NYC to Portland, OR??

Question

Can a big city girl like me from NYC actually enjoy living in Portland Oregon??? my boyfriend wants me to move there with him! I just don't know about Portland....

P.S. we are planning a trip, but in the summer, when it will be all nice and sunny....perhaps a bad representation of what it is most of the year...

Answer 1

Portland is not quite a big city, but there are some nice aspects to it that may help you adjust to the change. The key is to live close to the downtown core and the Pearl District (no actual pearls involved there) and you may get just enough city life to get by. If you end up in one of the suburbs with the B&T crowd, then all bets are off.

There are admittedly a few aspects of Portland that you will find deeply annoying (like the months of practically nonstop drizzle), but there will hopefully be other pleasant surprises that will be a breath of fresh air (both figuratively and literally). For one thing, practically the entire city is book crazy, so it should be fairly easy for you to find whatever books and zines you're into, as well as others who share the same appreciation. I've had the coffee in NYC, and I can say Portland is a big step up. Even the tea is better. You will not be disappointed by the Asian restaurants either. Delis will probably be a bit of a letdown for you, but that can hardly be much of a surprise. Basically, you will eventually come up with a decent-sized list of Portland's good places if you put in even a fraction of the initial effort you went through to find all of your favorite spots in NYC.

Will you miss New York? Absolutely. Keep an eye out for last-minute discount fares and you may be able to hop back there for a quick stay. That said, there's still a good chance you might be glad you gave someplace else a chance.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 2

I live an hour from Portland. Portland is great. Rains a lot. But the people are great. The City is beautiful. Snow an hour away. The ocean 2 hours away. Seattle 3 hours away. Always something to do and something going on.

Answer 3

I've lived in Portland for almost 3 years and it's fun! I moved here from Seattle, and I like it. There's still a lot to downtown and the restaurants are excellent here. Of course it's not as exciting in the same way as a bigger city like NYC, but there's still plenty to do. And I'm sure you'll appreciate that there's no tax here, the air is clean, and traffic isn't nearly as bad! Oh, did I mention that the cost of living is pretty good here, too? Buying a house is a piece of cake here! Oh, and it's only an hour's drive to the coast... BEAUTIFUL!!

Answer 4

I moved from Milwaukee to a little podunk town in Western Wisconsin with my best friend, now fiance. It was weird at first, but I enjoy it out here.

Portland is a city, too. It's not NYC, but it isn't the stix either.

You'll be fine, but don't move just for him. Move because you want to. If things don't work out, you'll be pissed that you moved if you really didn't want to.

Besides, Portland is in a beautiful part of the country. You're just a drive away from the Pacific, Seattle, British Columbia (which I absolutely love), Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, California, Oracs/Killer Whales, beautiful forests that allow you to leave the city for a day ....

Answer 5

Have you visited Portland? Take the time to visit first and make sure you like it.

My husband is trying to get me to move there too. We are flying up there later this summer so we can spend a few weeks there and I can get the feel of it.

Answer 6

Depends on how flexible your attitude is.

But there's a BIG difference between the two cities. My guess is you'll like Portland less than you like NYC and less than your boyfriend will.