Thoughts on Portland from a California transplant
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6/26/2007
First, at the risk of stating the obvious, no city is the best place for all people. In my experience, there are both good and bad things about Portland--hopefully some of what I have to say will be useful to people thinking about moving here.
First the good stuff:
--Real Estate here is still a bargain compared to the rest of the West Coast. There are lots of really nice neighborhoods close to downtown, that while expensive for Portland, are quite affordable if you are coming from someplace with a higher cost of housing.
--The overall quality of life is good compared to bigger cities (I moved here from SF). Traffic is not as bad, and people are much more laid back. Nobody honks or flips you off here.
--Cultural amenities are great for a city this size - many excellent restaurants, lots going on in the music, art and literary scenes. It tends to be more accessible and affordable than in a bigger city too.
--Great outdoor recreational opportunities. Ocean and mountains both about 1 1/2 hour drive away.
--Very dog friendly, which is great if you have a dog. If you don't, you should get one if you want to fit in here.
Not so good, or mixed depending on your perspective:
--The economy job market here is not that great. There are not a lot of large companies, and if you are in anything technology related other than semiconductor manufacturing, there is not much going on here. After 3 years here, my partner and I still can't figure out what the economy here is based on, since there are plenty of people with money. I think a lot of people come here with it. If you are educated, skilled and willing to tough it out, you will probably find something here, but come here for the lifestyle, not for career building, unless you are an athletic footwear designer - about the only area in which Portland leads the pack.
--The weather does suck much of the time. When it doesn't, it can be almost undescribably beautiful here. Remember, it's not about the inches of rain, it's about those long stretches of gray, drizzly, damp and cold days in the winter.
--It seems to be somewhat difficult to meet people here. Some of that may be due to my particular circumstances, but I've heard other people say the same thing. I can't say whether Portland is substantially different from other places in this respect though.
--While Portland has a reputation for being very liberal, the reality is a little more complicated, and much of the rest of
Ken | Portland, OR