pros and cons of Oregon? (Portland: sale, real estate, assessor)

[gypsydoc]

Originally Posted by stuckinseattle

<i>I'm not sure how the description of Oregonians as "hicks" has any basis in reality. You can find that if you want (like eastern Linn county...), but generally no.</i>

Look, I am going to answer this seriously. This is the backend of beyond. It's hard to get in and out, and there's an insular culture to begin with so most people don't even want to go anywhere anyway.

There is little employment and little integration of the universities with the surrounding towns. The arts are at a very low standard. People come here away from their families to retire, and those people are old and tired and not up to creating the social connections necessary to bring the wider world with them.

"Hick" is obviously a charged word but it's accurate. It is the norm for people you meet going about your daily activities here to be provincial, narrowminded, untravelled, uneducated, incurious, and have very, very small horizons for their children and their futures.

There are other people here, sure, but this is the tone of the PNW as a whole.

Sounds like you've never lived anywhere but the NW.

[eric351982]

Con: Not being able to pump your own gas.

When I lived in Arizona, I had getting gas down to an art form, especially the late-for-work-need-one-gallon emergency visits during my commute. I could pull up, whip my card through the machine, and have wheels rolling in less than 30 seconds.

In Oregon you have to wait for the person, then (to my shock) they often ask you to go inside to pay? Then you get to walk through the rain and stand in line with people buying cigarettes, lottery tickets, and paying for their own gas. Then your car fills up. Finally, you often have to wait for them to remove the nozzle and close your gas cap.

Time to let us pump our own gas!

[SETabor]

Stop going to Arco and you wouldn't have to go inside. If you're paying by debit card, the money you spend each transaction eats up any pennies you save per gallon.

[EnricoV]

Either that, or learn to fill up your tank before it reaches the "emergency visit" level.

If it happens often enough that it's a serious irritant ... it's happening way too often.

[mrs.boose16]

its not that bad here and i lived here all my life but im moving to califirnia for college but on good nots its not bad

[jesser1857]

Looking to move to Salem, Oregon. I see that it seems to be the pace that our family needs in order to both work and attend school. I have a son with special needs (autism) and I'm getting mixed reviews on the schools there in regard to special ed programs. My husband's job prospects are actually looking better in Salem but would probably be a bit better in Portland. We're leaving California because he would an entry-level engineer and we can't afford to live here on that salary. Silicon Valley is nowhere near attainable for us and I've been wanting to live in Oregon for years. I live in a rural mountain town and it's beautiful but there's not much here, everything is down the mountain. I love Portland but I don't think I want to live in the surrounding areas outside of it, it's expensive in the actual city of Portland. I feel like Salem is a central location between the family members I have in Springfield, Clackamas and Forest Grove. I would love to hear from anyone who has any info to share about Salem. Thank you in advance.

[AnotherPDXGuy]

Jesser, I would start your own post on this subject. Also, search for "Salem". There might be other posts asking the same question recently.

Sounds like you've thought it through and I can't disagree with your reasoning. Portland is no longer inexpensive for young families, or entry-level workers, especially with kids. You are looking at living further out, which appeals to some people, or considering another community. I went to college in Salem long ago, and think it has some good things to offer, but haven't lived there in a long time.

[AnotherPDXGuy]

Oh, I notice that Salem also has its own forum. That is the place to go.

[bler144]

Indeed: https://www.city-data.com/forum/salem/

[anrev]

So people from Oregon tell people from California to go home, everyone laughs and thinks it's funny.

But if Californian's tell Mexicans to go home, they're called racist and other nasty names.

Stay Classy Oregon!

I went to visit a friend in PDX. Nice place to visit, but I feel bad for those who live there and have jobs. They're gonna be sucked dry!

Loved the article in the weekly that was butthurt crying about Oregon's failed strwaberry industry and how the whole thing was the fault of evil california.

frickin' hysterical.