Are you thinking about moving to Portland in 2024? Filled with eclectic activities, gorgeous natural areas, and fascinating culture, the City of Roses is a great place to put down roots.
With more than 26 million tourists visiting each year, Portland is definitely a vacation hot spot. Yet, it still manages to maintain its cozy, hometown feel, no matter how popular it gets.
If you’re thinking about relocating there, you might be wondering what it’s like to live there every day. Is it really as interesting and exciting as it sounds?
The answer is yes, and we’re here to show you why. Today, we’re sharing some of the top reasons to move to Portland and how we can help!
Lots of Green Space
Portland might be one of the most prominent cities in Oregon, but there are plenty of places to tuck back and enjoy nature. In all, there are 11,670 acres of dedicated park space here, and 154 individual parks to enjoy.
If you enjoy the great outdoors, this is definitely a perk. Almost anywhere you go, there’s a natural area within walking distance. Of course, in this city, you’d expect there to be a bit of oddity woven in, too!
You’ll get plenty of it with Mills End Park. Located in the median strip of SW Naito Parkway downtown, it consists of one lone tree. The entire park is only two feet across, giving it the honor of being named the smallest park in the world!
If you’re after a little more space, check out Forest Park.
At 5,200 acres, it’s recognized as one of the biggest urban forests in the United States. It features more than 80 miles of gorgeous trails and runs for seven miles across the eastern slope of the Tualatin Mountains, overlooking Portland as well as the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. It’s also close to nearby Hillsboro!
Great Public Transportation System
Portland residents know that this is one of the easiest and most convenient cities to navigate. While some major metropolises can feel too big to handle, that’s not the case here. Rather, a majority of the city is organized into compact, 200 x 200 foot blocks.
This was an intentional design choice, meant to create a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Shorter blocks allow more places for pedestrians to cross and give the city a closer-knit feel.
If you’d rather not walk to your destination, there are also plenty of public transportation options. In addition to a large network of TriMet buses, you can also choose from light-rail trains, streetcars, and commuter rail lines. All of these systems offer early-morning rides, as well as ones that go far into the night, so availability isn’t an issue.
Portland is so dedicated to its mass transit system that its newly opened Tilikum Crossing Bridge only allows buses, trains, streetcars, cyclists, and pedestrians — no passenger cars. You may find that living in the city means you can forgo personal transportation altogether, which can offer significant cost savings.
Lots of Events, Festivals, and Cultural Exhibits
Once you make your move, you can rest assured that you’ll never get bored. There’s a massively full, always-revolving calendar of Portland recreational activities to attend.
From the Portland Art Museum and the famed Powell’s City of Books to the International Rose Test Garden and Pittock Mansion, you can fill virtually every day with a different event or tour. In addition to these mainstays, the city also hosts a variety of festivals and fairs throughout the year.
Some of the most popular ones include:
- Portland Folk Festival (January)
- Portland Winter Light Festival (February)
- St. Patrick’s Festival (March)
- Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest (April)
- Portland Rose Festival (May)
- Latino Cultural Festival (June)
- Portland Craft Beer Festival (July)
- Chinese Festival (August)
- Portland Fashion Week (September)
- Portland Film Festival (October)
- Portland Book Festival (November)
- Christmas Festival of Lights (December)
All of these events (and many more!) give you the opportunity to experience Portland’s rich and diverse history, culture, and residents. Plus, you don’t always have to go downtown to enjoy and experience it all. Many local neighborhoods, including ones along Hawthorne Boulevard or Mississippi Avenue, have plenty of local shops, food trucks, and other attractions to keep you busy.
Growing Tech Industry
While Portland is known as a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and creatives, you might be surprised to find that it’s also a bustling tech center. The cluster of high-tech companies it contains is mostly located in Washington County, near the city’s west side.
This spot is known as Silicon Forest and for good reason. Here, you’ll find offices of many top hardware and software manufacturers, including:
- Airbnb
- Apple
- eBay
- Squarespace
- Intel
- InFocus
- Pixelworks
- Logitech
- Planar Systems
- Tektronix
- Hewlett-Packard
- Epson
- Xerox
Companies in this area are also focused on creating and distributing clean technology, given the city’s emphasis on eco-consciousness and sustainability. If you’re interested in working in any sector of the tech field, you’ll find plenty of opportunities in Portland.
Of course, that’s not the only professional focus in the city. Portland’s other top industries include healthcare, manufacturing, and athletic/outdoor apparel. In fact, the city’s metro area contains the highest concentration of athletic apparel companies in the country, with offices that include Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear, and others.
Mostly Mild Weather
When most people think of the Pacific Northwest, they picture drizzly, dreary days all year long. While it’s true that Portland does get a good amount of rain, it’s far from constant.
The city gets an average of 36 inches of rainfall each year. This might sound like a lot, but it’s important to understand it in context. By comparison, NYC gets around 47 inches of rain annually, and Miami gets 62 inches!
During the rainy winter season, you’ll experience more cloudy days than rainy ones. Instead of major downpours, there are frequent showers, with breaks of sun and clear skies scattered throughout the day. While the city does experience the occasional snowfall, it doesn’t tend to stick around because nighttime temperatures rarely fall below freezing.
Then, when the weather warms up, the climate in Portland is quite mild and pleasant! In autumn, the weather is ideal for enjoying all of the outdoor activities that Portland has to offer. It’s a great time to go mountain biking, hiking, or swimming.
While you might need to keep a rain jacket in your car, you can rest assured that Portland is far from the damp, gray city that you might have expected!
Insane Food Culture
With so many Portland attractions to keep you busy, you’re going to need a place to refuel. Thankfully, this city is known for its incredible food options!
The eateries here emphasize the use of fresh, local ingredients, and the variety is vast. Throughout the city, you’ll find everything from food carts and farmer’s markets to upscale, award-winning restaurants. There’s also a great brewery scene, which pairs well with the city’s robust nightlife.
Once you have your daily fill of crazy-fresh seafood or burgers, remember to stop by the famous Voodoo Doughnut for a sweet treat. Established in Portland in 2003, it’s received national attention and acclaim. Though there are now 13 locations spread across six states, the original hole-in-the-wall spot downtown is still the one to visit.
Cost of Living in Portland
With so much to see and do in and around Portland, you can expect the cost of living here to be a little higher than other, more rural areas in the state. However, it’s not exceedingly high.
According to this cost of living index, Portland scores 81.89 out of 100, with 100 being the highest cost of living in the country (New York City). This takes into account the following costs of consumer goods:
- Groceries
- Transportation
- Restaurants
- Utilities
While this might seem like a high score, keep in mind that Portland is still a relatively inexpensive place to live, especially given the cost of rent. The same index reveals that the price of rent in Portland is 22.6% lower than rent in nearby Seattle, WA. These prices also reflect the current inflation rates, which have elevated local costs of living throughout the country. In 2021, Portland scored 77.74 on the index.
The upside? While you might pay a little more to live in Portland, you certainly get a ton for your money. This city is positively teeming with activities and attractions, and it’s just as easy to find an inexpensive meal from a food cart as a high-priced entree at a world-class restaurant.
You also don’t have to worry about sales tax here! Oregon doesn’t have a general sales or use/transaction tax added to your bill, so what you see is what you pay.
Moving to Portland? Start With Us
Now that you know what makes this city so great, are you considering moving to Portland? If so, we’re here to make the process as stress-free as possible.
At Redefyne Moving, we offer affordable and professional moving, packing, unpacking, and relocation services. We serve the entire Portland region from our local offices, and we’d love to help bring you home.
Our team has more than 10 years of experience, and we’re proud of the positive reputation we’ve built in the area. If you need a Portland moving company you can trust, contact us for a estimate today!
