We look like a big city, other cities in Oregon call us "the big city", people may even come here from all parts thinking we are a "big city".
We never were and are not now. Maybe in the future we can be all "Big City" but we're actually a large town in between 2 big cities... and by that I mean a day away North or South (Seattle and San Francisco).
For Portland to be "big" we need to go Portland-Metro... Tri-County I believe. If you include the counties Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington you'll get a big city and, thusly, Portland-Metro. I like to include Vancouver, WA just across the Columbia River north of us. I'm from there and grew up there and many people who live there work in Portland.
Many of us 'Couvians have had this conversation:
Where are you from?
I'm from Vancouver Washington.
Washington DC?
No, Vancouver, WA.
Vancouver Canada?
No... Vancouv... Portland, Oregon.
Ohhhhhh! Portland. Love that place!
75% of the time when someone tells you they are from Portland they are actually from Vancouver, Beaverton, Gresham, Clackamas, Oregon City, etc. All towns and cities on the border of Portland.
For the record I was born in LA. Moved to Vancouver, WA in 1975 I think. Grew up there until I left for the Navy in 1989. Came back to Vancouver in 1993. Moved across the river to Portland in 1997. I have lived in Portland "proper" since then. If you were to send me a Xmas card via snail mail you'd be writing "Portland, OR 97xxx" on the envelope and it will get to me. I pay the Portland Art Tax every year. That means I am a Portlander.
If you are Portland-centric, you tend to stay in Portland. This means you run into the same people all the time. You learn Portland is small. Of course, you need to also have been kind of an outgoing person, like you go to bars, restaurants, concerts, are a part of some hobby scene, stuff like that. Amazingly, you learn that other people are like you. We do the same stuff. Over the years it's the same people.
Here is an example of this small city phenomena:
You're into horror movies and in your 40s. You go to a horror movie showing of some classics. You end up sitting right next to a guy you met 20 years ago at some obscure clown rock band concert. After catching up you find out you both know the same people. You've both gotten married, had kids, got roots... all that stuff. Bottom line is you both really dig the same things. You even run around in the same circles, you just haven't bumped into them yet.
The only real separation in subcultures in Portland is age. Us "Gen Xers" are old and grumpy now. As much as we loathed "having stuff" in our 20s we now have stuff and want to hang onto it. What that is defined as is another conversation.
Anyways, don't burn your bridges in Portland. There is not enough room for one to escape unless you completely change your circle of peers. Even so, you're going to run into your past sooner or later.
Granted, this just proves that people of a certain "clique" tend to stick with others in that same "clique". Even better reason to not burn bridges. If you decide you want to be an indy movie hipster and enjoy things those people would do than be ready to keep running into an even smaller sub-category of whatever you've identified yourself as.
Maybe that's why there is that trope that us Portlanders will sit there for 10 minutes in an intersection and smile and wave the other person waiting at the intersection through. You might end up sitting next to that same person at a bar, party, or on the bus.*
*Yes, people who own cars also ride the bus here.
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