Oregon (portland) DUers...

[masmdu]

I hear Oregon has a hiring freeze on teachers...True?

Thinking of moving out that way and would be looking to work as a high school history/social studies teacher.

Any feedback on the current state of the school systems out there would be apprecitated. (Portland?)

Also, what's Portland like racially? Is it a good mix or whitebread?

Any places to be avoided?

[Misinformed01]

1. Just out of curiousity, what part of the

country do you live in now? I am a Southerner, and just despised Portland--however, I know other people that seem to love it.

[masmdu]

2. Southerner Too...NC...Why did you dispise Portland?

.

[Misinformed01]

5. Native North Carolinian here also

I will PM you; I have some things to say about Portland that are not very pleasant; there are others too...a group of Southerners get together there once a month to talk-

[masmdu]

7. looking forward to it...How do I receive a PM here?

Excuse the ignorance...never been PMed before.

[Misinformed01]

11. Already sent it!

When you go to the lobby, you will see the "new message" light flashing!

I get really excited when I see it-to me it means that the World's Cutest Husband is thinking of me.

[masmdu]

15. Got it! Thanks...reply sent.

.

[pdx_prog]

10. I am a southerner living in PDX

also. Very sterile out here. No one knows squat about BBQ or Iced tea....lol. Other than that, real estate and rain what else is there to dislike?....lol

[Misinformed01]

12. No kidding

and skip the only BBQ I found...OMG, what a total waste of time. Wish I knew the name of it.

What killed me is that the restaurants don't serve vegetables...what the HELL is up with that?

[pdx_prog]

14. lol....

Campbells over on Powell between 205 and 82nd has pretty good BBQ. I just don't like mine drowned in sauce...lol. Best tea is at Tony Romas....all the other sooks.....lol.

Can't get a bowl of white beans, onion and cornbread anywhere in the city.....lol

[HuckleB]

18. Don't serve vegetables?

Where in the heck did you go out to eat? Nowhere else in the country can one get a better variety of vegetable dishes than in the northwest. It's frickin' nirvana for vegetarians.

[HuckleB]

9. What are your criticisms of Portland?

And how would change things here?

[Misinformed01]

13. I wouldn't change a thing

In fact, I would go back for a week to visit.

It just wasn't for me personally, and interestingly, I heard other Southerners say the exact same thing.

[HuckleB]

16. Not so sure it's a southerner thing, though.

It may be a matter of preference, in general. I've got five good friends here who originate in the south, and none of them would go back.

[kaitykaity]

3. Uh, okay. Here's the story . . .

Portland is very liberal, but the outlying
countryside is very conservative. I've lived
in Portland for 15 years, and I love it.

The bad news is the economy sucks, so if you
want to move here, have a job already in place
before you do it.

Portland Public Schools Job Listings
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/depts-c/hr/licensed_positions.php

Portland itself is very racially mixed, and very
much at home to the artsy crowd, the pierced,
the goth. Check out this weekly tabloid rag for
the full flavor. http://www.portlandmercury.com

kk

[masmdu]

4. Thank you!

.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

6. It's school district by school district...

...the hiring situation, that is.

The reason why positions are open is that Oregon schools have recently been used as a political football by the state GOP. They were left in budgeting limbo for the entire summer and were forced to send layoff notices to teachers, many of whom left for greener pastures. Then the GOP senate, getting a sudden whiff of electoral anger, abruptly reversed course, leaving positions open.

Racially, Oregon is whitebread. White whitebread. In some farm communities, you'll find some flecks of rye (various Hispanics), and Portland itself has a small community of pumpernickel. But other than that, we're Wonderbread out here: puffy, bland, and non-nutritious.

Portland itself is a miniature microcosm of diversity, an island of sanity. Unfortunately, it also has some of the most challenginging schools. This is again because of the money situation in the state. A Property Tax initiative called Measure 5 was passed about 10 years ago, which eliminated the ability of local districts to support their own local schools. As a result, the state took up school funding, but because it was dominated by rural districts, the funds go disproportionately to to farmland schools. They all have computers while Portland itself struggles with overcrowded classrooms and the highest proportion of special needs kids. Go here for more on this.

However, if you can get past the job situation, the state is beautiful place to live. It has a park-like appeal, mountains close in for sking, cool undisturbed beaches, clean running rivers. Only half the state gets the famous northwest rainfall. The other half is high desert, more reminiscent of Colorado, but not as crowded.

Well, I've said my piece. Back to work.

- C.D.

[HuckleB]

8. It depends on the district.

Portland is a wonderful city. I've spent time in all parts of the country, and I have yet to find a place where I would rather live. Other areas to check into would be Bend, Ashland, and Eugene. The Bend area is growing quite fast, and it's no bastion of pure conservatism. Neither are the other areas I named.

[grasswire]

17. pdx

Here's a link to Portland Public Schools http://www.pps.k12.or.us/

Portland is a really great town -- one of the best in the country a liberal could hope to live in. It's beautiful, with a river running through the middle and lots of hills and a very temperate climate. The people are generally tolerant and diverse and friendly. The downtown is one of the most vibrant in the country. Great central library, great zoo and parks, film institute, cultural events, fabulous outdoor opportunities, an 11,000 foot peak an hour away and the Pacific Ocean an hour away in the other direction.

Too many restaurant choices, a couple of espresso joints in every block, universities (including the VERY leftist Reed College), etc. Traffic is not as nutty as Seattle. Four seasons, with a couple of snow days in the winter. There's a big Russian-Ukrainian community, a great big Asian influence, a strong African American presence, and a big gay-lesbian community.

As far as sweet tea and BBQ are concerned, geez. Why do people from the south think their provincial food is going to be readily available in another part of the country? When I go outside the Pacific Northwest, I don't expect to find espresso as easily available -- and don't! No, Portland doesn't have boiled peanuts in street stands. But it does have Saturday Market, which is an amazing and colorful marketplace with wares from all over the world.

The best thing for you to do would be to make a visit for a few days. I don't live in Portland, although I grew up there.

[HuckleB]

19. Exactly.

You're not going to get salmon like it's done here in the south, for example. Portland is a great culinary town. It's always interesting to note the complaints of newbies. I moved here because it wasn't like any of the other places I'd been. And thank goodness for that!

[grasswire]

20. another thing...

....public transportation is really good, and heavily used. City buses run every 15-20 minutes, and the light rail does the same. Two different trolley systems run in separate routes, and a new aerial sky tram is going to connect another part of the city with downtown.

[masmdu]

21. kick

.