pros and cons of Oregon? (Portland: school, college, living)

[turquoise1]

Well... there are a lot of arrogant snobs in NYC. And I have plenty of complaints myself about it here. But it doesn't bother me when people don't like it, 'cause it ain't for everyone.

[Dual Citizen CA-OR]

Originally Posted by OreeeGone

...Another thing about Oregonians that Californians and some eastcoasters don't understand is that 50 degrees and light rain is not bad weather. It's actually ideal, because the crowds are gone. Get a flu shot, buy a windbreaker and some boots, and go out and enjoy what the area has to offer. Above all, stop whining. Nothing will make you feel more "insulated" from people than your own propensity to whine.

I believe most people from anywhere, would agree that “that 50 degrees and light rain is not bad weather”, but most of these same people would also agree that 8 to 9 straight months of it, is bad. Bad enough for it to cause a depressive mood disorder in 10 to 20 percent of the population.

And while you can “buy a windbreaker and some boots”, how much fun is camping in mud while all your cooking and camping gear is soaked? I had an old friend come up from LA last April and as I wanted to impress him with some of the amazing sights here, I took him to the gorge. Of course as usual, it was raining, reducing the visibility to maybe a quarter mile at best, needless to say he wasn’t impressed…

While it’s understandable that this true but misleading description comes from an Oregonian living on the east side of the Cascades, most from the west describe it the same way. I suppose Californians are spoiled when it comes to weather, but I find it humorous that many Oregonians act like the only alternatives to nine months of darkness are coping with Arizona summers or Minnesota winters.

[Yankeemama]

I am a Native Californian and lived in NYC for a long time so I must be a horrible polluter. Sticks and stones. I am enjoying myself here and my kids are making many friends. Some people are bitter and need to point blame. Provincial and the oldest trick in the book. How original.

[stuckinseattle]

Just popping in to say I had a great day biking in the sunshine in Eugene, and I am looking forward to taking the train up to Portland in the next couple of weeks and biking around there with my kids. I should have put bike fun on the list of things that are will make a person happy here.

And if you call New Yorkers arrogant snobs they shrug. Try it.

[turquoise1]

I've been called much worse when tripping over someone's foot in the subway...

[roneb]

Originally Posted by stuckinseattle

The isolation of Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland is just a fact. Look at a map. If you live in NYC or LA, there's a lot within 5 hours *driving distance.* You bring up this obvious fact about physical reality to PNW-boosters and they flip out and start talking about outdoor recreation opportunities...

The other thing about the huge differences is that other than cost of living and, again, outdoor recreation, NONE OF THEM ARE POSITIVE FOR AN URBAN DWELLER. And this is where the "hick" characterization comes up again - people from this area just don't get this because with the exception of a very small group of Portlanders they're not multigenerational city people.

I love looking at maps, and a five hour drive from Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver gets me to A LOT more of what I enjoy, including the things I would look for in a city/metro area (and I am including cultural/dining/music). It's all in one's personal perspective.

Granted, there's a lot within a five hour drive of NYC due simply to the colonial history and population density of the East Coast, but beyond prominent institutions of higher ed and famous historical locations, what would you want to drive to that isn't already in NYC itself?

LA? Don't forget to make the radius of that five hour drive quite a bit smaller. Choose the wrong time of day, make the mistake of jumping on the 405, and you could eat the entire five hours just getting from Santa Monica to Huntington Beach! Okay, that's an exaggeration, but the point is still valid.

And yes, I do value outdoor recreation, and that five hour drive in the PNW brings you to exponentially more in that category than either LA or NYC.

Lastly, you must have a very broad definition of "hick." To me, and I'll assume most people who've bothered to get outside of a city every once in a while, it conjures images of very backwoods, uneducated, uncouth, simple-minded folk living in the hills with no interest or awareness of life outside their immediate surroundings. By my definition, there aren't many hicks in Montana or Wyoming, let alone the PNW. By my definition, NYC has a lot of "hicks" - think of inner-city dropouts who never leave their neighborhood in NYC, let alone go to a different part of the city or think about the wider world. Heck, I taught middle school students like that here in Portland - never had been downtown, even though its a single bus ride away!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

Well... there are a lot of arrogant snobs in NYC. And I have plenty of complaints myself about it here. But it doesn't bother me when people don't like it, 'cause it ain't for everyone.

There are arrogant snobs everywhere. The difference is they are snobby about different things depending upon where they are from.

I have never met any "arrogant snobs" from New York in Portland and I have known quit a few NYC transplants.

[OreeeGone]

Originally Posted by Dual Citizen CA-OR

I find it humorous that many Oregonians act like the only alternatives to nine months of darkness are coping with Arizona summers or Minnesota winters.

Either that or crowds.


And your friend who was "not impressed" will now stay in CA. Mission accomplished.

[turquoise1]

Obviously getting under your skin, but it sounds like that isn't hard to do.

[Dual Citizen CA-OR]

Originally Posted by OreeeGone

Either that or crowds.


And your friend who was "not impressed" will now stay in CA. Mission accomplished.

Yeah it’s difficult impressing people with impressive sights when you can't see the damn things.

Not to worry, while many Oregonians might develop a negative impression of California from people who’ve left, the vast majority still love it there. There’s a reason why it has ten times the population of Oregon.