What Is It Like to Live in Portland Oregon

Our year in Portland is up! After getting back from Kyrgyzstan last week, we hit the ground running. With less than a calendar week left, we packed our things, moved it over to our cousins' place temporarily, and now, we're in Miami speaking at Blogalicious (a blogging briefing). Once we get dorsum, we'll take what we can in our sedan, bulldoze to Atlanta to spend time with family unit and friends, and so explore NYC for the next year.

For the past 4 years, we've explored a new city every twelvemonth, and moving to each city has felt a niggling similar dating. Then far the cities nosotros've explored were LA, Vegas, San Diego, and Portland.

This postal service may incorporate affiliate links, where nosotros receive a minor commission on sales of the products that are linked at no additional cost to you. All opinions are e'er our own. Read our full disclosure for more info. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Local Adventurer possible.

Concluding Updated: June 2, 2020

The Pros & Cons of Living in Portland Oregon

Each urban center had its share of pros and cons. Ultimately, though, we haven't felt like we could settle down with whatever of these cities. Maybe we're commitment-phobes and afraid to lay downward deep roots in one place. Or maybe nosotros just want to pave our own path that simply might not look like everyone else'southward. I tin can't decide, and so I'll say fifty/50.

We've been keeping ourselves so decorated that I don't call back we've had much time to process our move. Not that I'm great at processing breakups or whatever sort of loss. Come to call back of information technology, I'm not even sure I've processed moving away from Atlanta over four years ago.

Anyway, I digress. All that to say, it always feels bloodshot to go out because there volition ever be parts of each urban center that fabricated our stay worthwhile just also parts that fabricated information technology a living hell. Permit's start with the negatives and end on a positive annotation. ;)

The Cons of Living in Portland Oregon

1. The Rain and the Snow Storms

This is the biggest con and negates whatever of the positives for usa. Perhaps nosotros're weaksauce, but nosotros couldn't handle it. I used to dear rain… dorsum when we lived in Atlanta and rain wasn't the norm. After experiencing a year where I forgot what the sun looked like and several snowstorms that shut down the city, I'yard okay with existence a company during the summer.

Keep in mind this yr was obviously non a normal year. I've heard a few people say it was the wettest or second wettest winter since the atmospheric condition has been recorded. Others have said information technology was the worst they've seen in over a decade. Either way, the stats are not good. Take a await below:

two. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a Existent Affair

It's 1 thing to find pelting annoying, but I already knew I would be in for it when it came to the year-round gloomy weather. It was more surprising to detect that Jacob, who is very even-keeled, started feeling lethargic on the daily. No wonder they have a huge coffee culture here.

Yous really need your uppers. And your Vitamin D. And your sunlamps. I managed just fine with Vitamin D and a good for you dose of anti-depressants. ;) If you can get past these two first, you accept a shot at surviving and possibly loving it here.

3. The Heat, No A/C, and Fires

It's not supposed to go that hot in Portland they said. The buildings, therefore, don't need AC they said. Well, this year, the AC would take come in very handy. Climatic change is real, ya'll. It was one of the wettest rainy seasons and too one of the driest, hottest summers.

That also led to some of the worst fires Oregon has always seen. At that place were weeks they said the air quality was worse than United mexican states Metropolis. We saw ashes flight effectually the city and it was eerie.

4. Driving and the Drivers

Portland has one of the slowest paced driving out of anywhere we've been. Now that we're and so accustomed to it, when we drive in another city, it feels similar people are going super fast. I guess it's actually nice that drivers here yield to bikers and pedestrians, but information technology's also stressful as a driver.

Portland roads likewise make no sense. Sometimes merely to get to a spot that should be a mile abroad, it takes 20 minutes because y'all have to get all the style effectually. The roads are also very narrow and there are bullheaded turns everywhere.

I've been told the urban center planner had no intention to build information technology for drivers. It was built for walking. I don't know if that'due south truthful, merely when you're driving effectually Portland, information technology feels like it.

5. The Nutrient is Not That Skillful

It'south a self-proclaimed foodie town. I suppose nosotros should cut it some slack because information technology's non a major metropolis like NYC or SF or LA. I only know nosotros were disappointed nigh every time nosotros tried a place people raved about.

Every other urban center we visited or lived in had a scattering of places we will miss. Here, I felt similar I could take information technology or leave information technology. The two nosotros practice recommend every fourth dimension, though, are Nong'southward and PDX Sliders.

vi. Outwardly Inclusive but Inwardly Exclusive Attitudes

No, the more is not the merrier! For a city that prides itself on beingness inclusive and has black lives matter posters everywhere, they sure don't act like information technology when it affects their lives. One case is if you're an out of towner, they actually don't want you lot here. If you're from California, go on it on the DL because they especially hate Californians. I've also noticed this sense of entitlement to the city if you happened to alive just a year or two longer than someone else. They want to keep everything to themselves. "Portland used to exist better before XYZ moved in". It makes me wonder if they think black lives matter, do they even know whatever? Have they ever tried to build actual bridges and relationships with people that don't look like themselves? I haven't seen it even so. Portland isn't exactly a diverse city. I think they aim to be and it has gotten better over time (or a lot better considering their racist history), but we notwithstanding get some foreign looks effectually town. If you visit other parts of Oregon, don't be surprised if you face occasional racism. In that location are some mean sometime white ladies out in that location. P.Due south. This isn't every single person in the city. I imagine there are enough of nice folks that merely go on quiet and it'due south only the ones that are loud often get noticed more than. From our experience as a whole, information technology doesn't feel similar a welcoming, inclusive city they try to portray.

7. Information technology's Inconvenient to Travel Out of Portland

This merely applies to y'all if you happen to travel a lot, only information technology's and then hard to go direct flights. Layovers are never fun. Half the time you're worried you'll miss your flight and the other half you're trying to figure out how to keep yourself busy at the aerodrome. The worst is when yous're having to run to your next gate.

The Pros of Living in Portland Oregon

1. Adventure is a Lifestyle non an Activity

If yous always want to feel unadventurous, move to Portland. Living here has pushed united states of america to be more audacious. Before moving here, hiking was a fun activity, sometimes an detail off my bucket listing, or what you have to do to become to an amazing photography spot.

People here actually #liveoutdoors. It's not that fake you-didn't-camp-hither stuff. They can get off a packrafting trip, then go on a climbing trip, and so hop onto another backpacking trip. No bigs. I'm going to miss having so many outdoorsy people around me.

This was united states on a backpacking trip where we bailed. The fires and smog made all the mountain views hazy, and nosotros didn't retrieve information technology was worth information technology without the epic mountain views. Our other friends said, "it's going to be smoggy whether I stay within or go exterior and I'd rather exist outside."

2. Everything is so Green

We had friends visit from out of boondocks, and they could non stop talking nearly the trees and the moss. The copse are beautiful, and on top of that, people really care about the environment. Information technology tin can be taken to the extreme, but it's nice to encounter people intendance.

iii. Proximity to the Outdoors

Our favorite office of living in Portland was how shut it was to become outdoors. A half hr drive takes yous to amazing hikes, waterfalls, and vistas (although it'south a bit further at present because of contempo fires). A few hours in either direction takes you to vastly dissimilar landscapes.

To the west, you have a dramatic and rocky declension. To the e, you find more desert landscapes and spots that feel like you're on a different planet.

Though it'south rare to accept clear days, I will miss having Hood as our backdrop. We could even see it from our living room window and got excited any time it decided to show itself.

4. Our Church & Community

When we hop from city to city, it'southward hard to desire to dig in and get involved in a customs. Even if the general vibe of the metropolis is unwelcoming, yous can ever find your people. Some places you need to dig deeper. Luckily nosotros had a couple friends in Portland who introduced us to a church and climbing friends, which made it incredibly piece of cake for united states of america to brand friends.

If you ever decide to move to Portland, bank check out the Groves Church and if you want to give climbing a shot, nosotros'll also have to innovate you to our friends. We tin can't imagine the year without meeting these crawly folks.

5. It's Like shooting fish in a barrel to Get Around

Everything is 10 minutes away. We started thinking anything over five minutes was far abroad. The norm in Atlanta and LA is thirty minutes, and if you add traffic, yous could be sitting out in that location for hours. Even the airport makes going through checkpoints so much easier.

6. No Sales Tax

Non that nosotros practice a ton of shopping, but it's going to feel a piddling painful shopping for things outside of Oregon when nosotros got then used to paying no sales tax.

seven. The Summers Really Are the All-time

I know I said this twelvemonth's heat was savage with no A/C, but in comparing to any other places we've lived (even SoCal), the summers are prissy. Information technology's so squeamish, in fact, that it's easy to forget the pain of wintertime.

It's ofttimes compared to why people proceed having babies because you forget about the hurting and sleepless nights. When mid-summertime came effectually for me too, I started thinking maybe I could give Portland another year. Well, if you can concluding the unabridged rainy season, you really earned that glorious summer.

P.S Just brand sure you get a place with A/C.

Ultimately, we love Portland as a city to visit, and I'thou sure the natives will appreciate that we're not staying for good.

Tell me… Would you move to a metropolis similar Portland? What are some pros and cons of where you alive?

Did you enjoy this post? Pivot it for later on

Come across MORE FROM PORTLAND

"Discovery consists non of seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes" – One thousand. Proust

Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is i of the top five travel blogs in the U.s.a.. They believe that adventure can be constitute both about and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new metropolis in depth every twelvemonth and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.

You lot might also love

walkersnate1986.blogspot.com

Source: https://localadventurer.com/living-in-portland-oregon/