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
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Dreary, Depressing, Gray.... - 4/18/2009
I have lived in Portland all 20 years of my life so far. I've traveled to Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Northern California, Much of Oregon and even Utah. No other city, besides Seattle, really compares to the seasonal depression experienced in this "greenest" of cities. What good is it being the greenest of cities when all you see is gray?
To be fair. I hear a lot of good comments about Portland from people who are new to the area. Nice people, beautiful area, clean air, good transportation. There are many events in the downtown area during the summer. Saturday Market starts up in Late February and ends in Early December. Saturday Market is sort of like a farmers market, on the big side. Lots of art, food, music, people and other market essentials. One of my favorite ideas that I have noticed in the past few years is the holding of "Flicks on the Bricks". They screen movies, once a week for about 6 weeks in the summer in Pioneer Courthouse Square. If it's
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Quaint, openminded, beautiful - 3/24/2009
I lived in Portland Oregon for about 25 years and have traveled to nearly every state in the US. I am currently residing in Dallas Texas and there is no comparison to the west coast. Dallas has wonderful weather from October thru June and employment is less difficult to find here but it is dry, flat and lacks any personality.
Portland on the otherhand has so many recreational activities and things to do. The coast is an hour and half away west, skiing/snowboarding is and hour away and the desert in the eastern portion of the state is also close by.
The diversity in non-chain restaurants is amazing and there are plenty of pubs and trendy martini bars as well.
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Portland is an all around great city - 3/23/2009
Downtown Portland is so pleasant that many thousands of people choose to live there even tho they could easily afford a nice house in a premium suburb. Lots of outdoor cafes and culture of all sorts - the Saturday market offers a rich blend of culture and music, as does Pioneer Square, the Alphabet District, the Pearl District, and many other areas. Portland is within a very short drive to the Oregon Coast, Mount Hood and Rainier, the Columbia River Gorge, rainforests, deserts, and many other spectacular attractions. People here read more books than in most places. The area has many used and new bookstores, including the worlds largest. Portland is not very cliquish and not at all clannish, so it is more open to new people than many areas. People here love outdoor adventures and there are many opportunities for them. In the summer the city abounds with roses and has the worlds greatest rose garden. It is the best all around city in America, and I should know because I have
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MSN ranked 1st in "10 Most Unhappy Places" - 3/6/2009
I had to pick myself up off the floor when I read this. MSN had an article yesterday on the "10 Most Unhappy Places", and my old home town ranked first. I'm not surprised, and it makes me all the more grateful for my new life in Florida. It's been 4 years now, and if I knew life was this much better on the sunny side I would have packed my bags 30 years ago. MSN cited Portland's cloudy days, rate of depression, suicide (#1, by the way), divorce rate, among others giving Portland this lovely title. I do miss the culture, and the people are great (although seemingly sad from my current perspective) but Lord knows I don't miss the weather. I sometimes check Portland's 10 day weather forecast just to see what sucky weather I'm missing out on. Then I go for a ride in my Mustang GT convertible and soak up my Florida sunshine.
SUN - it does a body
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polarized - 12/6/2008
Oregon, and Portland in particular, have reputations for being very liberal (whatever that means). However, the truth is more complicated. Inner Portland--downtown, the inner East Side and innermost West Side--are very liberal, highly educated and affluent. The further you go from the river, the more right wing it gets...until you are in the very conservative suburbs of Gresham, Clackamas and Newport. Kind of like a set of concentric circles, the middle being downtown and the Pearl District.
The net result is a heavily democratic city (and politically mixed wealthy, inner suburbs) surrounded by VERY conservative, gun-oriented, religious suburbs. Sounds like a lot of cities, but I think it is more intensely evident here. And outside of the Portland and Eugene metro areas, Oregon and Southern Washington are extremely conservative, looking more like Idaho than
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