PRO's
1) Willamette and Columbia Rivers - I must admit, I am attached to water features (be it a lake, the ocean or a river). I also love activities around water (swimming, kayak/canoeing, fishing, ect..), so having these two waterways in the city, is such a positive.
2) Parks - Portland has some fantastic parks. Washington Park, Hoyt Arboretum, Forest Park, Pittock Mansion, Mt. Tabor, just to name a few. Not to mention all the parks actually in the city itself. I live near Laurelhurst Park, and it would be a perfect example of a city park in an old established Portland neighborhood.
3) Food/coffee/booze - We really have it good for these things. Restaurants, roasters and wineries/distillaries/brewers.....we got ya covered.
4) Bike friendly - we have a lot of bike friendly path ways and routes. Good for commuting and just for fun and exercise.
5) Entertainment - Portland boasts a number of theatres for everything from concerts to plays. Combined with our eateries and outdoor activities, it can be a pretty entertaining town. Lots of local events as well.
6) Architecture - most of the older Portland neighborhoods, have beauitiful homes and great layouts for including small shops, theatres, breweries and restaurants. Depending on where you choose to live, you can almost walk to everything you need. (my area is a great example of this).
7) Weather - This belongs in the "con" section as much as the "pro" section. It is a temperate climate, so no terrible extremes. Not too hot during summer (with the exception of a few days to a week or two). Not too cold during winter (think midwest winters.....not.even.close! hehe). And you can experience the change in seasons for the most part.
8) People - Again, another pro AND con. We have some friendly, weird, funny people....just like any place I suppose. Again, watch "Portlandia" for some interesting riffs on the people of PDX..ha!
9) Liberals - if you fall on the liberal side of things, this place has you covered. We haven't had a conservative mayor/city council since the 70's...practically.
10) Recycling - Portland does this like a religion.
11) Diversity in geography - LOL wasn't sure how to word that. Basically, PDX is has easy access to a lot of land features. The ocean is only an hour to an hour and half away. Mt. Hood is in the opposite direction, and has skiing (both downhill and xcountry) and snowshoeing during winter, and hiking/climbing, mt. biking, fishing, swimming (lots of lakes in the Mt. Hood region) during the summer. And the Gorge is absolutely one of my favorite places to go, and it's just a quick ride out on I84.
CON's
1) Politics - For someone like me who is admittedly a moderate, the politics in this town are too liberal. It has caused a rate of taxes that is over the top, IMO. Even though we don't have a sales tax in Oregon, we have the following (BTW, I am speaking strictly as a Multnomah County resident): the usual federal/state income tax, a Multnomah County income tax, a Metro tax, Property tax (if you own property). Then there are the taxes we forget about; luxery taxes, gas tax, utility taxes, ect... This wouldn't be so bad if my next "con" wasn't on the list.
2) Jobs and Businesses - We had more jobs created in the public sector than in the private sector. This doesn't work well (but it can also explain the higher taxes, eh? hehe). We need the private industry and businesses to be bolstered to support these communities and to pay these taxes in the first place. Unfortunately, Portland has been unaccomidating for sometime on encouraging small business and industry. We are very fortunate that Nike, Intel, and some other bigger companies have been willing to stay. But we have missed out on opportunities, and small businesses get the bums rush quite often. I mentioned food related businesses being booming. There is SOME truth to that. But more often than not, it is simply of "one business leaves, the likes of it replaces". Not a lot of staying power, in other words.
3) Housing - While in comparison to other cities, it seems relatively reasonable. Problem has to do again with job availability (and in turn, ones income), and whether you rent or own. Since this is an area of business for me, I would be more than happy to give you something in depth. It's not exactly a Con so much, as a "shop and compare" sort of situation.
4) People - this category could be viewed with any other city attached to it. (-----> "Portlandia".....hehe)
5) Weather - It rains....sometimes a lot.....like right now.
So what is the end result. *shrug* The Pro list is longer, but the Con list can determine whether or not you even have the opportunity to enjoy that Pro list. And that is the rub of it. If you do find decent work, and you can get past some of the *meatheads* at city hall *giggle*, then I would say this is a great place to be! I sure as hell would welcome you with open arms.
Oh, and one last thing. Since your daughter may be looking for schools, Portland does have a number to choose from. Everything from Universities, colleges, and vocational schools. Quite a variety, but not sure what appeals to her beyond what she was studying (midwifery).Hope this helps, chica!
Modifié par coldwetn0se, 30 octobre 2012 - 10:01 .
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