Portland, OR

[Guest Mnemosyne9]

I'm probably going to Portland State for my Sociology MA. Anyone else headed to that lovely city?

[Guest]

I did my undergraduate in Portland, and it is a beautiful, wonderful place. Don't let the rain (or others' comments about it) change your mind.

[thomasf]

I did my undergrad in Seattle, but I spent some time in Portland and found it very similar. Very good restaurants and downtown culture, although a distinctly 'un-urban' urban environment. Excellent music scene and beautiful green coastal countryside. Pretty good mass transit too for a small city.

[Guest Mnemosyne9]

Thanks for the encouragement, I think it sounds like a great place and I'm excited to be going.

[Guest anisa]

I also did my undergrad in Portland, and lived there for four years. It is a beautiful place, with Mt. Hood an hour away so you can snowboard, the (cold but beautiful) beach two hours away, and Portland itself is very vibrant and diverse. I highly recommend it, but if you're used to sunny weather, be warned, because the dreary rain 9 mths out of the year can get you down!

[Mnemosyne9]

I'm not sure, Marisol- we are visiting in three weeks and are going to be so busy seeing the campus, department, and apartments that sightseeing will be an afterthought. Try the Portland Wikipedia entry, or the livejournal community damnportlanders.

[Guest Marisol]

So how did your Portland visit go? I was there about 2 weeks ago and loved it! Where are you from and when are you planning on heading out there to begin your program? I'm from Southern California, so the move will be quite a big one for me, so I am just wondering how others are dealing with moves of thier own.

[Guest jealous portlander]

I'm graduating from a college in Portland in about a month and moving to the east coast for grad school, and I am so incredibly sad to be leaving. Aside from the rain, Portland really is one of the nicest cities in the US. I literally can't think of anything bad to say about it (well...ok there's not too much of a job market here). Its incredibly clean and pretty, and surrounded by the ocean, mountains and deserts. The rental market is also really really good. I live in a humungous victorian house that I share with a few other people and I only pay 300 a month for rent. in my opinion, inner SE (the Hawthorne-Belmont district) is the best place to live.

[carpeimperium]

Portland is an awesome city. It's possibly my favorite city in the country. Powells alone puts it in the top 10. There's tons of good food, places to go, good music. The city is clean, liberal, peaceful, easy to get around (good public transport). It's close to paradise.

The only gripe (apart from the weather) is that sometimes it gets a little too sweet-hippy-liberal for taste. For example, it's not enough to call old people "senior citizens." Oh, no. That's not nearly PC enough for PDX. On the buses, there are seats reserved for "honored citizens." I'm pretty left-wing, but that goes too far.

[lolacola]

<br />Portland is an awesome city. It's possibly my favorite city in the country. Powells alone puts it in the top 10. There's tons of good food, places to go, good music. The city is clean, liberal, peaceful, easy to get around (good public transport). It's close to paradise. <br /><br />The only gripe (apart from the weather) is that sometimes it gets a little too sweet-hippy-liberal for taste. For example, it's not enough to call old people "senior citizens." Oh, no. That's not nearly PC enough for PDX. On the buses, there are seats reserved for "honored citizens." I'm pretty left-wing, but that goes too far.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

actually, you've gotten it wrong. The category "honored citizen" on TriMet is a special category of rider (and fare) that does not refer to older people but is sort of a catch-all that includes those who are disabled. I have friends (in their early twenties) who got "honored citizen" status on TriMet because they were in a court-ordered heroin cessation program, e.g.

[Orkilatrish]

I'm probably going to Portland State for my Sociology MA. Anyone else headed to that lovely city?

Portland is my favorite city in the US. I am biding my time until I can get back there!

[sgtbuster]

I will *hopefully* be heading to Portland State this fall. Does anyone have any recommendations for reasonably priced, quiet apartments?

Thanks in advance!

[LeftCoast]

I will *hopefully* be heading to Portland State this fall. Does anyone have any recommendations for reasonably priced, quiet apartments?

Thanks in advance!

I live in Portland so may be able to help. Is your question specific to certain apartments or to a part of town?

[sgtbuster]

I live in Portland so may be able to help. Is your question specific to certain apartments or to a part of town?

I'm mainly looking for places close to Portland State, if that helps.

[LeftCoast]

I'm mainly looking for places close to Portland State, if that helps.

PSU is right downtown. There are quite a few apartments in the area. The bus/light rail system in PDX is great so you could live almost anywhere and get downtown to school fairly easily. It really depends what you want. I am partial to SE Portland. Lots of older close-in neighborhoods that are a 15-20 minute bus ride to PSU. More residential than downtown with lots of great bars/restaurants. There are also some very nice close-in neighborhoods in NE and North Portland. The westside, which includes downtown is generally more expensive than the east side of the river. If you prefer suburban areas, you can take light rail and be downtown very quickly. Many apartments have been built within walking distance of train stops plus there are parking lots at most of the stops in the burbs. If you are looking at suburban areas I would recommend the west side...Hillsboro or Beaverton.

[zachidacki]

I was born and raised in Portland, and did my undergrad in Seattle. I am a PNW lover through and through. I have one piece of advice for now: if you are moving to Portland from out of town or out of state, definitely live in Portland, either in one of downtown's neighborhoods, or on the Eastside. The rent may be cheaper in Beaverton or Gresham, but it's not worth the commute for a social life on the weekends, or during the day for that matter. Feel free to PM if you have any questions about the city!

[b_randie]

I am attending Lewis and Clark College in the fall (wohoo!) but I'm from out of state. I have no idea about any of the neighborhoods or the cost of living. I would like to live fairly close to campus by car but still be near transportation access to downtown. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience in this area?

[Erica Ci]

Hey B Randal... I'm originally from Moscow (when I was a kid) and now I'm in Portland. Small world.

Lewis and Clark is actually very inaccessible to public transportation. There's a free LC shuttle, and an infrequent bus there. Housing on that side of town (southwest) is pricier than where I live in Northeast. We've still got great walkable shopping, bike paths and decent neighborhoods (Belmont, Hawthorne, Alberta, all interesting districts out this way). I've had friends who took public transportation up to LC from out here, it just takes a while. If you like biking it would be much easier to take a bus or the lightrail MAX and bike to LC.

Downtown is pretty accessible to both LC & every part of town. All of the buses & the lightrail train go through that way. I go to PSU downtown and I love that whole area.

LC is now a non-smoking campus if you're a smoker it's a trek... but if you can't stand the cloud of smokers outside dorms- problem solved! There's quite a bit of on campus housing.

Good luck... bring a rain jacket, rain boots, and if you bike get fenders & thank me later

I am attending Lewis and Clark College in the fall (wohoo!) but I'm from out of state. I have no idea about any of the neighborhoods or the cost of living. I would like to live fairly close to campus by car but still be near transportation access to downtown. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience in this area?

[mellowfe]

Hey does anybody here go to Portland state? I am thinking of applying for their masters in social work program and would love to here from somebody in the program!

[ILuvPsych2013]

Hi all!

I am researching the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program at Portland State and was wondering if anyone had any feedback on PSU and/or the program. I am also wanting to gather some info on housing and neighborhoods. I am in my late twenties, married, with two small children so I am looking for a 3 bedroom somewhere inexpensive and safe. Any thoughts?

Thanks you!

[driver 8]

Bump!

 

I just got offered/accepted admission into the Masters in Political Science program at PSU. Since the last post inhere is fairly old, I figure I should ask for advice/info.

 

I'm from Ohio and have never been to Portland (applied because it was literally the only program that had exactly what I wanted) and am wondering the following:

 

-Best neighborhoods for apartments within walking distance?

-Should I invest in a bike?

-Public transport?

-Really just anything else that might be helpful.

 

Thanks in advance!!

[Beckert]

I know I am late to this topic but as a Portland Resident I figured I should answer Portland is amazing (don't tell people outside this forum). It rains quite a bit, but keeps everything green.  We have alot of culture (museums etc).  It is a very politically active, foodie, liberal, beer snob sort of city. Great public transit, you really do not need a car (but a bike is a good idea). Like any big city, rent can be expensive so start looking fast.  

Edited September 23, 2013 by Beckert

[sys88]

I just accepted a spot at OHSU for this fall. I would like to take public transit to campus (hopefully no more than 20-30 minutes). My husband may need to commute to Vancouver for work, but is willing to drive. We like to like close to an urban center/downtown but not in it. Walkability is a must. Budget isn't a huge issue. Any neighborhood suggestions? Thanks!

[garlica]

@sys88 I would look along the trimet "8" bus line which is the bus that goes to OHSU (or Pill Hill as its often called). I used to work up by OHSU and I've lived in NE Portland (which is the part of Portland closest to Vancouver) my whole time in Portland. The 8 goes through Irivington, Alberta, up to the Dekum triangle which are all highly walkable neighborhoods, tons of parks, bars, restaurants etc...No matter where you are in Portland driving to Vancouver is a nightmare during rush hours because there are so many people who commute, but your husband might be okay because he will be commuting in the opposite direction of most people. 

Edited March 26, 2014 by garlica

[everran]

Has anyone attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art? It's in the Pearl District.