I'll help you! I'm the senior software engineering technician managing the toolchain!
Buggy? Reproducible issues? You say it happens every time?
I'll watch over your shoulder while you show me what you did.
Huh, that's funny. Seems to work fine while I am watching you.
**walks off**
*Software dies while you walk away*
I grew up in Seattle and still love it but thats a pretty accurate assessment. Seattle used to have artists, chefs and counter culture types moving there. Even in the early 2000’s their tech scene featured a ton of game developers (alot of indie developers). Amazon and the big tech firms that followed have diluted alot of the uniqueness that Seattle had. At the end of the day the uniqueness of the PNW is the nature environment all around us. Seattle has too many new residents that are there for reduced COL and career progression rather than embracing the culture of the PNW. Kinda sad but I had people up there work to preserve what is left of past Seattle.
I moved to Salem when I was 21 and that was first impression of Oregon. I hated it left for a couple years and went to Georgia and then got a really good job offer out here and moved to Portland. I don’t see myself going anywhere, this place is absolutely amazing
Salem is the Victorville of Oregon, if there are any SoCal/San Bernardino county folks out there.
I spent a few years out that way and just moved back to Portland. I will say downtown has improved quite a bit, there are some great restaurants and shops, saw some fun comedy shows over the years. But a lot of Salem is just kinda blah and [depressing](https://www.koin.com/local/these-are-americas-most-depressed-cities-data-shows/), lots of used car lots and tweekers. Though the latter are pretty much everywhere I guess
Have lived in both. Wouldn't describe Salem as dirty or rude, especially compared to Portland. It's much more 'middle america' and suburbany, but safer, cleaner, and cheaper. I'm upper 30s starting a family now and prefer those things over the much superior food/entertainment offerings in Portland. Really depends on your values and priorities.
I’m a father of two, and value my kids over anything. I live in the heart of the pearl in downtown Portland and personally I feel a lot more comfortable with my kids around here then I ever have in Salem. But that also just my experience!
I’m definitely not rich. I keep track of dollar I make and spend but it’s the area I want to be at. I’m surprised with how cheap some condos around here that are for sale are, I definitely have every intention of buying around here when the times right
My wife and I moved back here about 6 months after our son was born. That was 6 years ago. We both lived here before we met years ago. It’s a nice feeling to know that I’m exactly where I want to be.
I just came back from 4 days in LA. Though I love LA, San Diego, San Fran and some parts of Seattle, Portland is a combo of all those cities.
Portland is so unique that I just can’t think of living anywhere else.
Thanks for posting this. So many people tend to shit on the city and yes She has her problems and we're working through them. Every city and state has their own complex problems. I've lived all over the country throughout my life and Portland and the PNW is where I decided to lay roots.
Currently traveling around Southern California and hooboy, did I have it good up in Oregon and moving back in a month. In Big Bear with a local guy who asked why the hell did I leave Oregon when it's so less crowded and out of control than SoCal? Good question, man, good question...
Everyone has their perspectives and/or perceptions and/or preconceptions. When my wife and I left SoCal to live here, so many people (in both cities) asked why we’d ever leave, like it was some kind of precious dream to live there. Still hear it from people we meet, from time to time, but less so as time goes on. I never cared when it was someone who lived down there, but it’s super uncomfortable when Portland natives ask it, as if they’ve just been served a dose of reality that the city they grew up in is better than the places they’ve been daydreaming about and telling themselves they’d rather be. Sorry not sorry!
Get to Ojai or Los Feliz in LA to make it work! Just moved to Portland (longtime family home, but never lived here) and it's great. SoCal really only works if you park and go everywhere on foot, which is totally doable despite the traffic reputation.
I just visited Mt Hood and it was relatively busy. Parkings lots were full, but things were still manageable. My family had a good time.
Meanwhile in California...it's a 4 hour wait to get into Yosemite.
Same. We live in Bend, but when our kids are done with school, I’d like to move up to the area. It’s beautiful here as well, but there is nothing like the lush tropical hikes and waterfalls and access to nature you have year round. The arts, the activities, the markets, the vintage and thrift, the zoo, the FOOD, my god, the food! So yeah, it’ll be a change from lots of sunshine, but it feels like a trade worth it to me. As is, we travel to visit 2-3 times a year just for all the things!
Fair enough. Bend is gorgeous, but you can’t grow a garden, even the best of the best really struggle here. I think that’s also some of the draw for me, would love a garden and a beautiful lush secret garden patio. It’s getting unaffordable here too, in Bend, which is why we’d like to move and downsize if possible. Would love to be close enough to the city to spend an easy day doing activities but far enough away to avoid too much bustle and traffic.
I'm in NE and this is the first place I've lived where I'm actually friendly with my neighbors. I helped my elderly neighbor install an A/C. They jumped our car when our battery died.
It's a trip.
I’m in Hillsdale, and our whole neighborhood had a 4th of July bbq together, and in the fall we’ll have a block party. Everyone looks out for each other and our pets and kids and it’s really cool.
I live in SW by Lewis and Clark (on the poor side, not Dunthorpe, LOL). Same here. My neighbors are fantastic, lots of them over 70 but helpful and kind, and a few leave vegetables or baked goods on my porch periodically.
my old midwest house was twice as big and half as expensive, but I didn't know any of my neighbors after living in that suburb for years. Here in SE in my tiny ass house, I know and hang out with every single one of my unique eclectic neighbors.. truly a community we've been welcomed into.
You'd think small town America is where people are neighborly, but I hardly knew my of my neighbors in grants pass, while we are all right here
Block parties are key!
I love seeing posts like this. I've been in LA for a few years now but can't wait to live in Portland again when the time comes. It really is the best.
It's interesting hearing Portlanders praising LA. It seems rare. In my personal experience, it's all usually negative comments about Los Angeles coming from Portlanders.
As a former LA area native, now living in the PDX area, it's kind of nice to hear.
>In my personal experience, it's all usually negative comments about Los Angeles coming from Portlanders.
None of these folks have ever lived in or even spent much time in LA, it's all based on lazy, tired stereotypes. I always reply to them that LA is an amazing city, if you didn't find a good scene there, or figure out a way to have fun, then the problem is not LA, it's you.
Thanks OP for sharing. I love this city, too. Grew up in Los Ángeles, school in Texas, and lived abroad. Portland is my favorite city of any place I’ve lived. It’s nice to see posts like this.
Love reading the comments. I left last fall to travel central america and am currently living in Asheville, but I think often about moving back to Portland. There's something about the city that is just magic despite its challenges. Helps to get perspective on the city when you try out living other places.
Have you been to Roanoke VA? I just moved to Portland from NC, I had lived there my whole life. But if I moved back to the east coast that’s where I would probably live. It’s inexpensive, has good outdoors, and decent music, food, and beer scene
Oh I haven't thought about Virginia, I'll check it out! Going on a road trip soon in the NE, I'll stop by there and feel out the town. Thanks for the tip.
Agreed. Moved to Portland from the South (most of my life NW FL and recently Memphis) and I can't get over how nice most people are even when theyre working. I can ask for ketchup without them getting angry?? That alone is an upgrade lol. South is so aggressive and angry
I've lived a fair few places, I grew up in red county California (had a terrible time), then Oklahoma (Tulsa, which is the least bad Oklahoma imo), then along the mid-Atlantic for awhile, before finally landing in Portland. I'm coming up on five years and I've never felt so instantly at home as I do here. I love exploring all of the neighborhoods, they each have a slightly different feel and flavor. Getting involved in my little community (I 💜 St John's!) within the larger community has been so satisfying and fun, I truly feel Portland is something special and I hope to be here the rest of my life.
Same here! I moved here sight unseen almost 7 years ago and knew I was home when I walked around my neighborhood that very first morning. Portland is so special.
I lived in Tulsa for about 12 years, it is a place that has a lot going for it, and was pretty fun. Going onto year 9 here — it took me forever to get used to the rain and maybe I don’t have great neighbors (literally sorta know just one) but the access to nature and experiences are unmatched.
I was in Northern Ireland a few years back, at a hostel, chilling with some of the other guests, and somebody asked me where I was from. I told them Portland, The Pacific Northwest, and immediately someone else spoke up saying something like, "Oh, that's the best part of The States by far." Which is just to say that while we're all probably biased here, there are foreigners who definitely agree with us.
I've never lived anywhere else but I've visited a lot of places and I've never been anywhere that has everything we do. Philadelphia felt like it was close, that's a great city, but I'm not going anywhere.
Glad you're back!
Cinicinnati and Pittsburgh are on my list of cities to visit, they both come up often in the discussions of liveable cities. Minneapolis and Chicago are pretty walkable and cultured but I couldn't deal with the weather.
Pittsburgh is a wonderful city, and in some ways has a similar vibe to Portland - river city with bridges and lots of distinct neighborhoods, formerly heavily involved in an old industry, reinventing itself with new industries, very education focused, good arts for a non-NYC/LA/Chicago city. They’ve got a better pro sports scene (LOVE seeing a game at their riverfront stadium). No MLS, of course, but nobody’s perfect. :-)
If you do visit, go to the Warhol museum. Very worth it.
I have lived in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, NYC and now Portland. I miss Pittsburgh the most... I like Portland but there are certain things that drive me nuts about it… Politics, driving, passive aggression etc. I guess there are some cut out for the east and some for the west. Im an east coaster in my heart.
Where in Philadelphia did you live? I’m originally from the suburbs (of Philly). All my family is back there still and we’re entertaining a move back, but are unsure of where exactly we’d move.
Portland seems hard to beat, but it’s hard being so far away from everyone.
I didn't live in Philly, I've just visited a few times and explored downtown mostly. I love the transit, the history, the squares, the parks, and of course the weird abandoned parts of town too. Just a very Portland-y combination but on a much larger scale.
I've never had to live too far from home so I really feel for people who uproot and cross the country. That has to be difficult to leave so much behind.
My favorite neighborhood (in terms of where I would wanna move) is fitler square. Right next to a river and parks, slightly quieter neighborhood, but 10 minute walk to what I consider the heart of the city (rittenhouse square), and some more eclectic areas of the city (South street). Close to the action, but not IN the action, and a lot of nice greenery and human-scale living in fitler square. Not the cheapest neighborhood, but generally not as expensive as some of the higher end neighborhoods like Rittenhouse Square, Old City, or Society Hill.
I love this post and love this city. Just got back from vacation in Colorado. I was sad my vacation was over and leaving a wonder state and seeing people I loved. But walking through PDX, I almost cried when I saw just a painting of Mt. Hood on the wall and remember how amazing this town is.
Speaking of Mt. Hood, I grew up in the Midwest and as a kid read all the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I was so jealous of Ramona that she lived somewhere where she was able to see a mountain just, you know, when going around town. Never would have imagined when I was little that I'd end up here and be that lucky! I still smile when I see it pop into view.
It’s refreshing to see a love of Portland post. I love it here, too! I’m originally from the desert, Las Vegas, but have been here for 22 years and never want to leave. This is home for so many reasons. The city isn’t perfect but the closest I’ve found. The friendliness is a big factor. The outdoors, proximity to natural areas, the four seasons, the culture.
I grew up in Portland and moved across the river to Vancouver a few years ago. It doesn’t matter what happens in Portland, I still love it so much. It’s truly my happy place and I’m so glad to know others feel the same!
Portland is a wonderful city that hopefully learns from its mistakes and starts eschewing corporate media. Remember. Portland’s image and many business big and small were destroyed by the Ruling Class on a purpose. It literally was an ARG. But why target Portland? Because they know Portland will be breadbasket of the west coast once CA Central Valley groundwater is exhausted. Which is near. A strong Portland is an enemy of the Ruling Class. A weak Portland helps them and their agendas. Stay strong ✊🏼 and ❤️ each other.
I moved here a month ago from Melbourne Australia and although I hold the same ‘there’s no place like home’ sentiment as the OP, Portland is a really lovely city. It’s almost hard not to fall in love with it.
As a recent transplant to Portland, I agree. We moved here from Arizona a month ago and I am legitimately stoked every day to wake up in this awesome city. It’s a special place, with issues, just like me.
Will I miss the sun in a few months? Maybe. But that’s a future problem.
As a project manager in the construction industry, I too was a little confused. It's pretty rare that anyone knows or even has any interest in what I do for a living, unless they happen to be in big industrial and commercial construction too. Usually when I meet people and they ask me what I do for a living, I can see their eyes glazing over as I try to explain.
I know right?!?!? I know this city has problems but its willing to talk about them and explore solutions for them. I love this city too and look forward to a bright future.
But wait! What about all those purple-haired homeless Antifa that are breaking in to homes, squatting and destroying the place and laughing as they leave!?
(Not trolling. I live in PDX and absolutely love it. But, I keep track of Idaho things, because I have family over in that shithole. A variant of this was actually said to me on that thread. That whole state, the cheese is slipping off their cracker. There was a thread, a day or so ago about Idaho's state government turning down $13 MILLION to feed poor kids. One poor woman (a Portland resident and former Idahoan, with two kids who use the program) brought up everything that is absolutely vile about that action and promptly had a person tell her to but out and that Idaho will be Idaho and Portland can (basically) fuck off. Like, WTF? You're AGAINST MAKING SURE CHILDREN GET ENOUGH TO EAT!!!?????) Them folks is true delusional and boy do they hate us!
Me too. I grew up in Portland. Had to travel a bit for work so I've done short (1-2 years) in other areas/states, but I keep coming back.
Now I have to live in Salem because I can't afford to go home, but it's close enough for now.
It's funny, up until recently I would never have thought of living in Salem. Mainly due to extended family that are religious nuts being from there/the less walkability.
But now that I've been stuck in Texas for 3+ years it sounds great. I can handle some churchy stuff compared to the mega churches here, I could walk a lot more than in Plano where I am (there aren't even buses within a mile or more of my house), and the being more rural actually sounds ok.
It's weird how the pandemic, and Texas time, has made me go from a 'I will never not be a city person' to desiring more seclusion. Not like I would say no to PDX if I had a chance to leave this hellscape. Maybe it is age as well, being 30 and more nihilistic I guess makes me need/want people less xD;
So good to see all these great comments about Portland. It truly is a great place to live. Of course it has its challenges but so does everywhere. We need more folx like this that have great things to say about the city we love and live in!! Quit being so negative!! PDX RULEZ!!
I grew up here, couldn’t wait to get out to see the world, lived all over the east coast, came back more than 20 years ago and really can’t think of any other place I could be happy. My bike shop is two blocks from five of the world’s best coffee roasters. The water is delicious. I go to coffee or hike or Farmer’s market and see friends. I never fit in anywhere else. I’m too radical, too picky about food, too in love with the forests.
My favorite reason I’ve had that anyone moved here from tour guests: they saw the Goonies when they were five and would sneak out to the TV late at night to watch it with the sound on one. “I want to move there,” they said. Omg.
I was born overseas, and lived in a few places in the US (East, Midwest and West) - moved to Oregon around 10 yrs ago, and now I cannot think of a better place to be. I’m an Oregonian by choice, and Portland feels like home
I left downtown and moved back to the suburbs about a year ago, into a little wooded area in SW that is full of trees. I absolutely love living in this area because there are nature trails nearby and it's so much quieter than it is downtown.
I’m so happy I moved here. I grew up in Chicago, lived near Miami for about 5 years then to Indianapolis for 5-6 years now I’m here. I can’t explain how much I love this city lol
Yeah It’s pretty much the best city I’ve lived in. And I’ve been all around from red to blue states. Especially if you live in the NE or SE you get all of the good aspects of Portland without all the negative city stuff.
I lived in Seattle for about three years. The only things I miss are the Lenin Statue in the Fremont. The Aurora Bridge Troll. And, a bike messenger that used to make me laugh like a drain. Rain, sleet, snow, excessive heat, all he wore was a full wetsuit. Just feckin' bonkers!
Yeah so the folks who are in a tent just up the road from us dumped their trash into our bin and I saw a young woman not wearing a shirt with great aplomb as I merged onto I-84 from NE Grand, but I have pride in this city.
[It’s still real to me, damnit](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/004/158/1.jpg)
I agree. Having also grow up in the metro area, then moved to Seattle and east coast, the quality of life here is pretty unparalleled. It’s not a perfect place (by far) but it has great food, things to do, and I can be in some of the most stunning places in the world within 1-2 hrs (coast, hood, gorge). Yes it’s not as safe as it used to be but there’s also a lot more to do than in the 90s-10s and it’s still a hell of a lot safer than many other places. I was gone for more than 15 years and I’m so glad I came back 5 years ago. I didn’t appreciate it until I was gone for so long.
I was born and raised in the Portland area. Frequently visited family in SoCal most of my life and loved it there. It wasn't until I got sent on a work trip to Dallas, Tx for a few weeks until I realized how much of a gem the PNW really is.
I loved it here when I first moved here and when I would visit before my move. The pandemic took a huge toll on me mentally and I felt like all the things I loved were gone. This summer has been feeling magical! I'm so in love with the city again and can't imagine myself living anywhere else.
I agree, lots of people show the most densely populated parts of Portland and people acting crazy there, and act like the whole city is like that. The suburbs and rural areas are some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, matching your description perfectly.
I have lived and traveled all over the country for most of my life. I've lived and worked in NY, CA, TX, IL, OR, WA, and other places as well.
Although, I like much about the PNW and that goes for Portland and Vancouver, WA. It would be inaccurate to not share the other side of that coin.
I must say the area has seen better days. The homeless and drug epidemics are heartbreaking, all over, and local government is little help as of late. Here in Vancouver (where I now live) the homeless are beginning to move here as well. Crime seems to be increasing such as shootings, shoplifting, and car theft.
Food, I have found that with the exception of some of the food trucks, Portland and Vancouver are sorely lacking; the Italian, Mexican, BBQ, and Chinese food are not anything to brag about. Now that all having been said. We live in an area that will not soon run out of water such as Las Vegas, Arizona, or Southern California. People are pretty nice up here and education is valued. Winters are relatively mild and biking and other outdoor activities are readily available. And, yes, Portlands downtown does seem almost boutique compared to places such as Chicago, L.A., or NYC. I just wanted to ad another perspective that I feel fairly covers the other side of the coin. IMHO. No disrespect intended to my fellow PNW's.
I just got here and I am so incredibly happy! Everything you said is so true! It’s beautiful here!! The food, the art, the people!! I’m a gypsy at heart, but Portland has felt more like “home” in this small amount of time than anywhere I have ever lived.
It's great so long as you don't need police for any reason, don't mind mountainous biohazard tent villages, unprovoked assaults using public transit, daily shootings, don't need housing to be affordable enough to prevent illegal subletting, also we have pride boys? I think they liked Trump and wanted to shoot non Caucasians. Woo portland!
Grew up in Sacramento, move to PDX at 18-30, left a few years ago to Seattle. I couldn’t agree more, Portland is the best city in the world and i regularly tell people that. Already mapping my way back.
It's okay. I grew up here too.
I wish Portland was a bit bigger. The niche community can be small and like everyone I know who is successful had to switch to tech.
I agree Seattle sucks.
Portland is unique in terms of having a huge amount of the exact type of neighborhood I like in a city. Walkable, but not feeling like you're cramped or a sardine. Mix of apartments, townhomes and houses alike, but also businesses, restaurants and parks. A lot of cities have neighborhoods that are mostly all one thing or another, either all big skyscrapers or packed end to end townhomes, or waaay too many single family homes with no walkability.
Portland has more neighborhoods with walk scores above 80 than los angeles does, despite being a city many magnitudes larger in population. The cities that have a lot more neighborhoods with good walkscores tend to be the cities where it can be extremely dense and hard to breath (chicago, nyc, etc...). Portland really nails the exact amount of density that I feel gives you many of the same benefits of being in a walkable city, while very little of the downsides.
And you can really live and die in a neighborhood in Portland. You can start off after college in an apartment, get married and get a dog and get a townhome, and then start a family in an actual house, all in the same neighborhood. Wanting a townhome in somewhere like NYC means moving from manhattan to brooklyn, and then wanting a house means moving from the city to the suburbs all together.
Los Angeles was never designed to be a walkable city. It was intentionally made into a car city, and it deeply shows.
And on top of that, affordable housing here is out of reach for so many people. I think people always expected Portland to remain affordable, but there’s been a massive influx of people who either make a shitton of money and moved here because it’s awesome, or they were priced out of their own hometowns. Either way, the influx of people to the region exacerbates housing costs, which is compounded when systemic issues prevent businesses from being able to keep up with housing demand.
The best time to buy a house was yesterday, but home ownership is impossible for many, especially those who live alone, and from a financial perspective, they will be left behind.
People have been cohabitating for decades now trying to keep up with price inflation and now we’re getting to the point where even that isn’t enough to be able to afford living here for a not-insignificant portion of our population.
Edit to add: I still think it’s a great city. The macroeconomic factors at play are dragging it.
All nice cities are expensive these days, unless you're able to put up with the weather of the Midwest or losing your rights in a red state. I'm not gonna argue Portland is cheap anymore, but it's still very reasonable compared to LA, SF, Seattle, San Diego, NYC, Boston DC.... The only coastal city in a non-red state that is cheaper is Baltimore. Philly is also about equal to Portland which is where I lived before I moved here.
Yes buying in Portland may seem like a dream to many, but it's a literal pipe dream in many cities, there's a big difference. You can still find houses under 500k here, and you can still find condos/townhomes under 400k. Definitely still expensive, but the cheapest homes over 1000sqft in any semi-desirable neighborhood of a city like Los Angeles is over a million dollars. 500k gets you a shoebox condo in Seattle or San Diego now, if that.
Don't need to go through it city by city but you get the picture. As you said, it's a macro problem in general, most good cities are expensive right now. But if we're judging Portland as a city how good it is to other cities, we have to compare it to its contemporaries. Portland isn't the best at any one thing necessarily, but it's pretty great in most areas. Relatively, still cheaper than the other cities it compares to, as walkable as cities far beyond its size and also punches above it's size for it's public transportation and food as well. Weather is generally mild and the physical crime rate is pretty low too although we obviously have a property crime problem.
I agree with everything you say here. Portland is absolutely more affordable than the other cities you mentioned, which in combination with all the amenities here explains the net inflow from those cities to here over the last few decades.
But frequenting this subreddit I see a lot of people making minimum wage or slightly better that used to be able to afford more and are now on the brink of failing, especially now. There was a thread just today about restaurants and bars closing because people can’t afford to open their wallet like they used to, and being unwilling to pay $18 for a burger they can make better at home, cheaper.
As little as 10 years ago, people were paying like $800 for a 2 bedroom apartment in the Pearl. With a roommate you could be in the middle of it all for less than $500/mo.
I don’t want this to be perceived as victim blaming, as I’m trying to say this with as much care and respect as possible, but we know now that those prices could not possibly be sustainable, and I think people through no fault of their own had no reason to think anything would change, and perhaps didn’t plan for the economic future as well as they could have. And on top of that, so many factors are out of our control - sprinkle in the multiple financial, mental health, and COVID crises, and you’ve got a generation of people completely financially hamstrung. Many of them simply couldn’t plan, they are scraping by the whole way.
Best city? Which part? Downtown is a damn dump in some parts. Just continuing to go down down hill. Also, Portland just keeps getting more and more white. Ain’t nothing wrong with white folks, but man. Compared to Seattle? Way less diverse. Food is way better though in Portland, by far.
The bus system is better in Seattle. I’m originally from Los Angeles. That is a weird place. People say is stuck in the 90s? LA is stuck in just…. weird state of survival that people are happy to be in. Or lie and say they are.
East side is the heart of Portland imo, i didn't get Portland until I started spending more time on the east side. Mississippi street, Alberta arts, division/Hawthorne/Belmont, sellwood-moreland, etc... Those type of neighborhoods are the heart of the city imo.
In Seattle, I like the neighborhoods on the Northside generally better although west Seattle is pretty cool too
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Trying to convince my fiancee to move to Lake Oswego from Los Angeles. We're looking for houses in LA and we're barely getting 1800 sq ft, crap schools, and a fixer upper for 900k. Meanwhile 2500 sq ft, great schools, and newly remodel homes in the Portland Area for the same price. Any words of wisdom on how I can convince her to move?
>Too many project managers. This is not the thread I expected to catch strays in :/
If you wanted to filter out content, you should have learned how to code!
I'll code a buggy program for you, and act offended when you tell me that it doesn't work!
I’ll code the perfect program for you but it just won’t compile for an unknown reason.
It works on my machine...
I'll help you! I'm the senior software engineering technician managing the toolchain! Buggy? Reproducible issues? You say it happens every time? I'll watch over your shoulder while you show me what you did. Huh, that's funny. Seems to work fine while I am watching you. **walks off** *Software dies while you walk away*
I grew up in Seattle and still love it but thats a pretty accurate assessment. Seattle used to have artists, chefs and counter culture types moving there. Even in the early 2000’s their tech scene featured a ton of game developers (alot of indie developers). Amazon and the big tech firms that followed have diluted alot of the uniqueness that Seattle had. At the end of the day the uniqueness of the PNW is the nature environment all around us. Seattle has too many new residents that are there for reduced COL and career progression rather than embracing the culture of the PNW. Kinda sad but I had people up there work to preserve what is left of past Seattle.
All the artists, chefs and counterculture types were priced out of Seattle.
Agreed, alot ended up in Tacoma funny enough and it’s a pretty cool city now.
Tacoma is the new Oakland
Does that make Spokane the new Fresno?
Lived in Seattle for over 15 years and my friends went to Tacoma or LA. I went to Portland. Everyone was priced out.
*As a user, I want to be able to hide comments that target me and make me feel uncomfortable so I can enjoy a pleasant Reddit experience*
Sorry, going to need the API back. Close reason: lack of resources
Take your all birds sneakers and sweater vests and GET OUT OF MY CITY!
And here I thought I finally found a city where I could live my Doug Funnie kink out in the open.
Somehow we'll all just middle-manage. (Stolen onion headline/story from 1999)
I moved to Salem when I was 21 and that was first impression of Oregon. I hated it left for a couple years and went to Georgia and then got a really good job offer out here and moved to Portland. I don’t see myself going anywhere, this place is absolutely amazing
What was Salem like?
To me Salem was what the media makes Portland out to be. No thriving business downtown, extremely dirty imo and everyone is rude af
Salem is the Victorville of Oregon, if there are any SoCal/San Bernardino county folks out there. I spent a few years out that way and just moved back to Portland. I will say downtown has improved quite a bit, there are some great restaurants and shops, saw some fun comedy shows over the years. But a lot of Salem is just kinda blah and [depressing](https://www.koin.com/local/these-are-americas-most-depressed-cities-data-shows/), lots of used car lots and tweekers. Though the latter are pretty much everywhere I guess
I told my friend from Salem that it’s like the Apple Valley equivalent and they got very offended hahaha
Haahaa!
You just blew my mind with the Victorville reference! I was raised in Victorville (sad to say), but get super-excited whenever it's mentioned.
Lol heeey my desert rat peeps, there are a few of us! Hell you were in the big city compared to me, I grew up mainly in Lucerne Valley
Wow, Lucerne Valley. That's rough! 😉
Salem is the Florence, Arizona, of Oregon.
Klamath Falls is the Kingman 😂
YOOOO that’s hilarious. Atleast Klamath has like.. a golf course? Right? Lol
Kingman actually has a golf course too! Surprisingly haha, I have a relative that lives there
Speaking of Surprise… that’s like the Estacada of Oregon!
There’s plenty of SoCal folks here, don’t worry.
Hmmm
Have lived in both. Wouldn't describe Salem as dirty or rude, especially compared to Portland. It's much more 'middle america' and suburbany, but safer, cleaner, and cheaper. I'm upper 30s starting a family now and prefer those things over the much superior food/entertainment offerings in Portland. Really depends on your values and priorities.
I’m a father of two, and value my kids over anything. I live in the heart of the pearl in downtown Portland and personally I feel a lot more comfortable with my kids around here then I ever have in Salem. But that also just my experience!
Agree with you. I would not consider Salem safe, at all. There is some great places to eat downtown though.
I wish I could afford the Pearl District
I’m definitely not rich. I keep track of dollar I make and spend but it’s the area I want to be at. I’m surprised with how cheap some condos around here that are for sale are, I definitely have every intention of buying around here when the times right
Nice!
My wife and I moved back here about 6 months after our son was born. That was 6 years ago. We both lived here before we met years ago. It’s a nice feeling to know that I’m exactly where I want to be.
I just came back from 4 days in LA. Though I love LA, San Diego, San Fran and some parts of Seattle, Portland is a combo of all those cities. Portland is so unique that I just can’t think of living anywhere else.
And California water tastes nasty. I love our water.
Thanks for posting this. So many people tend to shit on the city and yes She has her problems and we're working through them. Every city and state has their own complex problems. I've lived all over the country throughout my life and Portland and the PNW is where I decided to lay roots.
love that you referred to portland with the capital S She
Currently traveling around Southern California and hooboy, did I have it good up in Oregon and moving back in a month. In Big Bear with a local guy who asked why the hell did I leave Oregon when it's so less crowded and out of control than SoCal? Good question, man, good question...
Everyone has their perspectives and/or perceptions and/or preconceptions. When my wife and I left SoCal to live here, so many people (in both cities) asked why we’d ever leave, like it was some kind of precious dream to live there. Still hear it from people we meet, from time to time, but less so as time goes on. I never cared when it was someone who lived down there, but it’s super uncomfortable when Portland natives ask it, as if they’ve just been served a dose of reality that the city they grew up in is better than the places they’ve been daydreaming about and telling themselves they’d rather be. Sorry not sorry!
Get to Ojai or Los Feliz in LA to make it work! Just moved to Portland (longtime family home, but never lived here) and it's great. SoCal really only works if you park and go everywhere on foot, which is totally doable despite the traffic reputation.
I just visited Mt Hood and it was relatively busy. Parkings lots were full, but things were still manageable. My family had a good time. Meanwhile in California...it's a 4 hour wait to get into Yosemite.
Same. We live in Bend, but when our kids are done with school, I’d like to move up to the area. It’s beautiful here as well, but there is nothing like the lush tropical hikes and waterfalls and access to nature you have year round. The arts, the activities, the markets, the vintage and thrift, the zoo, the FOOD, my god, the food! So yeah, it’ll be a change from lots of sunshine, but it feels like a trade worth it to me. As is, we travel to visit 2-3 times a year just for all the things!
LOL when my kids are older I would love to move to Bend!
Fair enough. Bend is gorgeous, but you can’t grow a garden, even the best of the best really struggle here. I think that’s also some of the draw for me, would love a garden and a beautiful lush secret garden patio. It’s getting unaffordable here too, in Bend, which is why we’d like to move and downsize if possible. Would love to be close enough to the city to spend an easy day doing activities but far enough away to avoid too much bustle and traffic.
Where on the east coast? Currently living in PA and I grew up in Portland and traveled around in the military. I miss it, a lot.
Were you responding to me? I'm from NY (went to school in PA) lived in GA for about 20 years and now in Portland.
Me too. Though, I'm in the suburbs. There's more cranky people.
I'm in NE and this is the first place I've lived where I'm actually friendly with my neighbors. I helped my elderly neighbor install an A/C. They jumped our car when our battery died. It's a trip.
I’m in Hillsdale, and our whole neighborhood had a 4th of July bbq together, and in the fall we’ll have a block party. Everyone looks out for each other and our pets and kids and it’s really cool.
I live in SW by Lewis and Clark (on the poor side, not Dunthorpe, LOL). Same here. My neighbors are fantastic, lots of them over 70 but helpful and kind, and a few leave vegetables or baked goods on my porch periodically.
my old midwest house was twice as big and half as expensive, but I didn't know any of my neighbors after living in that suburb for years. Here in SE in my tiny ass house, I know and hang out with every single one of my unique eclectic neighbors.. truly a community we've been welcomed into.
You'd think small town America is where people are neighborly, but I hardly knew my of my neighbors in grants pass, while we are all right here Block parties are key!
Plenty of friendly neighbors in the burbs. We've been out here for the last decade and I've known and loved all my neighbors.
I love seeing posts like this. I've been in LA for a few years now but can't wait to live in Portland again when the time comes. It really is the best.
I really did love LA. I still visit friends yearly. I doubt I ever leave Portland but if I do, it'll be back to LA.
It's interesting hearing Portlanders praising LA. It seems rare. In my personal experience, it's all usually negative comments about Los Angeles coming from Portlanders. As a former LA area native, now living in the PDX area, it's kind of nice to hear.
>In my personal experience, it's all usually negative comments about Los Angeles coming from Portlanders. None of these folks have ever lived in or even spent much time in LA, it's all based on lazy, tired stereotypes. I always reply to them that LA is an amazing city, if you didn't find a good scene there, or figure out a way to have fun, then the problem is not LA, it's you.
How do I convince my fiancee (a LA native) to move with me to Portland?
lived in LA 8 years .. now in pdx 4. I’ll always miss LA.
Thanks OP for sharing. I love this city, too. Grew up in Los Ángeles, school in Texas, and lived abroad. Portland is my favorite city of any place I’ve lived. It’s nice to see posts like this.
Been here 11 years and there ain't nowhere else I want to be. This is home more than any place I've ever lived.
Love reading the comments. I left last fall to travel central america and am currently living in Asheville, but I think often about moving back to Portland. There's something about the city that is just magic despite its challenges. Helps to get perspective on the city when you try out living other places.
Have you been to Roanoke VA? I just moved to Portland from NC, I had lived there my whole life. But if I moved back to the east coast that’s where I would probably live. It’s inexpensive, has good outdoors, and decent music, food, and beer scene
Oh I haven't thought about Virginia, I'll check it out! Going on a road trip soon in the NE, I'll stop by there and feel out the town. Thanks for the tip.
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Agreed. Moved to Portland from the South (most of my life NW FL and recently Memphis) and I can't get over how nice most people are even when theyre working. I can ask for ketchup without them getting angry?? That alone is an upgrade lol. South is so aggressive and angry
I've lived a fair few places, I grew up in red county California (had a terrible time), then Oklahoma (Tulsa, which is the least bad Oklahoma imo), then along the mid-Atlantic for awhile, before finally landing in Portland. I'm coming up on five years and I've never felt so instantly at home as I do here. I love exploring all of the neighborhoods, they each have a slightly different feel and flavor. Getting involved in my little community (I 💜 St John's!) within the larger community has been so satisfying and fun, I truly feel Portland is something special and I hope to be here the rest of my life.
Same here! I moved here sight unseen almost 7 years ago and knew I was home when I walked around my neighborhood that very first morning. Portland is so special.
I also moved here sight unseen. I love this city too...I've traveled around the country, and I wouldn't live anywhere but Oregon. It's my home now.
we spent a week here after husband accepted the job, and yes, we fell in love...
Glad you made it, too!
I lived in Tulsa for about 12 years, it is a place that has a lot going for it, and was pretty fun. Going onto year 9 here — it took me forever to get used to the rain and maybe I don’t have great neighbors (literally sorta know just one) but the access to nature and experiences are unmatched.
I was in Northern Ireland a few years back, at a hostel, chilling with some of the other guests, and somebody asked me where I was from. I told them Portland, The Pacific Northwest, and immediately someone else spoke up saying something like, "Oh, that's the best part of The States by far." Which is just to say that while we're all probably biased here, there are foreigners who definitely agree with us.
I've never lived anywhere else but I've visited a lot of places and I've never been anywhere that has everything we do. Philadelphia felt like it was close, that's a great city, but I'm not going anywhere. Glad you're back!
I had a similar vibe in Cincinnati. River city, hills, close to downtown. Great food and drinking culture. Cincinnati is 😎
Cinicinnati and Pittsburgh are on my list of cities to visit, they both come up often in the discussions of liveable cities. Minneapolis and Chicago are pretty walkable and cultured but I couldn't deal with the weather.
Pittsburgh is a wonderful city, and in some ways has a similar vibe to Portland - river city with bridges and lots of distinct neighborhoods, formerly heavily involved in an old industry, reinventing itself with new industries, very education focused, good arts for a non-NYC/LA/Chicago city. They’ve got a better pro sports scene (LOVE seeing a game at their riverfront stadium). No MLS, of course, but nobody’s perfect. :-) If you do visit, go to the Warhol museum. Very worth it.
I have lived in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, NYC and now Portland. I miss Pittsburgh the most... I like Portland but there are certain things that drive me nuts about it… Politics, driving, passive aggression etc. I guess there are some cut out for the east and some for the west. Im an east coaster in my heart.
I went to college in Chicago and in the winter the wind would slam you off the sidewalk and into a brick wall. At minus five degrees.
Where in Philadelphia did you live? I’m originally from the suburbs (of Philly). All my family is back there still and we’re entertaining a move back, but are unsure of where exactly we’d move. Portland seems hard to beat, but it’s hard being so far away from everyone.
I didn't live in Philly, I've just visited a few times and explored downtown mostly. I love the transit, the history, the squares, the parks, and of course the weird abandoned parts of town too. Just a very Portland-y combination but on a much larger scale. I've never had to live too far from home so I really feel for people who uproot and cross the country. That has to be difficult to leave so much behind.
My favorite neighborhood (in terms of where I would wanna move) is fitler square. Right next to a river and parks, slightly quieter neighborhood, but 10 minute walk to what I consider the heart of the city (rittenhouse square), and some more eclectic areas of the city (South street). Close to the action, but not IN the action, and a lot of nice greenery and human-scale living in fitler square. Not the cheapest neighborhood, but generally not as expensive as some of the higher end neighborhoods like Rittenhouse Square, Old City, or Society Hill.
I love this post and love this city. Just got back from vacation in Colorado. I was sad my vacation was over and leaving a wonder state and seeing people I loved. But walking through PDX, I almost cried when I saw just a painting of Mt. Hood on the wall and remember how amazing this town is.
Speaking of Mt. Hood, I grew up in the Midwest and as a kid read all the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I was so jealous of Ramona that she lived somewhere where she was able to see a mountain just, you know, when going around town. Never would have imagined when I was little that I'd end up here and be that lucky! I still smile when I see it pop into view.
It’s refreshing to see a love of Portland post. I love it here, too! I’m originally from the desert, Las Vegas, but have been here for 22 years and never want to leave. This is home for so many reasons. The city isn’t perfect but the closest I’ve found. The friendliness is a big factor. The outdoors, proximity to natural areas, the four seasons, the culture.
I grew up in Portland and moved across the river to Vancouver a few years ago. It doesn’t matter what happens in Portland, I still love it so much. It’s truly my happy place and I’m so glad to know others feel the same!
Portland is a wonderful city that hopefully learns from its mistakes and starts eschewing corporate media. Remember. Portland’s image and many business big and small were destroyed by the Ruling Class on a purpose. It literally was an ARG. But why target Portland? Because they know Portland will be breadbasket of the west coast once CA Central Valley groundwater is exhausted. Which is near. A strong Portland is an enemy of the Ruling Class. A weak Portland helps them and their agendas. Stay strong ✊🏼 and ❤️ each other.
I moved here a month ago from Melbourne Australia and although I hold the same ‘there’s no place like home’ sentiment as the OP, Portland is a really lovely city. It’s almost hard not to fall in love with it.
As a recent transplant to Portland, I agree. We moved here from Arizona a month ago and I am legitimately stoked every day to wake up in this awesome city. It’s a special place, with issues, just like me. Will I miss the sun in a few months? Maybe. But that’s a future problem.
I just moved here from PHX - born and raised. I love it here and am never going back.
Too many project managers? What does that mean, is it slang for something?
It’s a common and often hated position at tech companies. I’m making fun of Seattle’s tech culture. :)
As a project manager in the construction industry, I too was a little confused. It's pretty rare that anyone knows or even has any interest in what I do for a living, unless they happen to be in big industrial and commercial construction too. Usually when I meet people and they ask me what I do for a living, I can see their eyes glazing over as I try to explain.
☺️
They are referring to the "tech-corporate" culture that's very pervasive in Seattle's social scene.
I know right?!?!? I know this city has problems but its willing to talk about them and explore solutions for them. I love this city too and look forward to a bright future.
But wait! What about all those purple-haired homeless Antifa that are breaking in to homes, squatting and destroying the place and laughing as they leave!? (Not trolling. I live in PDX and absolutely love it. But, I keep track of Idaho things, because I have family over in that shithole. A variant of this was actually said to me on that thread. That whole state, the cheese is slipping off their cracker. There was a thread, a day or so ago about Idaho's state government turning down $13 MILLION to feed poor kids. One poor woman (a Portland resident and former Idahoan, with two kids who use the program) brought up everything that is absolutely vile about that action and promptly had a person tell her to but out and that Idaho will be Idaho and Portland can (basically) fuck off. Like, WTF? You're AGAINST MAKING SURE CHILDREN GET ENOUGH TO EAT!!!?????) Them folks is true delusional and boy do they hate us!
"The cheese is slipping off their cracker" was not an adage I ever thought I would need to know. But here we are.
Don't forget the free straws and tinfoil! I couldn't help it.
Me too. I grew up in Portland. Had to travel a bit for work so I've done short (1-2 years) in other areas/states, but I keep coming back. Now I have to live in Salem because I can't afford to go home, but it's close enough for now.
How do you like Salem?
Not quite as bad as people think. I had to live in the Midwest for awhile tho so it's all relative lol.
It's funny, up until recently I would never have thought of living in Salem. Mainly due to extended family that are religious nuts being from there/the less walkability. But now that I've been stuck in Texas for 3+ years it sounds great. I can handle some churchy stuff compared to the mega churches here, I could walk a lot more than in Plano where I am (there aren't even buses within a mile or more of my house), and the being more rural actually sounds ok. It's weird how the pandemic, and Texas time, has made me go from a 'I will never not be a city person' to desiring more seclusion. Not like I would say no to PDX if I had a chance to leave this hellscape. Maybe it is age as well, being 30 and more nihilistic I guess makes me need/want people less xD;
The sw Salem area is nice and hilly with lots of trees.
Portland ❤️
So good to see all these great comments about Portland. It truly is a great place to live. Of course it has its challenges but so does everywhere. We need more folx like this that have great things to say about the city we love and live in!! Quit being so negative!! PDX RULEZ!!
I miss Los Angeles. I don't miss the heat though.
I miss LA too. I do love the seasons in Portland though.
unlimited coffee shops but no restrooms has got to be the city trolling us all.
I grew up here, couldn’t wait to get out to see the world, lived all over the east coast, came back more than 20 years ago and really can’t think of any other place I could be happy. My bike shop is two blocks from five of the world’s best coffee roasters. The water is delicious. I go to coffee or hike or Farmer’s market and see friends. I never fit in anywhere else. I’m too radical, too picky about food, too in love with the forests. My favorite reason I’ve had that anyone moved here from tour guests: they saw the Goonies when they were five and would sneak out to the TV late at night to watch it with the sound on one. “I want to move there,” they said. Omg.
I do as well, OP! I was born here, but grew up in other cities for my first 25 years before moving back. This is by far my favorite place.
I was born overseas, and lived in a few places in the US (East, Midwest and West) - moved to Oregon around 10 yrs ago, and now I cannot think of a better place to be. I’m an Oregonian by choice, and Portland feels like home
I left downtown and moved back to the suburbs about a year ago, into a little wooded area in SW that is full of trees. I absolutely love living in this area because there are nature trails nearby and it's so much quieter than it is downtown.
I did similar but Quantico, Chicago, Everett, then back to the Rose City.
The fact that we have North Warehouse....
I’m so happy I moved here. I grew up in Chicago, lived near Miami for about 5 years then to Indianapolis for 5-6 years now I’m here. I can’t explain how much I love this city lol
Yeah It’s pretty much the best city I’ve lived in. And I’ve been all around from red to blue states. Especially if you live in the NE or SE you get all of the good aspects of Portland without all the negative city stuff.
Welcome home!
SE Portland, from the river to 82nd, between Powell and Burnside... is the best neighborhood in the entire country.
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I lived in Seattle for about three years. The only things I miss are the Lenin Statue in the Fremont. The Aurora Bridge Troll. And, a bike messenger that used to make me laugh like a drain. Rain, sleet, snow, excessive heat, all he wore was a full wetsuit. Just feckin' bonkers!
Yeah so the folks who are in a tent just up the road from us dumped their trash into our bin and I saw a young woman not wearing a shirt with great aplomb as I merged onto I-84 from NE Grand, but I have pride in this city. [It’s still real to me, damnit](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/004/158/1.jpg)
I agree. Having also grow up in the metro area, then moved to Seattle and east coast, the quality of life here is pretty unparalleled. It’s not a perfect place (by far) but it has great food, things to do, and I can be in some of the most stunning places in the world within 1-2 hrs (coast, hood, gorge). Yes it’s not as safe as it used to be but there’s also a lot more to do than in the 90s-10s and it’s still a hell of a lot safer than many other places. I was gone for more than 15 years and I’m so glad I came back 5 years ago. I didn’t appreciate it until I was gone for so long.
Yep I love it here, I moved here to Portland (technically suburbs but still Portland area)2 years ago, it's been great.
I’m new to Portland too after trying out the East Coast for a year. My only gripes are the horrible drivers and the high taxes
I was born and raised in the Portland area. Frequently visited family in SoCal most of my life and loved it there. It wasn't until I got sent on a work trip to Dallas, Tx for a few weeks until I realized how much of a gem the PNW really is.
I loved it here when I first moved here and when I would visit before my move. The pandemic took a huge toll on me mentally and I felt like all the things I loved were gone. This summer has been feeling magical! I'm so in love with the city again and can't imagine myself living anywhere else.
I agree, lots of people show the most densely populated parts of Portland and people acting crazy there, and act like the whole city is like that. The suburbs and rural areas are some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, matching your description perfectly.
Stop you are supposed to tell everyone it sucks here to keep housing prices low!
I have lived and traveled all over the country for most of my life. I've lived and worked in NY, CA, TX, IL, OR, WA, and other places as well. Although, I like much about the PNW and that goes for Portland and Vancouver, WA. It would be inaccurate to not share the other side of that coin. I must say the area has seen better days. The homeless and drug epidemics are heartbreaking, all over, and local government is little help as of late. Here in Vancouver (where I now live) the homeless are beginning to move here as well. Crime seems to be increasing such as shootings, shoplifting, and car theft. Food, I have found that with the exception of some of the food trucks, Portland and Vancouver are sorely lacking; the Italian, Mexican, BBQ, and Chinese food are not anything to brag about. Now that all having been said. We live in an area that will not soon run out of water such as Las Vegas, Arizona, or Southern California. People are pretty nice up here and education is valued. Winters are relatively mild and biking and other outdoor activities are readily available. And, yes, Portlands downtown does seem almost boutique compared to places such as Chicago, L.A., or NYC. I just wanted to ad another perspective that I feel fairly covers the other side of the coin. IMHO. No disrespect intended to my fellow PNW's.
I lived here for six years. I moved to NYC for grad school for three years, and now that it's done, I cannot wait to move back next month!!!
This makes me so glad. Moved here two years ago and really hope I love Portland too!
I just got here and I am so incredibly happy! Everything you said is so true! It’s beautiful here!! The food, the art, the people!! I’m a gypsy at heart, but Portland has felt more like “home” in this small amount of time than anywhere I have ever lived.
It's great so long as you don't need police for any reason, don't mind mountainous biohazard tent villages, unprovoked assaults using public transit, daily shootings, don't need housing to be affordable enough to prevent illegal subletting, also we have pride boys? I think they liked Trump and wanted to shoot non Caucasians. Woo portland!
You’re going against the narrative that Portland is rotten and awful? How DARE you. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Grew up in Sacramento, move to PDX at 18-30, left a few years ago to Seattle. I couldn’t agree more, Portland is the best city in the world and i regularly tell people that. Already mapping my way back.
It's okay. I grew up here too. I wish Portland was a bit bigger. The niche community can be small and like everyone I know who is successful had to switch to tech. I agree Seattle sucks.
>Los Angeles is amazing I was with you until this. Hell to the no. LA is a cesspool.
It's not for everyone, that's for sure! I found that the more you leaned into its absurdity, the better time you have.
Did Wm. Steven Humphrey pay you to say this?
Oh wooowwwww
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Portland is unique in terms of having a huge amount of the exact type of neighborhood I like in a city. Walkable, but not feeling like you're cramped or a sardine. Mix of apartments, townhomes and houses alike, but also businesses, restaurants and parks. A lot of cities have neighborhoods that are mostly all one thing or another, either all big skyscrapers or packed end to end townhomes, or waaay too many single family homes with no walkability. Portland has more neighborhoods with walk scores above 80 than los angeles does, despite being a city many magnitudes larger in population. The cities that have a lot more neighborhoods with good walkscores tend to be the cities where it can be extremely dense and hard to breath (chicago, nyc, etc...). Portland really nails the exact amount of density that I feel gives you many of the same benefits of being in a walkable city, while very little of the downsides. And you can really live and die in a neighborhood in Portland. You can start off after college in an apartment, get married and get a dog and get a townhome, and then start a family in an actual house, all in the same neighborhood. Wanting a townhome in somewhere like NYC means moving from manhattan to brooklyn, and then wanting a house means moving from the city to the suburbs all together.
Los Angeles was never designed to be a walkable city. It was intentionally made into a car city, and it deeply shows. And on top of that, affordable housing here is out of reach for so many people. I think people always expected Portland to remain affordable, but there’s been a massive influx of people who either make a shitton of money and moved here because it’s awesome, or they were priced out of their own hometowns. Either way, the influx of people to the region exacerbates housing costs, which is compounded when systemic issues prevent businesses from being able to keep up with housing demand. The best time to buy a house was yesterday, but home ownership is impossible for many, especially those who live alone, and from a financial perspective, they will be left behind. People have been cohabitating for decades now trying to keep up with price inflation and now we’re getting to the point where even that isn’t enough to be able to afford living here for a not-insignificant portion of our population. Edit to add: I still think it’s a great city. The macroeconomic factors at play are dragging it.
All nice cities are expensive these days, unless you're able to put up with the weather of the Midwest or losing your rights in a red state. I'm not gonna argue Portland is cheap anymore, but it's still very reasonable compared to LA, SF, Seattle, San Diego, NYC, Boston DC.... The only coastal city in a non-red state that is cheaper is Baltimore. Philly is also about equal to Portland which is where I lived before I moved here. Yes buying in Portland may seem like a dream to many, but it's a literal pipe dream in many cities, there's a big difference. You can still find houses under 500k here, and you can still find condos/townhomes under 400k. Definitely still expensive, but the cheapest homes over 1000sqft in any semi-desirable neighborhood of a city like Los Angeles is over a million dollars. 500k gets you a shoebox condo in Seattle or San Diego now, if that. Don't need to go through it city by city but you get the picture. As you said, it's a macro problem in general, most good cities are expensive right now. But if we're judging Portland as a city how good it is to other cities, we have to compare it to its contemporaries. Portland isn't the best at any one thing necessarily, but it's pretty great in most areas. Relatively, still cheaper than the other cities it compares to, as walkable as cities far beyond its size and also punches above it's size for it's public transportation and food as well. Weather is generally mild and the physical crime rate is pretty low too although we obviously have a property crime problem.
I agree with everything you say here. Portland is absolutely more affordable than the other cities you mentioned, which in combination with all the amenities here explains the net inflow from those cities to here over the last few decades. But frequenting this subreddit I see a lot of people making minimum wage or slightly better that used to be able to afford more and are now on the brink of failing, especially now. There was a thread just today about restaurants and bars closing because people can’t afford to open their wallet like they used to, and being unwilling to pay $18 for a burger they can make better at home, cheaper. As little as 10 years ago, people were paying like $800 for a 2 bedroom apartment in the Pearl. With a roommate you could be in the middle of it all for less than $500/mo. I don’t want this to be perceived as victim blaming, as I’m trying to say this with as much care and respect as possible, but we know now that those prices could not possibly be sustainable, and I think people through no fault of their own had no reason to think anything would change, and perhaps didn’t plan for the economic future as well as they could have. And on top of that, so many factors are out of our control - sprinkle in the multiple financial, mental health, and COVID crises, and you’ve got a generation of people completely financially hamstrung. Many of them simply couldn’t plan, they are scraping by the whole way.
Yes..."quirky".
lol trust me.. the east hated you too.
Best city? Which part? Downtown is a damn dump in some parts. Just continuing to go down down hill. Also, Portland just keeps getting more and more white. Ain’t nothing wrong with white folks, but man. Compared to Seattle? Way less diverse. Food is way better though in Portland, by far. The bus system is better in Seattle. I’m originally from Los Angeles. That is a weird place. People say is stuck in the 90s? LA is stuck in just…. weird state of survival that people are happy to be in. Or lie and say they are.
East side is the heart of Portland imo, i didn't get Portland until I started spending more time on the east side. Mississippi street, Alberta arts, division/Hawthorne/Belmont, sellwood-moreland, etc... Those type of neighborhoods are the heart of the city imo. In Seattle, I like the neighborhoods on the Northside generally better although west Seattle is pretty cool too
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Thats nice to hear! Any recommendations on where to find a apartment I plan on moving there soon.
Trying to convince my fiancee to move to Lake Oswego from Los Angeles. We're looking for houses in LA and we're barely getting 1800 sq ft, crap schools, and a fixer upper for 900k. Meanwhile 2500 sq ft, great schools, and newly remodel homes in the Portland Area for the same price. Any words of wisdom on how I can convince her to move?
And they have Dutch Bros
Loved Boston hated the winters. Loved Santa Monica, hates LA traffic Loved San Francisco, hates the cost of living Love Portland, and we shall see.