We currently live in Utah, and have been seriously contemplating a move in a couple years. I really love the idea of the Pacific Northwest, namely Portland and surrounding area.

But, honestly I've only been there once and it was a long time ago... I don't know much about it besides what I read about online.

I LOVE the hippie vibe, I am a little bit hippie right now, but I want to be even MORE hippie! I want to have a little hobby farm and I want to eat grass-fed meat and have access to raw milk and awesome healthy places to eat. I also want to go to school for Chinese Medicine (herbs, acupuncture, etc.)

Anyways, can people that are from there tell me about the area? How is the school system? How is the job market? Where is an affordable place to live that is a decent mixture of city/rural?

I'm planning on making a trip up there this Spring to scout things out.

Hi! I am sadly not from The PNW... Yet! I have been researching and wishing I could move back to the west coast from orem for at least three years, but it wasn't until I figured out about the church not being the one true thing that I realized- hey! I have the right to make decisions in my family too! I have moved for my husband twice and so I told him I would be moving to Oregon within two years with or with out him. Luckily he is just as ready as I am to leave Utah.
What I know about Oregon I have gleaned from friends, Internet, Portlandia and my brother who served in the Eugene oregon mission. My lil bro says if he could live anywhere it would be Florence Or nearer to Eugene.
Portland is very expensive and more rainy than outcast or down south so there is that to consider.
Someone from Eugene recently said if they could live anywhere it would be Corvallis and I have been thinking about brookings or grants pass so I hope some true Oregonians can respond because i am planning on moving in the early summer and would love some advice as well.

Um, I DO live in Corvallis and it's not ideal for everyone. White people with partners and/or kids can thrive here, but all of the people I work with who are outside that demographic live in Portland and commute. It's a social desert for people of color, gay men, and singles of any type. I keep a tiny apartment in Portland and stay there every weekend (and more if possible). I can admit that I like coming back to my garden and fruit trees after enjoying my urban weekends in Portland, but if I were forced to pick one or the other it would probably have to be PDX.

Portland has very low vacancy rates in its rental market (around 3%) so housing can be a lot of $$.

I effing looove living in Portland. You may find what you want there. Next week I'm getting 1/4 of an organic cow, cut into 1-2 lb cuts, delivered, for $4/lb. schools are mixed, job market is tight, but has loosened a bit in the last year. Urban growth boundary means its easy to find 10 acre hobby farms within a half hour of downtown for 300 or 400k. Or less, I dunno. Email me -- reinventinggrace at y@£00.com if you want to run more questions now or later.
RG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2013 04:30AM by reinventinggrace.

Hippies and Herbals do well in Ashland.

Portland's government is corrupt and race riots are right around the corner. Property taxes are through the roof and the schools are Marxist reeducation camps.

The smart money is in Warshington around the Washougal area but beware of living downstream from Hanford. It's been leaking for decades and no one seems to care.

I spent my first 26 years in Portland and have been in Washington for the past 6. I would recommend the Portland area over Washington any day. I'm stuck here for now but Washington is not a place i could live long term.

The Hillsboro/Forrest Grove area is awesome and growing with lots of farmers markets and diverse living. Hippie lifestyles are so accepted in the Portland area. There is nothing like the Portland downtown area. I get to visit a few times a year but I really miss living there. The school systems are like everywhere else. Some good some bad some mediocre. The Beaverton school district is very good. I would stay out of the Portland school district if you can.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2013 07:15AM by time2go.

Sounds like a much different life than life in Utah. I have visited Portland a couple of times. My only recommendation is...

I hope your favorite colors are green and gray. Yes everything in Portland is green, lots of tall trees, mountains, the coast. For me the constant gray, overcast, drizzle was too depressing. Maybe living that pseudo-hippie life you mentioned will make up for that...

BUT...when the sun shines bright and the sky is clear...it is beautiful. That site is just rare.....

That is something I'm worried about. I've never lived in a gray overcast place before.... and I do like the sunshine, though my skin doesnt like it so much.

Its interesting what you find you prefer in weather. Growing up I hated the clouds and rain. Then I moved to Arizona and the sun everyday made me so depressed. 6 months later I moved back to Oregon and now I get depressed during the summer just waiting for three clouds to come back.

I lived in So. Cal, moved to AZ, and now Utah.

So. Cal is pretty sunny for the most part though you do get the "June-Gloom" gray overcast weather at times. Nothing like Portland Or. though.

I moved from So. Cal. to AZ. I liked all the sunshine, though the heat June-Aug is oppressive.

I now live in Utah and am no fan of the snow, but if you like seasons...(my wife LOVES the seasons, me, not so much), Utah is very pretty during all the seasons. If the Mormons would just move away...Utah would be great...:).

For me...my opinion only, if I could I would move back to So. Cal. I now really appreciate having the ability (for the most part, some exceptions) do plan and go do whatever I want outdoors. In Utah, in the Winter, I get cabin fever...I am no skiier

Both Portland and Seattle are lovely places to live, Portland somewhat less expensive. There are lots of communities and small cities outside that are nice, too, like Beaverton, Oregon City, Vancouver, etc. It's dry and desert-like ("high desert" and "prairie st*ppe") on the other side of the Cascades, but sparsely populated. The best place in Oregon on the dry side is Bend, a rockin' city that is now too expensive to think about, and in Washington it may be Yakima. Yakima has everything, but is hardly worth shouting about. But it has beautiful weather and it's a short drive into the mountains and sits on the confluence of two scenic rivers.

Back to Portland--great city, and you'd love the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2013 11:16PM by Susan I/S.

If you really want to learn about the quirky side of Portland, be sure and watch "Portlandia." Sure it's parody, but it's solidly based on truth, and they use real places.

I have lived in Oregon most of my 46 years. Most summers as a kid were spent in Brookings with my grandparents, I grew up in Eugene, graduated from Portland State University and now I live in Grants Pass. So I guess you could say I know a bit about Oregon. Portland is such a fun city and has something for everyone. I feel the hippie thing is a bit overused in reference to Portland as there really is something for everyone. Shopping is fantastic, the food is even better and just about any type of cultural experience from rock concerts to theatre is available. Yes the rent is high compared to other places in the world, but really not much different than here in Southern Oregon. If I were to move to portland my living preference would be Lake Oswego, Beaverton or Forst Grove.

The downside to Portland (and Eugene) is that it rains. A lot. Eugene has the insufferable drizzle and even though I'm not a hot weather person the drizzle gets so old. But that is what vacations are for! I feel the weather in Grants a pass is far superior, as we are in a micro climate that is much warmer. Summers can get to the 100's and we have excellent growing seasons. While Medford and Grants Pass are quite conservative there is Ashland that has Southern Oregon university and a very liberal/organic/artsy community. And great food too! We also have some fantastic wineries here.

The Oregon coast is gorgeous but some of the towns are in a time warp and are quite depressed economically. And ocean front properties are very expensive. I happen to think Bend is overrated. It is pretty but I don't like high desert and you can get very cold evening temperatures in the summer. If you like to garden it might not be the place for you but if you like hiking and snow sports it is fantastic.

Someone mentioned Washington state as well. My mom lived in the seattle area for many years and let me say I would never live there. You are lucky to get a week of 80 degree weather in the summer. I don't find it any cheaper there either. It just doesn't have the same friendly vibe of Oregon somehow.

Oregon doesn't have a sales tax, but property taxes are high. You cannot pump your own gas (yay!) but the gas doesn't cost any more here than in Washington and it is less than in California. Schools are great in some places and not so great in others. However this is one gorgeous state and we love it here!

People always say, "I love Germany. But it rains. A lot." But that is what makes it beautiful. Same with western Oregon and WA. If it didn't rain, it wouldn't be beautiful. I kinda wish, though, that the rain would actually fall more than it does. The misty drizzle that you often get is a bit annoying.

You are absolutely correct that the rain is what makes Oregon beautiful, but I was making the point that is rains a lot. I mean it rains more days per year than just about anywhere in the country. I personally don't find that to be a problem at all, but others might. This is why I happen to prefer southern Oregon because while we get he rain and the wonderful growing season, we also get sunnier weather in the summer.

The Oregon coast is arguably some of the most beautiful coastline in the country. The ocean is cold, but the rock formations and tree lines are just spectacular. It is a real treat to raise my kids so near the coast, the mountains, the river and even the big city. We have it all!

Here in Grants Pass there are two LDS churches (wards?) that I know of though I rarely see many missionaries. The mormons here a relatively few but quite clique-ish. The doctor's wives tend to have their noses in the air but no one pays much attention to them. They definitely seem to keep to themselves.

I was born and raised in Portland, OR but I'm a war-time baby, graduated from Grant High School in the late 50's. It was a very different place in my growing up years. No freeways. The first mall was built in our area - The Lloyd Center (uncovered in those days.)

Downtown is like many large cities. One way streets, lots of traffic. Mass transit is the way to go for many areas. I rode the busses every day for many years to school and to work, and elsewhere. I'm particularly fond of Meier and Frank (now May Co.)as I worked there for several years, part time and full time.

I have been back dozens of times watching it change and grow and become unrecognizable on many levels. The bridges over the Willamette River are amazing. Some are very, very old, some new.

I still have family and friends there. Many of my school chums never left the area. I plan to visit next year, again.

There are little sections of Portland that have whatever you are looking for. Old areas have been refurbished and are great places to eat.

Most people tend to live outside the city limits in the outlining areas: Hillsboro, Canby, Forest Grove, West Linn,Tualatin, Beaverton,etc.

The Oregon beaches are beautiful. I spent many vacations at the Oregon beaches. My favorite is a little area called: Twin Rocks-Rockaway. Cannon Beach, Seaside, and those areas are very popular but the off seasons are great.
So many of the little beach towns have been modernized. There are dozens of antique stores, and great places to get seafood.

If you are looking at employment, you'll want to live within a reasonable driving distance, however, some commute from Salem and some live in Vancouver, WA (they prefer that state's laws) and work in the Greater Portland Area.

I recommend Portland,OR highly. You can find good schools, mass transit is great, and there are thousands of things to do there!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2013 12:45PM by SusieQ#1.

Portland is a great place to live. Oregon is a very nonreligious state and Multnomah county is the least churchy county in the state. Our unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."
Although I think it ended this summer, for years there was an annual performance of Star Trek in the Park (near one of the bridges), there's the annual nude bike ride, we have more movie theaters and bookstores per capita than almost anywhere else. It's very environmentally friendly (almost to the point of annoyance).

Very green, lots of trees. We're close to the beach and Mt. Hood.
It is sort of expensive and I wouldn't advise coming here unless you have a job lined up, because the unemployment level is still 7.7%

Also a rather large, well established support group for exmormons!

I've been to Portland many many times on business. Between October and May it has been pouring rain at least 50% of the time I was in town. My son lives nearby and says it starts to be a drag after a while - disclaimer he has grown up in more desert climates.

I grew up in Eugene and love Oregon, but couldn't live there again. The grey just kills me. Maybe southern Oregon?

Methford?

Visited friends there in June. Lovely area....where they lived it was really quiet. My friends opened a Nothing But Bundt Cakes franchise there. Not sure of the exact locale...near Tigard I think. Anyhow, they went there since the business opportunity looked good - so said the owners of the company. They are doing well. Good luck if you do move there. I think the rain may make me a bit sad...feel gloomy though.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2013 11:14PM by honestone.

I grew up in a part of Northern CA that was very near the Oregon border so we got a lot of rain too. I love the rain - one thing I hated about Utah was there was way too much sun. One of my friends tried to get me to move to Big Bear lake, thinking the record of sunny days would be a good sales point. Not even. I find rain beautifully warm and cozy. You get used to being wet when you go outside. If you aren't used to it, it might get you down but I view it as a huge plus if I were to move.

I also spent a lot of summer vacations in Eugene and have several high school friends who settled around Grants Pass. My parents best friends retired to a small town in Southern Oregon. If I were you, I'd consider the southern part of Oregon too - everyone I know who has moved there has loved it. That's where I would head. Personally, I find all of Oregon to have a definite hippie vibe which is fine by me. That's how I grew up and if that's what you like, anywhere in Oregon would probably suit you.

My crazy TBM mom, who is fascinated with geology, earthquakes etc. says it's way overdue for a big earthquake, especially considering what's happening on the other side of the Pacific plate. While my mom can be pretty batty about prepper stuff, she's very educated about earthquakes and the latest geological stuff. She should have been a geologist instead of an elementary school teacher, she loves it so. Personally, I'd be much more worried about living in the Salt Lake area, especially with those brick houses everywhere, than in Oregon.

I grew up in Utah, lived a variety of places, moved to Portland about seven years ago. Here's the quick and dirty version.
Things I like:
Great food options for eating out.
Beautiful surroundings. Easy access to a wide range of outdoor pursuits such as skiing, rivers, beaches, biking, etc.
People support local businesses.
Excellent people-watching opportunities since the town is full of unusual folks.
Funky unique vibe.

Things that really suck:
Super-mega-ultra liberal mindset of many people including those who run the town. Seriously. Don't underestimate the level of impact this will have on your sanity if you are a rational person.
Portland public schools are exceptionally rotten.
High priced housing.
High prices in general.
Gloomy wet weather from mid-October thru May.
Ugly jobs situation.
A big homeless problem, Portland welcomes irresponsible drifters and enables them to ruin the city with no consequences.
An overwhelming slacker mentality coupled with an expectation that "rich" people should be taxed heavily to fund everyone else's lazy life.
Hope this helps!

Ah Portland...where 20-somethings go to retire.

My mom lives just outside of Portland. She moved there from a dry, sunny location and was worried she wouldn't like it due to the rain.

She loves it there. Several times she has told me that it really doesn't rain as much as people say. I've been to visit several times and love the climate there.

It is very liberal there. To each his own. Funny true story -

There is a famous donut establishment in downtown Portland called Voodoo Donuts. Many of my friends (all non-Mormons) rave about it. So I took my family - teenage daughters, TBM mom, etc. there for donuts. Huge line, lots of quirky, alternative looking customers, and a menu that boasted several nasty-named donuts...like the cock n balls, shaped appropriately. It was very uncomfortable for me with TBM mom. She didn't say a word about it, even when one of my teenage daughters bought one to take home for her friends. Definitely won't be taking mom there again!

Growing up in Portland is one of the biggest reasons I never fit into the whole mormon thing.

My life experience, education, friends, and life in general didn't fit with the black and white thinking of mormonism. I wanted to be a good mormon, but couldn't do that and still be true to who I am. Mormonism suffocated, and killed my creativity and drive.

I don't know why there are any Mormons in Portland, but there are a bunch of them.

I live in SW WA, which borders Portland. Many live over here, but work in Portland. Pros about Portland: public transit, lots of medical resources, lots of different places of higher learning, opportunities to study the Chinese medicine you said you're interested in, lots of subberbs to choose from outside of Portland, close to recreation of mountains & coast.
Cons: Income tax, government does poor job of funding schools & road maintance, housing costs are high, but I feel property tax in SW, WA is just as high, job market is hard. Based on nightly news lots of crime in Gresham & Salem. Expensive areas - Lake Oswego, Beaverton. School system is the same as anywhere else.