Oregon as a whole has an unemployment rate of 10-12% or something. I don't know about Portland in particular. But it's pretty bad. 1 in 4 people in the state are on food stamps this year.

Portland's not a bad city, actually. I don't live anywhere near it, but I've been there quite a few times. It has a very unique culture. Oregon is divided in constant struggle between the hippies and the rednecks, and Portland is on the more hippie side of the scale. Not that that's a bad thing-- I like the more hippie-ish areas. It's a very "green" city, if that's important to you, and it's big on education, cultural preservation, etc. The people, for the most part, are on the more liberal end of the scale and are generally open minded. They're also very "earthy" and quirky, and the city as a whole has a dark sense of humor. They also drink more coffee than the rest of the universe combined.

That being said, for some reason people from other parts of the country say Northwesterners as a whole are standoffish and unfriendly.

Also, like TIMEBOMB said, it rains about 8 months of the year and occasionally snows in the northern part of the state. If you have seasonal depression, this is not the place for you. Also, the "occasional" part of "occasional snow" means nobody knows how to deal with that weird white stuff that falls from the sky. A few inches can shut down the interstate. And road salt is apparently illegal in Oregon, so snow lasts forever.

Also, this is fairly accurate.

I take it you don't go west very often?

Beer, check.

"Hospitality," check.

Dad hit moose in ALBERTA when I was 9, check.

Money still funky coloured there, check.

Giant blue splotch of Conservative in western Canada, bet you can guess what that means, check!

What am I missing here?

1: Is that a crack at how much a westerner drink?
2: No comment
3: Blaming Alberta for your dad hitting a wild animal. Hey guess what, Northern Ontario has wild animals as well
4: So what if we are still Conservative. We still have Gay marriage in Alberta. It's not like we are arbitrarily saying No you cannot get married. Hey guess what, homosexuality is still accepted in most parts of Alberta. Just like in BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.


Too bad you don't know when to check your ignorance you tool. I can cite half dozen of sources where I can prove that the Maritimes is just a hotbed of racial hate just as Alberta.

On second thought, I won't move to Canada. You guys get into arguments over the silliest things.

This.

Calm down, Mac.

EDIT: On second thought...

Calm down before I'm forced to put you down. This is not how we behave here.

Do you know how cold it gets here? If we didn't argue to get the blood flowing we'd all freeze to death!

Glitter mod post really stinks the eyes! It's such a good enforcing tool.

But yeah guys can we get back to talking about places NonCon should live? He's kinda strapped for time to make a decision.

Don't come to Iowa, it's a hole.

St. Paul, Minnesota was a nice place to visit and my friend who lived there said it was not to bad.

Fortunately the list can be narrowed down by eliminating entire states.

Iowa: Never lived there but all I know about the state is it contains bad drivers and corn.
Idaho: If you want potatoes, move to Ireland
Nebraska: Is it even a place?
Delaware: I don't know why but I have it stuck in my head that no one actually lives there.
Oklahoma: Sometimes as crazy as Arizona.
Arizona: See the thread in Discussion.
Texas: I don't know you that well NonCon but you just don't seem like a Texan.

Places to try:

Nevada: The cost of living is better than California and there's no state tax.
Oregon: Good things were mentioned earlier and I've never heard anything bad about it.
Arkansas: I gave a few reasons earlier. Wigmund can also tell you about the state, specifically the NW region.
Missouri: Don't know much about the cost of living but it seems pretty laid back.

The only areas I've really enjoyed living are Reno, Nevada and NW Arkansas. I spent enough time with my wife in Kansas to never want to return (to Miami county anyway. The courts there are crooked as hell). California is just too expensive to live in for my tastes and you never truly appreciate that until you move out of state.

I can't say yay or nay to Canada but I imagine moving out of country is a somewhat complicated process and being pressed for time its realistically right out no matter how attractive it is (again I imagine don't quote me on it).