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
Start Your Review of Portland
Housing market become unaffordable - 6/25/2006
I lived in Portland for many years and I loved the people, the city, and everything Oregon has to offer. If you like the outdoors - either the mountains or the beach - Oregon is the best place to live in.
The downside, which made me relocate to Indiana, is the cost of living increase over the past couple of years (and the job market is not as strong or as good as it used to be).
Being a single person, who is self-employed, the dream of buying my first home in the Portland market could not be realized, as the cost was out of reach for me. The only homes I could afford were in the bad part of town OR the homes required alot of rehabilitation (and I am not a handyman).
I also noticed an uptick in theft and other crimes, due to the problems of the meth epidemic. The positive side to this, is that Oregon is very pro-active in trying to combat this problem - which they are panifully aware is affecting the quality of life in the city.
Read More
Portland, Oregon : Socialists Welcome! - 6/24/2006
Portland is a great place for Marxists, Nature-Cookies, and hobos (transients). It is a nuturing place for those who seek to live off of the efforts of others and for transplanted Californians who seek to inbreed their version of 'social justice'.
So, if you're a far left nut job, Portland is the place for you. Other areas might include Eugene, Salem, and if desparate, Berkeley,
Read More
Portland goes LA !! - 6/23/2006
The cheaper alternative to LA ! As far as traffic,rudeness, price-of-everything,mean-spiritedness,pollution,crime and all that,we are NOT as extreme as LA. But we are TRYING ! LOOK OUT LA !! We have got a 6 month long drizzly,cold winter that you don't have !! We'll snatch your msery title away one day soon
Read More
great quality of life can be found, but it might b - 6/23/2006
I have enjoyed the Portland, OR area tremendously for the past ten years, but I am considering leaving the area.
As a young couple it was a perfect place to be. There is lots to do outdoors, good jobs, excellent restaurants, moderate weather. But as a new parent I am paying closer attention to school systems, crime, and the prevalence of drugs, and am thinking that this is not the place I want to raise a family.
The effects of meth are straining the community. Portland has jails but can't afford adequate staffing - so prisoners come and go via a revolving door.
In my experience salaries are not keeping pace with the cost of
Read More
Job hunting in Portand is difficult - 6/22/2006
I came to Portland 2 years ago and it took me 6 months to find work. I took dead end, minimum wage, high school flunkie jobs while actively job hunting, simply to keep myself fed and housed. After 6 months of submitting daily to all the employemnt websites in addition to the job fairs and pavement pounding, I ended up accepting a position at a salary well below market rate simply to have a source of working income. I'm a talented, incredibly experienced, and educated young professional with plenty to offer any company-and I'm incredibly diverse in the postions I can look for work...sales, marketing, technical, business management. Every single one of those positions were snatched away by people with local connections. It was incredibly disheartening and I've never been in a location(I'm well traveled) where my skills were not bid on by local companies vieing for my expertise. Luckily, once I had been here for awhile and made my own connections, I managed to land a job paying
Read More
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - 6/21/2006
I lived in Portland for 7 years, and then returned home to California. There are many great things about Portland. They really lead the pack when it comes to urban planning, transit, and the environment. I found the economy there a inch deep and a mile wide. You better come with some cash because the home prices are more like California, but without the high salaries. In Portland we, my partner and I, were able to have a wonderful lifestyle because we bought a fourplex with our California equity and lived below our means. But I can see with the low salaries there that buying a place would be tough. I couldn't believe how bad the salaries were until I actually saw that fast food places were paying more than most office jobs, and you got a uniform and free french fries. The only reason we returned to California was the recession down there...home prices were actually cheaper than Oregon. We bought a home in Palm Desert, with a guest house, huge swimming pool, half acre in a classy
Read More
Low Housing Costs... - 6/19/2006
Great place to live if money is a primary concern, as housing costs are relatively low, contributing to and overall low cost of living. A single person can confortable live on $35,000 per year and easily find a decent quality rental apartment or room for under $500/mo.
Myself, I rented a 2Be/1Ba upstairs of a house for $550 with all utilities paid in inner SE near Hawthorne nightlife hotspots. It was a great house with hardwood floors and a full kitchen in excellent repair.
Having lived in places like LA, SF, and NYC where housing costs are astronomical, Portland is a breath of fresh air, and much easier on the
Read More
everyone who rips on portland has no idea what the - 6/13/2006
first of all im glad people rip on portland, it keeps them away. they are just wrong. this stuff about portland being grey for 9 months is just not true, look at the stats, portland averages 142 sunny days/year. that is closer to 5 months than 3. also, other things ive read on here about portland traffic sucking is not true either, all things are relative, portland traffic is good compared to other big cities and even some smaller. albuquerque has way worse traffic, so does dc, houston, la, even seattle is 10 times worse than portland. the people who complained are simply pessimists who find the bad in everything, you can find good things about everywhere except
Read More
Native Naivete - 6/6/2006
Is there another state in the union where beat up Volvos tool around town with the word "Native" engraved on a license plate? I didn't think so. Only in Oregon. And only in Portland. I guess the word "Native" is supposed to strike fear into the heart of anyone who would tread in the sacred garden of "The Rose City." As one who lived in Portland seven years (and enjoyed the runs in Forest Park, Hood to Coast, Powell's, snowboarding, beer, soccer and golf) I feel qualified to educate all on naive native Portlanders. Let's start with their perceptions of outsiders.
The Natives hate everything--especially Seattle. Among the populace you will find a hatred for anything sensible, sophisticated or mainstream. They hate government. They hate pasteurized milk. They hate Bush. They hate Clinton. They hate money but they really hate you when you don't "spare some change." They hate Southern California. They hate the Bay Area. But most of all they HATE Seattle. You see, Seattle is
Read More