Oregon: Everything I Never Imagined

When I moved to Oregon as a newlywed, I knew very little about the place. I had only ever visited there once — for three days to apartment hunt, interview for a job, and visit my fiance. And once I actually moved there, I found that most of what I thought I knew about it was false.

Coming from the sunny, conservative state of Georgia, Oregon was about as far away as you could get within the continental states. And it was equally far away in cultural and political climates, not to mention the weather itself.

Plenty of people from my home state had opinions (and warnings) about Portland that they were quick to share with me when they found out I was moving there. But, as is true with any new place, the bits and pieces you hear about it rarely tell the whole story. Your opinion drastically changes once you experience it for yourself, and even more so when you begin to live there.

After moving, I quickly discovered that Portland’s reputation of “keeping it weird” had nearly overshadowed the rest of the state. There is much more to a state than its most popular city.

Portland could easily be its own state for all its differences from middle and southern Oregon. Even within the metro areas, the culture, people, and scenes varied wildly — just like many other big, growing cities. You could visit a family in one…