zpl

I live in NH but traveled to Portland, OR last weekend for a technical conference (RailsConf). I visited Portland once a couple of years ago - before I got back into riding - and remember being impressed with the number of cyclists and bike lines. Now returning to visit it as a passionate cycling enthusiast, all I can say is WOW! Cyclists practically saturate the city (downtown, at least), and this place really is a cycling Mecca.

If I were to walk into a bar in NH with my bike helmet and gloves on and order a beer, I'd get more than a few strange looks. Out there, no one bats an eyelash. I've dealt with honking and/or screaming drivers who don't feel cyclists belong on the road, and if anything, Portland is the opposite (I witnessed many cyclists taking the lane and acting like they own the road, which seemed a bit inconsiderate to drivers from my driving-centric perspective). I even had the chance to ride in a bicycle pedicab (sp?) through downtown and drivers didn't freak out when they got stuck behind us - they passed around us if it was safe, and hung back if it was not.

To top off what I was able to witness, a couple of friends from the city loaned me a bike and we went riding around at 10 PM one night. Riding at night where I live is something I wouldn't even attempt doing out of fear for my safety. But we flew down roads with bike lanes and rode along some bike paths, everywhere we went seeing more cyclists, even at this hour of the night.

My wife is open to the idea of relocating to Portland, and seriously I think it could very well happen within the next year. I've been researching the pros and cons of it and talked with a lot of locals while I was out there. Dealing with the weather is something I'm willing to try. Anyway I'll be continuing my research but wanted to say how amazing this city is for cycling and bike commuting enthusiasts. It's really like entering another universe.

Scott

zoobaby

Another big pro of Portland is that there are a ton of great brew pubs if you are into micro brews.

Andy_K 

You can't really just "deal with" the weather here. You have to learn to love the rain. I mean, you have to miss the rain when it isn't raining. If you can do that, you've got no worries. The sun shines all summer, and the temperatures almost never get above 85 or below 40. We've got two seasons, rain and shine, which last about six months each.

But don't underestimate the rain. The year I moved here, it rained every day in November -- literally every single day. I thought it was a freak thing, and it kind of was -- usually there are a few days scattered in there when it's just cloudy. A recent CNN article said it only rains once a year in Portland...from October to May. On the other hand, it's usually light rain.

Twelve years later, I love the rain. I really do.

tim24k

CNN was much to kind. It rains here more like Oct. 15th to July 15th. Not very hard just a steady drippy drizzly. 40 years here of bicycle riding and counting.

screenwasher

At least you don't have to shovel the stuff like ZPL would in NH. I have lived in Central PA and East Georgia and would take Oregon weather over either of those. You can't beat May to October around here, and I will always put up with drizzlle and rain over umpteen feet of snow.

donnamb 

Was that November 1996 by chance?

Andy_K 

Yes. I moved here that June and got the glorious Oregon summer, and then they dumped that winter on me.

donnamb 

That was my first November, too. I moved here in September 1996. That was quite the winter.

randya

the floods didn't happen until February

raspberryroof

I moved to Portland from Miami Fl almost 2 years ago but didn't start bike riding on a daily basis til about a month ago, I was very scared because well, Miami is NOT a bike friendly place (we have the worst drivers in the country so needless to say I was a bit reluctant, until I bought my own bike for exercise purposes, now I love it! I just went from downtown to my house bike riding yesterday and it was amazing (must sound like a geek but anyone who knows me knows its a great accomplishment for me!) Its all about a bike friendly city that allows people like me from major cities appreciate how much fun bike riding can be and needless to say how good it is for the environment. About the weather, yeeeahh it sucks at time. But I think everything else about the city and the nice people that live here are worth it.

donnamb 

Did you hear about Sunday Parkways happening this weekend?

sean000

My wife and I relocated from the East to West coast just over a year ago, but we ended up in Bellingham, WA. Portland and Vancouver, BC are my favorite cities in this part of the country. I love Seattle as well, and many of the smaller towns we have visited. It's just a great area. Bellingham is fantastic. Family is one of the reasons we moved to Bellingham, but we also wanted to live in a smaller city on the Sound. We lived in Washington, DC for ten years; and just wanted to see what a smaller city would be like. My wife has never been to Portland, but I have warned her that when we visit she is going to smack me for not suggesting we move there instead (actually...I think I did suggest that).

I visited Portland around 2000 for a conference, and spent an additional three or four days hanging out with some friends who moved to Portland in the mid 90s. One of the first things I noticed was how bicycle and pedestrian friendly it is. I also loved the architecture and parks... it's really one of the more attractive cities I've visited. I also like the weirdness of it. There are funky bars and interesting characters aplenty. Not to mention great food, wine, and beer.

You will find that many parts of the Pacific Northwest have most of these advantages, but Portland is a very unique place from the perspective of an outsider. As has been mentioned, you do have to adjust to the weather a bit. Personally I think the weather, on the whole, is much better than what we would experience in DC. Yes it rains frequently, but it is usually light enough to be out in. The bigger adjustment for us has been the lack of sunlight. Winter in Bellingham (which is significantly farther North, so maybe Portland is not so bad) means the sun is only up from about 8:30am to 4:30pm. If you work an 8-to-5 job the only sunlight you see will be during your lunch break... and that is likely to be overcast if not rainy. I think we both suffered a bit from seasonal affective disorder this past Winter. When it's already dark as you leave the office, things can get a little depressing. Lights and fenders are common accessories you see on pretty much every bike during the winter months. At least it doesn't get that cold, but it doesn't get that warm either...at least not until July. You just have to get used to being cold and damp, but not freezing. Just cold and damp. And maybe a little pasty.

Summers are so nice here that you almost feel guilty for being so comfortable while the rest of the country swelters in heat. The only thing that makes Summer hard is knowing that you will pay for those long days and perfect temperatures. You will pay it all back during the Winter.

Hopefully the job and housing markets in Portland are in good shape. The housing market in the Pacific Northwest is out of control in some areas. In Bellingham the cost of housing is way out of line with the salaries whether you're renting or buying. The job market in Bellingham is also quite slow. My wife and I work in fields where jobs were available, but we both took big pay cuts to move. The job markets and salaries in Portland and Seattle should be better.

Sean

FlowerBlossom

Another for the rain.

I was on vacation last couple weeks in the east: Toronto, Niagra-on-the-Lake, Chicago, and it was hot and humid. Ugh. There were warnings to people about exercising---the weather conditions made the smog worse. I couldn't wait until I got back to cooler temps.

And, I got what I wished for. Yesterday AM it was cool and rainy. I had to wear my mittens on the commute in. This morning, cool, but no rain and no mittens. I am smiling now.

But, if it was 75 and sunny, I wouldn't complain!

nuovorecord

Today, it's 83 degrees and sunny. Perfect day for a ride or anything else. It will be like this for most of the time until October. Portland has glorious summers - typically starting in late June/early July and lasting into late September/early October. Very little rain, not humid, not too hot except for the occasional foray into the high 90s/100s. Makes the rainy parts of the year a bit more tolerable.

david le

Portland has the best summers with lots going on.....Bridge Pedal, STP, Pedal Palooza, Naked Ride, Oregon beerfest, on and on on. I love this city and would not live anywhere else!

I commute to work from SE Portland to Lake Oswego everyday, rain or shine and 90% of my trip is on bike paths and residential streets. I look forward to my commute and it makes my work bearable.

Come for a visit....the bike community is the BEST!

Jaron

i hate the bike culture here and most of the people are jackasses. regardless of whether they are on a bike, or not.

randya

^^^ that's real positive! way to go dude!

donnamb 

I'm sure they're quite fond of you, too.

reidconti

So what you're saying is, cyclists are every bit equals to others in Portland?

All I have to say about Portland weather is -- freezing rain, WTF? Living in Seattle, I simply couldn't comprehend what our southern neighbors did wrong to deserve such a curse.

The only month you can really plan on not having rain is August; any outdoor company picnics or the like should be planned for then, lest it be rained out. July is usually fairly safe after the 4th, but then again, it looks like rain today.

KRhea

It's called weather or "whether"..."whether" you can handle the weather or not. Everyplace place has it, everyone has to deal with it, be it snow, tornados or a bit of drizzle, it's everywhere it's everywhere.
Bump your budget to include a weatherproof jacket, some shoe covers, a fender job and it's nothin' you can't handle, especially with a cup of the sweet nectar of the NW known as "real" coffee to warm your innards after a damp ride.

Livin' the lifestyle in Portland for years now and lovin' everyday!

reidconti

I agree to a point, and for the most part the discussion of NW weather is overblown, but it is a serious problem for many people. I lived in Seattle for 21 years and simply couldn't handle it. I hated not seeing the sun, I hated the way the constant grey made me feel, I hated all of my outdoor plans being ruined by freak unexpected storms. The impact of the water itself can be minimized by good wardrobe and planning -- hell I rarely wore a jacket and never used an umbrella. However, the impact of the constant dreariness is not as easy for many people to manage.

I'm always amazed that east coasters don't seem to mind digging their cars out of the snow every day all winter long. To me, that seems like a complete and utter dealbreaker, I would never want to put up with that -- but the people who lived there just seem to shrug it off, you just get used to it, it's part of life. I don't think the depressing weather in the NW is as easily shrugged off by many people. It's not an inconvenience the way digging out of snow is, it's a bit more insidious.

Andy_K is right, you need to be able to love it. If you dislike it before you move to the NW, you're likely kidding yourself if you say you'll be able to get used to it.

PedalMasher

I just spent 3 days in Hood River.

Hood River
Hood River
Hood River

Closest thing to paradise on earth, IMHO.

FlowerBlossom

People do get tired of digging themselves out, then, summer comes and they complain about heat/humidity and wish it was winter again.

The difference is, in the east, you get some darn cold days in the winter---but these are those high pressure cells that are cloudless. Some of the clearest, brightest (light) days that I have experienced have been in the winter. You get sun and reflection off the snow, a double-whammy.

ollo_ollo

Been living in the NW since 1965(Seattle, Portland, Olympia, Vancouver). On the Westside of Oregon/Washington there isn't much variation weatherwise from Vancouver BC clear down to Eugene, OR but Puget Sound moderates the weather a little, giving somewhat cooler Summers & a bit warmer, but still cool/wet Winter. There are times when it will snow North of Seattle/Everett but rain to the South.

The biggest negative I noticed living in Portland was the Winter wind throughout the Eastside of the city. The wind chill makes it feel colder & Winter commuting is more difficult. It is much windier than Seattle or Olympia. This is caused by the geography of the Columbia River Gorge and sometimes produces ice storms or snow in the Eastside while there is just rain Downtown & on the Westside. Don

smurf hunter

I've only been to Portland a handful of times, but am off the opinion they should trade some of those rivers for some hills.