Dear Fodorites,

Please forgive me if you've read this: I posted a message and can't find it anywhere, so I'm writing again.

If anyone has moved to Portland from Los Angeles or So. Cal, will you please write about your experience? My family originally from Oregon and Washington - I had to live in L.A. for my profession, but don't want to raise my small children in Los Angeles. Will I have to lie about where I'm from? (kidding).

If you have moved to Portland from So Cal, please tell me how the adjustment was for you.

Thank you
Blair

I

Blair, to find your original thread with all the responses just click on your name and all the threads you have posted will show up. Something I guess Fodor's should tell people. Best wishes.

Blair, to find all your posts, just click on your name up in the top left corner of the screen...just to the right of the Fodor's logo. ( you need to be signed in or it won't be there). Then all your posts will appear to the left of here! You can also click on your name on the body of any post...In your case though, click on your "Blairlarsen" not the email address.

Portland is a great town! Lots of interesting neighborhoods and good schools. I don't live there, but my best friend raised her kids there and I have other family and friends who love it as well!

The first thing you will find is that there are ALOT of californians that live here. In my suburban west side area, I wouldn't be surprised if it was half.

First off, unless your ancestors came in on the Oregon Trail, then chances are your family came via California (it's just American emigration history 101).

I too have family history that goes back much longer in Oregon than most of the "natives" here, though I grew up in San Diego. So should the subject come up...

As far as my adjustment, it been great. There's always alot of attention given to the "R" word. But the change of seasons (having not grown up in it), makes it bearable. It has been a wet winter and I'd be lying if I didn't say I could go for a sunny 70 degree day.

In fact, after living here for a few years and not visited home in awhile, we've decided that we'll be doing all of our visits back to SoCal in the dead of winter - besides, the summers are much too nice here to miss.

You'll also have to adjust to the amount of crime from the local tweaker (crystal meth heads) population. Which, if you've lived in Cal long enough may be a shocker. I thought crystal came and went in the 80's, but it's alive and well here.

It does seem like most of the Californians I meet are from the Bay Area, and of course, some of I've met come off as though they're more entitled to live here than others (I'll get flamed for that one, but it just goes back to their inferiority complex to SoCal .

here's the other thread

I moved from So. California to Portland in late 1988 (hard to believe I've been an Oregonian for 17 years!) . My husband was born and raised in Portland. I loved moving from LA to Portland, I loved the change in seasons (rain was no big deal at the time), I loved being so close to work and restaurants and entertainment. I found the transition easy to make and would be even easier now as Portland has "grown up" quite a bit from when we first arrived.

We stayed in Portland for 6 years and then 11 years ago we moved to So. Oregon (Medford to be specific). As much as I love Portland, I really love the Rogue Valley. The weather is better, and things are EVEN closer. We do go up to Portland a few times each year so I can get my shopping fix, and we can see a TrailBlazer game (I know -not doing very well, but 4 straight wins - yea!).
My kids are now 13 and 10 and they really enjoy our visits to Portland as well.

I do know that the Portland Public Schools are an issue, but there are a lot of private schools there to pick from. I have a friend's sister who moved from LA to Portland and she is an actress and always seems to be quite busy doing local theater - although she will go down to CA or Ashland sometimes to do a play.

As a few posters on your other post mentioned, you may want to consider the Rogue Valley (particularly Ashland) as there is a lot of theater there, including the Shakespeare Festival. It is definitely a smaller community, but that has it's advantages, especially when raising kids.

By the way, as others have mentioned, Many, many people who live in Oregon are from California - so don't worry!

Northern Californians have an inferiority complex to Southern California. I don't think so lizzard. But you were expecting to get a comment obviously.

and you bit. clearly feeling some of that inferiority?

LOL, just the opposite for us. We have met more people here (in Portland) from San Diego than from northern Ca.
To say that anyone in Northern Ca or Southern Ca has any kind of complex is silly, unless one is speaking for themselves.
My answer to you Blair , is on the other thread, click on your name and go read that one too!

lizzard, are you a Gekko ?