dr lopez Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 like everything -where to live (and how much) -are cars good -is it worth it in general? -cool shows and stuff? fill me in - have second round interviews in places so beginning to think about moving. thnx, d-lo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xox Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 tax free shopping! i'm on the other side of the world so that all i know ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audioblysk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 It's like being perpetually stuck in the 90's with a hippy twist. Rent is decently priced, job market isn't bad, lots of shows and little art galleries. car is worth it, but it depends when you live. The only woman I've ever loved lives there :( still makes me sigh after 4 years. I like Seattle more, but the rent out here is skyrocketing and unless you work in the tech industry, or legal cannabis (like me) you're fucked Another plus side of Portland, you'll live close to a good dozen wattmers between there and Seattle!! Including this big cat :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Atom Dowry Firth Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I spent a couple of weeks there a few years ago, it's a cool place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 it's not manchester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuatxuk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 it's Austin, TX: without tex-mex...plus far more rain (probably)* [*I'm basing this off Portlandia and insipid online travel articles] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baph Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 It's like Portland, Maine, only different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Atom Dowry Firth Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 It's like Portland, Maine, only different. This. It has good cars as well. Also some bad ones probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plastic Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I live in Portland. I have been here almost 2 years now. It's like being perpetually stuck in the 90's with a hippy twist. Rent is decently priced, job market isn't bad, lots of shows and little art galleries. car is worth it, but it depends when you live. The only woman I've ever loved lives there :( still makes me sigh after 4 years.I like Seattle more, but the rent out here is skyrocketing and unless you work in the tech industry, or legal cannabis (like me) you're fuckedAnother plus side of Portland, you'll live close to a good dozen wattmers between there and Seattle!! Including this big cat :) I have some conflicting information in regards to this. Rent is not decently priced-- Portland has something like the second least amount of rental vacancies of any city in the US. This results in things like open houses for rentals (wtf?) and bidding wars at said open houses for FREAKING RENTALS. If that's not your thing, then you have to not live very close in, which kind of defeats the good things about Portland. That is to say, be able to walk/bike to anything you need or want to go to and not live in a suburb-ish type area that's similar to any other American suburb. Which would also mean you would probably want a car. If you have a decently paying job, are single, and/or don't have children, then you'd probably be able to get a great spot close-in in a small apartment/condo/multi-unit type thing happy (and without a car). As for the "perpetually stuck in the 90's" thing perpetuated by the somewhat popular program Portlandia, I'm not even sure what that means. And I don't feel that it fits, even though I don't know what it means. There are a lot of ill-attended live electronics shows (of which I am occasionally a part of), and a huge mess of house/techno/dub DJs all the time. There are some little experimental music things going on a somewhat regular basis, also ill-attended. I don't feel like there is any big demand for IDM here, even though the crew I'm usually around all venerate Autechre and Aphex Twin. There are now two (two! when almost every other city in the US has zero) really great synth shops in town (the new Muff Wiggler storefront and Control Voltage, my favorite store in town) that have eurorack modules on sale/demo as well as other various synths of the gear-lust-worthy variety. All this being said, I believe that the non-EDM/techno/house/dub electronic scene is slowly picking up steam, in part due to the communities surrounding these shops, and in part because of people like me and a lot that I know that are trying to bring Portland onto the map. And yes, there are tons of little art galleries. Food is fucking expensive compared to anywhere else I've ever lived (Houston, TX; Austin, TX; Gainesville, FL; Philadelphia, PA), but high quality food (local, organic, yadda yadda) is not much more expensive than mass manufactured crap, so that's a plus. Utilities are cheap as hell, except for water and garbage which kind of boggles my mind. Weather is damn near paradise compared to other places I've lived, and it's not near as rainy as Seattle. If you like outdoorsy things like I do, it's fantastic. As for places to live, you want to live close to downtown because otherwise its just a city and you run the risk of living near the rest of Oregon, which in my experience is a big no thank you, except for Eugene (couple hours South) and maybe a couple more. I currently am renting a house for way too much money in the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (Woodlawn, to be exact) near Alberta Park. It's a pretty nice area, but is currently undergoing massive gentrification with people tearing down houses and putting up $500k McMansions almost every day. North Portland is supposedly the next up and coming area due to the fact that it's the last place close to downtown to be gentrified, but it's got some good things about it. East and Southeast Portland is where most of the shows happen, but it's also already pretty expensive area to live. I can't afford it with my family to look after, but I would want to live in that area. Don't live in Beaverton. Anyway, I could be wrong about some stuff, as I've only been here two years, but that's the way I see it right now. Definitely my favorite place that I've lived or spent any amount of time in so far. Edit: Oh, also, it's pretty easy to get along with people here, for me anyway. The one big problem is that there are so many white people here (I think some publication somewhere said the whitest in the nation) that they have no idea what to do when they see a non-white person. It usually comes out sounding pretty ignorantly racist, but there are plenty that are not that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braintree Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Drinks are cheap. Sometimes it snows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YELLOW Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Portland Mainer here for ya. AMA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baph Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Portland Mainer here for ya. AMA What are your thoughts on Novare Res Bier Cafe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audioblysk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 @ Danke- it's cheaper than Seattle, I know that for a fact, maybe not by much, but the average 1bd studio where I live has hit 1300$. Portlandia stereotypes are as real a shitty seattle stereotypes, not saying it's a bad thing about the 90's. It's just the fashion, trends of the tragically hip, po-mo vibe and eclectic eccentricity are nostalgic of a good time period to me, which happens to be the 90's to early 2000's. I wasn't really thinking about that show when making that comment. I do agree that the PNW electronic scene is either tiny shows of independent artists or mega-raves with top 40 beatport people and 10000 screaming teenagers blasted as hell because they were finally able to leave their parents house and get knackered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YELLOW Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Portland Mainer here for ya. AMA What are your thoughts on Novare Res Bier Cafe? I'm not much of a beer drinker but it's a pretty good spot, knowledgable staff, great selection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plastic Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Yeah, I wouldn't doubt that rent is maybe slightly cheaper than Seattle. Still doesn't mean it's decent though. ;) As for the 90's thing, I suppose you're right, though it seems that it's confined to certain pockets of the population. Actually went to a pretty good underground show on Saturday that was well attended. That was fun. Like I said, seems like people are working very hard at making it happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuatxuk Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I have some conflicting information in regards to this. Rent is not decently priced-- Portland has something like the second least amount of rental vacancies of any city in the US. This results in things like open houses for rentals (wtf?) and bidding wars at said open houses for FREAKING RENTALS. If that's not your thing, then you have to not live very close in, which kind of defeats the good things about Portland. It's the same in Austin, in fact it's quite absurd and disheartening how expensive and unreasonable rent has become, even in neighborhoods that aren't even that central and/or high on amenities.I have a friend who literally bid on 3 different houses he and his wife could afford before finding a place out in an older suburb. They were outbid each time by investors or retired couples...WHO ALL PAID CASH!!! It's fucking unreal how big the gap between people here...but I digress... If I was really cynical I would simply declare that the city is catering to yupsters and trust fund students in every regard when it comes to housing and development (condos, high-end shopping centers, tech job growth for out of state workers, etc). Taxes are going up like crazy...and ironically a lot of tax money goes to more corporate and developer incentives. But that said but I've found luck. It's just tedious and discouraging. My wife and I both have jobs and we literally had to close on a rental lease agreement (including scrambling to put together a deposit) within 48 hours before it went to someone else. And some low-end or historically minority neighborhoods that people wouldn't dare visit 5-10 years ago are now becoming so expensive that even the first wave of gentrification residents are getting pushed out, along with original home-owners. That god I'm somewhat optimistic otherwise, heh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braintree Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Could be worse. You could be trying to move to San Francisco: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/sfc/hhh?sale_date=-&bedrooms=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremymacgregor87 Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I had a good donut there once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS20 Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I've never lived in Portland but I have been there several times for 5-6 days at a time on business trips. Downtown has everything you need in walking distance, or if you don't want to walk then public transport will take you anywhere else you might want to go, almost for free. A $3 ticket will get you from the airport to downtown or further, and long-term passes are available on the cheap.There is a great selection of one-off eateries and eclectic shoppes. Then of course there's Voodoo Doughnut, with a line around the block almost any time you go. Best damn donuts on this planet! FOOD CARTS are legendary, I've had some of the best home-made food of my life from bratwurst to saag.Downtown has a fairly large homeless population, but everyone seems to coexist OK. If you don't mind the passive-aggressive panhandlers, watching someone argue with imaginary police officers, or the young gay guy propositioning you for oral favors in exchange for food, you'll do just fine.I live in Colorado (the best state, BTW) so I don't have much good to say about the weather in the Pacific Northwest other than it's mild winters Final thought: I travel for work about half the year, and I've been to nearly every major populous area in the USA multiple times across various seasons. Taking into account the people/culture, traffic, weather, terrain, and the freedom to live your life as you see fit, there is nowhere I'd rather live than Colorado... but if I were FORCED to leave, Oregon would without a doubt be my second choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drahken Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Portland - Where the young go to retire. That's the running joke in my neck of the woods, anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest A/D Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Hey Danke - what's your opinion on Oregon City? Do you think it would be tolerable if you were a shut-in and didn't have to think much about your neighbors? edit: and had a car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plastic Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I have some conflicting information in regards to this. Rent is not decently priced-- Portland has something like the second least amount of rental vacancies of any city in the US. This results in things like open houses for rentals (wtf?) and bidding wars at said open houses for FREAKING RENTALS. If that's not your thing, then you have to not live very close in, which kind of defeats the good things about Portland. It's the same in Austin, in fact it's quite absurd and disheartening how expensive and unreasonable rent has become, even in neighborhoods that aren't even that central and/or high on amenities.I have a friend who literally bid on 3 different houses he and his wife could afford before finding a place out in an older suburb. They were outbid each time by investors or retired couples...WHO ALL PAID CASH!!! It's fucking unreal how big the gap between people here...but I digress... If I was really cynical I would simply declare that the city is catering to yupsters and trust fund students in every regard when it comes to housing and development (condos, high-end shopping centers, tech job growth for out of state workers, etc). Taxes are going up like crazy...and ironically a lot of tax money goes to more corporate and developer incentives. But that said but I've found luck. It's just tedious and discouraging. My wife and I both have jobs and we literally had to close on a rental lease agreement (including scrambling to put together a deposit) within 48 hours before it went to someone else. And some low-end or historically minority neighborhoods that people wouldn't dare visit 5-10 years ago are now becoming so expensive that even the first wave of gentrification residents are getting pushed out, along with original home-owners. That god I'm somewhat optimistic otherwise, heh I lived there from 2000-2005. I had a good time while I was there, but most changes I've heard about and things I observe lead me to think that I won't ever move back there, barring extreme circumstances (we both still have family in TX). Hey Danke - what's your opinion on Oregon City? Do you think it would be tolerable if you were a shut-in and didn't have to think much about your neighbors? edit: and had a car Honestly I can't really say. I haven't spent any time at all there, really. My wife has a coworker that commutes to Portland from there. From what I hear, it's less liberal than Portland, and that voted against legalization of cannabis. Both points against it, imo. That being said, if you're a hermit and have a car, I'm sure you'd be fine. Though, why you'd move there and not Portland... well, I'm sure there's some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest A/D Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Thanks man. My wife and I want to buy a house, and Portland is not in the budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr lopez Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Thanks for all the info guys. Keep it coming if ya want. I'm soaking it all in and thinkin about the move! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudbreaker Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I've moved to Portland twice for 7 months each time. It's a great city with a lot to offer and I do occasionally miss things and love my visits. That said, it's allllll white people. So if you're from a relatively diverse place, this may get on your nerves after a while. And they all hate rap. And love folksy bullshit. BUT Portland is great in a lot of ways. I may still die there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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