Relocate to Portland or Chicago? I must admit....?

Hello,

I was researching relocating. I am born and raised in the Jersey burbs, and frankly I have to get out of this place - so boring and I need a change! I just graduated college in May with a Communications degree. I also have an AA in journalism but I want to become a paralegal - anyway - I was researching relocation areas and I came up with Chicago. Main reason, I can get rid of my car, I hate driving! I'm not tied to Chicago, just weighing my options on where to start my life. Now people tell me to relocate to Portland. I have never been to either place and must admit I know NOTHING about Portland except I watched some trailblazers games once or twice, lol. What is it like there for single, black female, 26? Are the jobs plentiful? And can you get around without a car? I would like an apartment - 1 bedroom, no more than $800 rent. What are some good neighborhoods? Thank you!

Theres a few of those questions I cant answer but, theres a couple I can! :) I've lived in Portland for a little over a year but, Ive become pretty familiar with it.

You can definately get around without a car. There's busses that run usually every 15 minutes. Im from San Diego and up here theyre definately more into public transportation which I think is great, except the bus drivers like to put on their signals and just go in front of you like you arent there! But whatever.. :)

Second, finding a 1 bedroom apartment for under 800 will be simple! Our first apartment was a 2 bed 1 bath for $610 and now we have a 2 bed 2 bath with a master for $725 which includes a storage unit that we rent thats located in our complex.

A few good places to look for an apartment are Gresham, West Linn, and then theres places that are on the outskirts like Oregon City, Canby & Boring. Nice places. :) Good luck!!

Ps. I hope you enjoy the rain though, I know I do! =)

It would be prety easy to find a job if you looked arround in the paper and online. If you wanted to get arround w/o a car stay in the city but it is close quarters, mainly because its a rapidily growing city. It is one of the most bike freindly cities so that may help

Portland has great public transportation and you can pretty much get anywhere without a car. If you have a bike, you can take your bike with you on the busses or on the light rail and bike the last few blocks you need to go. The Blazers are playing great now! Better than the Bulls!

To be honest, Portland can feel a bit segregated. It's a pretty white city...that said, I know plenty of African American's here as well. It's not nearly as diverse as Chicago, however.

There are lots of jobs, here, for sure. I'm sure you could find paralegal work. Portland is a beautiful place. 90 minutes to the Pacific Ocean, an hour to the mountains, 2-3 hours to the high desert. If you are outdoorsy at all, you'll love it here. We have a huge park in the city that has trails that go for over 20 miles. It's called Forest Park and it's really incredible.

Chicago has much more cultural type things...the incredible museums, etc. It's a much much larger city than Portland. Chicago is less safe than Portland, but does have more things going on. Portland has great culture, but it's a bit more low key than Chicago. We have incredible food here and chefs are flocking to Portland for the cheap rent and local ingredients. Seriously, there are so many places to eat out that are incredible.

Anyway...I think you should think about what kind of city you want. A huge city full of cultural opportunities, or a more laid back mellow city where anytime a Bush comes to visit we have huge protests. Good luck!