How do you feel about Portland?

[Not_A_Doc]

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I'm looking for some opinions on Portland, OR.

I just got back from an interview at OHSU and didn't fall in love with the city. Most people I have talked to go on about how awesome they think the city is. Perhaps I built it up in my mind but I found the city lacking in a few ways. I'm from a medium size public ivy college town in the Midwest. People here are pretty motivated. I found the pace of Portland a little slower than I expected for a city of its size. Lots of thirty year olds who seemed to take little pride in their appearance, or the direction of their lives. (I mean no offense, but this was just my observation)

I was was really hoping to like Portland. It could have been that i spent most of my time downtown, and was only there a short time.

So, if any natives are on here please chime in! I like to get some opinions outside of my experience.

 

[JLT223]

Too much rain

 

[BeaverLover]

Downtown area is hipster af. Lived here all my life so I don't feel anything special about it, but we don't have sales tax...PM if you have specific Q's

 

[DuckDS]

Portland is really nice in the summer! Lots to do in the city and lots of outdoor rec activities nearby. The rain isn't too bad, you get used to it. Definitely hipster, though.

 

[Typical Average Student]

I lived in Portland and Beaverton for 6 years and absolutely love the state, not for its city, but for its forests and mountains. If you're an outdoors kinda person, Oregon is awesome for that. Albeit it does rain a lot, but it is a really nice place to get away from the fast city life. It is very hipster and people express themselves freely which makes it ideal for younger folk.

 

[plumerias]

I'm not a native but my boyfriend is from Portland and I've visited a couple times. I loved it! It was really quirky, very hipster, and quite eco-friendly and very beautiful when things are growing. The only weird thing was everyone there was white. It was kinda strange.. I'm used to a more diverse population.
But anyway. It's definitely a foodie city. Tons of hip coffee shops and cute local businesses and farmers markets. I suppose it depends on what one looks for in a city.

 

[nonociceptors]

Some people will call it quirky and hipster as if that's a good thing.

Oregon has a lot going for it but Portland isn't one of those things imo

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

,

 

[Carbohydrates]

Portland is nice. But I would recommend to live in the outskirt area like Beaverton or Gresham. Still close enough to get a whip of Portland, but far away from the hippies.

 

[laserzpewpew]

Portland is awesome. Nuff said.

 

[pab-l0]

It rains a lot all at once... it's not a month of straight rain like everyone makes it out to be. We have beautiful days in the winter as well. It's just that when it rains, it rains a lot. There are also days where it's just dark out, theres water on the ground, but no rain. To everyone outside of Portland, that seems to be the equivalent of raining as well. 🙄

I've lived here my whole life. In all honesty, you cannot experience the city for what it has to offer as a whole during a two-day trip for your interview. A big part of the awesome factor out here is the fact that you can do just about anything there is to do in an outdoor capacity. You can hit early surf in the morning and night ski all in the same day if you wanted to. There are lots of places to explore and get out. I'm still finding new things to do all the time, and like I said I've been here my whole life. The arts are amazing as well. Portland Symphony has some cool shows if you're into that sort of thing. There are lots of artsy things to do here. People are kinda wonky depending on where you go, but for the most part they're nice.

Also, food. I could write you a book about the variety of food here and how good it is. At last estimate, I believe we have 800+ food trucks, half of which are food based (as opposed to coffee, smoothie, or other specialty drinks). You could go to a new food cart for a different meal every day for years, and then when you're done start over again to new food trucks that have replaced the old. There's a reason this place is top when it comes to food in America.

Also, as mentioned above, try to get out to the outside of town for living. It's quieter (and cheaper). I live in a small town called Damascus and it takes me about 40 min to get to OHSU... but you can't beat country livin' out here. 👍

 

[dent--girl7]

Portland is awesome! One of my best friends from college was born and raised there and she could never say enough great things about it. There are SO many great places to eat/drink and perhaps the coolest bookstore (Powell's) that I've ever been to in my life. I'd totally consider living there.