The image of Portland, Oregon portrayed in “Portlandia”, as well as in the numerous articles citing it as “liveable”, a desired and affordable place to live convey a reality that doesn’t exist. In fact, it can be argued that, taken as a whole, it never really did. There are bits and pieces that do ring true; however, like with statistics, conclusions are too often deceiving, limited by their scope of consideration and lack of contextual connection.
Having lived the entirety of my life — 65 years — in Portland, I can attest to what is, what isn’t, what was or never was. My perspective comes from having resided in four starkly contrasting areas — NW, now known as the much desired and affluent “Pearl” district; inner NE, the vibrant Hollywood district; twice in inner SE; and two eastside suburban areas. It is also informed by my employment over the years, primarily as a working musician, but also as a small business owner. I am an activist in the cause of working-class creatives, working on emergency relief events, patient advocacy, community development initiatives, creating and curating musical venues and programs. This puts me in touch with grassroots realities that go well beyond the facade of two extremes — on the one hand, the hippie-dippy organic sand candle and incense image of quaint shops, crafts, and unicycle-riding, bagpiping guys wearing Darth Vader masks and, on the other hand, the vibrant transformation of the Pearl and South Waterfront into virtual corridors of high rises, with the inner Eastside following suit.
As recently as 10 years ago, there was reason enough to consider moving to Portland a viable, even reasonable, alternative to other urban centers, especially on the West Coast. Pristine, accessible, and varied natural settings — a coast and mountains within 90 minutes, sun rich high mountain desert in 3 hours, the Columbia Gorge with majestic waterfalls, vistas, and trails within an hour or less — beckoned in a most welcome, unimpeded manner. The influx of population has changed all of that. Not only are main attractions getting crowded, but more isolated spots along the Scenic Highway, a memorial to the grandness of the WPA, where you might have had occasion to encounter a handful of nature lovers and hikers, now attract hundreds on a daily basis. Just getting to these places is a chore and testament to patience. Traffic, alone, is a bitch. In that same 10 year period, the drive into or out of town has dramatically changed. What used to take 20 minutes now requires planning for up to an hour and forget about rush hour. They say that the freeways are at capacity. This is an understatement. The interchange at the terminus of I-84, connecting to I-5 near the city center, gets clogged with indecisive drivers, slowing down to make lane changes that are prohibitive, if not downright prohibited by law. It is one of the most dangerous interchanges in the country.
Farmlands and wooded areas, just outside the city, have been cleared to make way for housing developments and endless strip malls. Any character that may have existed has been all but wiped out. Urban growth boundaries only exacerbate this. These boundaries are not autocratic, in the strictest sense, but are substantially determined by topography. The sprawl that is taking over Portland is spreading to communities ranging across three counties and has even impacted traffic and housing availability and affordability as far away as Woodburn, in Marion County, as well as across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington. A five minute trip to the grocery store has turned into 15-20. Water and sewer, police and fire departments, and a wealth of social services have become stressed. Homelessness has turned parks, bike and hiking paths, neighborhoods, and streets into encampments, replete with problems related to sanitation, drug use, and crimes on people and property. Proposals for use of large land parcels, buildings, and the unused, nearly new Wapato jail facility sit, for the most part, awaiting action and, where there is progress, it is nowhere near enough.
Present estimates officially put the homeless population at 1800, but realistic projections place this number at about three times this number. The recent sweep of the homeless community along the Springwater Corridor, approximately 500, has just moved the problem elsewhere, only adding to the crisis. Housing availability, having already increased by high double digits in cost, sits at around 3%. There are hundreds in line for any single opening and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Working-class creatives, traditionally drawn to Portland for its affordability and accessibility, find themselves in a bind. Artists, musicians, artisans, and craftspeople, already relegated to the fringe of the economy, are experiencing the more serious downside of growth. While Portland, itself, holds a population of barely under 600,000, the Metro region has grown to 2.35 million. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 39,000 full-time musicians calling Portland home and their average income is $8,600.00 per year. With this, venues are drying up and, in order to work, let alone eke out a living, they are forced to drive to other areas and, with this, also driving up and spreading traffic congestion, time involved, and expenses. If you’re lucky enough to get a gig in town, parking anywhere close to the venue is a miracle. Hauling gear six blocks doesn’t add to the spirit of entertaining. Just using the full-time musician figure and projecting from Census Bureau statistics, at a minimum, 20% of the population is directly impacted. Add part-time musicians and the other working-class creatives mentioned and the implications are even worse. There is a bubble forming and it’s on the verge of bursting.
So you’re not involved in arts. You’re not a craftsman. How does this affect your decision making? Other than the aforementioned issues, there’s the low rating of education and the fact that Portland is the second most difficult place in the country to make a living. Getting a full-time job of any sort is next to impossible, so, unless you’re willing to take two or three part-time positions, get no benefits, and juggle potentially conflicting schedules, you’ll be taking a huge risk. With an influx of people that is getting more unmanageable, the bubble is just getting bigger.