

Could Portland be the best city in the country for developers right now? - lucperkins
http://blog.appfog.com/could-portland-be-the-best-city-in-the-country-for-developers-right-now/

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larrykubin
Moved to Portland from Austin a little over a year ago.

Benefits:

\- natural surroundings are gorgeous, not surrounded by the rest of Texas,
have seen more breathtaking scenery than at any other point in my life

\- better coffee, beer, restaurants, food carts

\- no sales tax is great while making a transition to a new place if you
aren't bringing in any income yet, cost of living isn't very high

\- it seems to be a good place to live for an introvert like myself. people
are friendly, the neighborhood bars on the East Side are low key/don't have
the loud fratty types, and people seem to keep to themselves a bit more.

\- no 4-5 months of 100+ temperatures, or extreme temperatures at all

\- lots of small live music venues with shows that rarely sell out, such as
Doug Fir Lounge and Mississippi Studios

\- There are many affordable local conferences such as Open Source Bridge. And
the Portland Digital Experience + MusicFestNW badge is a steal.

\- Very walkable/bikable, I don't have a car and plenty of access to great
coffee/beer/entertainment. Love the neighborhood/small town feel.

\- Powell's, Board Game Night at Lucky Lab, Ground Kontrol, Backspace, music
video night at Beulahland, love it.

Drawbacks:

\- January - March the cloudiness/drizzle gets a bit old. I personally enjoy
the transition to Spring/Fall when the flowers come out, and the leaves turn
colors, so after being here a year I wouldn't say the weather sucks 9 months
out of the year, but maybe 4 months.

\- Haven't really formed much of a social circle, many of the people I have
met have moved away already because of the weather or go back to keeping to
themselves and don't see them again.

\- I hear the developer pay is lower

\- high state income tax (vs. no state income tax in Texas), losing 9% of your
income is much worse than paying no sales tax, and the cost of living is a
little higher than in Austin.

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laaph
While it is still high compared to zero in Texas, you get to deduct how much
you paid in federal taxes from the state taxes, making that 9% sting a little
less.

Funny that you say cost of living is higher than in Austin, I felt Oregon has
remarkably low cost of living compared to every where else I have lived (I
have never lived in Texas though).

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turoczy
If you've ever been curious about what's happening in the Portland startup
scene, this is the post to read. Luc does an amazing job of capturing both the
tech and the culture of the town. And if anyone has any additional questions
about "Why Portland?" I'm always happy to answer those, too.

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arjn
Nice polite people, food carts, good restaurants, possibly the best coffee in
the US, Ocean is 1 hour away, greenery, Mt Hood, the Cascades .... and much,
much more.

~~~
lucperkins
Yup. I'd add to that list, but it sounds like you're here already :)

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xradionut
What about Powell's? (Number one reason for a nerd to visit...)

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lucperkins
Ooooh, good call. Well, I couldn't include everything...

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mahyarm
Why would you choose Portland over Seattle? It's nearly identical weather
wise, except you have no state income tax, Canada a couple hours away, the
ocean right next door, a second tier international airport (vs portlands third
tier) and two large tech companies to help create a tech base.

~~~
malachismith
The next time you're stuck in rush hour traffic in Seattle and cursing the
gods you'll have your answer.

~~~
lucperkins
Seattlites also talk up their light rail line. Ummm, yeah. The first MAX line
was built in 1986.

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FireBeyond
Who wouldn't talk up a light rail line called the SLUT? (South Lake Union
Transit)... just saying.

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malachismith
If only it were not for the weather....

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lucperkins
Well, the (admittedly) crummy weather produces (a) solidarity, (b) a lot of
good music, and (c) our healthy coffee obsession. So get over it.

I should also note that this summer has been absolutely magisterial.

~~~
malachismith
The summer is the silver lining without a doubt. So many berries....

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OafTobark
Grew up in Portland, live in SF. I'm the opposite. Prefer SF. Both have their
pluses and minuses but for the tech and startup scene, it's not comparable for
me. I love Portland and it'll always have a place in my heart but it's just
not close to being comparable for me in this regard.

~~~
OafTobark
Great. I got downvoted for having an opinion

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jpxxx
Great writeup on the best city on Earth. It's a blessing to live here.

~~~
lucperkins
Yes. Yes, it is :)

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adverscott
Portland rocks!

