how is portland?

Question

i might be moving to portland ,OR and wanted to know what its like. ive always lived over here on the east coast and ohio...never even been past ILL.. i was checking into some of the real estate and it seems to be extremely high there..why?

is it a nice city to live it?
whats the crime like?

Answer 1

If it is for a job relocation, it can be a good thing. If you're moving out here without a job, I would not recommend it. The economy has improved in recent years, but it's still not a place to come hoping to stumble into a job.

I seem to recall Portland was recently ranked something like the #2 overpriced housing market in the country, relative to the economy and job opportunities or something like that. Seattle was also tops on the list. I think that was in Forbes?

Portland is good if you're outdoorsy. It's liberal around the city, progressively more conservative the further out you go. The rain issue is overinflated, but it's not a place for people who really don't like rain.

In sum, if you want to come out because you think you'll find a job or because you heard it was some kind of nirvana, you'll probably be disappointed, and you'll just wind up annoying the people who already live here and are bemoaning population growth. But if it's for a job relocation, you have some money, you like skiing or kite boarding or hiking, you could be the type that's happy here.

Oh, and far as crime: Portland has some gang problems, more on the east side. Also there is a problem with street kids downtown. There are definitely drug problems, especially meth. House and especially car break-ins go along with that. But it's really not a scary crime city compared to other cities.

Answer 2

I use to live in Portland after having lived on the East Coast my whole life. It was Awesome, I loved it there. I wish I could move back. It's a nice city to live in, and most of the people I met were very friendly. Not at all like anything I was used to coming from the East Coast. I didn't experience too much crime just your typical stuff. There are a lot of homeless people living there. Probably because the cost of living there is so outrageous lol! One thing you can save money on while living there is by not having a car.

Answer 3

I've lived here for about 12 years. I really haven't found much to complain about. Close to the mountains, close to the ocean. Rivers everywhere. Great food, INCREDIBLE beer. Moderate weather - never too hot or too cold for too long.

I guess the roads are crowded and the price of housing is always going up, but if you ride the bus or share an apartment, it's not the end of the world.

The high-tech industry is probably one of the main reasons for high housing costs. Techies flocked here from other parts of the U.S. because of the great salaries, which in turn resulted in a higher demand for housing. Housing prices are starting to drop now, but are probably still higher than in other parts of the state. As with most towns, the suburbs are less expensive than the nicer neighborhoods that are closer to the downtown core.

Crime is not a huge issue here. Like any big city, there are always going to be issues with crime.

There is a website (www.portlandmaps.com) that is run by the local governments. Among other things, including the value of specific homes, you can check crime rates in various areas.

The Jail Blazers are the only major league sports team in town. I don't know if that's good or bad any more.

Portland likes to feel like a small, quirky city, but it is big enough that you have all the benefits of a much larger city.

Portland is about 90 minutes from the beautiful Oregon Coast, and about the same distance from the now snow-covered Cascade mountain range. If you are a person who loves outdoor recreation, you WILL find something or someplace to enjoy here.

I don't plan on moving anywhere else. I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

Answer 4

It is WET!!!! But it makes for a really green spring.

It is nice to live just outside of portland. I am about a 20-30 minute drive into downtown. I love it. I get small town living and housing prices, and big city everything else.

Answer 5

crime ave., nice place to live if you like tied up roads with traffic. i lived in portland area 30 years and not much to brag about except scenery out of town. roads to coast always busy, weather at coast not very good. I live here because job and relatives. seattle has traffic problems also but city and surrounding area better i think

Answer 6

yes it's a nice city if you don't mind rain for about half of the year, but summers are nice, crime is average in portland, you have your nice part of town, and you have the projects, I live in southeast portland in the projects you don't want to move to southeast portland, southwest portland and northwest portland are your nicer neihborhoods and southeast, northeast are pretty much the ghetto where Iv'e grown up.