I hear it rains all the time in Portland. Does it get really depressing?

First of all, a clarification about Portland weather: it's not that we get tons of rain, it's that we have a lot of overcast days, many of which have a little rain. But we don't get major downpours every day. It's the cloudy days that get to people. According to the Western Regional Climate Center, Portland gets 222 cloudy days a year. (Phoenix gets about 70 cloudy days per year.)

According to BusinessWeek's February 2009 survey, Portland ranks #1 most "unhappy" city in America. I guess this is based on our suicide rate and our economy:

(Note: the BusinessWeek editors must have been having some fun or or were unaware that Justin Sullivan's picture on that page is of the Portland Blues Festival!)

Is it depressing and can you handle it? Impossible to answer in general, because everyone is different. Whether you can adjust depends in part on your personality and what you are used to. Some people get really depressed here in the winter while others love the rain or come to. After a decade in Portland I have come to love the rain (previously I lived in Phoenix). It took some adjustment, but now I actually look forward to rainy days. Then again, you do appreciate your beautiful sunny days here because they don't come all the time.

The upside of the rainy months here is it's amazingly green here. And, August and September are usually spectacular weather months - sunny, warm days without a lot of humidity usually (at least compared to the east coast). We also have regular sunny days even in the winter, but they are more rare than elsewhere in the country. It's not unusual to have a day or two in the winter where it's 50+ and sunny, very mild and nice. But next week, it will be rainy and foggy, again...

How do you deal with all the rainy days?

Native Oregonians like to brag that they don't own an umbrella (they are lying!). What they mean is, they rarely use one, because what's a little water anyway? More often than not the rain is not heavy here when it does rain. But it can occasionally rain in buckets here, so like anywhere else you had better have an umbrella nearby!

People here learn to adapt to the wet days; they wear clothes that won't get ruined with a little water (Gortex). They learn to work outside or ride their bikes outside and dress warmly. Want to go hiking? Yeah, but it might be raining. Yeah, so what?

Rain aside, what's the climate like in Portland in general?

Our winters are mild compared to the mid-west. We do get snow and ice once in a while but not very often, maybe once or twice a winter give or take. It rarely gets into the 20's in the winter but it can. More typically, think mid-30's to mid-40's at night to mid-40's to mid-50's during the day. When it's clear, it's colder at night but warmer during the day, usually.

Summers can get very hot, sometimes 100 degrees or higher, but not sustained for weeks as in the Southwest. If it gets to 100 degrees in the day, you know it will cool off at night. Temperatures of mid-70's to mid-90's are much more typical for Portland in the summer. Humidity is not unbearable as it can be in the mid-west.

What are the schools like in Portland? Which are the best schools?

You can compare the schools in Oregon here: www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx.

In general, the schools in Oregon have suffered from budget problems since the late 1990's. In Portland, some of the top high schools include Lincoln High School (NW/SW), Wilson High School (SW), and Grant High Schools (NE). Beaverton is known to have good schools in general and is does Lake Oswego.

I'm considering going to school in Portland but have never been there. How good is Portland State University?

PSU (a local abbreviation, not to be confused with Penn State University) is considered an up-and-coming school here, and according to PSU, they serve "more students and confers more graduate degrees annually than any other Oregon university." However, as a school PSU has never had the national reputation of a Stanford or a University of Washington (or even Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) which is nationally recognized). If your goal is to put an impressive school on your resume after graduation, don't pick Portland State. But, you'll get a decent education there at a fraction of the cost of an ivy league school and be able to live in a great city.

What do the locals think of PSU? I think PSU is considered an economic alternative for kids who can't afford to go to a better school out of state. PSU also has a large number of older students (i.e. older than 21) and does not have the "university feel" of older schools like Oregon State or University of Oregon, with real campuses. PSU just blends into downtown Portland. Not that that's bad, but it has a different flavor.

The most important question to ask, of course, is: how is the program in which I want to study ranked nationally? PSU may be top-ranked in certain programs (see this page from PSU for example, so you might consider that. Still, PSU will probably be "good enough" for many students.

I hear the economy is bad in Portland. How hard is it to find work there?

Like the rest of America, the economy has seen rises and falls. Oregon's economy was hit hard by the burst of the dot-com bubble (lots of high tech in Portland) in 2001, and the economy was soft for several years. By 2008 it again had slowed like the rest of the nation's with the banking and housing crises. In January, 2009, Oregon's overall unemployment rate was 9.9%, the highest in a long time. Portland's housing market was slow in 2008-early 2009 too but saw relatively modest price drops (single-digit percentage losses) compared with the steeper drops in markets like Phoenix and Miami.

Whether you would have trouble finding a job in Portland depends in large part what kind of job you seek and what kind of background and qualifications you have. If you are looking for a minimum wage job as a waitperson or a barista, you shouldn't have a problem (and Oregon's minimum wage, even for restaurant workers is $8.40/hour in 2008, indexed annually to inflation). If you are looking for a job as a web designer or an IT support person (tech jobs), with absolutely no connections in Oregon or without an amazing resume, you might have a tough time getting immediate work.

Your best bet is to explore the job market before you arrive, using Oregonlive.com (the Oregonian) or Craigslist to see what kinds of jobs are available in your field and what they pay. (Hint: they may pay a LOT less than if you are now living in, say, California - but the cost of living is lower in Portland.)

If you want to come to Portland cold turkey without a job, have a few months income in the bank first! Then plan to network in your field or pound the pavement once you get there unti you find something

My philosophy about finding work, by the way, is that you should never rely on job listings and classified ads when looking for a job. If you reply to a job listing in a difficult field, your resume will be among dozens, maybe hundreds. How do you distinguish yourself? I say you need to circumvent this process entirely and (cliche as it may sound) get out there and NETWORK! Find people in your field, keep finding new contacts at potential employers, and see if you can get in contact with a potential hiring manager before they even start looking for work! Believe it or not, in my experience, employers hate looking for qualified employees, and if you get your resume to someone before they even advertise for a soon-to-be-open job, they might just interview first and not bother advertising.

Where is the best place to live in Portland?

This is much too simple of a question! Before it can be answered, you have to answer a few other questions, such as:

• Do I like a city environment or dull-but-safe suburbs?
• Where will I work or go to school? Where will my partner work or study?
• How long of a commute can I handle - or can I take the bus/train?
• How much can I afford in rent?

Browse the neighborhoods here to help get an idea of what the various Portland areas are like. See what jumps out at you! Weigh your impressions with the other factors like work, school, etc.

What are the normal deposits on rentals in Portland? What about cleaning fees? What part is refundable and non-refundable?

Many places will ask for a month's rent as a desposit, especially rentals of homes or duplexes or the large corporate-owned apartment complexes and buildings. Some of the smaller landlords and buildings, with studios and 1BR places, tend to ask for less. Apparently some of the deposits on places in Portland are pretty small compared to other cities, but it varies.

If you can't afford a steep deposit up front, sometimes the landlord (especially the independent/smaller ones) will allow you to pay some of the deposit per month until you pay it. For example, if the deposit required is $600, see if you can pay $300 up front and then $50/month for six months until you have paid it. Don't be afraid to ask! Just make sure that is in your lease as an addendum.

The part of your deposit that is refundable and non-refundable ("cleaning fee") varies greatly by the type place you rent and the company. The "corporate owned" buildings and complexes usually have some sort of fixed "cleaning fee." I rented a duplex from a small landlord a few years ago where there was NO cleaning fee or non-refundable deposit. The catch: I needed to clean it myself and leave it in the same shape it was in upon move-in. (I was able to do this except for a part for the stove that I broke, and they deducted that from my deposit.) Just make sure you understand very clearly what the deposits are and what is non-refundable and what is, BEFORE you sign the lease!

Sometimes people worry about getting ripped off by their landlord when they move out for damage they didn't cause or for things that were "broken" when you moved in. In the age of digital cameras, that's easy to handle: take pictures of the place vacant before you move in, and anything you find questionable, point it out to your landlord. You might even give him/her a CD of your pictures. The larger landlords have a formal inspection form you are supposed to fill out to avoid these kinds of misunderstandings.

(Tip to landlords: don't make your security deposit exactly one month's rent! Make it slightly more or less. That way, your tenant won't assume their deposit IS the last month's rent!)

I want to be near parks so I can walk my dogs. Where should I live?

I recommend somewhere near Washington Park (NW/SW), Laurelhurst Park (SE/Irvington), Irving Park (NE/Irvington) or Gabriel Park (SW). See the Portland Parks Web Site.

Can you live without a car in Portland?

Sure - see my article Living in Portland Without A Car.

Is Portland really bike-friendly?

Yes - they are building bike lanes everywhere. See Bicycles Programs - Blue Bike Lanes page from the City of Portland.

I'm going to start school at one of the universities. Where should I live?

Portland State (aka PSU): If you don't mind the bus, you can live nearly anywhere close-in and use public transportation to get to school, because many buses (and the Portland Streetcar) go right through campus. There isn't a ton of affordable housing right on campus, unfortunately. There are several highrise buildings right in the area (Ione Plaza, Village At Lovejoy Fountain, Portland Center Apartments) but they are pretty spending for the typical student budget. Some PSU students live in Goose Hollow (you can walk to campus but it's a 15-20 minute walk) or even NW Portland (streetcar is VERY convenient). To the south of PSU some students pick the John's Landing area.

Reed College: Sellwood is close by, so is Woodstock.

University of Portland: It's in North Portland - not the trendiest area but a bunch of up-and-coming neighborhoods.

Lewis and clark: look for places in SW Portland. There is a Trimet (city) bus to campus, plus the university itself runs shuttle busses to/from downtown. There are some apartment complexes along Barbur Blvd and probably a few near the university.

Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU): There are a few apartment complexes up on the hill - otherwise, see the tips for PSU. The #8 bus goes up the hill to the university.

What is the cost of living like in Portland? Isn't the income tax really high?

Yes, Oregon has a high income tax rate (9% - ouch!), but you must also consider that Oregon has no sales tax. Plus, your state income tax is deductible on your federal tax return. And fees for things like car registration are low. In overall "tax burden", I think Oregon is about average among the 50 states.

Compare the cost of living in Portland to where you live now at BestPlaces.net

The cost of living in Oregon - aside from housing - is about average for the US, probably a bit cheaper than California.

The cost of renting isn't terribly above average, either (maybe a tad) - figure about $400-$500/month for a typical studio; $550-$750+ for a 1-BR, $600-$900+ for a 2-BR place (more in the hottest neighborhoods like NW Portland).

But the cost of real estate in Portland has been exploding the last decade or so. Where Portland once had a very affordable housing market, relatively speaking, today it no longer does. On the other hand, Portland still has the cheapest real estate market on the West Coast, compared to Seattle, San Francisco, and Southern California.

What's the crime like in Portland?

I live in NE Portland, in the Eliot neighborhood, which has a history of drug crime. The neighborhood has cleaned up greatly in the last decade, like many other Portland neighborhoods. Honestly, as a tall guy, I fairly safe most of the time walking home even late at night. I can say that about many other Portland areas; I couldn't say that about some other cities.

Portland has crime just like any other city. However, much of the crime here is drug-related crime. Oregon has a well-known meth problem, which recently overshadowed Portland's previously well-known heroin problem. If you are not involved in this type of lifestyle, your chances of being a crime victim are greatly reduced. Car theft and break-ins are pretty common so parking your car off-streat (instead of on a public street) helps. Fortunately, Portland' homicide rate is really low. When there's a murder in Portland, it's a big deal, unlike in some of the other big cities where you expect to see three or four murders a night reported on the evening news.

You can check the crime history within the last year or so using a terrific city website, www.PortlandMaps.com, where you can punch in any address and see crime stats (even exact locations) for various types of incidents. You should use this website to check the area around any place you are planning to move to in Portland!

What is the usual term of leases in Portland?

The larger apartment buildings/complexes tend to want 9-12 month leases. But it is very common to get month-to-month leases with some of the older places and smaller landlords, and there are many of these (especially closer-in to Portland). I lived for 2.5 years in a duplex on a month-month lease the entire time. Truly, look on Craigslist for places and skip For Rent Magazine (unless you are content with a big apartment complex, probably suburbs). Look for ads in Willamette Week and the Oregonian too. Call or email people and ask about the leases, but I think finding a month-month shouldn't be too hard.

I want to visit Portland to check it out. Where should I stay?

Depends on where you plan to live. If you think you'll live in the suburbs, stay there. Try to mimic your life as you think it might be living in Portland.

If you plan to live in one of the urban neighborhoods, I'd recommend getting a hotel with Priceline.com. (You can use them for the suburbs, too.) I have used Priceline.com for hotels in many other cities and gotten great deals.

In case you aren't familiar with Priceline.com: you pick dates, room quality (number of stars), and a "zone" to stay in, and name a price - and if Priceline can find a room for that price, they charge your credit card immediately and only then you find out the name of the hotel. Priceline reservations are completely non-refundable, and because you don't know which hotel you'll get until after you're charged, it scares some people. But, there's a great (free) site called BiddingForTravel.com that takes much of the guesswork out of the Priceline experience. Here you can get an idea of which hotels (probably five or six at most, maybe less) you are likely to get in a particular zone and what people have been bidding for them. You'd be surprised how cheap these hotels can be!

For Portland, I have a couple of recommendations. If you are not worried about cost, get a 4-star hotel and bid in the downtown Portland zone. You'll pay perhaps $20/night extra for parking if you have a car, however! But you'll be in a nice hotel in downtown. You can save money by bidding for only a 3-star, but you could be on the east side of the river (not truly "downtown" but close), but you could still pay extra for parking. Another good alternative if you have a car is to bid for the Northwest Portland zone - you are likely to get the Silver Cloud Inn, a 2.5 star hotel with (as of July 2004) free parking that is very close to NW 23rd Avenue in NW Portland. If you don't have a car, I'd probably stick to downtown Portland.

If you are really budget-conscious, consider staying at one of the Hosteling International youth hostels, both in great locations. There's the Hostel on SE Hawthorne Blvd and another one on NW Glisan Street. Moreover, you're likely to meet more people in a hostel environment than you'd meet at a regular hotel.

When renting in Portland, what kind of utilities are usually paid by the renters?

What you pay and what the landlord pays varies by the rental, though in general, in apartment buildings the building has its own trash service (a dumpster, free of charge). When you rent a duplex or a whole house, you are more likely to be asked to pay for garbage, sewer, and water as well as gas and electric. If you pay for trash service, figure about $18/month.

You should always take into account the cost of utilities when renting and make sure you ask what is included and what isn't and make sure it is clear in any lease you sign. Ask about electric, heat, water/sewer and garbage.

Water is a special case. Older buildings may not have separate water meters for invidual units, but that may be changing all over the US. I've heard that the EPA has done studies showing that when renters have to pay their water bill, they use far less, so the EPA may require landlords to bill renters directly for water instead of "including" water in the rent amount.

In 2000, I lived in a large highrise building that had had water included in the rent price, but they decided to start charging tenants for water (without lowering the rent). They didn't have individual metering but were just going to charge a prorated amount per apartment. Next I lived in a duplex building where water was included in my rent because the landlord had only one water meter for both units. Now, I live in a 3 BR townhouse and pay my own water/sewer - it's about $50/month (for one person).

In general, water in Portland is expensive (despite our regular rain) but electric is cheaper than the national average because of our proximity to the Bonneville Power Adminstration dams on the Columbia River. Many homes have all-elecric heating as a result. Some homes have gas heat, however, though nowadays gas prices make it less economical than electricity.

Once in a while you will find a rental that has heat included but not electricity - particularly in older buildings. Just ask if you're not sure what is included.

Finally, keep in mind that since the fall in interest rates in the 2000s made owning a home more affordable, Portland's rental market has softened a bit from ten years ago. Anything is negotiable. If the landlord wants you to pay all utilities and they cost a lot, try to negotiate for lower rent. You have nothing to lose by asking!

Who provides "regular" phone service and Internet Service in Portland? Can I get by with just a cell phone?

The Portland metro area is covered by three counties - Multnomah County (most of Portland), Washington County (southwest Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro) and Clackamas County (southeast of Portland; Clackamas, Oregon City).

If you live in Multnomah County, your phone service (and DSL/high speed internet) would be provided by Qwest - you can't get Verizon.

If you live in Washington County or Clackamas County, your phone service (and DSL/high speed internet) would be provided by Verizon - you can't get Qwest.

Qwest offers what is called "Naked DSL" meaning that you can get DSL without actually having voice phone service. Verizon may or may not provide the same thing. However, Verizon has also invested heavily in their fiber optic high speed internet/video service (FIOS) and you can get really fast internet through FIOS - if you are lucky enough to live in Verizon territory!

Comcast, which provides cable TV service to most of the Portland Metro area, also provides high speed internet (with or without TV), though it's not necessarily cheap. Sometimes you can't get DSL (because you are too far from a switch) and can only get Comcast.

All the major cell phone carriers provide service in the Portland area, and coverage is decent except for a few "holes" as you find in most cities. Many people now have no land line and simply get Comcast cable or DSL.

If you have a laptop, Portland has an abundance of free wireless hotspots. The leading advocate of free wireless in Portland is a terrific group (volunteers) called Personal Telco, which helps coffee shops and restaurants turn their DSL or Cable connection into a free public hot spot. It's possible you can simply read your email for free at coffee shops if you have a laptop - or, you may be lucky enough to have a generous neighbor with an open hot spot. (Even desktop computers can get wireless cards.)

In 2006, Portland contracted with a California called MetroFi to build a "Wireless Cloud" over the city. The plan is to provide free wireless service (supported by those annoying banner ads) in most areas of the city. So far, the service has been a bit disappointing; it often doesn't work well indoors (ever try using your laptop in the RAIN, which Portland gets a lot of???). MetroFi recommends you buy a special antenna if you want to use the service indoors. Most people apparently won't bother.

What's the best way to find an apartment, rental, or room for rent in Portland?

Craigslist is the most popular (free) way to find a place to rent. Beyond that, there's the classic route of Oregonlive (The Oregonian) classifieds or Willamette Week, Portland's most popular free/alternative weekly paper.

You might also try American Property Management for rentals - they manage a whole bunch of properties in most Portland neighborhoods.

For the suburbs and the big highrise buildings in downtown Portland, you can also try For Rent magazine online - but these will be limited to the larger, big corporate-owned complexes. However, you won't find much in the inner Portland neighborhoods in For Rent.

If you happen to have a place to stay for a short time before you move into your rental, sometimes it helps to walk or ride through a neighborhood looking for "For Rent" signs. This is effective because you can immediately tell whether you like the place and the location.

Is Portland just like a mini-San Francisco?

This comparison is made often - but I'm not sure it's a good one. Portland is way smaller than San Francisco and much less diverse. Portland is mostly white, except for a few neighborhoods in North/Northeast. And Portland's downtown is very small.

If you like San Francisco, the closest you'll come in Portland might be parts of Northwest Portland (NW 21st/23rd Ave) or SE Hawthorne. But you'll also find that in general, Portland "closes early" and feels more like a big town than a small city.

What are the politics like in Portland and in Oregon overall?

Portland and Multnomah County have somewhat liberal city government. Incoming mayor (January 2009) Sam Adams is the nation's first openly-gay mayor of a city the size of Portland. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a long-time liberal Democratic leader, is re-elected overwhelmingly every two years in Oregon's 3rd Congressional District, usually without a Republican challenger.

Portland certainly feels Progressive. There are large contingents of peace activists, vegetarians, environmentalists, and counterculture folks here. There are numerous activist progressive political groups in the Portland area. The city has added many bike lanes to existing roads over the years and is considered very bike-friendly. The local government has invested heavily in the MAX light rail train service instead of relying on buses or more freeway lanes. Biodiesel fuel advocacy and use is popular in Oregon in general.

However, aside from certain other liberal areas (Lane County; Eugene, Oregon), the rest of the state is much more conservative. Between 2004 and 2008 the balance of power has shifted from Republican to Democrat; even though Oregon has had a Democratic governor for more than 20 years, Oregon's state legislature flipped from Republican-controlled (through 2004) to Democratic-controlled (by 2007), and in 2008 Oregon's sole Republican Senator Gordon Smith lost reelection to challenger Jeff Merkley, a Democrat. In presidential elections, Oregon has considered a swing state in recent years but in 2008 it went overwhelmingly for Obama.

Oregon bucks the national trend in several ways. For one, as of 2006, Oregon is the only state in the union with completely vote-by-mail for all elections (no polling places). Oregon was also the first state in the US with an assisted suicide law (approved by voters) on the books, where terminally ill people with less than six months to live can legally obtain perscriptions to end their lives. (Washington State voters approves a similar law in 2008.) And, Oregon (like Washington) has a minimum wage higher than the national average; Oregon's is indexed to inflation, so if inflation causes prices to go up, the minimum wage automatically goes up every year.

I will be working near the Portland International Airport (PDX). Where should I live?

Living near PDX, your options depend on what kind of neighborhood you seek and whether you want to be close to mass transit.

NE Portland is your most logical choice for urban neighborhoods. Beaumont-Wilshire is pretty nice and not far from the airport. Irvington is a lot closer to downtown but still in the right part of the city. Laurelhurst isn't too bad - slightly less "urban" but very nice, beautiful homes. Alberta (aka Alberta Arts) is more up-and-coming and "hip" (artist types, etc.), more young people perhaps than the more established Beaumont-Wilshire. You can find pictures of all of these areas on this site.

You could consider other options that are close to a MAX stop, because the MAX train goes directly to PDX. Laurelhurst in parts is close to a stop. So is Hollywood (which isn't described on my site but just south of Beaumont-Wilshire).

There are some neighborhoods near I-205 that are sketchy in spots but worth a look I guess (might be cheaper than the inner neighborhoods and/or you get a bigger place).

Is Portland tolerant of interracial lesbian couples?

Portland is a pretty tolerant city with quite an alternative vibe (even though as mentioned elsewhere the city is largely white). An interracial lesbian couple is unlikely to get a 2nd glance in many Portland neighborhoods (e.g Hawthorne). The suburbs tend to be more conservative, especially the outer east side and Clark County (Vancouver), Washington. You'll find racism everywhere, of course, but I think Portland on the whole is better than average.