Questions about Portland?

Question

Hi there,

I currently live in Boston and am considering a move to the Greater Portland area (including Washington State). I have two questions and would appreciate some help from whomever is around!

First, since I have never been to the Pacific Northwest, I have only heard this as a rumor. Is it usually true that when it is rainy in a place such as Portland, it is a nice day at the beach?

Second, I prefer to live outside of the city. I currently live in Salem, MA, which I consider a nice, liberal quaint town about 40 minutes from Boston. Are there similar places to live in the Portland-Vancouver area that would make me feel less "in the city" and closer to nature and just a charming community?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Regarding a move to the Portland area, I highly recommend it, but like every place, it has its pros and cons. I know quite a few coworkers who have moved here from Boston or other areas of the Northeast and they would never move back.

Regarding your first question, probably the most difficult thing to deal with in Portland is the long rainy season. It's pretty much a cloudy, slow, steady drizzle from about mid-October until May. But it rarely snows or freezes except up in the mountains (this is a great place for skiers, BTW).

The best kept secret though is that the summers are glorious. Virtually no rain from June-September. A typical day is 75-85 degrees for a high temperature, light breeze, no humidity, cooling off to a low of 55-60 degrees at night.

I'm not sure if you asking if the weather is nicer at "the beach" meaning the Oregon Coast. If so the answer is no... it is rainier and cooler there than in Portland. If by "a nice day at the beach" you are speaking in relative terms, then I guess it depends on your perspective. There are tons of things to see and do, and many people trek out for nice hike or go camping even when it is 45 degrees with light drizzle in late November.

If your goal is to live in a quaint liberal town, I would say Eugene is your best bet, but that's 100 miles south of Portland. As a general rule the further you go from the city center, the less liberal. The next best combination might be Hood River, a windsurfing mecca which is about an hour east of Portland in the Columbia Gorge.

There is definitely a small and vocal minority of uber-liberals in Portland proper... that combined with the typical laid back west coast "I'm OK you're OK" mentality make it more liberal than other larger cities, but I have many conservative friends who manage just fine as well.

Politics aside though, there are many great communities in the Portland area. I would say that there are more well to do areas south (Lake Oswego, Tualatin, etc.) and west (Beaverton, Bethany area of NW Portland, etc.) then there are in the east (Gresham, Troutdale, etc.) or North (Clark County Washington). There are nice neighborhoods and so-so neighborhoods everywhere though. And lots of funky, hip neighborhoods in Portland proper (Pearl district, Irvington, Laurelhurst, Sellwood, Belmont, SOWA, etc. etc. etc)

It's pretty easy to get close to nature from anywhere in the Portland area, including downtown thanks to Forest Park and the west hills. Your best best on that front is anywhere along the edge of the Urban Growth Boundary since the other side of the boundary will be farmland and nature by default.

Personally I live in a neighborhood called Orenco Station in Hillsboro and we love it. It's on light rail, well planned, pedestrian and bike friendly (Portland is the #1 large city for biking in the US), easy access to downtown, the Oregon Coast, and the booming wine industry in Yamhill & Western Washington County. The only bummer for us is we like to go to Seattle and it takes forever just to get to Vancouver with the traffic. But there are charming neighborhood centers in many areas around Portland. There are some good online research tools for checking all the nearby communities. One is connected to the local paper and another the city magazine, there are others, I just don't want to "advertise" by listing their names specifically.

Speaking of Vancouver, you will be making some huge tradeoffs if you decide to move to Vancouver. The schools are nice, housing is cheaper, and they are trying to create a nice little downtown along the river, but there are only two auto bridges connecting it to Portland so commuting to downtown Portland is a nightmare.

Two more quick points:

1. Portland, like many mid-to-large cities in the west, is having growing pains, but they are more progressive than most in trying to deal with it by using a "new urbanism" approach. This is in stark contrast to other cities like Phoenix who are paving new freeways like crazy. Some people love it, others can't stand it. Personally I like it. You can't pave your way out of traffic jams, so you might as well create sustainable communities that allow for all forms of transit (pedestrian, bike, bus, trolley, light rail, and auto).

2. The Portland metro is now 2.1-2.5 million (depending on whether Salem, 45 miles south, is included in the definition), and it's projected to grow at about 15-20% per decade through 2030. So it is about the same size as cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, etc. and will soon be larger. But Portland does not have the large corporate base or the same cultural and entertainment amenities as those cities. World class restaurants and shopping? Yes. World class sports, arts, etc.? Not as much as it should. For example, I am a huge baseball fan and it is insane that Portland does not have MLB when those other cities do. In other words, you might miss having the Red Sox and the Boston Pops nearby.

Sorry if I rambled a bit, hope that helps, good luck in your decision.

-Greg

Answer 2

I never heard that thing about rain in the city/sun at the beach back when I lived there. I tended to go to the hot springs a lot more than I went to the beach.

There are some suburbs with a lot of green space in southwestern Portland, and there's a fair amount of green space inside the city, too. I remember a really big park in the edge of the northwest quarter.

Good luck. It's not a bad place to live.

Answer 3

Oh Yes!
I live in Lake Oswego, a crowded but nice and frendly neighborhood about 10miles outside of Downtown Portland.
It is a nice day at the beach, but it gets cold... You really cant swim in the ocean, but i suppose in Boston, you couldnt either?
The only thing good for the beach is to walk along the coast and pick up shells and stuff.

And there are plenty of suburbs! Lake Oswego, centered around a man-made lake, Oswego Lake!
There is also Beaverton, Tualitin, Tigard, Wilsonville, and plenty of others! Hope you do move here!

Answer 4

The weather is what it is.. I lived in P'Town all my life till I moved to NW Washington. Eugene,Or. is quite diverse but so is much of Downtown Portland, mostly in the NW side of town off Burnside and 23rd. And yes, at times it is raining in P'Town and sunny at the beach.

Good luck..Hello Portland..

Answer 5

Portland is awesome. I love all the bridges. There is a great variety of cool restaurants to choose from. The music scene is pretty nice also. Lots to do

Answer 6

oops,I thought U meant Ptld. Maine. Which by the way isan,t bad. Good luck in the Pacific N.West.

Answer 7

The weather is highly unpredictable.
Bend, Oregon

Answer 8

If you are a white liberal elitest, you will love it there.