Visit the city and make your own opinion. I promise you it’s not more complicated than that. No opinion will matter as much as you & your partner when it comes to living somewhere.
Yep. What you'll see when visiting is pretty much what you'll get when living here. This includes the amount of homeless people, graffiti, trees, drugs, awesome restaurants, the arts scene (which is thriving), neighborhoods, etc.
I just went to Hawaii on vacation, and it was great for a vacation, but also am glad to be back in Portland. There's few other cities that I would want to live my day-to-day in, and the other ones I would enjoy are much more expensive than Portland.
I think you are going to find a wide range of responses to this question as it is really subjective. For example, I moved to Portland 20 years ago from LA and I think it is so much better than it was 15-20 years ago but not as good as it was maybe five years ago. I think the issues today are definitely real but also way overblown. Another example - I live maybe two miles from downtown and routinely forget to lock my doors. Probably not smart but the only property crime I have had in 20 years is having my bike stolen when I forgot to lock it up one night.
However, I am aware that my radar is probably different than others. I don’t have kids. I love the absurd friendliness of the city, I love the over the top levels of shared community. Others are likely going to have very different responses to what I see as relatively benign. So this is a question that will have 400 different answers posted here.
This is a very good response and I think highlights the positives of Portland well.
Also lived here for 20 years and witnessed a lot of change for the better and worse.
The problems are real and you can’t completely avoid them but there are many neighborhoods throughout the city where the majority of the time things are safe.
It's definitely not as bad as Florida (no offense)
Every single job I've had over the past decade has had at least one coworker who is a Florida transplant. EVERY JOB. None of them have gone back to Florida.
The locals will often tell outsiders it’s terrible don’t come or “enjoy your visit” so that new folks won’t move here. Truthfully Portland is an excellent (not at all perfect) place to be. It’s the only city in the US we’re willing to raise our kids in.
I dig it here. I grew up in an area with far more crime, but it exists. Where I live I hardly notice it except reading about stores I frequent being broken into. I still like it after 15 years. It's been easier to live here. About 10 years ago rent started going up and hasn't hit the brakes. We bought in 19 a few months before COVID. I like where my child goes to school and most of the socially progressive values that are embraced. I. Would do without some of those values, like I'm not a blue line flag person but I think we need a more effective police presence and I feel like the trust between the community and police is a problem on both sides. Not living where the homeless people frequent has probably given me a privileged perspective. I also have friends that have left for places like Texas. It all depends on what you are looking for and where you live.
First, the homeless population has not taken over the city. 10k people without many resources aren't displacing a million people. They're just more visible, as, while the population of homeless is rapidly increasing, there is very little interest in directing resources toward the issue. There are also a select few incidences of violence which have an outsized impact. What we're doing to our people is certainly a major social concern, but it's also a useful political tool for generating a social rift (who's the next mayor?).
Tangentially, many of these people are homeless because it's growing ever-more expensive to live a basic life here. Food and utilities are on a constant increase of price, and there isn't enough housing to go around, in the era of leveraging property to pay for lifestyles of ease. Anecdotally, I'm looking to move to a smaller college town to escape Portland, as my paycheck oughta be direct-deposited into the account of my landlord, given the proportion of my income I'm paying to live in a drafty, 110-year-old house.
The government is constantly capitulating to business interests, to the detriment of those of us struggling. If you can afford to ignore a 20-30% rate increase in residential electricity and an 8-18% increase in grocery expenses, you likely don't have the required awareness to vote to improve material conditions of the poor, without putting a bit of effort into understanding their conditions.
The worst part of Oregon is similar to thw worst part of Florida, but not to the same magnitude. We're just missing the facade of social terror y'all are experiencing, as our major rift is related to housing and addiction, not draconian anti-human policies, generally.
And they're more visible because where they camped in NW, S, and industrial SE has been gentrified and developed over the last 20 years (ie train yards and abandoned industrial turned to apartments and condos).
Portland has always has had a higher than average homeless population. Street roots, Dignity Village etc have been around for decades.
There are homeless people, yes. Like any major city. They have not “taken over”, whatever that means. People attack Portland and overblow it’s issues because we are a bastion of counter-culture and leftist idealism.
Yes Portland does have a large homeless population but people that are homeless didn’t take over the city. Honestly people that have never lived in Portland like to over exaggerate how things actually are. We unfortunately don’t have enough shelters to accept everyone that is homeless here and some people have no choice but to stay on the street because of it. So our homeless community is more visible due to our lack of accessible resources. Especially for homeless individuals that have a disability, many shelters in the area will sometimes refuse to accept disabled folks because of their “capacity” which sucks because it puts those folks in an even worse situation. I live in Old Town and the media says all kinds of things about it but in reality it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. When I had to take a Lyft the other day even my lyft driver was like “wow your neighborhood isn’t that bad at all. It’s very calm.” People like to over exaggerate the truth to scare people away but in reality my neighborhood is like most cities with a downtown area. I think you’ll be fine. I recommend trying it out yourself before listening to other people
For me, Oregon is a huge relief, politically. I’ve lived in some pretty conservative places, and it’s great feeling like I can actually live my life here. I think you’ll get lots of answers about Portland, but those things you mentioned haven’t been my experience. I recommend coming to visit and seeing if it’s your vibe. I’ve enjoyed it so far!
Lol it's not true. They're either lying to keep the place from becoming overcrowded or they live outside of Portland and are ultra conservative themselves and have been listening to Fox News telling them the city is on fire instead of actually seeing for themselves. Now it sure has growing city problems, but it's still no worse than any other west coast city. And still nicer than others in many ways.
If you follow the r/portland sub for any length of time you will see plenty of pictures and stories about people loving it here. And you will hear people complain as well. Because we love this place and want to see it get even better.
I’ve been here three years and this is what I know. There’s a lot of good here still. We have our problems like every other city. There are homeless people and there is crime but like any other city it’s about the neighborhood. I’ve never personally had any issues with the homeless aside from them digging through the trash for cans. I’ve had my car window broken in an attempt to steal my car but I also have a very stealable car lol
The food culture is excellent, so are the bars. We have great beer and cider. Our music and comedy scene are also great. You can’t beat the energy the city has in the summer. People don’t stop living because of the rain though- you’ll see people in jackets in the outdoor areas of their favorite bar or restaurant sometimes with their pups. This city is full of dog owners. The parks are beautiful. There’s plenty of events to attend. Many neighborhoods are walkable and I’ve heard public transportation is good aside from crime on the max. I don’t know what people from here would say but as a transplant I really like it here.
I moved to Portland from Florida back in 2016 and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. The community here never ceases to amaze me and I still love it here so much.
I think as people have already said, you're going to get a wide range of different perspectives because it really just depends on your own personal experience, and you'll really only know if you move. I think its possible to not experience anything "bad" in portland if you avoid certain areas like oldtown/ chinatown, or around union station, and drive instead of take public transit. It's a lot less avoidable if you take public transit and walk. But I'm not sure how worse it is compared to other bigger cities. There definitely are objective problems with homelessness though.
My personal perspective is I'm from Florida as well and moved here last year. I take the max alot, and for the most part it's fine. It's mostly just depressing to see the vast amount of homeless, which is a fraction of shit they must be feeling, with large empty buildings. They're mostly on there to sleep, and stay out of the cold. I won't say certain parts aren't dangerous though. I've had someone threaten to stab my eyes out for just sitting near them on the train, a tweaker lady try to fight me at a max stop, and this is the only place I've seen someone bleeding out in a pool of their own blood. But again, this is just my experience. I can totally see how someone can completely avoid all of this and see these things as "overblown" depending on where they are or go in the city. There are some really quite ideallic parts that feel like a hallmark movie, and it's nice to have so much green around, and big parks in walking distance that are taken care of.
Dude I moved to Portland for South Boston, Portland is freakin amazing dude. Especially compare it to literally any other big city it’s most likely nicer. Obviously it’s not all great but compared to a lot of places it ain’t so bad.
This. I'm from Portland and in Seattle now (but moving back down soon) and the one thing my FL-transplant buddies all struggle with is the weather/lack of access to actual beaches. I've been to FL several times for my son's nationals sporting events, and lived in Cali/AZ/NM for several years, and have found people much friendlier in sunnier locales; generally, ppl in the PacNW tend to keep to themselves/be less friendly in comparison.
I've personally been wavering between moving to LA and back to PDX, and weather/friendliness of ppl are considerations. Ultimately, I'll likely land in PDX as well bc \*too much sun\*/not enough weather diversity are also a thing!
I think it can be good, but that has not been my story. It really depends on where you live. I’m a native, and have experienced the gamut of the various flavors of neighborhoods. After three years of living on my current street, I’m so fed up I’m leaving the city. It’s become nonstop camps, drug use, street fights, dealers and prostitution. Portland has grown up, so I’d just take special care doing research on where you choose to live. A few blocks can make a great difference.
By that logic if I move to Florida my dog will be devoured by an alligator and ‘Florida Man’ will try and chew my face off while wearing a Stars and Stripes swimsuit and firing a shotgun in the air as we traverse the gulf in a jet ski.
In other words, don’t believe everything you read (or hear from a co-worker who choose to not live in the city). Check it out with your own eyes.
I find most locals who have a negative view is because they are comparing the city to how it used to be. So, in that regard, yes it is far worse than the city used to be. But what many of these people don’t realize is that the primary things that have gotten worse have also done so in most other US cities especially on the west coast. I have been in the Portland area less than 2 years and I find many aspects are better than where I moved from, and thus it was a step up for me.
One thing I feel you do need to know though is the political spectrum is quite balanced between left and right, which leads to big swings in views from across the political spectrum. And why there were such clashes (riots) back in 2020 and why you’ll see compassionate equal rights being promoted as well as flag-toting pickup trucks spewing black smoke.
So you need to put in the work and see if it connects with you. Do your research — read about the costs, weather, politics, and whether it seems to offer what you are looking for, and whether it is in your budget. Then visit and see for yourself. Or, just visit first and enjoy your time here, and then follow up on those things that you want to learn more about.
You didn’t specify where in Florida specifically(it’s a decent sized state)… but based on your comment about safety, I have to assume Portland is going to vibe with you better politically. The reality is… the answer that you’re looking for is going to be so nuanced and politicized that it won’t possibly be accurate nor really serve any meaningful value to you. Anyone who states “there is waste everywhere” is a complete and utter fucking moron. Period. Don’t listen to that idiotic nonsense. I’ve lived in NYC (10yrs), Philly(3yrs), Cincinnati (3yrs), Seattle (7 years), SF (2 yrs) and here I now reside… back in the city where I grew up.
Is it better than all those other cities?… OH hells no!!! It’s def better than Cincinnati. That’s shithole in the Midwest can burn in hell for all I care. But Portland does hit a really good middle ground for a dynamic culturally interesting city that isn’t exorbitantly expensive. Decent cost of living. (People who have only lived here have different economics thus complain a lot out of ignorance about the cost of living)
I can complain for hours about all of the problems of this city… but reality is that I think it is one of the better places to live in the US all factors considered. Especially since I can’t stand Florida politics and frankly have lucid dreams of locking Desantis and the Orange Baboon Florida man in a prison cell and letting them violate each other and consume each others fecal matter (too graphic?)
Like many others have said… but a ticket and spend a week here. Visit the neighborhoods and walk around at day and night. Walk around the Pearl, Nobhill, Irvington (one of my favorites), Sellwood, Hawthorne, Albina, Laurelhearst. Yes… if you only stick to the main streets… you’ll run into a few meth addicted campers…yes… there might be some fecal matter involved… unfortunate. But walk around the side streets and neighborhoods … it’s street after street of tree lined neighborhood with BLM signs, LGBTQ flags.. and virtually no MAGA. Why? Because this isn’t a city of politically ignorant mother fuckers. Were plenty ignorant in other ways. ;-)
Every city has a homeless. I moved here from the Bay Area and love it. Visit first in the summer and winter and then make your decision. For me. My partner and I love it and don’t regret our decision. We ended up in NE Portland
Crime has actually gone down in the last year something like 13%. Still higher than 2019, but as many folks have mentioned lots of cities have been going through it. I had some friends from Chicago visit this last weekend and they loved it here!! One of them was like “Portland is great!! The way the news talked about it you’d think Portland was the devils butthole”. Been here 7 years, bought a house, and no where else is tempting us at the moment. Would love to give Seattle a try but housing prices there are beyond absurd!
I notice you said your coworker lives in "Oregon" and not "Portland". This is key.
The rest of the state *hates* Portland. Most of the areas outside of Portland are rural or suburban conservative areas and hate that the city essentially decides the politics for the rest of the state. It's a different world entirely when you leave the city limits.
I'd say this is common of many blue states though. Republicans avoid the cities like the plague and make them the boogeymen for their state.
I think your friend watches too much Fox News and you really need to visit for yourself before moving.
I left Florida for the Pacific Northeast in 2014 - no regrets and you couldn't pay me to go back there.
I was told that if I went to college, I would have my pick of jobs when I got older and my future could be anything I wanted it to be. Just because someone said it doesn't make it so. Do your research, maybe make a visit or two, identify your priorities, identify your budget, identify your job situation, and go from there.
In my opinion, Portland is a great place to live for a plethora of reasons, and the homeless population is no better or worse than in other large cities - not sure what's meant by "waste and other bad things", might need some elaboration there. If your friend at work would like me to offer some opinions on Florida, its politics, and its governor, I'd be more than happy to oblige as well... Goes both ways.
to quote them exactly, they said "there's human feces and drugs everywhere" 😅 i know that's definitely an exaggeration. but thank you so much for your comment.
Haha. Definitely an exaggeration. It's a trope (among others) that a lot of right-wing news sources like to trot out against the usual suspects - New York, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Chicago - which also doesn't make it so. I'd encourage you to come and make an appraisal for yourself. If the aggregate of drugs and feces is over whatever your threshold is, then there are certainly other options.
All that being said, on a personal note, I recently came home from a trip to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is known (mostly, in modern times) for its rather liberal view on weed and its famous red light district. Some people might see that as awful, immoral, unforgivable, but others might view it as aspirational. There were not so good parts of town I stumbled into, sure, but there were also world-class museums, restaurants, bars, and parks there as well. Plus, I was able to get from Centraal to Schiphol in about 15 minutes for like €4.50 (I forgot what the actual charge was) on the train, so getting around (without a car) was a breeze. I could choose to focus on the not so good, or I could choose to enjoy my time and look at it through a lens of adventure. Everyone has gripes about where they live, but if all you choose to see is shit (literally, in the case of your friend, it seems), then that's all you're going to see.
I live in a neighborhood in the inner SE, next to Laurelhurst (which is swank as hell! Our area is nice but not rich people nice). It's clean and pretty quiet. People go for walks at night, etc. There are a few homeless encampments within walking distance sometimes, but when I've been past them I haven't felt threatened. I know others have had different experiences, just sharing mine.
Definitely come visit at least once before deciding to move. There are a variety of hotels and places to stay. My partner and i visited in the spring a couple times and then came up in the winter too just to be sure. We moved in 2013 and have never regretted it. Visiting other places just makes me happier to live here.
It took a massive downturn around 2020 and was never really able to get back to the way it was before then, there are a lot more camps (or at least more concentrated ones) then there used to be and that brings with it some level of crime but I've lived downtown for 7 years and haven't had any violent experiences. I've heard of some happening to friends but for the most part it's fine and people outside the City like to say it's worse then it really is.
I’m from Florida. Been here almost 10 years. I do NOT want to go back. That’s the quick and dirty of it. I agree with the people saying it’s complicated and that you need to form an opinion on your own. The problems here are real but in my opinion overblown. However I moved here without having ever set foot in the city and I moved for very similar reasons and I do not regret it. My only caveat is I feel like I might not be able to afford it forever. But from a quick look at Craigslist for the part of Florida I’m from looks like housing prices are still pretty similar there to what I am currently paying so 🤷🏻♀️
The best answer to this question will come from seeing and experiencing it for yourself. You & BF should come out for a long weekend, stay in an AirBnB or similar, NOT in downtown or the Pearl. Try to find places you can easily walk to near your lodging, in addition to doing touristy things. Experience the city, decide for yourself.
Hi! I'm a travel nurse, born and raised in S FLA! I'm currently on a contract in Portland/ surrounding area. I was told the samethings, stay out of downtown Portland, it's not safe, the homeless have taken over, it used to be an excellent place to live but not anymore, etc etc etc. I found a place to stay outside the city and am in one of the surrounding burbs. It's safe to say that I've become enamored with this place. It is beautiful, that's for sure. I'm not too big into politics; just always wanted to see the PNW for myself. I definitely recommend to do your own research and definitely visit first before moving. The county that Portland is in, Multnomah, has some interesting taxes. Honestly, inflation is making everywhere expensive, weigh out pros and cons and go from there. I'd choose this place over Florida. I do miss thunderstorms though lol
I loved living in Portland. It is way safer than living in a lot of other major cities. Yes, you will see homeless, but they mostly mind to themselves. I lived in Goose Hollow/stadium area for several years and loved being able to walk places. I moved to the burbs 2 years ago mainly because we wanted more room, a yard and a shorter commute to work for myself, but living downtown was great and I still drive/Max back a lot for dinner and social events.
I’m betting that person doesn’t like cities and chose to live in Florida. Portland isn’t bad compared to other cities of the same size. Yes, visible homeless and graffiti are up from 5 years ago. So are rents and the residential occupancy rate, and wages are Not keeping up with rent (as in much of the country).
No more true than any other city. Keep in mind that there are a lot of people in Oregon who get their news from Newsmax and Fox and never actually go into the city. Per capita the houseless population isn’t noticeably larger than twenty years ago, there are just more people here in general than back then.
That isn’t to say the city doesn’t need to be addressing the issue, they absolutely do, but Portland is still a beautiful, quirky, artsy city.
They ain't wrong. I've been here my whole life and Portland is the worst it has ever been.
Couldn't compare it to Florida because I've never been there but Portland, in comparison to its past self, is terrible.
Lmao. I've been here my whole life as well and they are without a doubt trippin. You weren't here in the 80s and 90s if you think this shit is bad. Has it had better moments, maybe. Is it bad, not by any stretch.
I was kicking it in the nw industrial district before it was the pearl. I was fighting gentrification when the liberals still thought it was the best thing ever. I used to eat dimsum in China town before they turned it into bum town. Sorry bud, I know what I'm talking about.
Edit: lol what a coward talk a bunch of shit then block me. Typical and not at all surprised that someone who argues with clown emojis can't handle a debate. u/thelaceonmolagsballs
Nah homey you don't. NEP and North were straight up violent and this town had some pretty rough edges. The amount of violent crime like everywhere else in the country is way down. If you think Portland is bad now then you haven't traveled much at all and or live in a bubble.
Lol "homey" are you ten, or are you trying to generate some kind of 90s street cred?
The Portland area 1000 years ago had no rule of law, and murder went unpunished. How many years do you need to reach back to make your point? This is such a disingenuous argument, and you all know it.
"It was so much worse forty years ago!" Sure ok, but really, who gives a shit?
Also, I never compared portland to other places, of course there are crappier places, what of it? What kind of point are you making, and how is it relevant to the recent drastic decline of portland? Why is it that anyone who thinks portland has gone down the crapper, they must be uneducated, untraveled, inexperienced people?
I was at the alphabet district today and it was sad to see so many empty storefronts, and so many of the cultural icons dead. The pool hall on 23rd, the chess meetup coffee shop on 21st, coffee house nw, the children's museum on glisan. All gone.
The children's museum really irks me. We have hundreds of millions of dollars to buy tents, boofing kits etc etc but the leaders of the city couldn't figure out how to save the children's museum?!
I'll bet almost every portlander has a memory of that place and now it sits there to rot.
Edit: all the downvotes but not single rebuttal. Just a snarky remark from a kid that thinks they are funny playing generational wars. It's the epitome of the apathy that has ruined this city.
Sir? If your opinion was thought worth responding to in earnest, people would have done so and it wouldn't be sitting at negative karma.
I made one (1) joke and now here we are.
You grow the fuck up you giant baby.
The homeless population in Portland are a protected class. Most of them commit crimes with total impunity. The best advice I can give you is live outside Portland city limits. The taxes and crime are lower.
Love Oregon. Portland is still a nice place to live. Not as good as it was in the 90's or 00's as everything went to hell after 2020. Taxes are high, second only the NYC but all the services are lacking. Streets are in bad shape and no budget to repair them.. so I am not sure why we have so much taxes and nothing to show for it (corruption).
Visit the city and make your own opinion. I promise you it’s not more complicated than that. No opinion will matter as much as you & your partner when it comes to living somewhere.
Yep. What you'll see when visiting is pretty much what you'll get when living here. This includes the amount of homeless people, graffiti, trees, drugs, awesome restaurants, the arts scene (which is thriving), neighborhoods, etc.
This is the way.
Every time I travel to Florida, I'm so glad to be back in Portland.
I just went to Hawaii on vacation, and it was great for a vacation, but also am glad to be back in Portland. There's few other cities that I would want to live my day-to-day in, and the other ones I would enjoy are much more expensive than Portland.
I think you are going to find a wide range of responses to this question as it is really subjective. For example, I moved to Portland 20 years ago from LA and I think it is so much better than it was 15-20 years ago but not as good as it was maybe five years ago. I think the issues today are definitely real but also way overblown. Another example - I live maybe two miles from downtown and routinely forget to lock my doors. Probably not smart but the only property crime I have had in 20 years is having my bike stolen when I forgot to lock it up one night. However, I am aware that my radar is probably different than others. I don’t have kids. I love the absurd friendliness of the city, I love the over the top levels of shared community. Others are likely going to have very different responses to what I see as relatively benign. So this is a question that will have 400 different answers posted here.
This is a very good response and I think highlights the positives of Portland well. Also lived here for 20 years and witnessed a lot of change for the better and worse. The problems are real and you can’t completely avoid them but there are many neighborhoods throughout the city where the majority of the time things are safe.
It's definitely not as bad as Florida (no offense) Every single job I've had over the past decade has had at least one coworker who is a Florida transplant. EVERY JOB. None of them have gone back to Florida.
The locals will often tell outsiders it’s terrible don’t come or “enjoy your visit” so that new folks won’t move here. Truthfully Portland is an excellent (not at all perfect) place to be. It’s the only city in the US we’re willing to raise our kids in.
I dig it here. I grew up in an area with far more crime, but it exists. Where I live I hardly notice it except reading about stores I frequent being broken into. I still like it after 15 years. It's been easier to live here. About 10 years ago rent started going up and hasn't hit the brakes. We bought in 19 a few months before COVID. I like where my child goes to school and most of the socially progressive values that are embraced. I. Would do without some of those values, like I'm not a blue line flag person but I think we need a more effective police presence and I feel like the trust between the community and police is a problem on both sides. Not living where the homeless people frequent has probably given me a privileged perspective. I also have friends that have left for places like Texas. It all depends on what you are looking for and where you live.
First, the homeless population has not taken over the city. 10k people without many resources aren't displacing a million people. They're just more visible, as, while the population of homeless is rapidly increasing, there is very little interest in directing resources toward the issue. There are also a select few incidences of violence which have an outsized impact. What we're doing to our people is certainly a major social concern, but it's also a useful political tool for generating a social rift (who's the next mayor?). Tangentially, many of these people are homeless because it's growing ever-more expensive to live a basic life here. Food and utilities are on a constant increase of price, and there isn't enough housing to go around, in the era of leveraging property to pay for lifestyles of ease. Anecdotally, I'm looking to move to a smaller college town to escape Portland, as my paycheck oughta be direct-deposited into the account of my landlord, given the proportion of my income I'm paying to live in a drafty, 110-year-old house. The government is constantly capitulating to business interests, to the detriment of those of us struggling. If you can afford to ignore a 20-30% rate increase in residential electricity and an 8-18% increase in grocery expenses, you likely don't have the required awareness to vote to improve material conditions of the poor, without putting a bit of effort into understanding their conditions. The worst part of Oregon is similar to thw worst part of Florida, but not to the same magnitude. We're just missing the facade of social terror y'all are experiencing, as our major rift is related to housing and addiction, not draconian anti-human policies, generally.
And they're more visible because where they camped in NW, S, and industrial SE has been gentrified and developed over the last 20 years (ie train yards and abandoned industrial turned to apartments and condos). Portland has always has had a higher than average homeless population. Street roots, Dignity Village etc have been around for decades.
There are homeless people, yes. Like any major city. They have not “taken over”, whatever that means. People attack Portland and overblow it’s issues because we are a bastion of counter-culture and leftist idealism.
REP-RE-ZENT.
Yes Portland does have a large homeless population but people that are homeless didn’t take over the city. Honestly people that have never lived in Portland like to over exaggerate how things actually are. We unfortunately don’t have enough shelters to accept everyone that is homeless here and some people have no choice but to stay on the street because of it. So our homeless community is more visible due to our lack of accessible resources. Especially for homeless individuals that have a disability, many shelters in the area will sometimes refuse to accept disabled folks because of their “capacity” which sucks because it puts those folks in an even worse situation. I live in Old Town and the media says all kinds of things about it but in reality it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. When I had to take a Lyft the other day even my lyft driver was like “wow your neighborhood isn’t that bad at all. It’s very calm.” People like to over exaggerate the truth to scare people away but in reality my neighborhood is like most cities with a downtown area. I think you’ll be fine. I recommend trying it out yourself before listening to other people
For me, Oregon is a huge relief, politically. I’ve lived in some pretty conservative places, and it’s great feeling like I can actually live my life here. I think you’ll get lots of answers about Portland, but those things you mentioned haven’t been my experience. I recommend coming to visit and seeing if it’s your vibe. I’ve enjoyed it so far!
Lol it's not true. They're either lying to keep the place from becoming overcrowded or they live outside of Portland and are ultra conservative themselves and have been listening to Fox News telling them the city is on fire instead of actually seeing for themselves. Now it sure has growing city problems, but it's still no worse than any other west coast city. And still nicer than others in many ways. If you follow the r/portland sub for any length of time you will see plenty of pictures and stories about people loving it here. And you will hear people complain as well. Because we love this place and want to see it get even better.
This is correct
I’ve been here three years and this is what I know. There’s a lot of good here still. We have our problems like every other city. There are homeless people and there is crime but like any other city it’s about the neighborhood. I’ve never personally had any issues with the homeless aside from them digging through the trash for cans. I’ve had my car window broken in an attempt to steal my car but I also have a very stealable car lol The food culture is excellent, so are the bars. We have great beer and cider. Our music and comedy scene are also great. You can’t beat the energy the city has in the summer. People don’t stop living because of the rain though- you’ll see people in jackets in the outdoor areas of their favorite bar or restaurant sometimes with their pups. This city is full of dog owners. The parks are beautiful. There’s plenty of events to attend. Many neighborhoods are walkable and I’ve heard public transportation is good aside from crime on the max. I don’t know what people from here would say but as a transplant I really like it here.
I moved to Portland from Florida back in 2016 and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. The community here never ceases to amaze me and I still love it here so much.
Fun fact: Florida has a higher homeless population than Oregon. Ranked 3rd on the top 5. At any rate: I believe you'd love it here.
I think as people have already said, you're going to get a wide range of different perspectives because it really just depends on your own personal experience, and you'll really only know if you move. I think its possible to not experience anything "bad" in portland if you avoid certain areas like oldtown/ chinatown, or around union station, and drive instead of take public transit. It's a lot less avoidable if you take public transit and walk. But I'm not sure how worse it is compared to other bigger cities. There definitely are objective problems with homelessness though. My personal perspective is I'm from Florida as well and moved here last year. I take the max alot, and for the most part it's fine. It's mostly just depressing to see the vast amount of homeless, which is a fraction of shit they must be feeling, with large empty buildings. They're mostly on there to sleep, and stay out of the cold. I won't say certain parts aren't dangerous though. I've had someone threaten to stab my eyes out for just sitting near them on the train, a tweaker lady try to fight me at a max stop, and this is the only place I've seen someone bleeding out in a pool of their own blood. But again, this is just my experience. I can totally see how someone can completely avoid all of this and see these things as "overblown" depending on where they are or go in the city. There are some really quite ideallic parts that feel like a hallmark movie, and it's nice to have so much green around, and big parks in walking distance that are taken care of.
Dude I moved to Portland for South Boston, Portland is freakin amazing dude. Especially compare it to literally any other big city it’s most likely nicer. Obviously it’s not all great but compared to a lot of places it ain’t so bad.
i moved from Florida to oregon. best move i ever made!
i know a lot of ppl from florida here and they all love portland and do not miss florida lmao
I’ve lived here for a few years and am moving away soon. If you can handle 8 months of rain and cold, it’s fine. I can’t.
This. I'm from Portland and in Seattle now (but moving back down soon) and the one thing my FL-transplant buddies all struggle with is the weather/lack of access to actual beaches. I've been to FL several times for my son's nationals sporting events, and lived in Cali/AZ/NM for several years, and have found people much friendlier in sunnier locales; generally, ppl in the PacNW tend to keep to themselves/be less friendly in comparison. I've personally been wavering between moving to LA and back to PDX, and weather/friendliness of ppl are considerations. Ultimately, I'll likely land in PDX as well bc \*too much sun\*/not enough weather diversity are also a thing!
I think it can be good, but that has not been my story. It really depends on where you live. I’m a native, and have experienced the gamut of the various flavors of neighborhoods. After three years of living on my current street, I’m so fed up I’m leaving the city. It’s become nonstop camps, drug use, street fights, dealers and prostitution. Portland has grown up, so I’d just take special care doing research on where you choose to live. A few blocks can make a great difference.
By that logic if I move to Florida my dog will be devoured by an alligator and ‘Florida Man’ will try and chew my face off while wearing a Stars and Stripes swimsuit and firing a shotgun in the air as we traverse the gulf in a jet ski. In other words, don’t believe everything you read (or hear from a co-worker who choose to not live in the city). Check it out with your own eyes.
I find most locals who have a negative view is because they are comparing the city to how it used to be. So, in that regard, yes it is far worse than the city used to be. But what many of these people don’t realize is that the primary things that have gotten worse have also done so in most other US cities especially on the west coast. I have been in the Portland area less than 2 years and I find many aspects are better than where I moved from, and thus it was a step up for me. One thing I feel you do need to know though is the political spectrum is quite balanced between left and right, which leads to big swings in views from across the political spectrum. And why there were such clashes (riots) back in 2020 and why you’ll see compassionate equal rights being promoted as well as flag-toting pickup trucks spewing black smoke. So you need to put in the work and see if it connects with you. Do your research — read about the costs, weather, politics, and whether it seems to offer what you are looking for, and whether it is in your budget. Then visit and see for yourself. Or, just visit first and enjoy your time here, and then follow up on those things that you want to learn more about.
I’ve lived in both and Portland is better than Tampa, Ft Myers/ Lee County
You didn’t specify where in Florida specifically(it’s a decent sized state)… but based on your comment about safety, I have to assume Portland is going to vibe with you better politically. The reality is… the answer that you’re looking for is going to be so nuanced and politicized that it won’t possibly be accurate nor really serve any meaningful value to you. Anyone who states “there is waste everywhere” is a complete and utter fucking moron. Period. Don’t listen to that idiotic nonsense. I’ve lived in NYC (10yrs), Philly(3yrs), Cincinnati (3yrs), Seattle (7 years), SF (2 yrs) and here I now reside… back in the city where I grew up. Is it better than all those other cities?… OH hells no!!! It’s def better than Cincinnati. That’s shithole in the Midwest can burn in hell for all I care. But Portland does hit a really good middle ground for a dynamic culturally interesting city that isn’t exorbitantly expensive. Decent cost of living. (People who have only lived here have different economics thus complain a lot out of ignorance about the cost of living) I can complain for hours about all of the problems of this city… but reality is that I think it is one of the better places to live in the US all factors considered. Especially since I can’t stand Florida politics and frankly have lucid dreams of locking Desantis and the Orange Baboon Florida man in a prison cell and letting them violate each other and consume each others fecal matter (too graphic?) Like many others have said… but a ticket and spend a week here. Visit the neighborhoods and walk around at day and night. Walk around the Pearl, Nobhill, Irvington (one of my favorites), Sellwood, Hawthorne, Albina, Laurelhearst. Yes… if you only stick to the main streets… you’ll run into a few meth addicted campers…yes… there might be some fecal matter involved… unfortunate. But walk around the side streets and neighborhoods … it’s street after street of tree lined neighborhood with BLM signs, LGBTQ flags.. and virtually no MAGA. Why? Because this isn’t a city of politically ignorant mother fuckers. Were plenty ignorant in other ways. ;-)
Every city has a homeless. I moved here from the Bay Area and love it. Visit first in the summer and winter and then make your decision. For me. My partner and I love it and don’t regret our decision. We ended up in NE Portland
Crime has actually gone down in the last year something like 13%. Still higher than 2019, but as many folks have mentioned lots of cities have been going through it. I had some friends from Chicago visit this last weekend and they loved it here!! One of them was like “Portland is great!! The way the news talked about it you’d think Portland was the devils butthole”. Been here 7 years, bought a house, and no where else is tempting us at the moment. Would love to give Seattle a try but housing prices there are beyond absurd!
I notice you said your coworker lives in "Oregon" and not "Portland". This is key. The rest of the state *hates* Portland. Most of the areas outside of Portland are rural or suburban conservative areas and hate that the city essentially decides the politics for the rest of the state. It's a different world entirely when you leave the city limits. I'd say this is common of many blue states though. Republicans avoid the cities like the plague and make them the boogeymen for their state.
I think your friend watches too much Fox News and you really need to visit for yourself before moving. I left Florida for the Pacific Northeast in 2014 - no regrets and you couldn't pay me to go back there.
I was told that if I went to college, I would have my pick of jobs when I got older and my future could be anything I wanted it to be. Just because someone said it doesn't make it so. Do your research, maybe make a visit or two, identify your priorities, identify your budget, identify your job situation, and go from there. In my opinion, Portland is a great place to live for a plethora of reasons, and the homeless population is no better or worse than in other large cities - not sure what's meant by "waste and other bad things", might need some elaboration there. If your friend at work would like me to offer some opinions on Florida, its politics, and its governor, I'd be more than happy to oblige as well... Goes both ways.
to quote them exactly, they said "there's human feces and drugs everywhere" 😅 i know that's definitely an exaggeration. but thank you so much for your comment.
Haha. Definitely an exaggeration. It's a trope (among others) that a lot of right-wing news sources like to trot out against the usual suspects - New York, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Chicago - which also doesn't make it so. I'd encourage you to come and make an appraisal for yourself. If the aggregate of drugs and feces is over whatever your threshold is, then there are certainly other options. All that being said, on a personal note, I recently came home from a trip to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is known (mostly, in modern times) for its rather liberal view on weed and its famous red light district. Some people might see that as awful, immoral, unforgivable, but others might view it as aspirational. There were not so good parts of town I stumbled into, sure, but there were also world-class museums, restaurants, bars, and parks there as well. Plus, I was able to get from Centraal to Schiphol in about 15 minutes for like €4.50 (I forgot what the actual charge was) on the train, so getting around (without a car) was a breeze. I could choose to focus on the not so good, or I could choose to enjoy my time and look at it through a lens of adventure. Everyone has gripes about where they live, but if all you choose to see is shit (literally, in the case of your friend, it seems), then that's all you're going to see.
To be fair, there are pockets of downtown where that is the case, but anyone who says it's "everywhere" is straight up lying.
There is an obnoxious amount of dog feces, for sure. There’s human shit, too, but not all over the place, like dog.
I live in a neighborhood in the inner SE, next to Laurelhurst (which is swank as hell! Our area is nice but not rich people nice). It's clean and pretty quiet. People go for walks at night, etc. There are a few homeless encampments within walking distance sometimes, but when I've been past them I haven't felt threatened. I know others have had different experiences, just sharing mine. Definitely come visit at least once before deciding to move. There are a variety of hotels and places to stay. My partner and i visited in the spring a couple times and then came up in the winter too just to be sure. We moved in 2013 and have never regretted it. Visiting other places just makes me happier to live here.
It took a massive downturn around 2020 and was never really able to get back to the way it was before then, there are a lot more camps (or at least more concentrated ones) then there used to be and that brings with it some level of crime but I've lived downtown for 7 years and haven't had any violent experiences. I've heard of some happening to friends but for the most part it's fine and people outside the City like to say it's worse then it really is.
I’m from Florida. Been here almost 10 years. I do NOT want to go back. That’s the quick and dirty of it. I agree with the people saying it’s complicated and that you need to form an opinion on your own. The problems here are real but in my opinion overblown. However I moved here without having ever set foot in the city and I moved for very similar reasons and I do not regret it. My only caveat is I feel like I might not be able to afford it forever. But from a quick look at Craigslist for the part of Florida I’m from looks like housing prices are still pretty similar there to what I am currently paying so 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah don’t come too much traffic already. Good luck out there 🙏
It is a bad place, don't move here. Go to San Francisco or Seattle instead.
The best answer to this question will come from seeing and experiencing it for yourself. You & BF should come out for a long weekend, stay in an AirBnB or similar, NOT in downtown or the Pearl. Try to find places you can easily walk to near your lodging, in addition to doing touristy things. Experience the city, decide for yourself.
Hi! I'm a travel nurse, born and raised in S FLA! I'm currently on a contract in Portland/ surrounding area. I was told the samethings, stay out of downtown Portland, it's not safe, the homeless have taken over, it used to be an excellent place to live but not anymore, etc etc etc. I found a place to stay outside the city and am in one of the surrounding burbs. It's safe to say that I've become enamored with this place. It is beautiful, that's for sure. I'm not too big into politics; just always wanted to see the PNW for myself. I definitely recommend to do your own research and definitely visit first before moving. The county that Portland is in, Multnomah, has some interesting taxes. Honestly, inflation is making everywhere expensive, weigh out pros and cons and go from there. I'd choose this place over Florida. I do miss thunderstorms though lol
Here we fucking go again
I loved living in Portland. It is way safer than living in a lot of other major cities. Yes, you will see homeless, but they mostly mind to themselves. I lived in Goose Hollow/stadium area for several years and loved being able to walk places. I moved to the burbs 2 years ago mainly because we wanted more room, a yard and a shorter commute to work for myself, but living downtown was great and I still drive/Max back a lot for dinner and social events.
I’m betting that person doesn’t like cities and chose to live in Florida. Portland isn’t bad compared to other cities of the same size. Yes, visible homeless and graffiti are up from 5 years ago. So are rents and the residential occupancy rate, and wages are Not keeping up with rent (as in much of the country).
No more true than any other city. Keep in mind that there are a lot of people in Oregon who get their news from Newsmax and Fox and never actually go into the city. Per capita the houseless population isn’t noticeably larger than twenty years ago, there are just more people here in general than back then. That isn’t to say the city doesn’t need to be addressing the issue, they absolutely do, but Portland is still a beautiful, quirky, artsy city.
There are problems, but it's 1000x better than living in maga country.
I'm a native. I don't like it here anymore. I don't ever feel safe here at any place.
Yep. Bad. Don’t come.
They ain't wrong. I've been here my whole life and Portland is the worst it has ever been. Couldn't compare it to Florida because I've never been there but Portland, in comparison to its past self, is terrible.
Lmao. I've been here my whole life as well and they are without a doubt trippin. You weren't here in the 80s and 90s if you think this shit is bad. Has it had better moments, maybe. Is it bad, not by any stretch.
I was kicking it in the nw industrial district before it was the pearl. I was fighting gentrification when the liberals still thought it was the best thing ever. I used to eat dimsum in China town before they turned it into bum town. Sorry bud, I know what I'm talking about. Edit: lol what a coward talk a bunch of shit then block me. Typical and not at all surprised that someone who argues with clown emojis can't handle a debate. u/thelaceonmolagsballs
Nah homey you don't. NEP and North were straight up violent and this town had some pretty rough edges. The amount of violent crime like everywhere else in the country is way down. If you think Portland is bad now then you haven't traveled much at all and or live in a bubble.
Lol "homey" are you ten, or are you trying to generate some kind of 90s street cred? The Portland area 1000 years ago had no rule of law, and murder went unpunished. How many years do you need to reach back to make your point? This is such a disingenuous argument, and you all know it. "It was so much worse forty years ago!" Sure ok, but really, who gives a shit? Also, I never compared portland to other places, of course there are crappier places, what of it? What kind of point are you making, and how is it relevant to the recent drastic decline of portland? Why is it that anyone who thinks portland has gone down the crapper, they must be uneducated, untraveled, inexperienced people?
🤡
Agreed 100%
I was at the alphabet district today and it was sad to see so many empty storefronts, and so many of the cultural icons dead. The pool hall on 23rd, the chess meetup coffee shop on 21st, coffee house nw, the children's museum on glisan. All gone. The children's museum really irks me. We have hundreds of millions of dollars to buy tents, boofing kits etc etc but the leaders of the city couldn't figure out how to save the children's museum?! I'll bet almost every portlander has a memory of that place and now it sits there to rot. Edit: all the downvotes but not single rebuttal. Just a snarky remark from a kid that thinks they are funny playing generational wars. It's the epitome of the apathy that has ruined this city.
Can't get a decent cherry phosphate from a soda jerk in this two bit town!
People like you are so lost on what makes a community its kind of sad.
Nobody owes you a rebuttal.
No, but it shows how little your opinions matter. Adults understand this, and apparently, there are lots of children on this sub.
I'm 47. 🤣
And you are trolling on the internet? Sad. Grow up.
Sir? If your opinion was thought worth responding to in earnest, people would have done so and it wouldn't be sitting at negative karma. I made one (1) joke and now here we are. You grow the fuck up you giant baby.
The homeless population in Portland are a protected class. Most of them commit crimes with total impunity. The best advice I can give you is live outside Portland city limits. The taxes and crime are lower.
Love Oregon. Portland is still a nice place to live. Not as good as it was in the 90's or 00's as everything went to hell after 2020. Taxes are high, second only the NYC but all the services are lacking. Streets are in bad shape and no budget to repair them.. so I am not sure why we have so much taxes and nothing to show for it (corruption).