Moving To Portland Frequently-Asked Questions

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Portland Neighborhoods: A description of the area from an apartment renter's perspective.

Random Facts and Observations About Portland, Oregon

Frequently-Asked Questions About Moving to Portland

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SELECT A QUESTION I hear it rains all the time in Portland. Does it get really depressing? How do you deal with all the rainy days? Rain aside, what's the climate like in Portland in general? What are the schools like in Portland? Which are the best schools? I'm considering going to school in Portland but have never been there. How good is Portland State University? I hear the economy is bad in Portland. How hard is it to find work there? Where is the best place to live in Portland? What are the Portland neighborhoods like? I will be working in the suburbs but want to live in a cool neighborhood close to downtown. What do you suggest? I want to be near parks so I can walk my dogs. Where should I live? Can you live without a car in Portland? Is Portland really bike-friendly? I'm going to start school at one of the universities. Where should I live? What is the cost of living like in Portland? Isn't the income tax really high? What's the difference between the Pearl District and Northwest Portland? I may be moving to the Portland area but work in Vancouver. What's it like living in Vancouver and how is the social life? What is the usual term of leases in Portland? I want to visit Portland to check it out. Where should I stay? When renting in Portland, what kind of utilities are usually paid by the renters? Who provides phone service in Portland? I'm retired, won't have a car, will use public transit. Where should I live near movie theaters, coffee shops, bookstores, etc.? Is Portland just like a mini-San Francisco?

I hear it rains all the time in Portland. Does it get really depressing?

First of all, a clarification about Portland weather: it's not that we get tons of rain, it's that we have a lot of overcast days, many of which have a little rain. But we don't get major downpours every day. It's the cloudy days that get to people. Is it depressing and can you handle it? Impossible to answer in general, because everyone is different. Whether you can adjust depends in part on your personality and what you are used to. Some people get really depressed here in the winter while others love the rain or come to. After a decade in Portland I have come to love the rain (previously I lived in Phoenix). It took some adjustment, but now I actually look foward to rainy days. Then again, you do appreciate your beautiful sunny days here because they don't come all the time. The upside of the rainy months here is it's amazingly green here. And, August and September are usually spectacular weather months - sunny, warm days without a lot of humidity usually (at least compared to the east coast). We also have regular sunny days even in the winter, but they are more rare than elsewhere in the country. It's not unusual to have a day or two in the winter where it's 50+ and sunny, very mild and nice. But next week, it will be rainy and foggy, again...

How do you deal with all the rainy days?

Native Oregonians like to brag that they don't own an umbrella (they are lying!). What they mean is, they rarely use one, because what's a little water anyway? More often than not the rain is not heavy here when it does rain. But it can occasionally rain in buckets here, so like anywhere else you had better have an umbrella nearby! People here learn to adapt to the wet days; they wear clothes that won't get ruined with a little water (Gortex). They learn to work outside or ride their bikes outside and dress warmly. Want to go hiking? Yeah, but it might be raining. Yeah, so what?

Rain aside, what's the climate like in Portland in general?

Our winters are mild compared to the mid-west. We do get snow and ice once in a while but not very often, maybe once or twice a winter give or take. It rarely gets into the 20's in the winter but it can. More typically, think mid-30's to mid-40's at night to mid-40's to mid-50's during the day. When it's clear, it's colder at night but warmer during the day, usually. Summers can get very hot, sometimes 100 degrees or higher, but not sustained for weeks as in the Southwest. If it gets to 100 degrees in the day, you know it will cool off at night. Temperatures of mid-70's to mid-90's are much more typical for Portland in the summer. Humidity is not unbearable as it can be in the mid-west.

What are the schools like in Portland? Which are the best schools?

You can compare the schools in Oregon here: www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx. In general, the schools in Oregon have suffered from budget problems since the late 1990's. In Portland, some of the top high schools include Lincoln High School (NW/SW), Wilson High School (SW), and Grant High Schools (NE). Beaverton is known to have good schools in general and is does Lake Oswego.

I'm considering going to school in Portland but have never been there. How good is Portland State University?

PSU (a local abbreviation, not to be confused with Penn State University) is considered an up-and-coming school here, and according to PSU, they serve "more students and confers more graduate degrees annually than any other Oregon university." However, as a school PSU has never had the national reputation of a Stanford or a University of Washington (or even Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) which is nationally recognized). If your goal is to put an impressive school on your resume after graduation, don't pick Portland State. But, you'll get a decent education there at a fraction of the cost of an ivy league school and be able to live in a great city. What do the locals think of PSU? I think PSU is considered an economic alternative for kids who can't afford to go to a better school out of state. PSU also has a large number of older students (i.e. older than 21) and does not have the "university feel" of older schools like Oregon State or University of Oregon, with real campuses. PSU just blends into downtown Portland. Not that that's bad, but it has a different flavor. The most important question to ask, of course, is: how is the program in which I want to study ranked nationally? PSU may be top-ranked in certain programs (see this page from PSU for example, so you might consider that. Still, PSU will probably be "good enough" for many students.

I hear the economy is bad in Portland. How hard is it to find work there?

Yes, the economy (as of July 2004) is still in the dumps in Portland, and you will hear complaints about people looking to find a job. But, whether you will have trouble finding work in Portland depends on what you do for work or a career. Do you seek work in a field that is difficult everywhere? If so, it probably won't be better in Portland! You can always, thanks to the Internet, check job postings here and even reply to a few just to test your prospects. Find the Oregonian Classified job listings and see if anyone is looking for people in your line of work. My philosophy about finding work, by the way, is that you should never rely on job listings and classified ads when looking for a job in a tough economy. If you reply to a job listing in a difficult field, your resume will be among dozens, maybe hundreds. How do you distingish yourself? I say you need to circumvent this process entirely and (cliche as it may sound) get out there and NETWORK! Find people in your field, keep finding new contacts at potential employers, and see if you can get in contact with a potential hiring manager before they even start looking for work! Believe it or not, in my experience, employers hate looking for qualified employees, and if you get your resume to someone before they even advertise for a soon-to-be-open job, they might just interview first and not bother advertising. Take it from me - this is how I got my four job offers in the last recession.

Where is the best place to live in Portland?

This is much too simple of a question! Before it can be answered, you have to answer a few other questions, such as: Do I like a city environment or dull-but-safe suburbs? Where will I work or go to school? Where will my partner work/study? How long of a commute can I handle - or can I take the bus/train? How much can I afford in rent?

What are the Portland neighborhoods like?

See my neighborhoods page! In general, Portland has a lot of old, well-preserved neighborhoods with a lot of character, not far from downtown. As in most American cities, Portland's urban neighborhoods have seen a big revival in the last 20 years. Most of the neighborhoods feel very safe, even at night, and though there are "areas to avoid" when alone late at night, I believe there are fewer than in other neighborhoods. Portland has very few slums compared to other cities. I consider Portland's neighborhoods to be perhaps its best feature as a city. There are a wide variety of neighborhoods, including some for budget-conscious first-time home buyers.

I will be working in the suburbs but want to live in a cool neighborhood close to downtown. What do you suggest?

Expect a long commute, though if you are used to 1 hour+ commutes in, say, California, Portland's might not be so bad. If you will work in Beaverton/Hillsboro or Gresham, taking the MAX train (slow) is a possibility - at least you can get out of your car and read or something. For Beaverton/Hillsboro, I'd probably recommend Northwest Portland or the Pearl - your most expensive options. Goose Hollow is pretty sleepy but perhaps a more quiet, less expensive option if you can find housing there. Anyway, all these close-in neighborhoods have good freeway access and are close to MAX, so they will make your commute to the west side as short as possible. Another option is the Hillsdale neighborhood in SW Portland. It doesn't have good freeway access, but it is on the west side of the west hills (barely) and does have some character compared to other west-side neighborhoods. Don't expect to walk downtown, but it might be a bit cheaper than the close-in 'hoods.

I want to be near parks so I can walk my dogs. Where should I live?

I recommend somewhere near Washington Park (NW/SW), Laurelhurst Park (SE), or Gabriel Park (SW). See the Portland Parks Web Site

Can you live without a car in Portland?

Yes you can, but you must choose carefully where you will live. Although Portland's transit system is good, it doesn't have the system of, say, New York City. Still, it may not matter because the city is fairly small. Portland is also very bike-friendly (bike lanes going in all over the place), so you can ride your bike around, too. But it really helps to be near a bus/train stop! I would recommend not being any further east than about 30th Avenue on the east side, no further north than about Prescott street, no further south than the John's Landing neighborhood, and no further west than the west hills (Goose Hollow neighborhood). Don't live in the suburbs without a car unless you will work there and will spend most of your time there! For example, if you will work at Intel or Nike, you could live at Orenco Station in Hillsboro. Orenco Station is a community built around a MAX train station. It was designed to resemble an old neighborood - well, it's not perfect, but decent for the suburbs. You can of course take the MAX train into downtown Portland, but remember that the train is kind of slow. OK, I probably would NOT recommend living without a car in Portland's suburbs. Closer to downtown, I'd recommend NW Portland, the Pearl, Goose Hollow, or Portland State-area without four wheels on the west side - or the Hawthorne District (Buckman, Hosford-Abernathy neighborhoods), Irvington, Sullivan's Gulch, and Eliot neighboorhoods in Northest.

Is Portland really bike-friendly?

Yes - they are building bike lanes everywhere. See Bicycles Programs - Blue Bike Lanes page from the City of Portland.

I'm going to start school at one of the universities. Where should I live?

Portland State (aka PSU): If you don't mind the bus, you can live nearly anywhere close-in and use public transportation to get to school, because many buses (and the Portland Streetcar) go right through campus. There isn't a ton of affordable housing right on campus, unfortunately. There are several highrise buildings right in the area (Ione Plaza, Village At Lovejoy Fountain, Portland Center Apartments) but they are pretty spending for the typical student budget. Some PSU students live in Goose Hollow (you can walk to campus but it's a 15-20 minute walk) or even NW Portland (streetcar is VERY convenient). To the south of PSU some students pick the John's Landing area. Reed College: Sellwood is close by, so is Woodstock. University of Portland: It's in North Portland - not the trendiest area but a bunch of up-and-coming neighborhoods. Lewis and clark: look for places in SW Portland. There is a Trimet (city) bus to campus, plus the university itself runs shuttle busses to/from downtown. There are some apartment complexes along Barbur Blvd and probably a few near the university. Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU): There are a few apartment complexes up on the hill - otherwise, see the tips for PSU. The #8 bus goes up the hill to the university.

What is the cost of living like in Portland? Isn't the income tax really high?

Yes, Oregon has a high income tax rate (Multnomah County has an additional 1.25% tax - that includes most of the city of Portland), but you must also consider that Oregon has no sales tax. Plus, your state income tax is deductible on your federal tax return. And fees for things like car registration are low. In overall "tax burden", I think Oregon is about average amoung the 50 states.

What's the difference between the Pearl District and Northwest Portland?

They are very different, even though they are right next to each other! Northwest is an old neighborhood with great old houses with tall trees and sidewalks. There are two major streets of urban activity: NW 23rd and NW 21st avenue. There are numerous trendy shops and restaurants (as well as some old-time pubs) along these. There's the Cinema 21, Portland's premiere art house movie theatre. There's the Mission Theatre/Pub. There are pockets of new development, but mostly NW is characterized by old houses and apartment buildings. It's one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in town. The Pearl, by contrast, has been converted from an old warehouse district into an almost pre-fab new trendy neighborhood. For every old warehouse converted to residential/consumer use, there's a big, brand new mid-rise apartment or condo building, with shiny brick and glass. Lots of foo-foo shops and trendy/spendy restaurants have popped up in what used to be an old arts district (art galleries popped up years before the Pearl became so popular). It's also very expensive to live in this area: even if you buy a condo, the association fees can easily be $300 PER MONTH! I much prefer NW Portland if you haven't figured it out. To me, Northwest has much more character. In any case, the Pearl is so close by that you can walk to it (or take the Portlant Streetcar) and get to any restaurant in a few minutes. Both areas are close to downtown.

I may be moving to the Portland area but work in Vancouver. What's it like living in Vancouver and how is the social life?

The biggest reason to live in Vancouver if you also work there is to avoid paying Oregon income tax. Oregon forces you to pay income tax even if you work in Washington! Washington has no income tax; Oregon's is 9%. Rents are more expensive in Portland, also. (Vancouver has a sales tax.) Vancouver is close to Portland - it's really a suburb across the Columbia River. It would be a fairly quick drive to Portland. What's the social life like in Vancouver? The level of sophistication? Some people call it "Vantucky" which isn't completely fair, but there are some pretty run-down neighborhoods. There really isn't much happening up there socially. Clark College is about the only college at all (WSU Vancouver too I think). The tiny downtown Vancouver area dies at night (they are re-developing it, but that will take years). Otherwise, you are mostly relegated to suburbian chain restaurants. To meet single people, you will probably be going to Portland all the time. Vancouver is also politically conservative vs. the much more liberal Portland, if that makes a difference to you. If you have a family and are raising kids, Fisher's Landing, east of downtown Vancouver, is a decent, quiet suburban community, with decent houses and strip malls, but "active" single people will probably be bored there. Think of it this way: if you are moving from an expensive city, Portland will seem very cheap by comparison I think, even with income taxes. Vancouver would just seem like an even cheaper place.

What is the usual term of leases in Portland?

The larger apartment buildings/complexes tend to want 9-12 month leases. But it is very common to get month-to-month leases with some of the older places, and there are many of these (especially closer-in to Portland). I lived for 2.5 years in a duplex on a month-month lease the entire time. Truly, look on portland.craigslist.org for places and skip For Rent Magazine (unless you are content with a big apartment complex, probably suburbs). Look for ads in Willamette Week (link on my website) too. Call people and ask about the leases, but I think finding a month-month shouldn't be too hard.

I want to visit Portland to check it out. Where should I stay?

Depends on where you plan to live. If you think you'll live in the suburbs, stay there. Try to mimic your life as you think it might be living in Portland. If you plan to live in one of the urban neighborhoods, I'd recommend getting a hotel with Priceline.com. (You can use them for the suburbs, too.) I have used Priceline.com for hotels in many other cities and gotten great deals. In case you aren't familiar with Priceline.com: you pick dates, room quality (number of stars), and a "zone" to stay in, and name a price - and if Priceline can find a room for that price, they charge your credit card immediately and only then you find out the name of the hotel. Priceline reservations are completely non-refundable, and because you don't know which hotel you'll get until after you're charged, it scares some people. But, there's a great (free) site called BiddingForTravel.com that takes much of the guesswork out of the Priceline experience. Here you can get an idea of which hotels (probably five or six at most, maybe less) you are likely to get in a particular zone and what people have been bidding for them. You'd be surprised how cheap these hotels can be! For Portland, I have a couple of recommendations. If you are not worried about cost, get a 4-star hotel and bid in the downtown Portland zone. You'll pay perhaps $20/night extra for parking if you have a car, however! But you'll be in a nice hotel in downtown. You can save money by bidding for only a 3-star, but you could be on the east side of the river (not truly "downtown" but close), but you could still pay extra for parking. Another good alternative if you have a car is to bid for the Northwest Portland zone - you are likely to get the Silver Cloud Inn, a 2.5 star hotel with (as of July 2004) free parking that is very close to NW 23rd Avenue in NW Portland. If you don't have a car, I'd probably stick to downtown Portland. If you are really budget-conscious, consider staying at one of the Hosteling International youth hostels, both in great locations. There's the Hostel on SE Hawthorne Blvd and another one on NW Glisan Street. Moreover, you're likely to meet more people in a hostel environment than you'd meet at a regular hotel.

When renting in Portland, what kind of utilities are usually paid by the renters?

What you pay and what the landlord pays varies by the rental, though in general, in apartment buildings the building has its own trash service (a dumpster, free of charge). When you rent a duplex or a whole house, you are more likely to be asked to pay for garbage, sewer, and water as well as gas and electric. If you pay for trash service, figure about $18/month. You should always take into account the cost of utilities when renting and make sure you ask what is included and what isn't and make sure it is clear in any lease you sign. Ask about electric, heat, water/sewer and garbage. Water is a special case. Older buildings may not have separate water meters for invidual units, but that may be changing all over the US. I've heard that the EPA has done studies showing that when renters have to pay their water bill, they use far less, so the EPA may require landlords to bill renters directly for water instead of "including" water in the rent amount. In 2000, I lived in a large highrise building that had had water included in the rent price, but they decided to start charging tenants for water (without lowering the rent). They didn't have individual metering but were just going to charge a prorated amount per apartment. Next I lived in a duplex building where water was included in my rent because the landlord had only one water meter for both units. Now, I live in a 3 BR townhouse and pay my own water/sewer - it's about $50/month (for one person). In general, water in Portland is expensive (despite our regular rain) but electric is cheaper than the national average because of our proximity to the Bonneville Power Adminstration dams on the Columbia River. Many homes have all-elecric heating as a result. Some homes have gas heat, however, though nowadays gas prices make it less economical than electricity. Once in a while you will find a rental that has heat included but not electricity - particularly in older buildings. Just ask if you're not sure what is included. Finally, keep in mind that as of 2004, Portland's rental market is soft because of the poor job market and the housing boom caused by low interest rates. Anything is negotiable. If the landlord wants you to pay all utilities and they cost a lot, negotiate for lower rent. You have nothing to lose by asking!

Who provides phone service in Portland?

The Portland metro area is covered by three counties - Multnomah County (most of Portland), Washington County (southwest Portland) and Clackamas County (southeast of Portland). Clark County includes the city of Vancouver, Washington. Both Verizon and Qwest provide local phone service in Portland, mostly based on the county. Qwest covers Multnomah County and Verizon covers Washington and Clackmas counties, in general (you may find a few exceptions). Both offer high-speed internet DSL in many areas. Comcast is the cable company for most of Portland and also provides highspeed Broadband internet access.

I'm retired, won't have a car, will use public transit. Where should I live near movie theaters, coffee shops, bookstores, etc.?

Portland's Pearl District and Alphabet District (aka Northwest Portland) are both located close to downtown and have great public transit options to get downtown. The Portland Streetcar going from Northwest 23rd ave through the Pearl and through downtown is a great option to get you to Powell's books, the Portland Art Museum, the Northwest Film Center, the Regal Fox Tower, and the Central Library. The Pearl and Northwest are compared above. Another option - if you don't mind a highrise building - would be to live near Portland State University in one of the buildings near Portland Center (Portland Center Apartments and the Village at Lovejoy Fountain). You find very few students in these buildings - kind of out of their price range. These are secure buildings, too, if you fear for your safety, yet close to great public transit.

Is Portland just like a mini-San Francisco?

This comparison is made often, but I'm not sure it's a good one. Portland is way smaller than San Francisco and much less diverse. Portland is mostly white, except for a few neighborhoods in North/Northeast. And Portland's downtown is very small. If you like San Francisco, the closest you'll come in Portland might be parts of Northwest Portland (NW 21st/23rd Ave) or SE Hawthorne. But you'll also find that in general, Portland "closes early" and feels more like a big town than a small city.