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Am I overanalyzing our economy in relation to jobs/rent in Portland? :O
Hi,
I know this question's asked on here in many forms, but I thought I'd start a new thread to be specific about my situation:
*I visited Portland about three months ago and fell in love with it on the first day. After an entire week there, my mind was still made up, so there's basically no doubt in my mind this is where I want to be. I gave plenty of consideration to different cities around the country.
*I've saved up $5,000 now. I like to think that 5k is enough of a safety net in case I can't find work immediately and can still use it to pay rent/etc. while I'm job hunting.
*My job experience is basically all related to software QA and data entry-oriented jobs now, and I have no degree. I'm more than willing to work for less than I'd make at most software jobs if I found something related to nearly any form of art, though I myself only have experience messing with music, writing and acting.
My main concerns are:
*The Job market. I'd heard from many sources even before the crash that there are next to no jobs in Portland, and it could only be worse now. As someone who looked hard for work in NYC and still constantly spent 4-6 months between jobs, it's really keeping me from feeling sure I have enough money saved up to move there. I had about five such situations where I was starving and out of work despite a decent resume and often applying to many jobs per day, one way or the other, yet taking forever to get any results at all, so I'm very cautious about how easy it would be to find work even in a far more laid-back, sparsely-populated city. Am I being way too overcautious? This leads me to...
*Rent. I'm basically looking for a reasonably cheap apartment(which to me is 500/month or cheaper,) preferably a studio, that's in a safe but no "upscale" neighborhood. I know this isn't that detailed an idea of what I want, but since I used to pay $500/mo for a tiny room in a mouse-infested apartment in Jersey City, I find rates for studios on Apartments.com hilariously low considering how much nicer the places look. So is it that easy to find a studio that doesn't look completely ghetto there for under $600? Just seems too good to be true!
In short, what I love about the place is how insanely friendly everyone is, the weather, the air quality, the music scene, the public transport(which puts NYC's ridiculously unreliable subway to shame times ten,) and a billion other things I'm sure.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
Johnny
I know this question's asked on here in many forms, but I thought I'd start a new thread to be specific about my situation:
*I visited Portland about three months ago and fell in love with it on the first day. After an entire week there, my mind was still made up, so there's basically no doubt in my mind this is where I want to be. I gave plenty of consideration to different cities around the country.
*I've saved up $5,000 now. I like to think that 5k is enough of a safety net in case I can't find work immediately and can still use it to pay rent/etc. while I'm job hunting.
*My job experience is basically all related to software QA and data entry-oriented jobs now, and I have no degree. I'm more than willing to work for less than I'd make at most software jobs if I found something related to nearly any form of art, though I myself only have experience messing with music, writing and acting.
My main concerns are:
*The Job market. I'd heard from many sources even before the crash that there are next to no jobs in Portland, and it could only be worse now. As someone who looked hard for work in NYC and still constantly spent 4-6 months between jobs, it's really keeping me from feeling sure I have enough money saved up to move there. I had about five such situations where I was starving and out of work despite a decent resume and often applying to many jobs per day, one way or the other, yet taking forever to get any results at all, so I'm very cautious about how easy it would be to find work even in a far more laid-back, sparsely-populated city. Am I being way too overcautious? This leads me to...
*Rent. I'm basically looking for a reasonably cheap apartment(which to me is 500/month or cheaper,) preferably a studio, that's in a safe but no "upscale" neighborhood. I know this isn't that detailed an idea of what I want, but since I used to pay $500/mo for a tiny room in a mouse-infested apartment in Jersey City, I find rates for studios on Apartments.com hilariously low considering how much nicer the places look. So is it that easy to find a studio that doesn't look completely ghetto there for under $600? Just seems too good to be true!
In short, what I love about the place is how insanely friendly everyone is, the weather, the air quality, the music scene, the public transport(which puts NYC's ridiculously unreliable subway to shame times ten,) and a billion other things I'm sure.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
Johnny
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Johnny on
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I have, but when do you plan on moving there? It's hard to say for me since I'm not yet decided when to move, but I'd love to get out of here right now if it suddenly feels safe. The first few months would be fine, I'm sure--then I'd decide whether I want to follow through with living in my own studio after that.
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Permalink Reply by Lorri E. on -
Hi, Kelley. If you are wanting to find a Portland roommate, there are some local services that can help match you to the right roomie.
http://local.findtarget.com/listings/oregon/portland/apartment_shar...
http://www.roommateclick.com/geo/roommate_roommates_Portland.html
http://www.roomiematch.com/portland-roommate.html
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by René Gillette on -
Hey Johnny,
Since it is late I won't speak to all of your concerns now. However, as far as the housing situation... You will be able to find a cool little studio or 1 bedroom under $600 in a pretty good area in Portland. You don't have to worry about mouse-infested apartments here, for the most part. I'm sure you would be able to find some, but you wouldn't need to spend $600 for that. I live in NW, really good neighborhood, great walking area, close to boutique shops and restaurants, just a few blocks from the 'popular' Pearl District. I pay little over $700 for a secure double studio apartment with a balcony and great size closet, claw foot bath tub, hardwood floors etc... that looks out over the West Hills. You can get smaller and decrease the rent, obviously. You should check www.portland.craigslist.org for some examples of rentals. Though the best way to find a good one is to drive or walk around the neighborhoods when you get here. I don't know if that is possible for you or not.
I will write more later. Best, Rene
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Hey, thanks a lot Rene!
I do check Craigslist regularly just to get a feel and overall I'm very impressed as far as what you get for your money. I may have to stay at the NW Hostel a few days and look for a place from there if I don't get a place in advance, and even then I'm not entirely sure if I want to bother with a roommate and save money or live alone with no potential roommate issues and have to worry a bit more about my $7k savings running out faster before I find work(if the job market's really that bad, which I'll never find out from TX.)
I'll be looking for something more around $500 as I have a decent resume but don't want to go with more than just "adequate" right now as I do everything I can to make staying in a nice city like this a reality. So far I only know of a few neighborhoods like Hollywood and the NW that are definitely nice, but it does seem like real "ghetto" areas are few and far between, unlike in New York where walking three blocks from a nasty area will find you right in the middle of a rich gentrified one(make up your mind, I always say!)
Again, thanks for the insight and I hope to eventually see some of you sometime after I arrive in less than three weeks.
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