Review: Portland (Salem, Gresham, Beaverton: to rent, house, buy)

[jj85]

So I spent my first week in the big city, ok it's big compared to here.
I've been looking at areas to relocate to for awhile now due to the economy here. Doing homework on the list, and waiting to see if the economy in the areas are to get better or worse.
And wow, I was in for some surprises lol.

I came to Portland with a good paying job. then of course there wasn't as much work as they thought it was going to be so got laid off, with eligible for re-hire.

I spent 1 week there. I had this image in my mind of what Portland is like from reading articles, forums, visiting, etc., and it's nothing like that lol.

1st Thing I noticed was how close everything is. I found it funny that where the house was the area felt small (but lots of people) , so I was expecting the area behind the house to be suburbs lol. Then I found stores, shopping areas, city, etc. lol.
It was very nice having everything close by, but made it to where I'm more active in a small town then I was up there due to not really wanting to go anywhere. Traffic highly contributed to this.
Forget craigslist shopping, It doesn't do you any good to get something really cheap if it takes you 3hrs to get there, & costs $30 for gas lol.

As the week went on Surprisingly I found myself unwilling to take jobs in the opposite side of the city. For my location an 8hr shift would have meant about a 12-14hr day depending on traffic, plus about $20-$30 for gas every day. Take the bus? Ok, add more hours to that if you can find a bus schedule that matches. Where I was was somewhat limited. I actually talked to people who moved from one part of the city to the other for a job, and others who would only take a job within a mile or 2 of where they lived.

I found myself getting smarter about the area, and where/where not to shop.
One time after work I took I-5 S instead of getting on I-5 N without even thinking about it lol.

I was also expecting the people to be much nicer up there since generally in Oregon people are pretty nice here.
Nope, by the end of the week everyone I came across I was expecting them to be rude/mean lol.
When I actually met nice people I was surprised/shocked lol.

I was also surprised by that wind. At work I had to park about 5 blocks away due to limited parking. It was like always windy, which made for a long walk lol. It made my hands very dry, and by the time I walked into work I'd have to go to the bathroom & re-do my hair lol.

I don't think I ever want to live in that city again lol.
I'm so very Glad I didn't go up there with any long term goals, that I went up there with a try it out trial attitude.
I think that's a Love it or Highly Don't like it city lol.
And unfortunately Portland is just like any other big city.
I think the only thing I'll miss about Portland is how beautiful the area is.
I'll never forget driving home from work, and seeing this huge mountain covered in snow behind me lol.
So I am glad that I did get to Experience it. I now know that I can't live in a big city lol.


Portland: Highly Over-Rated.

PS:
I had a lot more fun in Montana & Wisconsin then I did in Portland lol.

[EnricoV]

And did you, like, give Montana & Wisconsin, like, a whole week's trial before, like, making a snap decision about them, too?

[christiner81]

lol

[Random_Walk]

Granted that traffic can be a pain at times, but seriously, it's fairly easy once you know where everything is... and one week won't tell you that in any city.

Commute times? I am able to live on the Coast, 80 miles away from PDX Metro, and on the few days a week I drive in to work, the total time spent is 11 hours if you include the 1.5 hour commute in each direction (with nearly all of that spent in the countryside)... and mine is an extreme case, mind you. I can get from any suburb to downtown PDX in less than 30 minutes, tops.

No earthly idea where you would live that took 3 hours' drive in each direction to/from PDX, unless you lived in suburb around Seattle (which is, no kidding, a 3-hour drive away). :/

Here's an idea the next time you decide to give a town (any town) a 'trial' period: live there for six months. It seriously takes that long to get to know a place, and not come off like a sparkle pony doing it.

[davemess10]

I might call troll on this, mainly for the complete lack of any real names or descriptions of locations. You could pretty much write this review about any West Coast city (maybe minus "the mountain").

I did find the "long five block walk" in Portland comment kind of funny though. I also can't ever imagine my hands drying out here in winter. I mean we average what 80% humidity?!?!?!

All in all a good laugh for the morning. Thanks!

[SETabor]

jj85 - so you didn't like Portland, it's not for everyone. But I can't figure out where you were commuting to and from and in what kind of vehicle that your commuting times were so horrid and the gas was so expensive. I also can't really tell where you went in the city. Perhaps you can elaborate and give some information?

Based on the wind comment and having Mt. Hood behind you, I'm going to guess you worked in Troutdale but lived somewhere west of the Willamette. That would be a horrid commute because it's mostly highway and busy highway at that. If it's true, it just exemplifies why everyone always ask where your job is when posters ask where to rent.

[hamellr]

3 Hour commute sounds like someone took surface streets from Gresham to Beaverton. I've never commuted that long in my life, and I've lived in Gresham and worked in Beaverton.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by hamellr

3 Hour commute sounds like someone took surface streets from Gresham to Beaverton. I've never commuted that long in my life, and I've lived in Gresham and worked in Beaverton.

The only thing I can assume is that--if the OP was an honest post--someone was living out on the edge of the west side or east side and commuting at rush hour each way. Like a commute from Hillsboro/Forest Grove to Troutdale/Gresham or vice versa. But how would it take 3 hours and take $30 worth of gas to go buy something in the Portland Metro via Craigslist?

Either way though, it's a gross exaggeration. I can drive to Bend, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, or make it south of Newport on the Oregon Coast in 3 hours... I know people who commute from places like Vernonia or out in the hills outside Woodland, Washington and they don't take that long to get to work...

[AztoORegon]

I find the post funny in the sense that they had to " Fix their hair" after walking 5 blocks in the wind tunnel of wind haha. The poster is a male, could have fooled me. I have been to Portland and Salem twice now and still nothing has changed my mind about relocating my family there. This OP will not stop me, but I am glad we all got a good laugh out of it. let's hope that it doesn't turn any nice, loving, people away from PDX.

[12MILBID]

think the poster iz talking about craigslist buuying in a small town not portland.....and it has been windy here lateley...but 30bux gas??? everyday would mean ruffly a 200mile ( based on 3.50bux a gallon gettin 20 miles per gallon)..around trip,,... that doesn't make sense??????????cummoting to Astoria everyday?