Portland OR in 2021?
October 15, 2021 1:45 PM Subscribe
Locals and recent visitors.. what's Portland OR like these days?
I lived in the PNW for about a decade circa early 2000's, and used to visit Portland pretty regularly during that time. I haven't been at all in over 3 years and feel quite out of touch. Based on my previous experiences I'm considering moving there next year, but have been hearing a fair number of anecdotal "Portland crime has gotten out of control and generally the city has become a less desirable place to live" stories.
(basic web searches turn up a recent spike in right-wing "media" hit pieces on Portland, harping on increased crime rates as a deserved consequence of "defund the police" support. That said, more objective sources do seem to indicate there is some reality to the underlying crime trends..)
Pointers to more objective data sources would be great, but I'm looking to get some personal anecdata (hopefully from locals, hopefully locals with a longer perspective on the area). How is Portland feeling like as a place to live these days?
I lived in the PNW for about a decade circa early 2000's, and used to visit Portland pretty regularly during that time. I haven't been at all in over 3 years and feel quite out of touch. Based on my previous experiences I'm considering moving there next year, but have been hearing a fair number of anecdotal "Portland crime has gotten out of control and generally the city has become a less desirable place to live" stories.
(basic web searches turn up a recent spike in right-wing "media" hit pieces on Portland, harping on increased crime rates as a deserved consequence of "defund the police" support. That said, more objective sources do seem to indicate there is some reality to the underlying crime trends..)
Pointers to more objective data sources would be great, but I'm looking to get some personal anecdata (hopefully from locals, hopefully locals with a longer perspective on the area). How is Portland feeling like as a place to live these days?
No doubt Portland is having a rough go of it right now. The biggest issues (IMHO) are homelessness and gun violence. Homelessness has been a problem for a long time now, but in the years leading up to COVID it had more or less stabilized and, while bad, wasn't getting any worse. Since COVID it has really exploded and there are full blown tent villages scattered throughout the city. How much of a problem this is really depends on your perspective. These camps generate some low level property crime, but they are more eyesores than anything (and a reminder of the ways our community is failing those most in need).
The gun violence is more worrying. When I moved into my neighborhood in 2019 I could not have imagined that there would be regular gunfire just a few blocks away. There are plenty of neighborhoods where this isn't a problem, but the number of shootings across the city is way up this year, even compared to last years already high numbers. This is more or less due to our incompetent/malicious police force (and police union) — they are both understaffed and (I believe) intentionally slowing down their response times. The understaffing is not due to defunding, as much as the police would like us to believe that it is. They have funding for several open positions, but are unable or unwilling to recruit anyone.
That said, Portland is still an incredible city with a lot to offer. It has not fundamentally changed since the mid-aughts. It's still got great restaurants and cultural events. The people who live here are kind and sane. There are very few lunatic COVID denying Trumpists (although the Trumpists do attack on occasion — I wish that were an exaggeration). We've still got amazing natural beauty right on our doorstep. I'm not planning on going anywhere.
posted by TurnKey at 2:39 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
The gun violence is more worrying. When I moved into my neighborhood in 2019 I could not have imagined that there would be regular gunfire just a few blocks away. There are plenty of neighborhoods where this isn't a problem, but the number of shootings across the city is way up this year, even compared to last years already high numbers. This is more or less due to our incompetent/malicious police force (and police union) — they are both understaffed and (I believe) intentionally slowing down their response times. The understaffing is not due to defunding, as much as the police would like us to believe that it is. They have funding for several open positions, but are unable or unwilling to recruit anyone.
That said, Portland is still an incredible city with a lot to offer. It has not fundamentally changed since the mid-aughts. It's still got great restaurants and cultural events. The people who live here are kind and sane. There are very few lunatic COVID denying Trumpists (although the Trumpists do attack on occasion — I wish that were an exaggeration). We've still got amazing natural beauty right on our doorstep. I'm not planning on going anywhere.
posted by TurnKey at 2:39 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
I fall somewhere between the two answers above. I moved to Portland in 2001, and the city is not nearly the fun, weird, eclectic city it was back then, but nor am I. So who changed? Probably both of us.
Portland is still great to visit, and it's safe to wander around. There are still a bunch of wonderful neighborhoods and communities. The restaurant scene is great, and nature abounds. But yes, the homeless situation is wearying and crime is on the uprise. I don't feel that's cause to not move here since it's happening everywhere, and we're still at rates lower than they've been in the past (just not the recent past). But it's not the safe small-town feel that it used to be.
Cost of living is definitely high, but comparable to other west-coast cities.
If you're debating whether to move to Portland or not, you should evaluate it based on its current state, not what you remember from 20 years ago, because that city is gone.
In terms of maturation and being a big-city, PDX was going through puberty 20 years ago, and is now in its late teens/early 20s. We're turning into a legit big city, but we're really not there yet. There's a lot of growth pains here. Comparatively, Seattle has felt like it's been in its 30s/40s for a while now.
posted by hydra77 at 3:14 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
Portland is still great to visit, and it's safe to wander around. There are still a bunch of wonderful neighborhoods and communities. The restaurant scene is great, and nature abounds. But yes, the homeless situation is wearying and crime is on the uprise. I don't feel that's cause to not move here since it's happening everywhere, and we're still at rates lower than they've been in the past (just not the recent past). But it's not the safe small-town feel that it used to be.
Cost of living is definitely high, but comparable to other west-coast cities.
If you're debating whether to move to Portland or not, you should evaluate it based on its current state, not what you remember from 20 years ago, because that city is gone.
In terms of maturation and being a big-city, PDX was going through puberty 20 years ago, and is now in its late teens/early 20s. We're turning into a legit big city, but we're really not there yet. There's a lot of growth pains here. Comparatively, Seattle has felt like it's been in its 30s/40s for a while now.
posted by hydra77 at 3:14 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm a geriatric millennial and I've lived here all my life. Lately Portland has become a sort of lightning rod for a certain kind of national media hand-wringing. Most of it is overblown. There are some troubling issues around policing and housing, but those are local versions of larger national trends. (Personally I think housing is at the root of most of our issues.) The art/music/food scenes we had in the 90s and 00s have grown up, for better or worse. Rent isn't cheap anymore, so the folks who created and sustained those scenes either figured out how to make money, or moved away. There are still lots of great people, and lots of great neighborhoods to choose from, probably more so than any other time in Portland's history. Overall affordability, however, is probably at an all time low, and I expect that will only get worse. I have no data to back up any of this. There's still lots of good stuff happening, especially if you make enough money to enjoy it.
posted by sportbucket at 4:08 PM on October 15, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by sportbucket at 4:08 PM on October 15, 2021 [7 favorites]
Man, that website skeeved me out. Looks like it's a dark money group? I'm with the ACLU on this one: https://twitter.com/ACLU_OR/status/1448377677925154817
posted by icebergs at 5:07 PM on October 15, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by icebergs at 5:07 PM on October 15, 2021 [5 favorites]
Ooh.. thank you. Had no idea and don't know exactly what it's deal is, billboards are everywhere.
posted by firstdaffodils at 5:20 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by firstdaffodils at 5:20 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
After reading the above, I want to clarify that I still love much about Portland, and I'll miss not living there. But after only six weeks away, I doubt I'll ever move back. I like hydra77's "age" analogy. Portland does feel like it's in its late teens or early twenties. It's messy, in ways both good and bad. I just don't want to live with a teenager anymore. ;)
posted by jdroth at 5:28 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by jdroth at 5:28 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
I first moved to Portland in 2003. I generally agree with the above. About five years ago is when I started noticing how bad the traffic is, I-84 is backed up pretty much all day on weekends. If you like hiking, prepare for popular trails to be crowded. And there are new fancy condo buildings every time I visit a neighborhood I haven’t been to in a while. On the bright side (IMO), the city is still pursuing their plan to make driving inconvenient and transit/cycling safer and easier. An arterial road close to me is getting lots of improvements including articulated buses. I know the amount of trash in Portland has gotten coverage, but when I report dumping/abandoned cars in my not-fancy neighborhood, it gets cleaned up within about a week.
Portlandmaps.com allows you to see various info about areas in the city, including crime, check out neighborhoods you’re interested in and see how you feel about what you find out.
posted by momus_window at 5:30 PM on October 15, 2021
Portlandmaps.com allows you to see various info about areas in the city, including crime, check out neighborhoods you’re interested in and see how you feel about what you find out.
posted by momus_window at 5:30 PM on October 15, 2021
I've lived in the metro area most of my life, and in Portland for most of my adult life. It's fine. It sucks in all of the same ways that cities suck during pandemic times.
For the past several years, I've lived out near 82nd and Foster. It very much feels like a reversion to the mean here, in terms of crime and violence. Yeah, there are shootings. Yeah, crime is up. Yeah, housing is a huge issue....but these are all things that are just general west coast problems and not isolated to Portland. And they're still better than the 90's were. Statistically this may not pan out, but I still feel pretty damn safe in my hood, walking my dogs at night. We haven't even had an amazon package stolen from our house in several years. Its very street-by-street in terms of sketch.
A good illustration of how Portland has changed and grown is honestly, the grocery chain new seasons: former small-town hero is now just expensive and vehemently anti-union...or how Stumptown is owned by an international coffee cartel.
Anything predicated on low rent (art in general, outsider art especially) has, as sportbucket says, have sort of disappeared. That stuff is around, but it's not nearly as common.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:10 PM on October 15, 2021 [4 favorites]
For the past several years, I've lived out near 82nd and Foster. It very much feels like a reversion to the mean here, in terms of crime and violence. Yeah, there are shootings. Yeah, crime is up. Yeah, housing is a huge issue....but these are all things that are just general west coast problems and not isolated to Portland. And they're still better than the 90's were. Statistically this may not pan out, but I still feel pretty damn safe in my hood, walking my dogs at night. We haven't even had an amazon package stolen from our house in several years. Its very street-by-street in terms of sketch.
A good illustration of how Portland has changed and grown is honestly, the grocery chain new seasons: former small-town hero is now just expensive and vehemently anti-union...or how Stumptown is owned by an international coffee cartel.
Anything predicated on low rent (art in general, outsider art especially) has, as sportbucket says, have sort of disappeared. That stuff is around, but it's not nearly as common.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:10 PM on October 15, 2021 [4 favorites]
I've lived in Portland since 2002. As others have mentioned, Portland is not what it was in 2002 (but guess what place in the US is? No place!). It's becoming more and more like any other big city, with all the attendant problems and challenges that brings; it's no longer a small town hiding in big city wrapping.
Whether that's your cup of tea or not, I can't tell you, but I can say that Portland isn't much different than a lot of big cities these days, for both good and bad. If you want urban living, Portland's probably still one of the better places to find it. Most neighborhoods, as furnace.heart says, are still pretty safe, and it's nowhere near the urban hellscape that a lot of not-even-ultra-right-wing media portrays it as; it's just a city, with city problems.
Portland's growing up, and Portland's not quite sure how to do that, so it's a bit janky right now, but it's still the best big city on the west coast to find your own niche in. Despite the growth in the area's population and wealth, and all the challenges and issues that those two things bring, Portland's still less of a big city than any other west coast place. In 20 years, that won't be the case, just as 20 years ago, Portland was a lot different than it is now. But for now, Portland is still a good place to live, in my opinion.
Memail me if you want more detailed info or more examples of what I mean.
posted by pdb at 9:29 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
Whether that's your cup of tea or not, I can't tell you, but I can say that Portland isn't much different than a lot of big cities these days, for both good and bad. If you want urban living, Portland's probably still one of the better places to find it. Most neighborhoods, as furnace.heart says, are still pretty safe, and it's nowhere near the urban hellscape that a lot of not-even-ultra-right-wing media portrays it as; it's just a city, with city problems.
Portland's growing up, and Portland's not quite sure how to do that, so it's a bit janky right now, but it's still the best big city on the west coast to find your own niche in. Despite the growth in the area's population and wealth, and all the challenges and issues that those two things bring, Portland's still less of a big city than any other west coast place. In 20 years, that won't be the case, just as 20 years ago, Portland was a lot different than it is now. But for now, Portland is still a good place to live, in my opinion.
Memail me if you want more detailed info or more examples of what I mean.
posted by pdb at 9:29 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
I lived in Philadelphia and Boston before moving to Portland five years ago. The various PDX neighborhoods still have a lot to offer in terms of interacting with your fellow humans and having your material needs met. One of the other reasons to like or love living in Portland is the public transportation. Plus this year, two new bike bridges have gone up. As you get older, these two things gain in importance. I can’t think of a better US city to live in.
posted by Prayless at 9:24 AM on October 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Prayless at 9:24 AM on October 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've been here since 2005 and I'm wary of a lot of the astroturfed advocacy noted above. That said, I left for nine months to stay with my family while the pandemic was going strong and just moved back, and it feels... weird. Basically, I'm seconding all the narratives above. I don't think I'll ever be able to go on my bike rides late on a summer day and feel like the city just is, around me. There's more people, places, buildings and a lot of commoditized hipness. I guess I grew up and here did too, but it took leaving and returning to see it.
posted by DeepSeaHaggis at 4:35 PM on October 16, 2021
posted by DeepSeaHaggis at 4:35 PM on October 16, 2021
True story. I was walking up the street in Portland this afternoon minding my own business, listening to my podcasts, zoning out, thinking about this thread, and I was assaulted by a random person presumably in the grips of a mental health situation. I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt. Just plenty scared. This was in the Pearl District. It could happen in any city and in any time. It’s not unique to Portland 2021. But man it sure seems of a piece with everything else.
There was also a shooting on NW 21st a couple weeks ago, of all the places to have a shooting, and a server at a restaurant — a bystander — was killed. The spike in gun violence is really scary. I don’t personally feel threatened by it but I will be relieved when the murder rate returns to 2019 levels.
posted by chrchr at 5:12 PM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
There was also a shooting on NW 21st a couple weeks ago, of all the places to have a shooting, and a server at a restaurant — a bystander — was killed. The spike in gun violence is really scary. I don’t personally feel threatened by it but I will be relieved when the murder rate returns to 2019 levels.
posted by chrchr at 5:12 PM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the all the responses, I will definitely be taking the time for an extended visit to the area before making any decision to move, and what I'm hearing makes me cautiously optimistic!
posted by kanuck at 11:36 PM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by kanuck at 11:36 PM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
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That said, while things aren't as apocalyptic as some far-right folks would have you believe, they're pretty bad. So bad, in fact, that I chose to leave the city I love this summer. I moved. The traffic, crime, and homeless situation (which I recognize is a complex issue) just became too much. So did the high cost of living.
Other people may find the city just as charming as it used to be. Not me. To me, Portland seems like a mess and the city leaders show little desire to deal with the issues in meaningful ways. It feels like it'll be many, many years before there's any sort of resolution to the problems plaguing the area. So, I'll make my home in another little liberal haven for now...
posted by jdroth at 2:36 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]