Portland

[ChiefJoJo]

I really loved Portland when I visited there a few years ago--lots of microbrews, and coffee shops too! The MAX system is great as well--I'd love to see the Triangle develop more compactly around transit lines similar to Portland. I wish...

[evian]

Portland: Microbrew Capitol of the World. Heck yes. As far as coffee... dare i say second to Seattle? I feel a debate coming.... :-)

[Former Resident of HR]

I am an Oregonian as well, now living on the East Coast. Whenever I mention Portland people are always saying things like "doesn't it rain a lot there?" or "how far is it from Seattle?"... I was there for two weeks this summer and every year that I go back it gets better and better. I have heard that Boston is a very "European" American city but after living in Europe for a few years, Portland is probably closer than anything else, at least if you don't go to Gresham or Hillsborough hah hah...

ANYWAY, I have something interesting to ask. Your pic of St Helens got me to thinking about some cool pix I remember as a kid of when St. Helens blew and ppl were watching it from Portland, maybe the Broadway Bridge. Do you guys have any of the appocalyptic looking pix that have the Portland city scape with the huge explosion in the background? Thanks.

One last thing: the less people know about Portland, they less they are inclined to move there. I would rather have Portland's "boring" skyline than Seattle's ugly jumble and sterile (meaning no life after dark) CBD any day. Portland's buildings are very modern and international looking, and I am definately proud to be from such a progressive area.

[pdxstreetcar]

what portland really needs is A. an amusment park

Its not all that big but what about???...

Its celebrating its 100 anniversary this year and is one of the oldest amusement parks in the country.

[thewack]

HAHA Oaks Park is a joke. It looks like one if those traveling amusement parks they set up for county fairs. I just don't see a big amusement park like Six Flags investing any time soon. Maybe if they built one off I-5 between Portland and Seattle it would work out.

[Chicagomjb]

I've always wanted to move to portland.. I see the population is only at 500,000. I prefer a city that is a little bigger than that. With all the mega construction i see portland is having do you think that population will go up quite a bit?

[MZT]

Portland has very small city blocks. You feel like you've covered a lot of distance when you walk around it it, after crossing so many streets!

Nobody has said anything about Hawthorne Avenue? [it's kinda like 9th street in Durham, or Pack Square in Asheville, for you N.C. people.] Great place to stroll and look around, and try out the food. The residential areas behind it are interesting too, and well kept up.

People have such misconceptions about the weather. Portland has very comfortable dry, sunny weather in late August, September and the first week or two of October.

[Eternalrsx]

I'm curious about something. I currently live in Tampa Florida but am considering relocating to Portland or Seattle. Now Portland is high on my list because of the mass transit (which tampa lacks), weather, and low housing costs. Is there anything else I should factor in? Traffic, Jobs, Weather, etc. I actually have a job possibility out there so I'm just curious to know more before I make my decision.

I have heard it rains alot out there. Is it true it rains like every other day or is that just people exaggerating. Honestly I like rainy, gloomy days but just curious, also, does it snow there?

[thewack]

It depends on what you define as a rainy climate. Portland I believe gets less rain annually than Miami and several other cities. However, when a storm system moves into the area it may drizzle for a few days and be dark and cloudy. You get used to it quickly. Around my house we like to call rain "Oregon Sunshine." It really isn't bad at all.

Plus, you can't beat the summers. Not too Warm and dry. Better than the sweltering heat and humidity I have been experiencing here in Kansas City this summer.

[Philosophical Sophist]

Ah, makes me miss home.  I grew up in Beaverton (Western Suburb).  Portlland is a great city, though I feel that the light rail system needs a little work to become more viable downtown.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It depends on how long ago you were here. We expanded to the North (Yellow Line) and to the Airport (Red Line) as well as the Gresham to Hillsboro (East-West Blue Line). There is plans for expansion to Clackamas Town Center via the I-205 corrider (Green Line) as well as eliminating the Bus Mall for a looped MAX that will run on 5th & 6th Avenues between Portland State University and Union Station.

All in all, the lightrail at this moment has three lines (Red, Blue, and Yellow) running downtown in the Fareless Square, with two more coming soon!

[Philosophical Sophist]

I've lived in the Beaverton area since I was 5 years old, and am now in college out in the Midwest.  I am aware of the MAX expnasion, and future plans to extend it to Vancouver.  I visit home a few times a year.

Here are my problems with light rail downtown.

1) It is ridiculously slow because it stops every two blocks.

2) Until it gets past Lloyd Center going East, or Goose Hollow going West, it is so slow.  The problem stems from the fact that the system is on street level.  It either needs to be buried or elevated.

3) There are no express lines.  This was not planned out very well when it was first designed. 

Tri-Met is getting the framework for a viable system in place.  However, if it is really going to have an impact to get people out of their cars more often, then it needs to have express lines and be elevated.  I believe burying it would be too expensive and there may be conflicts with the water table.

Elevating the lines in downtown would keep the system from shutting down whenever there is a parade, run, or some big event around Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Making an express line from say Hillsboro TC to downtown with one stop at Beaverton TC would be one good option.  A similiar line could be done for the Eastside portion.  If there were rail spurs that rejoined with the mainline, the cars could be timed so that the local and express lines run conurrently.

Hopefully once the groundwork is laid to Vancouver, and the base is complete, the system can be made more competitive.  Someday it might be good to have more than 2 cars to a train.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with you for the most part.

1 & 2) The downtown stops do slow down the ride considerably, but also, it is Fareless Square and the heart of the city, so even if it was underground or elevated I think either way it would have the same number of stops. You are right though that the nice thing about it if it were elevated would be when the parades interupt service.

3) I agree that an express from Hillsboro TC to Beaverton on the west side would be gratly appreciated (as I live in downtown Portland and have to work in Hillsboro. While it probably will not happen exactly from Hillsboro to Beaverton, what a co-worker and I have discussed is the idea of two extra sets of tracks (for the express MAX) that expresses it to ever transit center and ends at Sunset for the West and Hollywood in the East.

[thewack]

Don't get me wrong, I am a proponent of light rail in the Portland area but it needs a few improvements. I visit home a few times a year.

Where in Portland are you living? I keep hearing how much home prices are rising in the city. I am thinking about moving back home after graduation. From what I've heard if you are not making a whole lot of money the way to go is North Portland. Possibly the Mississippi Ave area or St. Johns.

[electricmonk]

Man I miss Portland. I lived there in the early 90's and had a blast. My favorite hangouts were Ankenny's Pizzza and Saloon at the Saturday Market, The Lotus Card Room, X-Ray Cafe, Satyricon, and a few other places.

Here's a couple photos, I'll try to get more up soon.

[NCB]

Great Pictures!

Portlant looks very nice in all of the photos i've seen of it, I hope to visit one day.

[JDC]

Nobody has said anything about Hawthorne Avenue? [it's kinda like 9th street in Durham, or Pack Square in Asheville, for you N.C. people.] Great place to stroll and look around, and try out the food. The residential areas behind it are interesting too, and well kept up.

Of all places, I never expected to find a reference to Durham in a Portland thread.

[tombarnes]

Portland has one of the nicest downtown areas in the country. What impressed me the most about Portland is the strong sense of civic pride expressed by nearly everyone I encountered. The people of Portland really do seem to care about their city and it shows.

[Jparsons]

I have to agree with all of you that Portland is America's most european city, and without any argument in my opinion, Americas BEST city. It is funny that few people know of how great a city it is. But really it is good that it is not hyped about. In fact that is one of the things that make it cool. It is nice too see a west coast town that is 10x better than San Francisco where people can still be career waiters, bell boys, gas station attendants and afford to raise a family and own a home in the coolest city America claims. GREAT people, restaurants, TRANSPORTATION, scenic beauty, proximity to natural wonders, architecture, mild climate and low cost of living are all huge perks. I am moving there this week and my wife and I could not be happier.

[Sundodger]

^ You can't make a living with an entry level, no skill job in Portland, the housing prices are too high.

[Jparsons]

^ You can't make a living with an entry level, no skill job in Portland, the housing prices are too high.

I believe that all depends on how long ago that person established themsleves in Portland. A few years ago it was half of what it is today to buy a home. Plus many neighborhoods around portland have houses at the national average price for starter homes, which is not too bad. My main point to make though, is take a look at ALL west coast major cities north and south of Portland. Housing prices are anywhere from 50% to 300% higher in all of them. My feeling is that if a person wishes to live on the west coast, an entry level job in Portland will get them further than comperable west coast major cities.

[Sundodger]

Again, Portland is expensive. You have to go to resort communities or south to north central California or all the way north to Seattle to find prices as high as Portland.

You have to live in Longview, Eugene, Coos Bay, etc. to live on an unskilled or teenager wage. Spokane, Boise, Yakima, and the Tri-Cities are significantly more affordable too. Portland is not an affordable city. With the types of growth restrictions in place there, it is very tough to be affordable.

[city watcher]

I live in nashville and the Portland skyline looks good to me. It doesnt look boreing from what i've seen

[swh1972]

I had a chance to visit Portland last week (from Charlotte) for the first time. Unfortunately, I was there on business, and didn't get a chance to do too much sight seeing, but I was impressed with the little of it that I did see. I will definitely have to make a trip back some time for leisure.

[ChiefJoJo]

OK, I am from NC and lived here all my life but I have always had this feeling that Portland somehow fits me so well ever since I visited there in July 1999. I'm sure a lot has changed since then (LRT to PDX, etc.) but I really loved the place. Great walkability, pubs (Bridgeport, McMenemins, Oregon Microbrew Festival! ) Powell books, the coffee shops, the beautiful scenery, forest park, superior transit system, the cool bridges, the river, the summer weather, left-leaning politics, sustainable growth and planning. I'm giving some thought to relocating there, so I'm curious...

What are the housing prices like, say for an 800 sf condo semi-near the center city or along an LRT line? I know this winter has been pretty rainy--how bad is it? People lose it here in Raleigh when we get 3-4 days of rain in a row. What is the economy like there in terms of decent to well-paying jobs? (I have a background in engineering and planning) Crime? Higher education? (ie, PSU, etc)

Much thanks in advance!