Is Portland an "East Coast-style" city?

[NeutralZone]

I lived in southern California all of my life before moving to Portland, but my family is from Boston and I have visited New England extensively. The first time I visited Portland before moving here, Portland struck me as being a newer, smaller, west coast version of Boston. Not the culture so much, but the physical character of the city- very walkable and compact downtown, small city squares, old churches, brick buildings, water and greenery. It's not really so surprising, since so many of the original settlers were from New England. It's very unlike anything in southern California.

[Smitty211]

Originally Posted by NeutralZone

I lived in southern California all of my life before moving to Portland, but my family is from Boston and I have visited New England extensively. The first time I visited Portland before moving here, Portland struck me as being a newer, smaller, west coast version of Boston. Not the culture so much, but the physical character of the city- very walkable and compact downtown, small city squares, old churches, brick buildings, water and greenery. It's not really so surprising, since so many of the original settlers were from New England. It's very unlike anything in southern California.

I did learn at some point about the legendary "coin toss" between two of the city's founding fathers, who each wanted to name the city after their original hometowns (Boston, or Portland, ME). So that would make sense. An interesting observation.

[Hapa1]

Originally Posted by Smitty211

I did learn at some point about the legendary "coin toss" between two of the city's founding fathers, who each wanted to name the city after their original hometowns (Boston, or Portland, ME). So that would make sense. An interesting observation.

I’m glad that the guy from Boston didn’t win. Boston, Oregon just doesn’t sound right.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by NeutralZone

I lived in southern California all of my life before moving to Portland, but my family is from Boston and I have visited New England extensively. The first time I visited Portland before moving here, Portland struck me as being a newer, smaller, west coast version of Boston. Not the culture so much, but the physical character of the city- very walkable and compact downtown, small city squares, old churches, brick buildings, water and greenery. It's not really so surprising, since so many of the original settlers were from New England. It's very unlike anything in southern California.

I tend to agree with this post, I am from the Boston area but I haven't lived there in many years. When I lived in Portland, I also saw it as a smaller newer version of Boston. Compact, walkable transit oriented. The park rows reminded me a little of the Back Bay in Boston. The river and bridges and people walking and riding bikes. That's where the similarity end. The culture of Portland, and the populations are very different than Boston.

[Rob Allen]

There are some areas of Portland that have alleys running down the middle of the block behind all the houses on both sides. That's something I associate with older Eastern cities.

Also, I agree with the last two posts - I lived in the Boston area for a few years, and when I got here it felt familiar.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Rob Allen

There are some areas of Portland that have alleys running down the middle of the block behind all the houses on both sides. That's something I associate with older Eastern cities.

Also, I agree with the last two posts - I lived in the Boston area for a few years, and when I got here it felt familiar.

You will find alleys all over Midwestern cities too. All Chicago neighborhoods have them.

[goolsbyjazz]

Interesting thread. Being from New England I wondered if Portland was similar to the east, Boston in particular. I have never been to Portland but seeing pictures (the river, greenery and walking culture downtown) certainly reminded me a bit of an east coast city. I get that the cultures would be different, but the optics seem similar.

[Ttark]

More like "east Europe-style" city. Single-party government, taxes up the bazoo, out of control crime, pollution, tenement blocks, state-run propaganda media (OPB, KBOO, Oregonian) etc. Oh yeah, and they think they're the saving grace of the world, which doesn't help. They don't have Stalin- or Kim-style dissident purges yet but I'm sure that's coming. They already exile males who don't have the state-mandated full beard so there's that.

The people are arrogant, provincial and intolerant to a fault when they're not drunk or stoned off their asses, and are worse when they get behind the steering wheel. (Traffic laws? What traffic laws?) Having Oregon plates will opens one up to all kinds of stigma here in Washingtax.

And now they want to start "tolling" (newspeak for "restricting access") all the highway trunks going into or out of the Portland SSR (not just I5/205). Why don't they just cut to the chase, seal off all the borders so they can have their little pretend totalitarian oligarchical utopia and be done with it, instead of all this "toll" silliness? You know that's what they're pushing for anyways.

[Rob Allen]

Originally Posted by Rob Allen

There are some areas of Portland that have alleys running down the middle of the block behind all the houses on both sides. That's something I associate with older Eastern cities.

Originally Posted by Minervah

You will find alleys all over Midwestern cities too. All Chicago neighborhoods have them.

Chicago is an older Eastern city.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Rob Allen

Chicago is an older Eastern city.

They don't consider themselves as an Eastern city. They consider themselves as the Midwest. You will never hear a Chicagoan say they are Eastern. They are also nowhere near the East Coast.