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| *Travel Tips>>>Portland Travel Tips |
Relocating from Los Angeles, CA. to Portland, OR - What are the pros and cons? |
Travel Info I am a single mom looking to relocate to Portland so I'd like to get as much local info as possible....high schools, neighborhoods/towns (middle class black family - renting), overall vibe of native Oregonians, etc. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks! Travel Tips Well I can tell you when you first get here you will be loving our air. And you would probably love Portland. It is very clean, friendly and diverse. The rest of the state is hit and miss. The best schools in Portland (academically) are Lincoln and Wilson. The worst(academically) in Portland are probably Jefferson and Roosevelt Highschools. Good luck. I'm sure you will love Portland. Please don't listen to lishawira or whatever her name is. She is silly and her avatar's face illustrates that she is a grumpy person. I've been to LA many times, trust me it is much cleaner here. The people here are very friendly. If you smile, I guarantee people here will smile back and usually engage in conversation. If you want to see how beautiful it is, check out this link to a photo. Source(s): http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-o... Other Travel Tips I live in Eugene, but can give you a general idea of Oregon. Eugene and Portland are liberal areas. The rest of the state is very redneck. There is racial diversity and acceptance in Eugene, Portland and perhaps Corvallis, but the rest of the state is largely white and more racist than one would expect. Oregon is a progressive, yet very poor state. There aren't any general hospitals like there are in California and there isn't any safety net at all for single adults. I know this doesn't apply to you, but just trying to give you the lay of the land. We have lots of good ideas here, but no money to back them up. In recent years, we've had schools about to close early because they ran out of money. Up until the 1980's, Oregon made it's living from the woods. There were lots of sawmills that paid well and the state collected a lot of money from woodland. In the 1980's, timber was running short. I believe it's 2/3 of Oregon is land held by the state or federal govenment as wilderness or parks. The federal government would sell off timber from the national forests and Oregon got a cut of that. Due to environmental concerns and other problems, Oregon has lost most of its timber revenue and there hasn't been anything to replace that money. We started tightening our belts back in the early 1980's, and we're still being asked to do that. There's not much left to cut now. Many of the amenities we used to enjoy are gone. Rural policing is one of those things. I used to live out in the country, between Eugene and Roseburg. I was up in the mountains, so it took the police a while to get the 20 miles up the mountain road, but they did come if you called. Now, forget it. They've closed most of the state police offices that were in small towns. Now, there's only one state policeman at night between Roseburg and Eugene, which is an area of over 100 miles. The police won't come out for anything but a murder. We have a real problem with methamphetamines here. That's probably not unusual, being as most of the country has trouble with meth. We have state income tax and high property taxes. We don't have a sales tax. It rains, sometimes, nine months out of the year. Oregonians just get used to doing things in the rain. Very few Oregonians bother with umbrellas. It's just too much trouble when it rains all the time. lol State schools and even junior colleges are expensive here. The public schools have lost most of their music programs, etc. because of lack of funding. There are good highschools, but things you would expect to be free have to be paid out of the parent's pocket if you want your child to participate. Okay, now the plus side: The rain makes it very green and beautiful here. The summers are gorgeous. We do have changing seasons, so you'll see autumn leaves and a bit of snow every few years. The climate is relatively mild and it doesn't snow every year in the Portland area. Portland, and anywhere in the Willamette Valley, are just a couple of hours from either the beach or the mountains. You can ski in one direction, or go to the beach in the other direction. If you're into outdoors sports, Oregon is great. We have good fishing, hunting, sking, snowboarding, sailing, you name it. If you like to watch sports, several of the towns like Eugene and Salem, have minor league baseball teams and you can have the experience of going to a stadium and seeing a game for a fraction of what it costs in big cities. Oregonians are very environmentally aware. We tend to recycle everything. Organic foods are available everywhere, including stores like Safeway. There are wonderful farmers markets where you can buy straight fromt he farmers. Portland has a lot going on where the arts are concerned. Poetry jams, art shows, concerts, and theater. Housing has gone up by over 100% in the last ten years. It's been astonishing. However, it'll still be cheaper than southern California. If you look at the Oregonian, the Portland newspaper, you can check out prices. It's online at www.oregonlive.com We're progressive in odd ways... we allow medical marijuana and assisted suicide. Not much in the way of programs for kids, but hey, if you're in pain we'll let you smoke weed and if the pain is terminal, we'll help you kill yourself. Oopps... my bias is showing through. lol If you want to ask me any specific questions, feel free to email me at oregonannie@gmail.com Been in Oregon for over 30 years. First off, be prepare for the misty rain and cleaner air. The greater Portland is a faction the size of L.A. and much less traffic in comparison. In general, Portland is open minded and not racially discriminating. It is great living but employment is weak. They have one of the highest ratio of restaurants per capita in the country if that is saying something. I visited L.A. a few times and I would pick Portland over L.A. anyday and anytime to raise my child. Things have gotten expensive in the recents years but not half as bad as in CA. At least you can still find a modest but decent 3 bedroom home not way far in the suburb for under 200k and the same type of house for rent for around 1000-1200 per month. What do you get for that in L.A.??? P.S. Almost forgot, ZERO sales tax helps stretch the money too. Lived in Portland for over a decade and moving back soon. Please see the following question for my answer : Why are so many Californians moving to Oregon? Also, though Oregon is much cleaner and an over all better place to live, unlike what Lisa said, Portland is NOT cleaner! Portland would be the LAST place I would want to live in Oregon. I would rather be tortured for the rest of my life than EVER live in Portland! It is UGLY, DIRTY, CROWDED AND PEOPLE ARE NOT VERY FRIENDLY AT ALL!! However, since you are moving from a conglomerate, big city, I'm sure you will be right at home. |
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