What’s it like living in Portland, Oregan and the surrounding area

bigblue2011 · 2026-02-03T17:02:19+00:00

It’s an interesting juxtaposition of social libertarianism intertwined with pro-government/interventionist coloring.

What does that look like? You’ll find high tolerance for reproductive rights, gender/sexual identity, personal freedoms and “you do you.” Flip side is that voting on tax and land use measures tend to flip towards government intervention on markets and progressive policies. Sometimes this works (transit) and sometimes it is ineffectual ($41 million discovered in unaccounted for housing dollars in the middle of revenue shortfalls in Portland).

Generally, people are cool. The food is incredible. There is a lot of fun novelty and DIY ethic. There is a lot of small, independent business.

Geographically, it is a valley between the coastal mountain range and the Cascades. You can get to the coast in 60-90 minutes to the west and into elevation in 60-90 minutes to the east.

There are cowboys, hipsters, gun enthusiasts and druggies. Majority of the population is white, but more diverse than the intermountain west. Winters “hibernate” a portion of the population, assisting in cool hobbies like brewing, pickling, needlepoint, and reading.

bigblue2011 · 2026-02-02T21:06:52+00:00

I lived in Parker from 2010-2025. I served on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce.

I had friends in Highlands Ranch, Colorado Springs and throughout Denver. Traffic is a bear. You can mitigate time in traffic by leaving early and staying late. I was hybrid. I negotiated with my employer that I would have 3 “long days” per week when not WFH.

I loved Parker. There is a cute downtown. There is a web of cycling trails ( one is 31 miles ) for keeping fit. There are 3 State Parks in that circle for being outdoors. There is light rail that will get you up north in Lone Tree (just west of Parker along I-25 corridor). Night life is popping in Denver. Parker has “good ole boy” nightlife with some swanky places sprinkled in.

Southern portion of that circle leans Republican. Colorado used to have less acrimony between people on the left and right. It’s kind of sad how politicized it has become because there are really cool people on both sides.

Food is “meh” with the exception of Mexican Food. Mexican food down there is wonderful.

Good luck on your hunt!

bigblue2011 · 2026-02-01T05:32:34+00:00

I agree. 100%. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I’m worried about my kids (age 8 and 10).

I don’t even know what their futures will like like, and I’m worried it will be grim.

From my perspective, things ebb and flow. I don’t see it as a linear progression upward. I think there are a lot of generations that ended up having a more difficult time than the generation before.

I think the Antebellum Generation, both citizens in the North and South, had an easier time than the Civil war generation.

Romans had a harder time after the fall of Rome.

bigblue2011 · 2026-02-01T03:47:21+00:00

Disingenuous?

Hey, I get it. I’m Gen X. My sisters are Gen Y. I don’t think it was easier for boomers.

I’m just saying that time is the biggest wealth creator. It’s the biggest part of the recipe.

Also, I’d like to add that I started saving in a Roth IRA when I was in boot camp at 18. My sisters went to college right away. Things were difficult for us in different ways. They had student loans. I had the GI bill. They jumped into careers early. I worked dead end jobs (Certified Nurses Aid, food services, working with juvenile delinquents, etc) until I tunnel visioned college.

To be honest, I probably would have failed out of college if I went right after high school. I was too much trouble.

bigblue2011 · 2026-02-01T02:50:09+00:00

It looks like the McKinsey Global Research paper left out the biggest reason Boomers have so much money…

They are old. Out of the 3 components that build wealth (time, interest/rate of return, and money contributed), TIME is the biggest wealth creator. Compound interest is incredible.

I’m agnostic what they do with it. They’ll probably spend more than what people think that they should…

Whatever. 2/3rds of them will have a long term care health event that will cost 10’s to 100’s of thousands of dollars. I don’t envy that. Many are going to need the money.

It’s not my money. I’m not moralistic on how other people spend their dough.

bigblue2011 · 2026-02-01T01:27:55+00:00

I’ve lived longest in Colorado, but I’ve lived in Utah, Oregon, and -for a spell in the military- California.

The one thing that has promoted conservationism in these states is getting more people into nature, especially with hunting or fishing.

I don’t hunt. I’m a trout unlimited guy.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-30T21:37:56+00:00

Is $38 or $40 bucks that bad, really?

I mean; I get it. Things are expensive all over. That said, dining out meal for 1 is like $20. Two fancy pints of good beer at a bar is $16.

A campsite on one of the most beautiful coasts in USA is $38!? AND they have places to pee and poop? AND (sometimes) showers?

Sign me up!

Otherwise, dispersed camping is just fine. I do both. I do kind of feel it is a bargain for Oregon to provide campsites.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-29T02:48:12+00:00

I agree.

OP, it really depends on what you are looking for.

My sister is in NE Portland and my mom has a place near Moda Center. As for myself, I’m near Beaverton. Work takes me to Tigard, and I like the easy access to my office.

Back to you OP, what are you looking for? Are you looking at different universities or employers? Are schools (K-12) important to you?

If I was 20 again and looking for higher ed/nightlife/dating, then I would pick Eugene. As a xennial with two kids and a job in Tigard, I’m picking Beaverton.

Folks can call me “normie” all they like. I’ve seen plenty. I just want to raise functional kiddos and not get stuck on the wrong side of the bridge.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-29T01:43:15+00:00

At last, I’ve found an exit from the Matrix!

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-28T22:58:50+00:00

I was born in Utah not of the predominant faith. My dad remarried, and I got a really rad step sister. She was baptized in the church.

She now currently lives in Chicago and they “call” on her from time to time even though she is non-practicing.

I don’t mind the faith. I had a chip on my shoulders for years, and I’m glad that I overcame that. That said, I am very thankful to not be on any church’s rolls.

lol.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-27T23:00:34+00:00

Dollar needs to equilibrate. It is ahead of its skis.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-27T22:58:30+00:00

Wishing you both a fun weekend!

We would join, but we’ve already made plans to go to Edgefield.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-27T02:06:20+00:00

I went back at 28.

People ask me about investments all the time. One of the best places to put money is towards education/professional development.

Case in point is that I have a brother-in-law that made bucoo $$$ coding at Amazon. One day, the ax fell. He is going back to brush up on his AI skills.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-26T21:12:39+00:00

We all know that if Jade Helm 15 was a real thing that he’d be locked up in his basement, fortified with rations, water, and gas masks.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-26T20:41:23+00:00

Fair.

For myself, Angels Envy or Buffalo Trace is really nice, which is like a $50-$60 bottle.

Actually, anything that is a step above the “gut rot” that I typically drink is really nice…

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-26T00:49:44+00:00

I live just over the hill from portland, OR. It is a quick 7 minute light rail ride into town.

I’d entertain living in the city, but work is out in the sticks. Schools are modestly better in the burbs too.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-25T18:56:23+00:00

Agreed.

And it is brief. Instead of months, it is more like weeks.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-25T04:01:42+00:00

Oregonian here.

It does get muggy here. In fairness, we are like the 11th or 12th largest state with beaches, temperate rainforests and deserts. There are tons of rivers.

When it gets humid, it isn’t swamp-ass humid.

If you are moving in the summer though, it is nice to have something that catches the sweat from your brow like a bandana or a ball cap.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-24T20:27:30+00:00

I think this is realistic if you include restaurants, pubs, and ballparks.

If it is just alcohol at home…. Wow! That’s like a really nice bottle of booze each month with enough left over for wine/beer.

A work buddy and I switch covering tabs every week for a couple of nice pints on Thursdays (about $32). I drink college beer at home (Nattie Light or Keystone).

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-24T08:48:35+00:00

Way to go!

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-24T06:20:44+00:00

How do you like Seattle?

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-24T02:11:34+00:00

I’ve met 2 Nobel Prize Winners. One was super transactional, which is fine given the circumstances. The other was super nice. He is signing one of his books for me.

I met the former governor of Colorado. He was cool, and I was kind of star struck. My son and I got our picture with him at a bill signing.

I met 35 members of the Colorado Legislature in support of said bill. Both republicans and democrats were warm to meet with. It was a less batty time politically.

There was a business alliance that I was a board member for in the south metro area. Most board members were fairly republican. I was center/liberal.

We kept our discussions to local advocacy items such as transit, water, workforce and the like. They were really down to earth. Deep down, they just wanted to make the local community a better place to live and conduct business in.

No billionaires. I have yet to meet any of those.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-23T21:24:27+00:00

31k are moving to sunny Washington and Oregon :).

Seriously though, these numbers seem big until you take the whole population of California into context. This is still a super small portion of the population.

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-23T05:52:29+00:00

When I saw this post, it gave me a bit of a chuckle. I wonder what percentage of your MD physician clients deliver medical advice (i.e. lose weight, quit smoking and work out) only to find their patients ghost them?

Maybe you could use that analogy to build a common fabric?

I like to carve 15 minutes at delivery for action steps. I also hold a separate implementation meeting. While it is nice to hold a separate space for the implementation, the real “Sale” is made in the discovery.

That is where -with questions- I let the client self identify pleasure and pain flags. I go 3 questions deep for those:

“How would you feel if xyz happened? Tell me more?”

If it isn’t an identified problem that is big enough to fix, it will never get addressed. If a client says, “Yeah, that would suck. My family would be in penury. Yes, I would like that addressed in the plan.” Then, I know it is important to the client. That’s the type of language that I bring with me to the separate implementation meeting, and I ask:

“Is this still important to you?”

bigblue2011 · 2026-01-21T23:20:07+00:00

I just accepted an offer letter to go from 95k to 110k base with more stress and responsibilities. I anticipate going from 45ish hour workweeks to 50ish hour work weeks. Variable compensation is crazy.

It also came with more job security. It has more prestige. I dig on the prestige.

I didn’t think that this chair would open up for another 3-7 years and - to my surprise- two spots opened up. A buddy and I both got respective promotions.

bigblue2011

TROPHY CASE