Pros/Cons of Portland (Beaverton, Tigard: violent crime, house, job market)

[akire]

I've never been to Portland, but been curious about it, seems like a nice place.

What are the pros/cons of living there?

Crime?

Weather?

Schools?

THANKS :0)

[fearnofish]

Originally Posted by akire

I've never been to Portland, but been curious about it, seems like a nice place.

What are the pros/cons of living there?

Crime?

Weather?

Schools?

THANKS :0)

We don't live in Portland but we go there often and live about 50 miles away so when something happens we see it on the news, etc. For the most part Portland seems fine. With that being said, would I live there.. No. Portland is very very liberal, if you like that then that's fine I am not saying its good or bad.
Crime has been getting bad with shootings and gang related violence in parts of town and especially on the public transit sysytem. A lot of that violence has been moving away from the city of Portland and out into the suburbs around Portland for one reason or another. If you are coming from another "big" city then it's probaly nothing new for you, but if you coming from a smaller city or country setting then it will be difficult to get used to.

I do not know the school system good enough to comment on it, sorry.

The weather is the typical Portland/Seattle weather most of the time. This summer it has been unusually dry and nice in my opinion but for the most part the weather is not bad at all. It rains a lot, but personally I like the rain and thunderstorms.

I guess the best way to put it is it all depends on where you are coming from to Portland. Portland is definatly a big city with the crime to go with it, oh and I forgot to mention it has a huge transiant (don't know if i spelled that wrong or not but I am talking of homeless people). I would not move my family to Portland itself but would consider one of the towns ont the outskirts of town. Good luck.

[wannabe1]

Hmm, this could be very subjective. As in, someone who loves the weather in Scottsdale would find it hell to live in Portland. And vice versa. A big pro for me is that it's a very green city. But others may not care so much. Other pros - close to the ocean, no temperature extremes, large-ish city but nothing you can't navigate and figure out. Housing prices aren't too terrible compared to CA and Seattle. Cons - the rain gets a little old around spring time. Some feel as though locals aren't friendly to outsiders.

[GB1]

Originally Posted by akire

I've never been to Portland, but been curious about it, seems like a nice place.

What are the pros/cons of living there?

Crime?

Weather?

Schools?

THANKS :0)

I have no idea what you want to know, or what you expect, based on these questions.

Do you live in a place where you keep your doors unlocked at night, or where you hear automatic gunfire on a regular basis?

Do you live in a place where there's 110 degree temps in the summer? Ice storms in the winter? What do you like?

Yes, Portland has schools. Some children even go to them.

Can you narrow down/expand upon your questions?

[akire]

Originally Posted by GB1

I have no idea what you want to know, or what you expect, based on these questions.

Do you live in a place where you keep your doors unlocked at night, or where you hear automatic gunfire on a regular basis?

Do you live in a place where there's 110 degree temps in the summer? Ice storms in the winter? What do you like?

Yes, Portland has schools. Some children even go to them.

Can you narrow down/expand upon your questions?

I am looking for your personal opinion on the area, what you like best and what you like least in the area. FOR EXAMPLE:

Pros: Many outdoor activities, a large community of young professionals, pet friendly, many trees, I always feel safe, the summers are gorgeous

Cons: The school systems are overcrowded, the weather is too rainy in the spring, the people are too crabby, housing is too expensive, low sallaries

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Portland is a very expensive place to live. I am talking about the "City of Portland" only. Not the Portland "area".
If you compare it to San Francisco or New York, maybe not, but on it's own it's expensive.
It is almost becoming impossible for a young family to get a toehold and start their lives here.
Why do you think everybody advises to have a job or a huge nest egg before you move here?
High taxes, no jobs, high rents, socialist/fascist city government, etc.....

The "groovy, crunchy, down to earth and real" Portland that attracted everybody years ago doesn't exist anymore.
Now it's just a facade.

My advice is to live outside of Portland and Multonmah County and when you want the "Portland Experience" drive into town and live it up, but let the fools that choose to live in this city pay for it.
Your bank account will thank you over and over.

Crime?---Not too bad, but is getting worse.

Weather?---Search the forum for thousands of answers to this question. It's got to be the most asked question on this forum.

Schools?--Mediocre at best.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

High taxes, no jobs, high rents, socialist/fascist city government, etc.....

You know, I know you've been here a while, so your entitled to your rants and you do have some points about the cost of living and the City Council can sometimes be pretty comical in their policies...

But...

It really effing pisses me off when people use the word fascism to describe things that have absolutely nothing to do with totalitarian dictatorships in World War II. I lost most of my ancestors to fascist regimes who overtook Eastern Europe. It's not the same thing as a inefficient city government that supported building a tram or wanted to voted to rename a street Caeser Chavez Blvd. Stop the gotdamn hyperbole... Socialism and fascism aren't even close to being the same thing. This isn't some politically correct thing--I'm just effing sick of people over using that word.

Rant off...

[kapetrich]

What are the pros/cons of living there?
For its size Portland has amazing access to the outdoors. It has a great food culture for such a small city (food carts are a big reason for this). It is very green. It has more jobs compared to most of the state.

It lacks much diversity for a city of its size. It can feel a bit monoculture at times....interestingly, this can be part of its charm.

Crime?
Like others have said, depends where you're coming from. Compared to most urban cities, Portland is VERY low in crime, especially violent crime. But, if you're coming from a smaller area it will most likely be more than what you're used to.

Weather?
Tons of clouds and rain. Summers are some of the most pleasant in the country. Like others have said, not much extreme temps/weather.

---

Originally Posted by Deezus

You know, I know you've been here a while, so your entitled to your rants and you do have some points about the cost of living and the City Council can sometimes be pretty comical in their policies...

But...

It really effing pisses me off when people use the word fascism to describe things that have absolutely nothing to do with totalitarian dictatorships in World War II. I lost most of my ancestors to fascist regimes who overtook Eastern Europe. It's not the same thing as a inefficient city government that supported building a tram or wanted to voted to rename a street Caeser Chavez Blvd. Stop the gotdamn hyperbole... Socialism and fascism aren't even close to being the same thing. This isn't some politcally correct thing--I'm just effing sick of people overussing that word.

Exactly. I try and fight this type of hyperbole/polarized speech every day on this board.

This type of attitude comes down to a total lack of perspective. pdxMIKEpdx, let me fly out to a REAL Fascist state and show you what they're all about. Maybe then you'll see just how representative and free your government truly is. Just because you disagree with something doesn't mean you have to label it to an extreme. Plus, during your entire life and before you were born the USA has had socialist policies - ones that I'm willing to bet you've taken advantage of at one point or another. You really should check the definition of that word. Inherently bad....not so much. Taken to the extreme. Yes, it can be harmful. Just like any 'ism' taken to the extreme.

*Insert slipper slope argument in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....*

Note: My family was on the other end of things, Dezzus. My uncles were both SS officers and part of the Luftwaffe. One of my aunts was killed BY the very fascist state she was partied to because she was autistic (T4 program). These are real things.

Originally Posted by khas247

Steer around Portland or Oregon for that matter. No jobs, everything is expensive, over-populated with homos (its normal everyday life here), bicyclists you'll know what I mean if you get here and it rains 9 months out of the year. No thank you. Oh and I forgot one more piece of info GOOD LUCK FINDING A JOB. I'm in the process of moving out from this god forsaken City or State in that matter.

Glad you're leaving Portland and I'm even more glad you're leaving the State all together. It's funny. I live in a city with a MUCH worse job market and found a job.....but hey......I'm not a bigot.

[Moparjer]

[quote=akire;5374834]I've never been to Portland, but been curious about it, seems like a nice place.

What are the pros/cons of living there? Pros: Lots of things to do and see, places to eat, etc... Cons: Traffic, downtown parking, rude drivers. Did I mention traffic??

Crime? Depends what part of the city you live. Lived in NE Portland 13 years, house burglarized thee times, car twice. Lived in Tigard 10 years, no problems.

Weather? Rain, rain, rain. The weather can be an activities deal breaker in a heartbeat. Want to take in a Rose Festival event? Bring your umbrella and rain slicker.

Schools? I taught for twenty years in Oregon, so I have some first hand experience. When I started teaching in Beaverton in 1980, (I left in 1985), it was one of Oregon's top school districts. Last year I took an online college class and a teacher from Beaverton said it has gone downhill big time. The reasons are obvious and I'm not going there. After Beaverton, I went to Portland Public School District. It was terrible. I moved to Hermiston. It has gone to pot. So, good schools? Lake Oswego, maybe West Linn