The Gaming Den

Considering a "plan Z" where I move to Portland and work at a cafe or something while doing personal projects and contract work. I've heard the cost of living is not say Bay Area or NYC high but still a pleasant place to be.

A goofy idea inspired by the goofy idea that Portland will solve all of one's problems and let you live in the 90's forever.

How to go about doing that though, what websites to check for job listings, housing?

My wife's from there, and we both have been dreaming of getting a job offer to Portland or Seattle, as we don't feel safe doing that kind of change without such (or a big enough nest egg to survive looking for work for a year). So consider this a thread I will look at with great interest.

Portland's not as affordable as you think. My wife and I pay 1300 for a modest 2 bedroom in the suburbs. If you don't want to live in Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, etc. your best bet on a retail salary would be above 82nd ave. or you could search for a share. I would suggest roomster or roommates.com over craigslist, because of murder.*

I've been in the semi-conductor industry since moving here, so I just go through recruiters when searching for a job. That might be worth looking into; there are entry level positions at many companies and they're usually on a compressed schedule which means 3-4 days on and the rest of the week off.

Best of luck.

*There are a couple of guys on our local craigslist who are perpetually searching for a housemate. Their big selling point is that they hold a fight club in their backyard.

I thought roomster was a scam, you need to pay to read messages right?

OgreBattle wrote:I thought roomster was a scam, you need to pay to read messages right?

Oops. Yeah - stay away from roomster.

*There are a couple of guys on our local craigslist who are perpetually searching for a housemate. Their big selling point is that they hold a fight club in their backyard.

I would like to find out more

Portland is not a good place to move to without a support system. Housing is expensive and jobs are meh. We'd have been priced out long ago if it weren't for the fact that my mom owns her house three blocks from us, and our landlords are drunks who have literally forgotten about things like rent increases. It's also ridiculously white, at least in Portland proper, though if you are LGBTQ+ you will probably feel more comfortable than you've ever felt in your life.

That last one is not a con, BTW. Portland is a nice place to live with a lot going for it, but unless you have a cushy job waiting or friends/relatives there it will be a difficult trip.

JigokuBosatsu wrote:Portland is not a good place to move to without a support system. Housing is expensive and jobs are meh. We'd have been priced out long ago if it weren't for the fact that my mom owns her house three blocks from us, and our landlords are drunks who have literally forgotten about things like rent increases. It's also ridiculously white, at least in Portland proper, though if you are LGBTQ+ you will probably feel more comfortable than you've ever felt in your life.

That last one is not a con, BTW. Portland is a nice place to live with a lot going for it, but unless you have a cushy job waiting or friends/relatives there it will be a difficult trip.

It wasn't always that way. I remember a brief period when Portland was hip and not yet gentrified; when Hawthorne still had legit dive bars and one-bedroom apartments were like $600.

Now housing costs are sky-rocketing and everytime city officials talk about rent control, a bunch of assholes are imploring us to please think of the poor landlords.

If Ogre Battle is enamored with moving to the Pacific Northwest, he might have an easier time making ends meet in Eugene or Olympia.