To Zayra in OC
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12/11/2006
Portland can be a fun place for a young person to live...there is a decent nightlife/music scene most nights of the week. Sellwood, Moreland, SW Portland and even parts of NE Portland are hip but relatively inexpensive places to rent - downtown and the Pearl district will cost you an arm and a leg. Be prepared to have a hard time finding a job that pays more than $8-9 an hour unless you get a government job or are in the healthcare industry. Business in Portland has seen better days - high regulations/taxes and the price of real estate have far outpaced the economy here. If you love the sunshine be prepared for about 8 months of gloom a year. Several other posts talk about how people in Portland walk around sleepy and depressed for most of the year - its true. People here arent rude, but they arent friendly either. People are very flaky and ingeniune (with a few exceptions of course)Summers are beautiful here and very enjoyable. From July - September there is alot to do as far as hiking, festivals, boating, ect..but the rest of the year most people stay inside. Portland is a fashion nightmare - the official uniform of Oregon is hiking boots, fuzzy socks, flannel shirts and khakis. It's too rainy to dress nicely most of the time - you will just end up wet and dirty! It is very difficult for first time home owners to buy homes here due to the imbalence between the price of real estate and good paying jobs. That said - if you decide to move here - good luck, just invest in some umbrellas and a tanning package!
kelly | Independence, OR