Could someone tell me what Oregon is like?

[coloradodem2005]

Particularly the Portland area. While I live in Colorado, I sometimes wonder what other areas that I have not seen in the United States and particularly since the Oregon/Washington area is an area that I think about moving to from time to time. It seems like an interesting area in that there are tall mountains but also beaches there. Though does it rain too much for a lot of outdoor activities?

[Arugula Latte]

1. I really like it.

I've lived here 10 years (also Ohio, Calif., DC, even Colorado for a summer). One reason we moved here was for the combination of mountains, forests, beaches (also high desert East of the Cascade range).

I really like the people here in Portland. I feel so comfortable. Portland is a nice-sized city, very livable. It used to be a bargain in terms of housing, but of course those days are gone. However, I think that is the case in almost every desirable area. People in Portland proper tend to be liberal, literate, and very concerned with quality of life.

There is an urban growth boundary around the city so you can get out into the country fairly quickly.

Yes it rains a lot, and that takes some getting used to. There are plenty of days where it is in the 50s (typical winter temps.) and just sort of overcast and "spitting," -- so if you're the hardy type, you can just get in your raingear and brave it. If you have to have clear skies to go outdoors, then summer/late fall is great, but the rest of the year could be a challenge to you.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss anything further. :hi: Good luck.

[SteppingRazor]

2. As I recall

It's extremely green. Lots and lots of trees, even by Colorado standards. Portland's a fairly laid back place, to an extent... I recall sitting on the floor of the Portland train station when I was traveling from Denver to Portland to Montana by train. I was wearing a leather jacket, a black felt fedora and dark sunglasses and playing guitar, and this cop walked up and growled, "Hey, kid, you can't do that here. This ain't San Francisco!"
Always remembered that line. Thought it was hilarious. But I digress. The cop was actually reasonably friendly, and Portland itself is a fun little town.
Certain areas of Oregon are leftwing bastions -- the area around Eugene, for example, where a lot of hippies went to after their Oregon and northern CA communes dried up. The area got a reputation as being a letwing area, so that now it's not just home to old hippies, but also a lot of the WTO-protesting anarchist types.
There are beaches, but it gets a little cold to go to the beach a lot of the year. And it doesn't rain so much that outdoor activities are out of the question -- besides, you have the rain to thank for the heaps of beautiful greenery. Parts of Oregon look like a freaking rain forest.

[tmooses]

3. I moved here to Oregon from CA about 2 years ago and wondered

the same thing. I live in Corvallis which is about 80 miles south of Portland but with similar weather. I found that even though there are several days with rain here (that's why 3 million population here and 30 million in CA!), much of the time the rain is on and off with sun breaks or just kind of misting. I do a lot of biking and found no problem going out on trips in this weather- I think I acclimated when I found myself wearing shorts in the rain. The climate I do find more humid than where I came from but not as bad as the east coast in summer. Once the rainy season is over (probably right around now) it stays pretty summerlike (in the 70's and 80's) until about October.
I enjoy Oregon's diversity in geographic and geologic areas all within a day's drive. The Oregon coast is ruggedly spectacular and all open to the public-unlike CA. The Cascades are within an hour or two for hiking, skiing, camping, etc. Not as spectacular as the Rockies or the Sierra's, where I moved from, but they are close by and offer a nice back drop for views from the valley. Even though Oregon is blue, it's just like any other state I guess, in as far as there are your blue areas (Portland, Eugene and Corvallis) and red areas (central, southern and eastern). Check in with the Oregon forum archives for some other comments on Oregon and if you do visit- spend a couple of weeks to explore the whole state. Hope this helps a bit!

[oneold1-4u]

14. for a two year -this is knowledge

Getting close to 3 score 10 for me and yes I'm a pioneer from pioneer stock. Growing up in the "once upon a time forest" (tree stumps 8-10')and being across the nation once, never found "MORE" so came home and stayed. Portland, Eugene, Ashland are strong centers for accepting diversity. Ashland is beautiful but expensive. Eugene area is almost as wet as the coast and Brookings is the greatest climate year around. The west side of the cascades is the best year around climate up to 2500'. Out of the fog, wet, and usually only a little snow. The east of the Cascades is the greatest for year around sun, sun, sun, but usually has frosty mornings at least a couple of days of every month. The high altitude skiing, the ocean and stream fishing, and hunting of all major North American game species round it out for a nice place if one is making change.

[funflower]

4. It's heaven! Move here! We need all the blue people we can get!

:bounce:

[MissB]

5. We can always tell the newcomers

because they are the ones carrying umbrellas, of all things.

The rain never stops us from hiking or biking or camping. It is just part of the experience.

Portland in particular is quite expensive as far as real estate is concerned.

[HuckleB]

7. Compared to the rest of the state...

Portland is expensive in terms of real estate. However, compared to other cities on the west coast, it's quite affordable.

[kaitykaity]

6. All I can really add is it's

Oh-REE-gun, not oh-re-GONE.

And also, if you want bohemian, people with tattoos,
piercings, dreadlocks itermixed with families with kids
and gay and lesbian couples and singles, then the
Hawthorne/Sunnyside neighborhood is definitely for you.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

11. and it's Tie-gard, not Tiggard

:)

[HuckleB]

8. As a citizen of Oregon, it is my sworn duty to inform you...

As a citizen of Oregon, it is my sworn duty to inform you that it rains all the time, that we only see the sun for two hours annually, on June 28, between 1:32 and 3:35 pm. It's bloody miserable here. Moss and mold line every piece of clothing owned by every citizen in the state. The food sucks. The beer sucks. The wine is even worse. Depression is rampant, and people are lining up to jump off the bridges. And worst of all, the green that everyone brags about is really a puke lime green, and nothing to write home about. For your own good, stay the hell away.

;)

[Modem Butterfly]

23. Heh. Gov. McCall, good to see you!

How's that I-5 diversion through Idaho going? ;)

[Nostradammit]

24. Exactly Right!

Really, really sucks here. Stay far, far away.


Actually, we moved here from there and have yet to regret it.

But please, please don't tell anyone.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

30. Thank you for saying that!

They should have closed the border right after I got here. dammit. LOL

[stevedeshazer]

9. Terrible place.

Rains all the time.

Especially in the mountains and at the beaches.

You can't pump your own gas, either. Mulleted societal re-entry types are the only ones who are allowed to dispense gasoline here.

We also have one Republican congressman, and one Republican senator. Can you believe it?

Nah, I think you should consider Colorado Springs. I hear they have the nicest churches there! ;)

[Rambis]

10. Is the Leaky roof still open?

things I miss about visiting Portland
Cup & Saucer
Barley Mill
Sauvie's Island running the dogs
Saturday market
Saigon Kitchen
Bagdad cafe
Nancy Griffith at Edgfield
Cafe Co-existence pizza slices

[libpunkmom]

12. Leaky Roof YES! My hubby is one of the night

cooks.. Still open and running strong!!!

[Rambis]

13. Thank you

when I get back to Portland that is one of my stops before I hit the Space Room for some hard liquor and downers:)

[LWolf]

15. I don't know about Portland, but

I love the rest of the state. I've only been to Portland twice, both last month, but I didn't see anything but the OHSU facility. I can tell you that if you have a health concern, OHSU is a great place to be. I spent a week camped out at Doernbechers Childrens Hospital, and was very impressed with the level of care my grandson received. Of course, the fact that they saved his life might color that impression a little!

My experience in Oregon west of the cascades: beautiful, mild, and wet. My mom lived on the coast for several years, and I have exes in Sutherlin.

I live east of the cascades, in central oregon. It is drier, colder, and probably more republican over here, but there is still a strong dem presence. If you love the outdoors, central oregon is a great place to be. Mountains, forests, deserts, rivers, lakes, hiking, rock climbing, rafting, skiing, and more; we're surrounded by recreation.

[jsw_81]

16. Oregon is a wonderful place

Imagine a beautiful, progressive state with a mild climate, incredible scenery, and some of the nicest, friendliest people you'll ever meet. That's my Oregon.

With regard to the Portland area, it's a very vibrant and well-kept city full of all kinds of interesting neighborhoods and shops, sort of like a junior Seattle or San Francisco. Downtown is arguably the nicest of any major city in the country (think very clean and very pretty). Portland is incredibly liberal and gave Kerry something like 70 percent of the vote in the last election, making Oregon "blue" for the fifth time in a row. We even went for Dukakis!

Portland's suburbs are pretty boring and bland (just like suburbs everywhere), but they have some of the nicest scenery and views in the country if you can afford it. There have been some heroic efforts to reign in suburban sprawl and provide residents with an excellent public transportation network, and many urban planners view Portland as one of the best planned cities in the nation.

Oregon is also unique in that we passed a death with dignity (assisted suicide) law, all elections are vote by mail, and you're not allowed to pump your own gas.

Washington -- I'm from there -- is also a lot like Oregon but is more crowded and a bit more cosmopolitan. But you can't go wrong with either one; they're both great states and terrific places to live.

[siliconefreak]

17. the hinterlands?

I've been thinking about buying my first house in Portland, since California is so ridiculously expensive. My fear is that, after living in California for several years, Portland would feel like the hinterlands.

Have any of you California transplants felt like you're missing out on anything now that you live in OR?

(I know - you're missing out on sky-high housing prices, awful traffic, and smog, but I mean - aside from those things. :D )

[HuckleB]

18. What do you think you'd be missing out on?

Sure, you'd miss out on major league sports. You wouldn't have immediate access to the major museums of San Francisco. Still, the PAM is quite strong for a museum in a city of this size, and one can make a strong argument that the Oregon Symphony is the best on the west coast. The music and arts scene in Portland is strong and growing stronger. The food is as spectacular as one can find in California. The wine in the northwest is actually better. In Oregon, you can access the entire coastline of beaches. And on and on.

So, maybe we are provincial. Or maybe that's what we'd like some folks to think.

[jsw_81]

19. Portland is hardly the hinterlands

It's a very vibrant, exciting city. Don't laugh, but if you go downtown at rush hour (on a Friday evening, for instance) it looks/feels a lot like a mini New York City. Believe me, once you live in Oregon for a while you will forget all about California.

[siliconefreak]

20. Habits are hard to break sometimes

I'm sure you're right. It's just a matter of letting go sometimes. I kept a car in San Francisco for 2.5 years, even though I only drove it about once a week. Ridiculous, I know, but believe me, I wasn't the only one.

[Trajan]

21. I flew to Portland June 2nd ....

For a job interview ....

After the interview, (which went VERY well, thanks), I returned by bus and MAX to Downtown, and spent 4 hours in and around Pioneer Square ....

Wow ... what an amazing city .. It reminded me EXACTLY as a 'Mini NYC' ... I loved the Downtown area .... Funny that you mentioned that because that is precisely what I thought: Little New York ...

I will probably be moving to the Portand area within a month, if all goes well ... The job is in Tigard (Not TEEgerd!), so Ill probably seek a room or small apt in Tualatin north to SW Portland ... anywhere in that region would be great ..... Or Lake Oswego, or Linn, Oregon City .... Damn .. just about anywhere around there is pretty ....

[0rganism]

22. The difference between Oregon and California...

...has been likened to the difference between Marijuana and Cocaine.

You can put that in your pipe and smoke... err... okay, let's just say you can make of that what you will.

[sandnsea]

27. Nightlife?

I don't think nightlife should be boring, that's what you make it anyway. But if you mean political events, entertainment, and just star power; there isn't as much in Portland. Certainly the theater and that sort of thing is WAY different. You can't just open the paper and have 50 things of interest within 100 miles to do, any day of the week. BUT, as long as you take advantage of what we do have, when we have it, then you should never feel like you're missing out on anything. There's a good concert at least once a month, Howard Dean was here in Feb, Al Franken at a Dem Party function in June, Carville spoke at the State Dem convention a couple years ago. In fact, Robert Kennedy Jr was in Ashland a couple weeks ago. In some ways, it's better because it's a more intimate setting when these folks do come.

[stubtoe]

25. Best way to find out ...

is to come visit!

Come in the summer and come again in the winter, so you can see both sides of the climate coin.

[PDX Bara]

26. Portland OR

You might want to check out page 86 of the July 2005 issue of the "Reader's Digest" where Portland OR was named the #1 Cleanest City in the nation and page 92 of the August 2005 issue of "Outside" magazine where Portland was named one of "The New American Dream Towns." You might also want to check the web site at wwww.portland-monthly.com for the Portland Monthly magazine if you can't get the magazine and of course the Oregon Forum on DU.

It does indeed rain here but not as much as several other places in the U. S. As Dolly Parton sang about needing the rain to have a rainbow, ya gotta have it to have that spectacular greenery we have in the Pacific Northwest. Except for those few activities that absolutely require dry surfaces, you can do pretty much anything else you want to do and the high desert is just a few hours away for the those "dry activities" you might want to do. I believe someone else suggested you come in the summer and in the winter both and I wholeheartedly agree. We have four seasons here that are for the most part very mild and as for the geography, we have it all: cities, rivers, mountains, high desert and best of all, the entire Oregon coast is public.

Come visit and enjoy!

PDX Bara (Portland Rose)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. I lived in the Willamette Valley for nine years and Portland for ten

I moved to Minneapolis in 2003 because Portland had completely stopped working for me on a personal level, and my life is emotionally much better here.

HOWEVER, I go through moments of missing the physical environment of Portland, especially the lovely downtown and the superb (by U.S. standards) public transit system. I miss being able to see mountains out of my kitchen window and to ride my bike all year round.

I miss the Bagdad and Mission Theater-Pubs, Typhoon (especially their sublime winter curry), Peet's Coffee, Powell's, KBPS-FM classical radio, and Chamber Music Northwest.

On the other hand, here I have every relative I have in the world, an opportunity to sing in a top-notch choir, a nice little urban village to live in, lakes to play in and around, new friends and experiences, and a much better apartment for my money.

So I guess it's a wash.

[roguevalley]

29. I grew up near Medford in the south, had g-parents in Portland and

tons of family in Lakeview-Bend area. Oregon is without a doubt the greatest state in the union. It is the most beautiful, interesting and warm place ever. I miss it still having to live in Alaska. I would move back in ten minutes if I could. Oregon is a place and a state of mind. You will love it living there. I envy you.