This is the beginning of a story I’ve been meaning to write for a long time. I live in Fresno, California right now, but it won’t be that way for long. My boyfriend Eric and I are moving to Portland, Oregon. We decided to move there on the first night we met. I said I had lived there before and he mentioned he had always wanted to go up north. Right then (the cosmos, in their clichéd loveseats, grinning) I invited him to come with me if I ever moved back. It didn’t seem strange at the time, and three years later, it still feels right.
We were going to move once before, in 2006, but there were so many extenuating circumstances around the move, it was hasty - almost irrational - to just pack our lives up and move. I had plans to become a teacher, and if we were to move at that point, I would have had to work part time and go to school part time at a community college that cost too much. Eric, a talented graphic designer, was still employed as a warehouse parts puller and was only working freelance through friendly connections. He needed some real graphic design work under his belt. So, we stayed and achieved what we set out to achieve. It took us almost two years - almost two years spent in Fresno, where the fog blocks your vision, the smog poisons you, and the heat suffocates you - where the meathead frat guys and untalented blondes invade all the cool bars and the music scene consists of two good bands and fifty rap-core ones.
I really should defend Fresno a bit, since it tends to have such a distasteful reputation and since it did manage to hold us together for the last couple of years. Fresno has gone from an ag-centered field-speckled snore to a partially metropolitan, booming city. The nightlife, as I’ve already mentioned, leaves a lot to be desired, but if you look hard (which we have), you can find some gems. The Tower District is where the hipsters go - poetry slams, house music, salsa dancing, Art Hop (a monthly exhibition featuring over 20 art galleries and a highly eclectic throng of hoppers), and excellent sushi - not to mention the nicely maintained, tree-lined neighborhoods that flank it. It can’t compete with big cities, but if you want “it,” you can find it in little doses somewhere in Fresno. Fresno works for a lot of people, and there are generations of families who have found their lives here. It’s not all bad, it’s just not for us.
The eclectic Tower District in Fresno, named for this historic Tower Theater.
However, Fresno lacks something that Portland has inherently - movement. Portland, being a city by water, historically represents movement. Since then, it has become one of the greenest cities in the world, being a leader in sustainable energy, public transportation and - literally - greenery. It’s impossible to drive for more than a block without oohing and aahing over the beautiful foliage. The people in Portland are forward thinking, artistic souls. They don’t just drive from place to place - they walk, they bike, they MOVE. The women are more concerned with what they have to say than with how tan they are. There is movement that is missing in Fresno, which is a place that people sink into unknowingly and end up living complacently for a long time. I saw the benefits of the clean, progressive atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest when I lived in Vancouver, Washington - one of the moves I have made in my plaid past. I felt alive and comfortable when I was there.
The stunning Portland skyline and the Hawthorne Bridge.
Nobody likes moving, no matter how uncomplicated it can be. I’ve done it before, and I never had an ounce of fear. But I was doing it alone. Maybe other people would have been afraid of the loneliness, but I thrived on it. I decided I was moving a month before I packed up my car. I didn’t even consider job options until I woke up in my new city. I did it by myself and there were no consequences.
This move is different. This move means growing up. At the ripe old age of 26 it seems I should have grown up a long time ago, but as everyone who has been through it knows, there are several stages of growing up - and this one feels visceral. First I left my parents house to go to college and live in a fantasy world of new music and wine and books. Then I moved out on my own, and I told people about my “epiphanies” and I went to music shows alone and watched snow fall in a strange city. Then I met someone, and I fell in love, and I stopped calling my friends and consolidated my credit card balances and I gained weight and I bought a car. I went back to school and bought end tables and suddenly I was old. The people in my classes were listening to new music and drinking wine, reading books I had already read.
This time, being the old folks that we are, we’ve planned. We researched neighborhoods, visited several times, asked locals about preferences, saved money (as much as we could)… we have done our homework. Now comes the more frustrating part - the packing. We both have childhoods worth of stuff here in Fresno - particularly Eric since he’s never moved states before. I’ve designated two weeks for myself to organize and pare down our enormous lump of stuff. We’ve started making our own set of plans for being adults, too. I’ve started thinking about having friends who are couples, dinner parties, babies, having a dog. I think we’ll have a neighborhood grocery store, nice shoes, vacation plans, therapists and a DVD collection. We’ll do a lot of exploring and wandering around. We have plans together for our Portland future and they make sense and feel good. We’re moving together to Portland.
And so it goes - this morning I woke up with my hands shaking and while I brushed my teeth looked at my face and realized with a start - I’m growing up. The story of our relocation begins here, and I will continue with two more installments as our move progresses.
Here are the top 10 questions people have been asking us, and my response.
- Where will we live when we get there?
We are lucky. My uncle is letting us stay in his newly divorced house until we find a place we really like while our stuff is in storage. This is doubly good: no rent for a month and we get to take our time finding a place we really like.
- When are you leaving?
I say “the end of June” - Eric says “June or July.” We’ll probably end up going at the beginning of July, but either way, we don’t have any time constraints. We can go whenever we want. Just as long as we get there before August. I've got some teaching to do!
- Are your parents sad that you’re going?
Of course they’re disappointed, but they know it’s good for us, and they’re supportive. My mom and I have some rough times because we’re so close, and my dad works too much, which makes me nervous, but I think they will survive okay without me for a while. If Eric and I pop out a couple kids, they’ll have to move up, right?
- Where are you going to work?
I’m trying my hardest to get a teaching job. Eric will be a graphic designer, but he’s going to work remotely for his current company until he can find something else.
- Why Portland?
Anyone who has ever been there knows why. It’s basically the perfect city for liberal artsy fartsy types who like clean air and beautiful scenery. Plus, more cool hole-in-the-wall restaurants than you could ever visit, and obviously, great coffee. The real reason, if you want to know the truth, is the attitude of the people. They are super cool and nice. Really nice.
- Are you planning on buying a house soon?
We want to buy a house, but we really want to know the area well and be gainfully employed before we jump into that. The market in Portland is incredible right now, so it’s a shame we can’t take advantage of it, but we’ll just have to wait.
- I hear the economy is bad in Portland. Is that true?
Supposedly, but I have yet to find someone who is unemployed there and can’t get a job. I have a feeling it’s primarily entry-level positions that are hard to get, and I’m not interested in one of those. Neither is Eric.
- What’s the cost of living like?
Amazingly, it’s only about 2% higher than the national average. In comparison to Fresno, it’s almost identical. We currently live in a 800 square foot apartment in the coolest area in Fresno (not the nicest, just the coolest) and we pay $725. In Portland, comparable apartments go for about 700-1000, depending on the area. We’re happy to hear that. The best part? Portland has approximately two DOZEN “cool” areas… not just one. The neighborhoods have names and personalities. We have a lot of fun hunting to do!
- How are you getting up there?
There are a couple of options which we have yet to nail down – either we drive a super expensive (650 bucks!) U-Haul or we hitch a trailer to Eric’s pickup and beg a friend to drive with us. I’m a big fan of the pickup idea - Eric would rather the U-Haul. I’m broker than he is, though, so that’s part of it. The U-Haul seems ridiculously expensive - and what about gas? We’re talking another 300 bucks, easy. Thanks, W.
- Are you nervous?
Yes.
