Does Oregon have more racial issues than most?
 

I'm planning a trip to Oregon as everyone says it's just beautiful. However a friend of mind said something that kind of surprised me.

He said that Oregon has a lot of areas that are not very friendly if you are a minority. Maybe I'm now sensitive to it, but I've also heard the samething from two other people who have been there. It's not blatant, but they say there's a certain vibe.

Well, seeing as how I'm asian, that put a small cloud over the trip. Still going and I'm thinking they're exaggerating, but I thought I'd ask.

Are there areas to avoid?

I just wonder what the "vibe" coming the other way was.

I have lived in Oregon all of my life. I have never heard much racism through the valley (Portland, Salem, Corvallis, Eugene). I know it exists, but I haven't heard much of it. I now live in Eastern Oregon (very rural) and there is quite a bit of racism towards the hispanic population that we have, but over all, everyone is friendly towards each other. I don't think it is any worse than any other place. The Portland area is very friendly and open minded. Enjoy your trip!

Yes, it is beautiful here and most people are extremely friendly. Oregon is quite large and most of the population is on the western half. I don't know the percentage, but we have quite a few Asians here. Of course, it goes along that most are in the more populated areas such as from Portland down through the valley. I have several Asian friends here and they have never said anything, so I don't know. But I do know that I have not heard anything negative either. Come and enjoy, and see for yourself:)

Depends on where you are going. In the larger towns and cities you should have no problems.

There are lots of Asians who go to college in Oregon and remain afterwards to work.

Portland should be pretty friendly.

The Pacific Northwest is more conservative than California, but it's not likely they will attack you or anything like that! LOL! It's just that they will be more reserved.

You shouldn't have any problems! Do enjoy Oregon! It's a beautiful state! :)

Thanks for the replies.

Of course I don't expect anything really dramatic to happen, but was curious about the outlook there toward minorities.

Anywyay, we'd be mostly in the "touristy" areas anyway, but will be driving through Bend (that's about as far east as we'll be going).

Any issues in that area?

No. Bend is a very friendly town with a young, active feeling. Great place to visit.

no, I think your fears are ungrounded.


and I live here.

Oregon is a very white state, but outside of certain rural areas (the ones you'd find in any state), it's also a very tolerant state. Portland just elected the nation's first openly-gay mayor of a major city, and the state voted heavily for Barack Obama in Tuesday's primary.

I personally don't think you have anything to worry about.

Oregon is probably one of the most racially tolerant states in the nation. Of course, it is one of the whitest. Even the city of Portland is very white.

Not being Asian I can't reply with any "minority issues" however Bend is pretty sophisticated so I think you can put your fears aside. Hope you have time to spend some time there enjoying the environment. My daughter Kristin was riding up the ski lift on Bachelor this winter with a Japanese girl whose eyes lit up when she spoke Japanese with her. So I guess there are nice people and some who aren't.

When I lived in Oregon (20 years ago, so keep in mind my data is old) it seemed to follow the sort of usual pattern of cities being more liberal/progressive and tolerant of differences of all sorts, while some of the rural areas were much less so.

I was so surprised at some of the racist comments I heard in some rural places in Oregon in the 1980's that I talked about it with various people who were native Oregonians. Several of them told me that at one time (back in the 20's I believe) Oregon had the largest KKK membership, per capita, of any state in the union. Hence the KKK evidently had some real political clout in Oregon in the 20's - Governor Pierce, for example, was elected with the support of the Klan, and while he was progressive on many issues, in 1923 he supported the Alien Land Law, for example, which prevented Japanese and Chinese immigrants from owning land in Oregon.

So anyway, I think some of those historical attitudes still lurk at some level with some people - just like they do many places. You can encounter ignorant, close-minded people anywhere. But most Oregonians, in my experience, are friendly and quite progressive.

There was a time - now past IMO - when southern Oregon - Jackson and Josephine counties in particular - were referred to as "Little Dixie," a term you still hear occasionally. It came from the differing patterns of settlement in the 19th Century - northern Oregon (Portland and Astoria in particular) being settled by "State of Mainers" i.e. from the US northeast; the Willamette Valley settled by Easterners and Midwesterners, and southern Oregon settled by people from the Southeast and Appalachians who came for the timber industry (having been involved in the same industry in Georgia and other pineland states in the South.)

Oregon very nearly joined the Confederacy, according to some accurate and not-so-accurate accounts. There's a great urban legend about several legislators who would have tipped the balance in favor of joining the Confederacy being tied up by Unionists in order for them to miss the vote. Probably bogus, but a great story anyway.

So there is <i>some</i> truth in saying the culture of some parts of the state having been more Southern than Yankee up to the middle of the last century, maybe later. There certainly was a reputation for redneck attitudes in those areas (as well as parts of Eastern Oregon) in the 1960s and 70s, but people were pretty confrontational in those days, so most likely more hyperbole than fact.

Whether that translates into prejudice today is pretty doubtful. There's no question the northern and coastal parts of the state are very liberal. There are way more Hispanic folk in Oregon than black or Asian, and it would not be accurate to say that the state is exempt from ethnic tensions regarding immigration and related matters.

hi seeingthesights,

i am asian too married to an english man. we went to visit oregon about 2/3 yrs ago per the recommendation of fodorites and i didn't feel any racial tensions at all. we only visited portland and the columbia river gorge area then back through washington to astoria and cannon beach. i never thought once that there were any wierdness from oregonians (is that the correct way to say that?). I love oregon, indeed a most beautiful state. Wish to come visit again very soon.

&quot;More racial issues than most?&quot; No, probably less in fact. Take cover though if you broadcast that you're from California and planning to move here! ;-)

I can only say that there are Japanese Gardens and Chinese Gardens and a Chinatown in Portland as well as Vietnamese and Thai restuarants, all owned and run by Asians, there is a nice community of Asians from what we saw..my son lives in Japan and he thought it was a very Asian friendly atmosphere... we are now the proud parents in law of a beautiful Japanese girl :D

I never noticed &quot;racial&quot; issues of any sort in our travels around Oregon...Portland is one of the most welcoming and tolerant cities for Everyone, not just race but everything else too..

Hope this helps put you at ease...

NorCal is correct. Oregon had a vibrant KKK in the 20s. At that time, Oregon had a very strongly white, Protestant population of English bloodlines which led to a strong anti-Catholic sentiment. The national KKK of the 20s was nearly as anti-Catholic as it was anti-black and, in Oregon, with few blacks to dislike, the KKK had more members who despised or resented Catholicism. Remember, the great immigration period of 1880-1914 was of very recent memory.

Very interesting feedback. My guess is that perhaps some who knew of Oregon's past let it influence them unduly in forming opinions about why some people acted &quot;unfriendly?&quot;

Perhaps they saw racism when the real reason was that they just happened to run into grouchy and unfriendly people.

Just jumping in here with my two cents. We live in Seattle - but have spent lots of time in Oregon - we vacation there as often as we can. I have lived all over the US - California - the midwest - New England and the South (Georgia). I have been in Seattle for 12 years and they will truly take me out &quot;feet first&quot; as my mother would say :) However, something that is a bit different about this part of the country - is that people are more &quot;to themselves&quot; - they are warm and kind - but they don't come off as vivacious as they may in other parts of the US. This could be perceived as indifference - or dislike - but I just think that it is in line with a more introverted personality that can prevail in this neck of the woods.

It would be a shame to miss out on what will likely be a wonderful trip for fear of running into racial tension. If I were in your shoes I would make the trip for sure, and if you experience any &quot;cold shoulders&quot; just chock it up to the independent nature of folks up here and don't let it get you down.

Just my thoughts. Have a wonderful trip!

A very little known fact is that Eastern Oregon and Idaho had, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, more Chinese who settled there.

A relatively famous pair were Doc Hay and Lung On (at the bottom of the article):

http://gesswhoto.com/beginning.html

The Chinese, as a group, were not able to increase their communities because they were prohibited from owning land and from marrying white women. Very few Chinese women came to the US.

The Chinese who came to work on the railroad and for the gold rush later scattered to many parts of the West but their descendants are mainly to be found in the big cities and along the coast.

If anything remains of those Chinese communities, it's in small museums scattered across the West.

Perhaps your friend himself/herself has memories of those discriminatory days or knew someone with memories of those days.

If in your travels around Oregon you chance across one of these museums, it might be interesting for you to visit one. :)

Thanks again all for the feedback. :)

Courtney, I think you summed it up nicely.

I never had thoughts of canceling my trip, but at the same time, I feel better about it.

easytraveler, I think you and the other poster may be correct.

They may be familiar with some of Oregon's history and might have taken the &quot;reserved&quot; nature of the residents as being racially motivated. As a minority, I know you can become overly sensitive to such things.

SeeingtheSights: You'll enjoy Oregon! It's a beautiful state and I hope you can get to the coast. There are some parts of the Oregon coast that are just splendiferous!

Betcha once you're into your trip you'll forget all about racial concerns!

Take care and have a wonderful time in Oregon! :)

Andrew said it best imo. Oregon is a very white state, but a tolerant one.

Also realize (same as in Washington state) west of the mountain range is generally more liberal, east of the mountain range more rural and conservative.

I can't imagine as an (Asian) tourist that you will experience any bad &quot;vibes&quot;.

Regarding KKK membership, you might be quite surprised at which states had the highest number of members. As you can see here, during the period NorCal refers to, Oregon wasn't even in the top 10.
http://tinyurl.com/4b58l7

As if you need any more assurance... Both of my two kids are Korean, and have grown up in a mostly white suburb of Portland. Aside from an incident or two when my son was in the first grade (15 years ago), neither has perceived themselves as the target of any racist behavior.

So, you say you're planning a trip here? Tell us more; maybe we can help.

Hey, thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm sure we'll find Oregon a wonderful place!

beachbum, we are going to be doing the coast for sure. If you could maybe list your 1 through 5 or 1 through 10 things on the coast not to miss, that might be helpful. Right now, we're not sure if we do the entire coast or skip certain areas.

We'll have about four days to do the coast.

Thanks!

When are you coming, StS, and who are the &quot;we&quot;? Also, what's your preferred style of travel? You could drive the entire coast in four days, moving from place to place each night, but I think you could be just as happy staying put for the entire time in a town like Cannon Beach or Yachats.

Also, if you're coming during summer, be aware that there are minimum stay requirements for most of the nicer lodgings. Assuming that, I'd suggest two nights each in Cannon Beach and Yachats. Lodging recs would depend on your budget, but if you can swing Overleaf Lodge.... http://www.overleaflodge.com/. And, if you're planning for this summer, you should be making reservations yesterday...

As for must sees on the north and central coast, in no particular order:

1. Views from platforms near the main parking lot, and tidepools at south end of Indian Beach in Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach.
2. Once Upon a Breeze kite shop, the glassblower shop a few blocks south of town center, and a bowl of clam chowder at Gower St Bistro, all in Cannon Beach.
3. Haystack Rock at sunrise, Cannon Beach.
4. Short Sands Beach, Oswald West State Park.
5. Three Capes Scenic Loop, from Tillamook, including lunch at Roseanna's in Oceanside.
6. View south from Cascade Head, six miles north of Lincoln City.
7. Breakfast at Otis Cafe, two miles from Cascade Head.
8. The beachscape from Overleaf Lodge, Yachats.
9. Cape Perpetua, south of Yachats.
10. Haceta Head Lighthouse, south of Cape Perpetua.

We're headed to Cannon Beach tomorrow, so I might have something different to recommend early next week. Check back!

Cannon Beach....Cannon Beach...
Hmmmmm...that name rings a bell....

beachbum has given you some wonderful recommendations.

My preferred lodging at Yachats is the See Vue Hotel:

http://www.seevue.com/

We like the Crow's Nest.

Cape Perpetua, the Davil's Churn, the beach at Bandon... :)

kal--LOL! Probably from the drive-by trip reports;)

I think probably from my bitching that that's the only place you northerners ever go :)

Oregon has it share of bigots, rednecks and jerks just like any other place, but in general the state is quite tolerant and friendly. Even the anti-California phobia seems to be largely a thing of the past.

If you were *moving* to Oregon and looking for a place to live, I feel there might be a little more to this discussion. As there are some parts of the state more prone to redneck or religious-right types or whatever.

As a tourists I do not believe you will encounter any problems. Also know that because of our west coast location, different Asian populations coming to settle in the PNW have been historically a part of the culture here.