Portland Oregon for the non-outdoorsy? If not, suggestions?

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<p>Yes, it’s a pineapple express. The tallest daffs are more than 6" and most of my clumps are 2 to 3 inches tall… Gardener’s weather. I notice swelling buds on the trees, too. Early spring in the northwest. (The first winter after we moved to the Seattle area (1994-5), the wild cherry tree behind our house started blooming in January and kept on blooming right through mid-March; it was a thing of beauty. Most years the earliest plums don’t bloom until mid-February.)</p>

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<p>Early spring in the northwest.</p>

<p>I can’t wait- </p>

<p>but wasn’t it last year we got a hard freeze after the buds set? I thought my pears had fire blight.</p>

<p>Something must be conspiring to wash Ca into the ocean.
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/science/earth/16flood.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/science/earth/16flood.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Around here we get floods, tornadoes, blizzards, and heat waves - a little of everything. Even the occasional earthquake. </p>

<p>[State</a> of emergency declared in flooded Westchester - Chicago Breaking News](<a href=“http://archive.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/07/thunderstorms-flash-flood-warnings-for-overnight.html]State”>http://archive.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/07/thunderstorms-flash-flood-warnings-for-overnight.html)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11chicago.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11chicago.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>We have to worry about hail destroying the spring flowers.</p>

<p>I’m trying to get my husband to review the Portland information I’ve collected but he’s watching some football game :slight_smile: .</p>

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<p>'m trying to get my husband to review the Portland information I’ve collected but he’s watching some football game</p>

<p>Ack- not a very auspicious start. :(</p>

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<p>Well, it is the Bears in the playoffs and the cat is on his lap so it’s hard to complain. Out loud, anyway!</p>

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<p>Ohhh, it is a major crime against felinity to disturb a cat! I see, the Bears are making creamed spinach out of my home team. :)</p>

<p>Love the today’s weather - 55 and misty, and my magnolia stellatas are going to bloom soon. The PNW weather is my lame excuse for buying Burberry products :p</p>

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<p>Low 80s yesterday and high 70s here today - pretty much like a nice summer day.</p>

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<p>This:</p>

<p>[Scientists</a> warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110117/us_yblog_thelookout/scientists-warn-california-could-be-struck-by-winter-superstorm]Scientists”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110117/us_yblog_thelookout/scientists-warn-california-could-be-struck-by-winter-superstorm)</p>

<p>…and, of course, The Big One (we are waiting for that one, too).</p>

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<p>Well, DH finally reviewed all the info and agrees that Portland is a possibility which means our next step is a short visit. This will probably be late February/early March. I will get the name of a realtor ahead of time and arrange to see a sampling of housing in our price range and meeting our preferences. </p>

<p>We would like to be in an area where there are a few choices of synagogues within about 20 minutes; don’t have to walk to shul! I’ve already got Hillsdale, Sellwood, and Mt Tabor on the short list - any other suggestions? We don’t want to be somewhere where you have to drive to do anything - so walkability is a factor, although that seems to be a strength of Portland. We also want proximity to normal shopping like a good grocery, stores like Target and Home Depot, nice restaurants, and maybe a park.</p>

<p>Then we will take a day or so to just get a feel for what it might be like to live in the Portland area - any ideas would be much appreciated! I found a thread on this subject on another message board and they suggested a walking tour of downtown, eating from food carts, wandering around Powell’s Books, and walking in the waterfront park. I also want to see some of the natural beauty of the area so whatever isn’t still mudded out in the Columbia Gorge etc. (We love waterfalls but aren’t big hikers.) Any other suggestions of how to feel like we live there? If possible we will try to rent through VRBO rather than in a hotel but don’t know yet if that will work out.</p>

<p>Finally, we’ve read enough positive stuff to know we want to check out Portland. But there are two negative themes that seem to run through the message boards: (1) weather, which has already been discussed here and (2) homeless population. Thoughts?</p>

<p>Thanks! We had some rain/sleet/snow yesterday and are heading towards sub-zero later this week so gray and misty isn’t sounding so bad…</p>

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<p>rent, rent, rent. You have 24 (?) months to buy a house after closing of the old home to avoid cap gains, if any.</p>

<p>Visit on days of full moon or new moon. For some unknown reason weather will be more than likely be better. Next full moon is thursday, and then new moon on Chinese New Year.</p>

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<p>Area near Reed College is great. (Eastmoreland)</p>

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<p>“You have 24 (?) months to buy a house after closing of the old home to avoid cap gains, if any.”</p>

<p>Isn’t that the old law? Now it’s a $250,000/$500,000 exemption:

</p>

<p>[Publication</a> 523 (2010), Selling Your Home](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/publications/p523/ar02.html]Publication”>http://www.irs.gov/publications/p523/ar02.html)</p>

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<p>It’s been quite a while since I was there but we took the drive up Mt. Saint Helens and it was pretty awesome to see the devastation and change due to the eruption and to see how nature was starting to come back. Note - it’s a slow drive up to the top behind the RVs, etc. but it’s beautiful scenery.</p>

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<p>Mt St Helens is mostly closed in winter: [Mount</a> St. Helens National Volcanic Monument](<a href=“http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/]Mount”>http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/) although I agree it’s a great day trip from Portland.</p>

<p>Marilyn, are you familiar with walkscore.com? You can plug in any address and find out what’s near there. It gives a score based on walkability, but keep in mind that includes things like elementary schools that may not matter to you.</p>

<p>Eastmoreland: I agree that Eastmoreland is lovely, but it’s very suburban, and there’s not a lot of places to walk to, other than Reed. However, Sellwood is close by and it is very walkable (although the Sellwood Bridge frankly terrifies me [Slide</a> sharpens focus on Sellwood Bridge plan](<a href=“http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129366062910886900]Slide”>http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129366062910886900)).</p>

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<p>“keep in mind that includes things like elementary schools that may not matter to you.”</p>

<p>I think she would be very interested as they wanted a more adult-centered community, non? The last place you want to be is within walking distance of a really great elementary. It’s going to be kid central!</p>

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<p>You’re going to be dealing with the homeless anywhere that is walkable on the West Coast, unless the price is astronomical and the community is heavily policed. The homeless of Portland are relatively decent people on the whole–lots of old hippies, marijuana addicts that don’t do the hard stuff, alcoholics, and the like.</p>

<p>There’s nothing wrong with the weather if you don’t mind rain and the occasional storm and fog with about six weeks of sunny weather, maybe ten in a good year, of solid sunny weeks:</p>

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<p>Seattle is further inland than Portland, despite Puget Sound. I think that, and other complex factors, lead to sunnier weather.</p>

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<p>MmeZeeZee: you missed my point about the walkscore and elementary schools. Having an elementary school nearby increases the walkscore. Thus, a high walkscore that is produced solely by the proximity of an elementary school is not particularly useful. However, a high walkscore produced by a wide variety of services would be useful. It’s important to look at the walkscores with a jaundiced eye.</p>

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<p>I think people in the rest of the country would generally feel that Portland’s and Seattle’s weather is about the same.</p>

<p>On average Portland is warmer than Seattle by 2°F
Seattle on average is cooler than Portland by 1°F</p>

<p>looks amusing, but I think I know what they mean (highs/lows or summers/winters?)… :)</p>

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<p>“However, a high walkscore produced by a wide variety of services would be useful. It’s important to look at the walkscores with a jaundiced eye.”</p>

<p>I did miss your point and I think that this is very true.</p>

<p>Vossron–I was just kind of highlighting a summary of the weather. It might seem the same to you but that’s the difference between getting home after work before it freezes, or not.</p>

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<p>“Portlandia” starts tonight on IFC TV.</p>

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<p>I checked out “Portlandia” on their online site and I must say it reminded me of the hippies from my U of Michigan college days. We were all hippies then! (Except the football team.) Did they all move from the communes to Portland? ;)</p>

<p>I do see the walkability score on some of the housing sites I’ve been perusing. Unfortunately that score doesn’t indicate elevation changes! And yes, we currently live within short walking distances of all levels of schools (which was great for 18 years). We have one of the best locations in our town, actually. But that is not the neighborhood we need anymore.</p>