What a terrible time to be living in Portland.
Our state has been running neck and neck with a handful of others to the bottom of the unemployment rate pile. Our politicians are either quietly fighting with one another or struggling to earn back the public’s trust. Our schools are consistently under fire for failing to keep up to snuff. Even our arts community has struggled, in a city where the arts are cherished more than anywhere else I’ve ever been. It’s enough to make an outsider feel as though Portland has absolutely nothing to offer – like there’s too much baggage to make the city itself a worthwhile place to visit, let alone live.
As of this month I’ve lived in Portland for 4 years. I’ve been to 46 of the 50 states and when I decided to make the move from my hometown of Seattle I realized that I could have moved virtually anywhere. I had quite a lot of money saved up and at the time I was working for myself in a web-based business – my office could have been out in the middle of Vermont for all it really mattered, I only needed the internet to do my job, but I picked Portland because I really just wanted to get away from the faux-metro-busy lifestyle of the NuSeattle (I call it “anywhere but here syndrome”). I was born in the Pacific Northwest and I suppose I’ll always love my hometown but at the same time I was living in a place that I just didn’t recognize anymore.
I have no regrets about leaving Seattle but there have been times I’ve regretted stopping in Portland – hence the name “Portland Sucks”…
Yet these past 2 months, just as the city I live in has seemed to hit rock bottom, I’ve discovered all over again just why I love this damn place so much. You can shove skyscrapers, banks, insurance companies, and annoying cell phone kiosks almost anywhere and call it a city, but you need good people to give that city a heart and a soul – and I’ve discovered that Portland has both when it counts, and it has them in abundance.
As I’ve moved from owning a web business into owning a “new media” startup (whatever that means) I’ve been met with more support, more friends, and more hope than I ever could have wished for. One minute I’m watching in horror as people I respect are losing their jobs almost daily, then I’m watching in awe as they take it in stride with dignity and class. All the while across town others are organizing events, throwing nifty little networking shindigs, giving each other support, and refusing to do much of anything but continue to push forward. Uphill. In the snow. Both ways.
In short, I’ve been watching the entire media infrastructure of a pretty good sized metropolitan city begin to crumble, all while I’m watching some of the most dynamic and creative people on the face of the planet redefine what the word “media” even means – providing more entertainment value, more trustworthy news and opinions, and more stories of interest than any bazillion dollar corporation ever did. They’re doing it by themselves for the people around them, and they’re doing it for little to no pay.
When I said above that it’s a terrible time to be living in Portland, what I really meant was…
What a fantastic time to be living in Portland.
Related posts:
{ 7 trackbacks }
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
You restored my faith in the future of media dear sir. Reading this makes me all the more excited about it.
Break out the hot cocoa in Hell!
Seriously though, as a long-time lurker and frequent-agreer-with-points-expressed, I thank you for closing the loop.
Portland does suck, and we can do better, but it sucks so much less than anywhere else. It sips, let’s say, or slurps. Yes. Portland slurps.
well said…
I’m looking forward to it.
Robert,
Well said. I liked this article a lot as you pointed out the ‘unique’ class of people and talent here in this PDX town, yes, I sometimes still refer to it as a ‘town’ for its small, close knit community-feel.
I am very interested to hear about your ‘new media startup’ as well.
Would you care to meet for coffee soon?
Matt Nees
President
Software Association of Oregon
matt.nees@sao.org
Amen.
And, can I point out, where else in the country could you write this kind of post and get invited out for coffee by the head of that state’s biggest software association?
I was a card-carrying member of the print media old guard and am happily finding my way among the city’s new media practitioners. Hope you’ll join us at the WeMaketheMedia.com conference this Saturday for more on this subject, or to one of Abraham Hyatt’s monthly Digital Journalism meet ups.
MVR
I lived with Sir Wagner for two full years in Seattle and I can tell you without hesitating that Portland is lucky to have him even if he’ll never admit it himself. I say this as an admirer first and a friend second but that loudmouth you guys and gals are listening to is nothing short of a true genius and Seattle metro isn’t what it used to be. In the two years he lived out in the garage of the West Seattle rambler we shared he worked two jobs, ran two different business ventures with very positive cashflow, signed a record deal, and toured the country with a couple of top notch musicians. The man is a modest brainiac–bar none the smartest I’ve met. While I was working behind a desk for a coffee company here, no not that one the other one, Mister Wagner was creating the next big thing over and again. It comes as no surprise to me that his voice is heard loud and clear in your community there. Our loss is your gain Portland Oregon. He’s one of my best friends but he’s also a creative business dynamo of the highest order. He probably didn’t even know that we were listening up here. He’s not that kind of guy that would ever tell anyone what he’s doing because that would be self promoting. His nickname here was ‘the screaming church mouse’ and I’m sure by now you know why.
Sorry kid, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer because I think these people need to know just how lucky they are. Get your ass up here and visit.