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PNW'ers, how do you like it? Specifically Portland.

jlee

jlee

Lifer
Completely out of the blue, in a matter of hours this afternoon I ended up lining up housing and quite likely a job (will find out tomorrow) in Portland OR.

Who's up there, and why should I go (or should I stay in AZ)? I've heard that Portland is awesome...a more temperate climate would be nice, but I'm not sure I want to deal with drizzly rain all winter. On the other hand, 110f+ summer temps might be about as annoying.
 
i was born there
my parents live south of the city
the traffic is really bad compared to 10-15 years ago

the climate is what it is, you either like it or don't
 
I'll be up there next weekend. I'll love the temperature, just not sure if I want to deal with rain. On the other hand, I'm not sure I want to deal with the summer temp in AZ either. Either is worlds better than NH, which is why I decided to GTFO from there.
 
I loved living in Vancouver and will move back when I can. Portland has great beer and the weather will either grow on you or depress you.
 
I was there today and it was cold and raining. That would get to me.

But if the job is a good one I'd give it a shot if I were you.
 
Dirigible said:
I was there today and it was cold and raining. That would get to me.

But if the job is a good one I'd give it a shot if I were you.
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Job would be a transfer with my current company - same thing, just a better system to work with...
 
Ah. I was hoping you'd gotten a leo job. Dang. Well then you gotta make the call about your rain tolerance.

I could've moved there and stayed in my same job. I didn't, largely because of the rain and the limited mtn biking close to the city proper.
 
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I've lived in the PNW my whole life but I've been to 37 or so states in various seasons. I would not trade July though October here for anywhere else.
 
skyking said:
I've lived in the PNW my whole life but I've been to 37 or so states in various seasons. I would not trade July though October here for anywhere else.
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What about November through June? November through April/May is beautiful down here, but summer is going to be a little warm. 😛

Dirigible said:
Ah. I was hoping you'd gotten a leo job. Dang. Well then you gotta make the call about your rain tolerance.

I could've moved there and stayed in my same job. I didn't, largely because of the rain and the limited mtn biking close to the city proper.
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Not yet - in a hiring process down here but they're dragging their feet, no offer yet. Portland PD has reserves, and also a mounted unit (which I really want to do). Ideally I'd get hired by a PD up there, but in the meantime I could do a seamless transition with my current place (assuming they have openings on the contract I want, anyway).
 
Pacific Northwest is the most beautiful part of the country, in my opinion. Grew up there. Been in the military now 7 years so I've traveled all over the country (including driving from Washington to Georgia, so I got to see a lot of it).

The rain is very much worth it (again, in my opinion).
 
I've driven the entire east coast and didn't find anywhere I'd like to live...much of it is too humid for me. Not a fan of everything between the east and west coast, and Cali is too expensive (and they hate cars)...settled for AZ since it's dry and doesn't snow (well, not in Phoenix anyway)...but it's taken forever for anything to work out down here, so I'm tempted to try a new place while I'm still young/single/unattached. Wouldn't even be bad for the resume since I'd be working for the same place!

How are the roads up there? Curvy canyon/mountain roads, or straight and boring?
 
jlee said:
How are the roads up there? Curvy canyon/mountain roads, or straight and boring?
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both. you have a coastal mountain range and the Cascade mountains, so you can find all the windy stuff you like. you can go along the coast/ocean. you can head inland to the desert and find long straight roads in the middle of nowhere
 
FoBoT said:
both. you have a coastal mountain range and the Cascade mountains, so you can find all the windy stuff you like. you can go along the coast/ocean. you can head inland to the desert and find long straight roads in the middle of nowhere
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Yup. I'd say the coastal route (is that 101? Been a while since I've been back there) is one of the awesomest places to drive. I'd love to take my M3 there but haven't had the opportunity.
 
June through September is pretty nice, typically. However, October through May is usually hell.

If you're immune to depressing gray/clouds/endless-overcast/post-apocalyptic-weather(You know, like in The Road?)... then you'll do fine.

If you're not, you're going to hate the weather. And depending on what you do, weather could mean a lot. Either way, it's something that can grow on you or really make you displeased.

I'm the kind that hates that weather. I lived in the more southern parts of Oregon for close to 18 years and so I got more sunshine than Portland, but I lived in the Portland area for 2-ish years. Now I'm in Seattle and I loathe it. The further north I go, the less I like the weather. 🙁 Portland is depressingly gray a lot of the time, but a lot of the PNW is (when in cities).
 
The rain is constant and the lack of sunshine really wears on some people. The city is small but there is usually enough to do. I lived there for 2 years an I have lived in worse places. Too small for me and no NHL team were the 2 things I disliked the most about it after the constant rain in the winter. It rains in the summer, too.

Michael
 
jlee said:
What about November through June? November through April/May is beautiful down here, but summer is going to be a little warm. 😛



Not yet - in a hiring process down here but they're dragging their feet, no offer yet. Portland PD has reserves, and also a mounted unit (which I really want to do). Ideally I'd get hired by a PD up there, but in the meantime I could do a seamless transition with my current place (assuming they have openings on the contract I want, anyway).
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It is a mixed bag. you can get rained out, PDX also has some really treacherous ice storms, still enough winter weather to appreciate the rest of the weather.
As far as mounted units, riding up here is quite good. If you've ever been on horseback in 90 degrees and 90% humidity, the opposite is very, very nice.
I'd say go for it for one reason alone: You got down to AZ that way and learned about it, checked it out. Now is the time of your life to do these things.
 
I lived in the PDX metro area (Tigard) for almost 3 years.

Summers are usually mild, and most rentals (and houses) don't have A/C. When it does get hot it's bad. Winters are usually cool and drizzlely, but can ice over quickly. If it does ice try not to drive, the hilly nature of the city makes it very treacherous.
If you live at an elevation above 500ft or so winter tires are not a bad idea and snow chains and an ice scraper are something that should always be carried.

There are plenty of curvy roads and scenic drives to take. Driving out to Cannon Beach and taking 26 from Portland to Mt Hood were my favorites.

People are pretty friendly but tend to move at a bit slower pace than what I have experienced in other cities.

I miss it, but SoCal isn't bad either.
 
I'm used to shitty roads, though NH salted so they usually weren't too bad. I'll have all terrain tires and 4x4 anyway though, so snow isn't the end of the world. I'm not sure I want to deal with it though, as I really despise cold. I guess I'll see how I like it next week, and go from there.

How's OR for carry permits? Any CA-esque laws I need to know about (for anything..cars..guns..etc)?
 
PNW lifer here, going on 24 years.

Echoing what others said, things are slowed down and low-key here compared to bigger west coast cities. Things are much more affordable as well; lower rent, lower cost of living, and no sales tax.

Portland is about 90 minutes from the Pacific coast, 90 minutes from the slopes of Mt. Hood, and 30 minutes from the Columbia River Gorge.

The weather so far this year has been wetter than normal. The summers are relatively mild (80s-90s). The winters are mild as well; it gets cold, but we rarely get snow. If you suffer from SAD, the cloudy days might get to you. I personally would take an overcast/65F day over a sunny/90F day; I hate hot weather.

jlee said:
How's OR for carry permits? Any CA-esque laws I need to know about (for anything..cars..guns..etc)?
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Oregon's gun laws are great. The state doesn't have reciprocity with its carry permits, but they are easy to acquire; it's a "shall issue" state for the most part. No FFL transfer/background check required for FTF private party firearms sales, and no "cooling off" period like CA for purchases from FFL dealers. No magazine size limits like CA either.
 
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