Tell me about portland, the websites only say the good stuff I need other info from people who have moved there.?
I might move from the ft lauderdale, fl area where I have lived my whole life, to the portland area. If I move I will be going with my truck driver dad, waitress mom, high school aged sister, and my older sister. Also, I will have just graduated from college with a degree in journalism.
Does the state income tax really hurt a person that much in oregon? (Both florida and washington dont have state income tax)
Is the weather less or more gray/damp than seattle?
How is the crime rate (in comparison to a place like south fl which is pretty high)?
What about jobs? What kind? I know there are more in seattle, but are there a sufficient amount in portland anyways?
Is Buying a house is expensive, what about apartments? I dont care about living downtown, are the suburbs/commute okay?
what is it like compared to seattle? Ive heard there are a lot of hippies, less jobs.. Portland to me is much more beautiful then Seattle.
It rains less so I would say it isn't as gray but we are the northwest.
Portland is a more livable city meaning we have more neighborhood communities.A lot of people like to live downtown personally I like the neighborhoods better. Depending on the neighborhood and such buying a home can be expenisive but is certainly cheaper then a lot places and I believe cheaper then Seattle. My dad just bought a house a few years ago large lot 3 bedroom 2 bath for under 170. But it all depends on where you want to live.
Portland has one of the best public transpiration systems in the country you can pretty much get anywhere on it or within walking distance, and most buses run every 10mins or less during rush hours.
We dont have Sales tax which to me is huge plus when your shopping and adding things up you dont have to worry about guessing at the tax. State tax isn't that bad I don't think. although I'm not positive on how the job market is doing. Yes there are alot of hippies Portland's weird we have all types and everyone loves everyone lol.
Crime rate is pretty low every city has some but Portland's is pretty low. It rains for about 9 months and is near perfect for 3.
There are many service industry minimum wage jobs, but min wage is over $7. As a general rule people are overqualified for the jobs they hold in that city. Several people that work at Powell's have their masters.
Well, you wouldn't have sales tax in Portland.
I don't know about less or more gray. If I had to guess I would say slightly more. It snows more in Seattle though.
Hardly any crime in the city. Some of the burbs are bad, but still not that bad.
Renting isn't too bad right now, but I'd imagine it won't be long until it is since there are so many people moving there.
Houses are EXPENSIVE. I'm not even sure if you can get anything for under $400,000 and we're talking in the bad area of the city.
You should care about living downtown. Living in or near downtown is the whole point of living in Portland.
Traffic can be bad depending on where you're at. The layout to cross the bridges isn't good. Some of the burbs you can take the Max Light Rail to without a problem.
Seattle: More expensive, bigger physically, hilly, has the sound and is overall more beautiful. Not very good public transportation. People live in Seattle to work and play hard with a laid back way of life. It is more like a real city and tech based.
Portland: Has TONS of homeless and people on drugs. They even have a homeless city/camp. The city is clean, but at the same time gritty. Good public transportation. Portland is more of a place where people hang out and enjoy life. It is known for having the most strip clubs in a city.
Both might as well be on another planet for how different they are from Ft Lauderdale. If you're into the environment, politics and protesting, are weird, can handle 9 months of gray skies, like riding a bike everywhere and not driving then you will like it. Otherwise if you're the sort of person that likes Florida even a little bit it is likely you will hate it. www.livepdx.com
jobdango.com
Crime rates has drastically decreased over the years, down 16% since 2004/5ish. Jobs here may be less than Seattle but we have giant companies like Nike, Intel, IBM, Adidas(Portland base) and so forth. Jobs here are more accesible than most places.
I live in Lake Oswego, dont live here. Houses are way over priced and there isnt really a real public transportation other than your car. It's the place for Oregonian Yuppies, bad bad place. No hippies in Lake Oswego, more Yuppies.
I say Beaverton is the best choice after Portland for living. |
