posted on September 26, 2013 09:35:19 PM new
We have friends in Houston and hear that it is indeed a great City but as I write this I am sitting in a lovely vacation rental home across from the beach in Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast and am not looking forward to leaving here on Saturday after three glorious weeks.
Victoria, where we live is a lovely City and the scenery is beautiful but I love the Oregon Coast and we come here every year now that we are retired. There is a freshness in the air and just to watch the waves is hypnotic and so relaxing. The scenery is stunning.
As a child I lived on the Island of Jersey in the Channel Islands (14 miles off the coast of France) and the coast here is very similiar with hard golden sand and rocky cliffs and sea stacks.
I am one of those rare birds who likes the greyness of winter and revel in the rain.
We have just heard this evening of a major severe storm that will be hitting our hometown this Friday/Saturday and moving down through Washington & Oregon.....just as we are driving that route home! Enormous amounts of rain & high winds expected. We have to get a ferry to Victoria from the mainland and I won't be on it until the winds abate!
posted on September 28, 2013 09:57:26 AM new
I find the comments about Oregonians blaming Californians for a lot amusing. I'm not blaming California in any way, I am simply stating the fact that more homeless people come from California than anywhere else, which makes a lot of sense considering we share a border. There are also a lot of migrant workers from Mexico here too. Am I blaming Mexico for that? It is just a quite obvious observation.
I do find it odd that many homeless stay in this area, as you suggest, the weather would be a major factor, but it just isn't the case. Before I moved here I heard a song from a Portland band that was about being homeless and enduring the weather. I have worked in social services, and can tell you that the homeless in Portland fall in line with the general population of Portland - most are transplants and those transplants are more heavily Californian than any other group. Interstate 5 is one of the heaviest used highways in the country, so naturally, people move up and down the I-5 corridor.
One thing I have heard many times over is that there seems to be a heavy migration of Californians to Oregon and Washington whenever there is a major earthquake. Whether that is true or not, I do not know, but it is interesting.
Otter - I am heading out in the rain soon. I want to be back before the stronger winds start hitting. Last week we had 65 MPH winds at the coast. Generally, wind doesn't bother me, but the first few storms of the fall keep me off the streets. Too many trees and branches falling, leaves clogging the drains creating area flooding, etc is not worth the efforts... besides, Florida State plays Boston College at 12:30. Go Noles.
posted on September 28, 2013 02:22:50 PM new
Otterpop,
sorry we dont have rugged coastline,but we do have tasteless strip malls after strip malls,how do they all stay in business is beyond me?
I have also seen some empty strip malls which stay vacant for 10 years,why arent they foreclosed is beyong my comprehension?
Shag,
If you watch the Grapes of Wrath,Oakies went to CA in search of jobs,but now Californians are coming to OR?
The business climate in CA is not too favorable,some businesses are moving out of state,could that be a reason?
They just raised the minimum wage!
People do move to where the jobs are and take on work local shunned !
[ edited by lostmymojo on Sep 28, 2013 02:28 PM ]
posted on September 29, 2013 11:08:37 AM new
Portland is not the place to move if you are looking for jobs. The job market is fierce. There are many 30-40 year olds with Masters Degrees that are working in coffee shops and waiting tables because it is more lucrative than working in the tech sector.
Washington has a better job market than Oregon, at least when comparing Seattle to Portland... but if you are sick of the California traffic in the larger cities, Seattle is not the place to go.
Many people comment on California and their higher tax codes and laws for corporations, however, Texas is a welfare state. Texas likes to boast that they pay more in federal tax dollars than they receive, but they don't mention the 19 billion dollars a year they give away in tax subsidies and breaks to huge corporations that make millions, and often billions of dollars. All states engage in legal bribery, but Texas throws money at the oil industry like no other and in turn looks out for their corporate partners.
California is a leader in innovation and often sets the standards that eventually move across the country. California emission laws have helped lower pollution in places like Houston, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.
I'd take California any day over Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Alabama, or probably 45 of 50 States in the US.
posted on September 29, 2013 01:28:07 PM new
most people post helpful stuff. Others meaningless blather.
[ edited by alldings on Sep 29, 2013 03:35 PM ]
posted on September 29, 2013 02:33:53 PM new
Every one loves California but how many can afford to live there?
Also the earthquake.
People go where there are jobs,why do you think people go to Saudi ,Alaska,Siberia! or the Gobi desert!
But look at it this way,how many of us really spend much time outside our office and home?
With all the stores like Walmart,Target,Mcdonald,they all look alike no matter where you go.
Besides you may be working in one of those places,but you make enough to take a nice cruise to somewhere sunny with beach and fancy drinks and food.
posted on September 29, 2013 06:08:00 PM new
"With all the stores like Walmart,Target,Mcdonalds"
I think that depends on where you go and how much you care to explore cities and towns.
No one can argue that there is a homogenization of corporate retailers and restaurants. In Portland, that takes place primarily in the suburbs, and some in downtown, like the City Target store that recently opened. We have tons of small businesses and micro shopping districts of local retailers that sell local goods. We have a strong economy of artisans who build furniture and other goods, and we have by far the best selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, across the country which lends to a robust restaurant "foodie" culture here of local businesses.
posted on September 29, 2013 11:47:26 PM new
"...and we have by far the best selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, across the country which lends to a robust restaurant "foodie" culture here of local businesses."
How strange it is that I just mentioned the same thing to my wife today. I told her that we think that we have fresh vegetables, fruit and meat in California. Fresh produce shipped daily from the fields of Central California, Arizona and Mexico. And, fresh beef, chicken and dairy from our own state.
However, we are just plain wrong, as the best selection of fruits, vegetables, and meats are located in the Portland, Oregon area.
I told her that I was going straight to our local grocery stores and request that they provide us with the best produce, meat and dairy from Oregon.
posted on September 30, 2013 07:14:58 AM new
Years ago I was in San Fran and I am so impressed by what they sell in the supermarket,all the fresh veggies and fruits and seafood,I see fresh scallops with the shells on,these days you see frozen scallops from Peru packed by some company in Boston.
In San Fran fisherman wharf,you can pick out a dungenese crab and have it boiled on the spot and take it to a bench and eat it there.
In Houston,we do get fresh catch from the Gulf of Mexico,but the best catch like jumbo gulf shrimps go to restaurants.
How many of you have ever tried horseshoe crab,the Vietnamese fishermen came and showed their American counterpart how to eat one,they boil it and then poke a sharp knife into it,there is plenty of succulent meat inside the crab!
posted on September 30, 2013 07:42:02 AM new
hmm, I was not going to join this thread, but thought the East coast needed some exposure esp NJ. Great beaches, 4 seasons, #3 in ranking of states with most millionaires, great blueberries & tomatoes, etc, etc.
My point is every state / region has pros & cons. It is nice we are loyal to our home locales but, that does no diminish other places.
posted on October 1, 2013 08:22:52 PM new
I have had food from all over the USA, and still believe Oregon & Washington offers the best variety of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, hops, etc. The Pinot Noirs are top notch and the microbrews are amazing.
I just walked 3 blocks to our grocery store and had a 64 ounce growler bottle filled with one of our favorite beers, the Boneyard Brewery RPM IPA from Bend, Oregon straight from the tap. I'm having a grilled cheese sandwich on Dave's Killer Bread, using Tillamook cheddar cheese along with home made chicken soup using Draper Valley chicken and our own organic vegetables.
We have the best water in America that comes from the Bull Run Reservoir near Mt Hood and we drink it straight from the tap.
Not many people in the USA can tell you where everything they eat comes from. There are going to be opinions about what is best, the problem for them is that my opinion is right. lol.
Sorry, but we are food snobs even when its grilled cheese and chicken soup.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Oct 1, 2013 08:26 PM ]
