It would help to know where you are coming from to get a sense of the difference it will be for you.The weather concerns were totally overrated for me. The weather doesn t bother me at all, and I appreciate the change of seasons--since I lived in Southern California prior.The coast is quite a drive from Portland--about 80 miles to the nearest beach. And it s unlike a warm-weather beach envirornment. Cold water and usually cloudy. Nice scenery of course, but between you and me, Northern Californian coastline is more scenic.Downtown Portland is great compared to most cities. It is very active and lively with a decent mix of things to do and styles.The city as a whole isn t so mixed, and it also suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. It s a large city, but don t try telling the locals that. It still has a small town mentality. That might seem charming, but it s not. There can be a lot of closemindedness. You ll hear reports that Portland is so progressive and accepting and diverse, but if you come from a large city, you won t see it. Underneath the facade, it s fairly provincial. They tend not to llike outsiders here, and the entire state seems to suffer from an attitude that they live in the best place in the country. They don t understand why anyone would want to live anywhere else, but at the same time, resent those who move in because they ruin it. Portland, and Oregon as a whole, spends a lot of time patting itself on the back, when they could be spending more time figuring out why heaven on earth has a lousy economy, extreme unemployment, and can t attract profitable businesses.
wow! im so glad somebody said this!! I ve been here for close to nine years and its this very reason i m excited to soon be getting the heeezzz out!!! (otherwise it is beautiful here in the summer!!)) Report Abuse
It s a pretty nice city, one of the best Stateside. If you re looking for something different than more typical obvious American things in cities, perhaps more Canadian then this would be perfect.The city doesn t have a lot of the age old issues like out east, but still has a fair bit of interesting old neighborhoods. The architecture is profound and it is soo easy to live there without a car which is good if you want to persue something like that or you don t have a car. The people there are very friendly and overall liberal (some even leaning further left; socialist) and partially wacky. The city is very artsy and cultural with centers and festivals...for eg the First Thursday Art Walk, and the Portland Art Museum.The city is considered a big youth magnet because of the liberalness and stuff that seems to cater to 20 and 30 somethin year olds...arts, transit, urban neighborhoods (aka not suburbs), natural amenities, education.The weather is pretty fair, the summers are normal...some clouds, mostly sunny, a few overcast days. Winters are overcast and drizzly at times...but it s not too cold usually and you can still do stuff (aside going to the beach, you know) outdoors like window shopping. Snow is not very common only happens a couple times, is light, and melts usually soon (so you can enjoy it, without dealing with it for months).The coast is an hour away and the mountains aren t too far. Loads of natural amenities like the coast itself, Mt Hood, Forest Park, the coastal towns, and Multnomah Falls.The downtown is really walkable and easy to access with nice shops, bars, and good architecture. It s near the Pearl District and the Northwest.Portland also has a lot of neat urban parks...less naturey but still extremely well done. Fountains, plants, landscaping, public art, ties to history, interesting shapes, etc. done in a modern way. For example, Jamieson Square, Ira Keller Park, Tanner Springs Park, Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
I ve lived in Portland for several years now and think that it is a great city. It s a fairly relaxed city, people like to enjoy the outdoors, hike, snowboard, take day trips, camp etc. Lot of coffee, restaurants featuring local foods, local breweries and wineries - a great place to live if you re a foodie.Downtown (SW Portland) is the traditional business hub of the city. I would recommend living in NW Portland if you are into condo life, or close in on NE and SE Portland - which has more homes and older neighborhoods. Portland has a good public transportation system which makes getting into downtown for work nice without having to deal with expensive parking.The coast can be beautiful - but there is a reason we call it the coast and not the beach - typically cooler temperatures, rain and wind, cold water, etc. But there are a lot of cute coastal towns which make the coast a great weekend retreat to relax. There seems to always be things going on in Portland, particularly in the summer months when the weather is nice - some of our most popular event include:Portland Rose Festival - early June, citywide events include parades, races, a carnival in waterfront park, etc.Oregon Brewers Festival - one of the largest independent brewery festivals in the country I believe.Time Based Art Festival - unique and cutting edge art exhibits that last for a week or two.Hopefully this is a good start for you, I ve included some links below that might help you as wellGood luck welcome!
Everyone s experience in a city is differentI lived there once for 4 months and I did not like it.It mightve been the timing. Late summer- fallBut it seemed cloudy a lot and quite dreary a lot.I went back to So Cal, where I started from.I didnt think much of the downtown either. Lots of winosThis was a long time ago tho. LIke mid 70 sPeople did seem pretty ok tho.Maybe you ll find someone with a more positive visit.