that portland life

Are you thinking of moving to Portland? We are excited to see you! Below you will find info on all of the basics in our ultimate Portland guide! We have provided links to more information so you can dig a little deeper into what we love about this fabulous city. Enjoy!

Portland Population: 664,605 (2020)

Portland, Oregon’s largest city, nestled between the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Sitting in the shadow of Mount Hood, it is known for its parks, bridges, and bicycle paths. Portland is also well known for its eco-friendliness, its microbreweries, and its coffeehouses. If you want info on the specific Demographics of the area Click Here

Portland Weather

Portland is known for its warm and dry summers and its cool and wet winters. While we are known for our rain, we actually do not even rank within the top ten for annual inches of rainfall. We do have a high average of 164 days with rain, but it tends to be light and misty, which is where the popular adage of, “You’ll never see a local with an umbrella,” comes from. Though the winters tend to be drizzly, the summers are stunning. Portland is in a coastal temperate climate which keeps the temperatures from getting too high in the summer with an average and very pleasant temperature of 81*.

Portland Based Companies

The Portland area is a melting pot of huge industries. We are often dubbed the “Silicon Forest” because of the number of tech industries in Portland and it’s suburbs. Here are the top 30 companies based in the Portland Metro area.

Jobs in Portland

Portland has a very strong job market and there are many places that you can go to search for jobs. Most of the major employers have portals directly on their sites to apply for jobs, or you can use a local resource like www.macslist.org, www.oregonlive.com/jobs, www.oregon.jobs, or www.jobdango.com. There are five major industries that dominate the job market and those are: high tech, athletics and apparel, manufacturing, healthcare, and food service.

Average Home Prices in Portland

Portland remains the most affordable city on the West coast to live. The average home price in 2021 for the Portland Metro is $597,000. That price is up 20% from 2020. So far the year has been a whirlwind. We are seeing the lowest inventory in Portland history, multiple offers, and super fast home sales. If you want to see the latest market stats, check out the real estate section of the blog here.

Portland Average Commute Times

As the city has continued to rapidly grow year over year congestion has become more of an issue. Depending on what area you decide to live and what area you decide to work, commute times can vary from 10 minutes to over an hour.

Living in Vancouver and working in Portland will require you to cross one of the two bridges that span the river. Both get congested during peak traffic hours and an hour commute should be expected into downtown. Similarly, Highway 26 gets backed up from the Western suburbs into downtown Portland. This highway tends to move more quickly, but commute times will be around 30-45 minutes into downtown at peak hours.

If you are going to live in Portland proper and be able to take interior roads, commute times usually linger around 20 minutes to most other parts of the city. We are happy to discuss specific traffic patterns if you have questions about what to expect. Just fill out the contact form in the side bar!

Best Restaurants in Portland

Portland has one of the best food scenes in the country. No matter the style of food you are in the mood for, there are multiple locations absolutely excelling in that style. We have multiple ‘Best of’ lists that you can check out here.

We also love to stay on top of the 38 Essential Restaurants by Eater. They are constantly updating the list and it’s one of the best ways to make sure you know all about the best of the best in the Portland food scene. You can also keep up with the newest and trendiest restaurants with the Eater Heatmap.

Portland Nightlife

Nightlife in Portland is just as fun and diverse as the restaurant scene. From private karaoke rooms, to large clubs for dancing, to dark dive bars, Portland has it all. Downtown Portland and the Pearl District are the best places to go for high end cocktails and mingling. While Southeast Portland is the best place to explore the many dive bars. We have featured a variety of different places in our ‘Hot Spot’ series. You can check those out here.

Outdoor Activities Near Portland

There are so many wonderful outdoor activities near Portland, that we consider it the best part of living in the Pacific Northwest! There is hiking and biking at multiple large parks right inside of the city. Or, if you want to get away, you can head into the Gorge for some of the best hikes in the country.

We are also situated at the foot of Mt. Hood which offers 3 great ski resorts in the winter, and some amazing camping in the summer. You can see some of our favorite camping spots here.

Portland also sits just North of some of the best Pinot grapes in the country. It’s hard to go wrong with any winery, but if you want to know about our favorites, just reach out! Lastly, we are only about 90 minutes from the Oregon Coast, which is a fantastic place for a weekend getaway for whale watching, surfing, or some salt water taffy. Bottom line, if you like the outdoors in any capacity, you will have endless amazing places to explore!

Highest Rated Schools in Portland

There are many great schools throughout the Portland Metro area. We like to use Niche.com to search school ratings, and you can jump straight to the Portland Metro by clicking here.

Portland Neighborhoods

Portland Architecture

Portland is known for it’s cute houses. With much of Portland being built up in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s it’s hard to not fall in love with our houses. Here are some of the most popular styles that you can find as you are searching for homes.

Craftsman

Craftsman’s were typically built in 1910’s-1920’s and have lots of period details. Things like a front porch, built in’s around the fireplace, and an open floor plan are typical to find. It is common to have a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor, a basement, and a finished upstairs.

Foursquare

These homes were typically built between the late 1800’s and the early 1930’s. They are called foursquares because they have 4 rooms on the main floor and four rooms on the second floor with a staircase in the middle. These homes will also have period details, though usually less ornate than the craftsman homes.

Ranch/ Mid century

The ranch style home was typically built in the 1950’s and 60’s and feature 1 level living. Some of the ranch homes in Portland will feature a full basement to help expand the square footage of the home. Typically you have an open floor plan with living spaces and bedrooms on opposite sides of the house.

Tudor

Tudor homes were built from the 1920’s to the 1940’s. They are easily recognizable due to the brick or stucco exterior and steep roof lines. They are almost always 2 stories with living spaces on the main level and bedrooms on the second floor. You can frequently find fireplaces and leaded windows to add to the charm of the home.

Modern Attached Home

These new construction beauties have been popping up all over the city and are quickly gaining popularity. You have very tall ceilings, open floor plans, and modern amenities. They also help with the housing shortage in the city.

Homes for Sale in Portland

No matter the area, price point, or style you are looking for we can help you find it somewhere in the Portland area. You can search all of the homes currently on the market by clicking the button below. Or if you prefer to get a curated list emailed to you as new things come on the market, just fill out the form below and we will get in touch with you!

We hope that you do decide to move to Portland soon! It is, after all, the best city in the West! If you have any further needs or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We can’t wait to help you!