Moving from LA to Portland? Rain?

I was raised in San Diego and then lived an hour north of LA for 3 years, before moving to Portland. If I had the money, I'd move back. Granted I love the summers here, but I am not a fan of freezing 5 months out of the year. The Children's Museum, OMSI, Zoo, they all rock, Portland has some of the best parks, trails, lakes, rivers... Depends on if you like cold and rain more than sun.

We moved here in June 2004 from San Diego. The first year had spectacular weather, but the past two years, the winters have dragged out longer. It's true that last winter it rained until the end of June! This year we've had breaks, but I'm officially sick of Grey Winter.

What helps keep our toddler active is having the week's activities planned. There *are* a ton of things to do indoors in Portland w/ kids, but you have to seek the things out. Lots of word of mouth. There are restaurants and coffeehouses that cater to parents; The Children's Museum; OMSI; Pump It Up, Jr.; libraries; boutique toy stores (that let you play); and indoor play parks. When all else fails, we take our son to the pet store and let him watch the fish.

I have no regrets about moving from San Diego. Every place has something that's not so great. Winter is a small price to pay for what Portland gives back.

We moved here 4 years ago...in fact, exactly four years ago come April 17th, 08. We moved from Orange County/Newport Beach. We are having a very hard time adjusting. First, and most importantly to us, with two young children (who hate the fact that we left such a place)...is the activity level here. Moving from the vacation capital of the world...we are really struggling with finding things to do. People tell us there are tons of activities...but when you move from beautiful Free beaches (where you can actually enjoy the water), 15 min's from Disneyland (with season passes), Universal Studios, Wild Rivers Water Park, San Diego Zoo, Sea World...just to name a few...it's really hard to find anything that compares. We are bored most of the time...and our kids are going out of their minds with bordem. The winters are especially hard. One of the things is that everything you want to do in this town costs money. Most of our activities were outside, and free in So Cal. So, our #1 issue is what to do with our time. We can only go to the mall so many times...and we have seriously done everything there is to do. We've bought the "Portland with Kids" types of activity books...and can't find anything we haven't already done a dozen times.

Secondly...it's a HUGE change in weather. No, it's not as bad as Seattle...but the winters are long...and wet, and dark. Last year, I think the rain went into June. People who live here seem to be able to handle it. In fact...everyone I talk to who has always lived here...loves it. For us...it is hard to handle. We would move back in a heart beat...for those reasons. But, we also know we left for a lot of reasons that we wouldn't want to go back to. But to us, it would be worth putting up with to have the sunshine, warm sandy beaches and activity level back in our lives. My kids had bronze skin and sun warmed highlights in their hair. Up here...we're all white as ghosts, and have lost the sunny highlights that accompany frequent trips to the beachs. Gosh...we miss the beaches incredibly.

We did love it when we first got here. The Spring, Summer and Fall of 2004 offered incredible weather. We said the same thing..."they must just tell people it rains up here to keep the Californians away." We were able to buy a house we could never afford in So. Cal...it's beautiful...and the yard is huge. The air is clean, the skies are blue...and it's beautifully green and lush everywhere. I love the four distinct seasons. It is truly a beautiful place...there's no doubt about it. And, the people are just incredible...I thought I had moved to Stepford! There are a lot of great things.

But...you do have to be able to withstand long, dark, dreary, rainy winters. Winters that sometimes last 6 to 8 months. And you will have to be able to handle a huge difference in life style. It is not So Cal here.

For us...we wish we would have rented out our So Cal home, and given ourselves a chance to see if we really could stay up here. Now, we can't afford to move back...and are doing our best to make the best of our situation. Unfortunatley, we thought the longer we lived here, the more we'd get used to it, and accepting of it. Sadly, that has not been the case for us...and the longer we are gone...the more we miss it.

Just a personal experience. I hope you get feedback from both sides...and that you make a good decision for your family. Good Luck!

Before we moved I had heard horror stories too about how much rain we'd have each winter and how we'd be stuck inside for months. I was amazed our first winter here at how much less rain fell than I'd expected, and how many beautiful, sunny days we had. Turns out this winter has been a bit wetter but the rains are still nothing like I'd expected. It is speculated the rainfall horror stories are concocted specifically to keep Californians like us from moving here!

All the rain Portland does get sure makes for beautiful flowers and fabulous produce and veggies - that makes it worth it! And for all the talk of Portland being rainy and gray, it's nowhere near as bad as Seattle... nor as cold! Almost every neighborhood here has a great community center with indoor gyms and pools and tons of classes - perfect for burning the kids' energy while you meet other moms in the area. There are also a lot of music, art and sports classes for kids at venues all over town - so far we've kept very busy and had a lot of fun each winter, without getting too affected by the grayer-than-LA skies.