I live in Portland, OR. I moved here in late 2022 so I have been here a couple summers and winters. I lived in the PNW earlier in life, in Seattle. When I left Seattle I promised myself I would never move to this area again because of the rain and overcast skies. Over the years I have discovered that I am happiest in sunny weather, it does not necessarily have to be warm but at least sunny.
I moved back to the PNW for work and it had been about 20 years since I had been back. Since leaving Seattle I have lived in Hawaii, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Washington and California. After moving to Portland, I remember the summer of 2023 the most, it was amazing. It was I think an El Niño year and every day was sunny and warm from May to September. We were out and about every day and that’s what brings me to the start of my list:
- Trees, trees and more trees everywhere. If you are from CA and drive up Interstate 5 you can see them popping up as you go north.
- It’s quiet! I did move from the city of San Francisco (it was loud every night till 2 or 3 am where we lived) We live outside of downtown, still in Portland.
- Cars stop and wait for you to cross. Even when you are not in a cross walk. Most of the cities I have moved from you could wait for 10 minutes or longer before someone would stop.
- Food Cart hubs in every community. So many foods from different cultures to try.
- Vegan and Vegetarian paradise. I do follow a vegan diet so the selection of food has been amazing.
- Bridges – fun to walk over and take photos. I walk to downtown often and can choose which bridge I would like to cross.
- Lots of water – the Willamette goes through town, there are boats to rent, even jacuzzi boats. There are beaches and specific swim areas.
- Many parks and the largest urban forest in the country – Forest Park is 5,200 acres. Lots of hiking and biking opportunities.
- The Columbia River Gorge and all the beautiful waterfalls are less than 1 hour away. It makes for easy weekend getaways and a great place to take visiting relatives.
- It’s weird. Check out the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium. Naked bike rides, Silent discos on the bridges at night, Pumpkin regattas, Witches paddle boarding on the Willamette for Halloween. The city tagline is “Keep Portland Weird”.
- It’s bike and pedestrian friendly. So many biking lanes everywhere with special bike stop lights. There is even a bridge that’s only pedestrians, bikes and public transportation.
- It has all the seasons. We had an ice storm last winter, we couldn’t leave the house, the roads were that thick with ice and then my favorite summer ever that I mentioned before.
- Cannabis dispensaries and Coffee shops everywhere. Great for cannabis users and coffee drinkers.
- The coast is less than 2 hours away and everyone knows how special the Oregon Coast is.
- No sales tax – what the price is, is what you pay!
That’s just my list – there are many other things l love but there are also a handful that I don’t love but that is for another post.
All in all, I am happy with my move to Portland, OR and it’s been the best place I have lived in a while.
pixielittledotme 