<p>We’re looking around for a pre-retirement relocation (away from deep winter) and happened upon Portland. It seems to meet a lot of our criteria except I’m not sure if it’s the right place for a couple that’s not overtly outdoorsy. By that I mean we don’t ski, don’t do strenuous hikes, don’t fish, etc. We do love beautiful scenery and pleasant walks and bike rides and maybe easy kayaking, though. Other than going to Seattle and scenic drives on the rivers and mountains, what other weekend options are there for residents? Also, where might we want to look for a house; preferably not a family-centric neighborhood? Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>For those who want to suggest other areas, we are looking for a warmer weather climate near a coast with an active Jewish population, within easy reach of a major metro area, single family housing with a little lawn, good socialization options for empty nesters, and day and vacation trip opportunities. We’ve currently ruled out Florida and Texas and the DC area for various reasons, have visited Atlanta, and my top choice is somewhere in southern California (San Diego is next on our list and I know who’s out there to PM on that!). I’m keeping an open mind since my husband is wary of the economy of California and seems to want a suburban kind of house in an urban area. Not an easy task!</p>
<p>I think Portland would be great for you. My sister has lived there for 25 years and I visit frequently. You CAN find a suburban house very near to the urban part of Portland. It’s really a very livable city, with lots of great neighborhoods. I like the Sellwood area which has lots of interesting shops and restaurants and a park nearby. </p>
<p>It’s easy to get from the close suburbs to downtown in Portland. And they have Powell’s Bookstore, amazing and huge. You can drive to the beach for day trips. You can come to Seattle for weekends, or go on to Victoria, Vancouver or Whidbey Island. In the summer you can go to the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.</p>
<p>I think Portland is a better choice than Seattle (warmer, easier to get downtown, better for gardening). No sales tax in Oregon either.</p>
<p>Well- perhaps living in Portland would inspire you to become more outdoorsy. :)</p>
<p>What I like about Portland.
Hawthorne.
No sales tax.
Walking along the river.
Tri-met & the Max.
Powells.
Portland Nurseries
McMenamins
Pho Van
Food carts
Reed College
my daughter lives there.
Burgerville.
[Community</a> Gardens](<a href=“http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=39846]Community”>Community Gardens | Portland.gov)
much nicer & less expensive thrift stores than Seattle.</p>
<p>Mainly because of the public transportation, the livable feel of the city & the relatively mild weather, I think Portland would be a great place to retire.
I admit I don’t know anything about the Jewish community there- the Northwest is relatively " unchurched" as compared to some parts of the country</p>
<p>Portland is nice - one of my daughters attends school nearby - but it does have more weather extremes than Seattle. It has more hot days in summer, and (I think) worse weather in the winter. </p>
<p>It may not have sales tax, but Oregon does have a State income tax. </p>
<p>The ocean beaches aren’t far away and the towns are pleasant. Portland is also close to excellent wineries in the Willamette Valley. </p>
<p>I can’t offer anything on the Jewish community aspect as I’m Catholic.</p>
<p>eta: Ditto Burgerville. I love their seasonal fruit shakes, sweet potato fries, and Walla Walla Onion rings (offered seasonally)</p>
<p>Portland and Willamette valley. Currently mid 40’s (hi) and mostly cloudy with occassion sunbreaks. expected low high 30’s-low 40’s. Light rain tonight and tomorrow (<0.5 inches, all day). </p>
<p>Coast pretty much the same but higher night temps and a bit more rain.</p>
<p>Mountain areas, Colder and replace rain with snow. </p>
<p>Gorge areas: Add wind.</p>
<p>Central and east of Cascades: Clear and cold (30-40).</p>
<p>My very good friend was born and raised in Portland. She loves Portland and she loves Oregon but she can not live there. For her the amount of rain and lack of sunshine makes her depressed. Something to consider if sunlight is necessary for your mental well being.</p>
<p>“Portland is nice - one of my daughters attends school nearby - but it does have more weather extremes than Seattle. It has more hot days in summer, and (I think) worse weather in the winter.”</p>
<p>I attend school in Portland and I can assure you that the winters are much less harsh there than Seattle. For the most part, it does not snow very much at all; so far I have only experienced one night during which it snowed for an hour or so while, at the same time, Seattle had a horrible blizzard. The summers can get a bit warm with the heat waves, but generally not too much warmer than Seattle at all.</p>
<p>The percentage of Jews in Oregon is easy to find. The numbers are very low - less than 1% of the population. There are as many Wiccans and probably more Buddhists in the state.</p>
<p>I had also considered Portland as a retirement community - based largely on the recommendations of relatives. First and foremost consider the climate. It is depressingly cloudy and rains for the majority of the year. Since Portland is also located at a fairly northern latitude, the winter sunshine is already minimal before the all but constant cloud cover.</p>
<p>Portland has some other attributes. You may like them. I did not. The entire state has very restrictive zoning. In most areas zoning means limiting congestion. Not so in Oregon. Zoning restricts all housing to urban zones and has resulted in congested cities and towns and artificially raised housing prices. On the positive side, there is lots of open space outside of the urban zones.</p>
<p>Portland is a mecca for hipsters and bums. Large numbers of homeless people roam the streets and seem to be accepted as part of the culture. Many of these individuals appear mentally ill in need of help which is not available.</p>
<p>Oregon is politically unique - very green. Although that sounds like a positive characteristic, there is a very negative side. The politics are so restrictive with NIMOBY attitudes and this has all but ended business development. There are tons of people with low paid jobs or no jobs. The unemployment is near the worst aside from NV and FL. This has always been a problem but got much worse with the recent downturn. Inspite of the poor economy, Portland and Oregon have continued to attract young, educated people who like the lifestyle in exchange for career opportunities. To me this means lots of people with little ambition and little get up and go. I did not like the “feel” of Portland at all. Others might strongly disagree and might like the “laid back” approach to life. In any case Portland at to some extent the entire state has a unique feel to it. You need to visit and spend some time before building some picture in your head.</p>
<p>Portland DOES get more extreme weather than Seattle as the cold air can run right down the river gorge from Canada–and does from time to time. And same for hotter summer days. It’s a little less gray than Seattle and a better place to retire. Lots of nice houses within the city but not cheap.</p>
<p>“Lots of nice houses within the city but not cheap.” Well, I would certainly agree about the not cheap description. I looked in the Grant Park area and found lots of 80 year old 2 story wood houses in need of constant upkeep. Few were under $400,000. Many were over $600,000. I thought the area was kind of dumpy looking. Certainly those prices are not in keeping with salary ranges in Portland. By contrast I found affordable newer 3 br 2 ba houses just across the state line in Washington. Many were well under $300,000, or even under $200,000. I could find nothing remotely comparable in Portland or anywhere else in Oregon. New construction has been stiffled with a resultant increase in cost for existing housing.</p>
<p>Portland has hotter summers & snowier winters than Seattle- but I was just there yesterday & it was dry & comparatively warm.</p>
<p>Many people do commute from Vancouver Wa., but I like that they have denser cities ( relatively) and more definition to their rural communities, instead of one big sprawl of housing and traffic like other states.</p>
<p>Look at Research Triangle area of North Carolina…just to have a contrast. Cary or Chapel Hill. Synagogues and Jewish Studies programs @ Duke and UNC that both have community outreach. Good climate. Some wonderful senior and lifecare communities for post-retirement.</p>
<p>Also Charlotte NC…which may have even more of a Jewish community.</p>
<p>EK, eons ago I almost moved to Portland and that was my coveted neighborhood. A neighborhood centered on a volcanic crater sounded quite fun, with great older housing stock besides. Property values were comparable at the time, now looks like more appreciation than my current city. We stayed in the Midwest for the sunnier skies, if colder. At this point, I’d trade for warmer winters. </p>
<p>My aunt retired to Portland, and it is a great retirement city. No car needed due to excellent public transport, and there’s plenty to walk to close to her apartment. And then there is a benefit, depending on your views and fate, regarding end of life, as Oregon provides options not available in other states. She has met seniors who moved there for that option. </p>
<p>edad, interesting opinions. Something about the more laid back hip feeling bothered me-but thought it was happenstance.</p>
<p>We lived on the Washington side of the river, in Vancouver, Wa. No state income tax, and you are right next to Portland. There is a small Jewish community there, when I was there we did not have a Rabbi but I think since then they have actually formed a synagogue. Vancouver is a very nice community. The biggest drawback I would warn people about is not just the rain- and it does rain a lot. But it gets very dark in the winter there.</p>
<p>As for a neighborhood in Portland? I always loved the area around NW 23rd. Great restaurants, shopping and good public transportation.</p>
<p>I wanted to add that we now live in So. Cal, in Orange County, and if you can afford it, it has everything you asked for.</p>
<p>Okay… DH and I moved to Portland from the suburbs of Seattle two years ago. Not retiring, just moving. Cost of living in Portland is significantly lower than Seattle–electricity and gas and water and trash all about 75% of the same services. Excellent bookstore (Powell’s); decent theater (especially if you like quirky); amazing restaurants (at reasonable prices, by comparison with every other city I’ve ever eaten in, including Seattle, Boston, NYC, LA, SF, and Las Vegas). </p>
<p>Weather is a gardener’s dream. I’ve gardened in Phila, Boston, Bay Area, and Seattle and Portland is way easier than any of them (except for tomatoes in San Jose). You can mutter all you want about gloomy winters but really, you don’t have to shovel rain. And winter sun is glorious–it’s sunny today, for example.</p>
<p>As for the outdoorsy thing, while there is a lot of non-athletic indoor stuff to do in Portland, the outdoorsy thing is kind of infectious. It just so easy to get around on a bike when there are bike paths and bike lanes and places to lock up a bike–and a bike store in every neighborhood.</p>
<p>As for neighborhoods, Portland is one big family neighborhood, IMHO. Our neighborhood hosts a first-Monday-of-the-month party and the fifty households who regularly attend range from our 80-ish neighbor (who has lived there for close to 50 years) to families with pre-school children. Oh, and our other neighbors are a gay couple (who made People when they got married). If you want white-bread suburbs, I believe they’re out there, but why would you?</p>
<p>There is more to weather than temperature. Portland will generally be a few degrees colder than Seattle, yes. However, the average snowfall in Seattle is higher than in Portland. About a month ago planes were stuck in Seattle due to heavy snowfall while I had only seen one day of very light snow in Portland and was able to fly home fine.</p>
<p>
I would agree with this. The area surrounding Reed College is very suburban and I see many events being hosted either nearby or in the main field of the college each week.</p>
<p>Aside from the family-oriented events, there are plenty of restaurants, shops, clubs, music venues, etc.</p>
<p>If I were seeking warm, nice weather, neither Portland or Seattle would make the list. Many would find the lack of sun depressing.</p>
<p>I would head for SoCal or the Central Coast if you can afford it. Santa Barbra would be my number one choice. Georgous weather year round, big enough infrastructure and LA fairly close when you need more. </p>
<p>Weekends you can visit wineries, olive oil producers, farms and farmers markets and beaches. Good restaurants, book stores, etc. You can take classes at the U. Pure bliss IMO.</p>
<p>Regarding the Jewish community in Portland, a dear friend of mine moved there 10 years ago, and they are quite involved in the Jewish community. There is at least one Reform and one Conservative synagogue and a community day school. The city feels warm and friendly in a small town, Midwest way–and I mean that in the nicest way. There’s a great famer’s market downtown every weekend where you can buy fish fresh from the docks. Fabulous beaches are 90 minutes away. It’s a terrific place.</p>
<p>If you are looking for retirement you might need or want to consider the cost of living. According to Sperlings, Portland COL is 1.25 times the national average and Seattle is 1.43. Those numbers alone would be a concern for me. I need to look at places where the costs are closer to or below the national average.</p>