Why? az sucks, hot dry brown yuck. I can't breath there. Portland, Oregon. The weather is beautiful. Portland Oregon because it's a beautiful part of the country and I prefer the climate opposed to Phoenix, AZ where it's stifling hot during the summer. There are pros' and cons' with both cities. I have lived in
both and though each is large and sprawling, and
have much of the same attractions, the weather is the most
important thing to consider. Portland has a mild climate, and
Phoenix has an extreme climate. If you like 85F at Easter,
and 120F during the month of August, with high humidity,
then you would love it. Even for the seasoned natives tho, they shop in the mornings during the long hot days of summer, which begin when most cities are thawing
out from winter, and their spring weather and temps are still
on the way. In July, the monsoons (thunder and showers)
settle in, bringing with them the humidity. Which can be very oppressing. People swim at night and early morning, because the pool water is too warm to swim in during the day. Because of the more comfortable nights, people often stay up late and do their playing as opposed to the miserable daytime heat. And during the day, people take it easy, and
rest or nap, or do things that don't tire out the body. You learn
to make appointments for doctors and dentists during the
cooler parts of the day.
There is a different lifestyle in both locations. Portland, a
bit more relaxed. And the temperatures are a bit like that also. You can play sports outside for more months during
summer than you can attempt in the hotter climate of Phoe-
nix. Both have areas outside the city known for their
beautiful landscapes, but in Phoenix, you have to make sure
you always take water in your car and on you, in case your
car breaks down in the torturous sun and heat. In Portland,
you never have that threat to worry about. A moderate
summer there, is rarely to the extreme and is below the
90f mark most of the time. There are exceptions sometimes
but they aren't the norm. Not like Phoenix, where the heat is
usually consistant during the long months. I found the main
months of comfort there were from November thru March.
It all depends on your weather preference. But you can learn
to adapt to either in a short time. Myself, I prefer, Portland. Portland, Oregon..Great weather, nice people and lots of green..Not to mention when you live in Portland you are about an hour away from desert, ocean beaches, mountains and right in the city..Love it there. Dee can't say it better-Portland is awesome!! The rose festival, OMSI=Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Waterfront park, not to mention everything out side of Portland=Multnomah Falls, Mt Hood, the beaches, ect!! It's a very beautiful city to live in!! I don't know if you could compare two more different cities.
Everything that Portland is, Phoenix is not - and vice versa.
And if politics is important to you, Portland is one of the most progressive (if not the most) cities in the country. People in general are much more active in their community and beyond.
People are much more out and about - biking, public transit, the many parks and open spaces.
Whereas in Phoenix it's very conservative (especially for a large city). And for crying out loud, they've been re-electing John freakin' McCain for the last 20 years. That should warn you about something.
Phoenix embodies the "lock myself up in my air conditioned SUV" and cart my 2.4 kids between the strip malls and soccer practice.
As far as the poster who said the Portland and Phoenix are both "sprawling" cities, I couldn't disagree more. Phoenix is the epitome of a sprawling city (worse than LA, imo) whereas Portland is the poster child for urban planning.
If Portland had the density that Phoenix does, it's footprint would be twice it's size if not more. Let's see:
Phoenix - Desert, crime, heat, ZERO culture
Portland - Exact opposite
I pick Portland Portland, Oregon. Probably Portland just because its too hot in Phoenix How is this even a question??? Portland for sure! Yes, I'm wondering too... I can understand the 129 postings of the Seattle v. Portland question...
But Portland v. Phoenix? and I even saw Portland v. Florida?
Next we'll have...
"Which city do you like better Portland, Oregon or Jackson, Mississippi?"
I don't mean to sound like a snob, but honestly there is absolutely *no* comparison in my opinion. The kind of people who are into Phoenix and Florida are probably not the kind of people who would like Portland or the Pacific NW.
It all depends on what kind of place you'd like to live in and what you're used to/comfortable with.
If you're choosing a place to live because you're actually going to be living *IN* the city or close enough to go there very frequently (daily/weekly) ... then you need a place with good transport and stuff to do. Portland is such a place.
When people from the east coast ask me about Portland, I say it's like Boston only more liberal, more creative, greener, warmer and has better surrounds. If you're looking for something more like NYC (although there's truly really no place like NYC) then you might be happier in Seattle or Vancouver.
If you like a suburban lifestyle i.e. "Let's go to TGI Friday's for dinner after we pick the kids up from soccer in our Eddie Bauer Edition Ford Explorer"... then go for Phoenix because it's allllll suburbs, and the actual "city part" of it is real lacking in any kind of substance.
***Any kind of suburb is like that*** no matter where you live.
Same stripmalls, different weather, same people, different accents.
If you live in a suburb, and plan on moving... but to another suburb - you might want to save money on the U-Haul and just stay where you are. The only benefit to Oregon for most will probably be the zero sales tax on tacky logo shirts from Abercrombie & Fitch. Portland OR.
Phoenix hot and GROSS! Portland |
