Portland. A Critically broken & ill City.
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11/11/2021
I've lived in Portland for over 20 years (split with a 10 year move to Los Angeles) and it is now a virtually paralyzed city, drowning in poverty and poverty mindset.
Portland HAD the fifth highest property taxes in the nation in 2020 (you're paying it even if you're renting). However for 2021 property taxes have increased significantly because voters voted for two big tax increases, because as the saying goes, “Portland doesn't let a potential tax increase go to waste.” And Portland certainly has high taxes all around that get worse every year.
Income taxes are getting higher and higher just like the general population. As of 2021 you are taxed
5% from $ 0 (yeah, make 69 cent for the year and Oregon will want 5% of that and will go after you)
7% from $ 3,550
9% from $ 8,900
9.9% from $ 125,000
You also have a ton of little taxes/fees/duties, etc coming out of your paycheck for all manner of things such as bike lanes, community transportation, homeless tax (yeah, it's still a “homeless” tax), etc.
If you plan to own a business, best wishes on having enough to live off of after all the things you are taxed for employing yourself or others. Portland metro genuinely seems to look down on those who work, and especially those who employ others. I'm not kidding.
High crime and getting much worse because the incredibly worthless mayor and city council have all but euthanized the police force and turned the remaining zombies into mentally challenged eunuchs.
Some of the worst public schools in the nation (not an opinion but a fact from many annual “best of” and “worst of” reports by main stream media).
Drugs, drugs, and more drugs, including tent people shooting up in neighborhoods and throwing their dirty needles on sidewalks and streets. All drugs, including heroin, meth, crack, etc have been completely decriminalized in the name of "caring” so much for others.
Tents can pop up overnight in your neighborhood (they will at some point) and there is next to NOTHING you can do about it. Complain all you want, you're not a liberal if you can't handle it, according to those in charge.
Expect your trash to be strewn all over quite often due to the fact that drug addicted people will go through your trash looking for cans and bottles, which you will never return yourself unless you want to wait for hours waiting for the drug addicted people to return huge garbage bags full of other peoples cans and bottles so they can get high.
Graffiti. Yeah, you'll see it everywhere and your house and or car will get tagged at some point.
Mental illness is truly at crisis levels in the Portland area. They can get violent against you, no matter your gender, age, race, etc. They will vent on you or your children and it can be a matter of life or death, or serious injury. Not much will be done to them because they are mentally ill and it is “unfair” to them to be locked up. It apparently is more humane from a liberal mindset to let them wander the streets and live in tents on the sidewalk and to shoot up all day. A very caring city indeed.
Speaking of mental illness, they may spend night after night in your neighborhood screaming how they will kill and **** you and or your children and the police can't do anything. I am being very serious about this. We get one from time to time in our neighborhood and many of us have called the police and there is NOTHING they will do.
Get used to the fact that you are wrong. Oh yeah. It is a thing in Portland, and Oregon in general. Get used to people arguing with you. You're wrong. Get used to it, there is no arguing it, oh but they will still argue with you. ON EVERYTHING. Get it yet? Admit you're wrong, doesn't matter they'll argue with you and tell you that your wrong for admitting you're wrong.
Physical illness. Something is very wrong in Portland. There is a ton of serious physical illness here. Stay here long enough and something will ail you. Some “rare” disease will afflict you and or your loved ones. Something isn't right in Portland. Stay in Portland long enough and you'll see.
Traffic. Oh bad traffic, and it gets worse. Look, I lived in Los Angeles for a few years in the late 90's until the Great Recession. Traffic in Portland will drive you nuts, even if you ride a bike. Portland hates cars and close more and more lanes and streets for bike lanes that don't get used very often (some exceptions, but rare), and even streets are getting shut down so restaurants, etc can have outdoor eating. Or, there isn't any other reason except that cars are hated in this town.
Parks. Forget about it. If they aren't filled with tents, they are filled with the drug addicted tent people throughout the day. If not this week, then next, but especially when the weather improves.
Weather. Oh you have friends and they say the weather is great. There not lying, they just have been experiencing a heavy drought that will pass. This winter is shaping up to be more normal. Dark skies throughout the day with rarely interrupted slow and nearly constant rain. Have you ever seen a cloudy sky that is a sheet of grayness with no real definition of clouds? That is Portland through a significant portion of fall, winter and often spring during typical years. In normal years the weather doesn't get nice until after the 4th of July, no matter what your friends might say, because once again, they have been experiencing a severe drought with very abnormal weather.
I could go on, but I'm being serious, if you are thinking about moving to Portland, find a way to stay here a couple of months before committing, or expect to feel like you should be committed to an asylum, which no longer exists, so they'll just give you a free tent, sign you up for food stamps, register you as a democrat and tell you to have a nice day.
Alexander | Portland, OR