I just graduated from Oregon State and am planning on moving to Boise too! All my family is here and Boise is not too far which is nice. Well written piece and I share many of your sentiments. However I don't think the homelessness (drug addiction crisis lets be real) crisis is a problem of high housing costs or a lack of available social services. The problem unfortunately seems to be the combination of giving these free handouts without enforcing guard rails or proper "carrot and stick" disciplinary structures. People have been advocating free housing for awhile with very poor results. https://truthonthestreets.substack.com/
In true fashion, after I posted this I walked to the gym, and on my way saw a college girl who’d just had her car window smashed and backpack stolen. Can’t even make this shit up.
Portland used to be so beautiful and amazing. My first American city. I loved it so much. I lived in Hillsboro, Beaverton, Goose Hollow, PSU campus and Chinatown. I became an adult in Portland. Reading this makes me so sad but unsurprisingly. Hope it'll get better in my lifetime but I don't buy it. DC sucks too. NYC isn't better. I'll be looking for more quiet and normalcy further north.
Hi from Portland. Yes, it's true, and the city/ county government take hope away, over and over again. Crime is less bad than it was, but still bad. There's still a lot of good in the city, moments and niches, but the city is declining with ugliness, trash, bad behavior, frowns. It is hard to leave for the reasons you stated, plus friends, but I can understand why. It's outrageous how ideology leads to willfully, stubborn decline. Best wishes to you in your new home. If you will forgive some small self promotion, I wrote about what happened here in 2020-2021: https://www.amazon.com/Fragility-Mosby-Woods-ebook/dp/B0BGYKPJLH
I just graduated from Oregon State and am planning on moving to Boise too! All my family is here and Boise is not too far which is nice. Well written piece and I share many of your sentiments. However I don't think the homelessness (drug addiction crisis lets be real) crisis is a problem of high housing costs or a lack of available social services. The problem unfortunately seems to be the combination of giving these free handouts without enforcing guard rails or proper "carrot and stick" disciplinary structures. People have been advocating free housing for awhile with very poor results. https://truthonthestreets.substack.com/
Best wishes on your new adventure! :)
Wow, those photos are crazy. It looks like a total ghost town.
In true fashion, after I posted this I walked to the gym, and on my way saw a college girl who’d just had her car window smashed and backpack stolen. Can’t even make this shit up.
Portland used to be so beautiful and amazing. My first American city. I loved it so much. I lived in Hillsboro, Beaverton, Goose Hollow, PSU campus and Chinatown. I became an adult in Portland. Reading this makes me so sad but unsurprisingly. Hope it'll get better in my lifetime but I don't buy it. DC sucks too. NYC isn't better. I'll be looking for more quiet and normalcy further north.
Hi from Portland. Yes, it's true, and the city/ county government take hope away, over and over again. Crime is less bad than it was, but still bad. There's still a lot of good in the city, moments and niches, but the city is declining with ugliness, trash, bad behavior, frowns. It is hard to leave for the reasons you stated, plus friends, but I can understand why. It's outrageous how ideology leads to willfully, stubborn decline. Best wishes to you in your new home. If you will forgive some small self promotion, I wrote about what happened here in 2020-2021: https://www.amazon.com/Fragility-Mosby-Woods-ebook/dp/B0BGYKPJLH
Self promotion is promoted here! Thank you for the comment!