and wore secondhand clothes. We went to Voodoo Donuts and Saturday Market. We hung out at The Deli (which isn’t there anymore, I don’t think) and visited the Rose Garden. It was unique and definitely captured my attention. Folks were very kind and used words like "lovely" and "spiritual" and bragged about how open minded their city was. They would say things like "Portland is a place for anyone. We accept anyone. We love anyone." As if discrimination of any sort was out of the question.
That made it all the more surprising when they found out that I was a Christian that grew up in Texas. I was the exact same
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Biking in Portland - 9/2/2012
Commuting to work has never been better with excellent bike paths. My quality of life has gone way
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