pros and cons of Oregon? (Portland: appointed, sales, low crime)

[KlownBaby19]

could anyone tell me the pro's and con's of Oregon? just wanting to know before my husband and i make a final decision on moving

[Or3g0n]

Originally Posted by KlownBaby19

could anyone tell me the pro's and con's of Oregon? just wanting to know before my husband and i make a final decision on moving

Oregon is a big state. Please be more specific on area where you are trying to learn about. Portland area? Valley? Eastern Oregon or southern Oregon? Etc

[Minervah]

Please read the numerous posts on the subject. Your question is just too vague. What is good or bad for some would not be so for others. If you are seriously considering relocation, you have to know what you are looking for as well as what you do not want to encounter in a new place.

You can help people to give you answers by being more specific.

[KlownBaby19]

Portland, OR lol

[stuckinseattle]

pros:

cost of living is relatively low
easy access to nature
low crime
no sales tax
many interesting forms of lichen

cons:

filthy climate
high taxes, high regulation, high unemployment - growth is being strangled and there is no future here for most of the young people
outside of Portland, there is basically nothing to do but outdoor recreation. People will get butthurt about this but it's true.
People here are, bluntly, hicks, except unlike hicks in the South and the Midwest, they don't go to church or do anything interesting.

Despite my username, I live in Oregon now. It's way better than Washington, but that's a low bar. The PNW in general is a fine place to live if you are somewhat introverted and can make your own fun. It's totally empty and wideopen out here, the possibilities would be endless if not for the antibusiness state governments and despite their assiness, you can make yourself a pretty great life here as long as you understand you are moving to the frontier - yes, even if you are moving to metro Portland, it's still the psychic frontier. If you are a highly social person though, and if you like to live in a place where there is an actual society of other humans, and if you are dependent on your employer, I would at least make sure that you live here on a trial basis and don't let go of your home base until you are totally sure you can hack it. There are a LOT of unhappy people in the PNW who didn't realize how hard the winters would be, how closed off and cold the people are, and just generally how far up the backend of everything this part of the world is.

[KlownBaby19]

damn, i guess we're better off in orlando

[Nell Plotts]

My attitude is that if you can be better off elsewhere go there. That's what our ancestors did.

Meh. It's highly dependent on what you're actually looking for.

The climate may or may not be "filthy." If you like 4 distinct seasons and snow and sunshine in winter, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you're okay with two (rainy and dry), then it's not bad.

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.

As for things to do, Oregon is a very outdoorsy state. If you like biking/hiking/camping/skiing/etc, you'll like it here. If you want to hang out at the mall, probably not so much.

Basically, Oregon is the place you go when you want to do things like go for a bike ride and then swing by the local farmer's market. It's not the sort of place you go if you want to go clubbing on a Wednesday night, nor is it the sort of place you go if you want to beat others over the head with your religion.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by KlownBaby19

damn, i guess we're better off in orlando

Possibly. You have to come see for yourself and get the feel of the place. And you have to think about what you are looking for in a new place and does it exist there.

If you ask people their opinions on a forum, you will get exactly that; opinions and they won't all be the same.

Oregon is way different than Florida. But that doesn't mean you would not like it here. The important thing is to have a means with which to support yourself. Jobs here are scarce and competition for the ones available is fierce.

Look into how you can support yourself and then look for the qualities you are seeking in a new town.

[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.