The running joke with Portland in the 90’s was that this was the place 30-year-olds came to retire. Hate to take it down a notch, but let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room - Portland and Austin are alike in that neither city is affordable. Some folks don’t realize that the “Keep Portland Weird” motto came from Austin, but it’s true. Whereas in Austin a lot of folks move for employment assuming the entire city is liberal, only to realize there’s a constant battle between the liberal city and Republican-heavy state government. As mentioned earlier, Portland is in a liberal bubble, all of the neighboring cities are politically aligned so being liberal is the norm. Austin is liberal first, employed second. For starters, Austin attracts more professional (read: “normal”) folks than Portland due to industry and location – lest you forget, Texas is part of the Bible Belt.Īs such, PDX has slightly weirder folks by virtue and a more homogeneous liberal culture supported by local and state politics. It’s easy to feel relaxed and light-hearted in both places, but there are (Very slight) variations in the overall vibe. One of the most glaring similarities between Portland and Austin is the easy-going vibe of both cities. One of the biggest political differences between Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon (in my opinion) is that Austin serves as a bastion in a sea of red, whereas Portland aligns with the status quo of its west coast neighbors (Seattle and San Francisco).įirst, let’s talk about the similarities between Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon There’s no denying that both Austin and Portland are liberal cities, but Portland is marginally more so based on voting patterns. Likewise in Multnomah County (Portland’s County), 79.2% of residents voted Democrat. In the last presidential election 71.4% of Travis County residents (Austin’s County) voted Democrat. Which city is more liberal, Portland or Austin?īoth Portland and Austin are strongly liberal cities. In terms of landmass, Austin is almost double the size of Portland largely due to urban sprawl (which I’ll cover shortly). As of 2020, the population of Portland is 650,000 while the population of Austin is 966,000. Population-wise, Austin, Texas is twice as big as Portland, Oregon. I’m not one for small talk, so let’s get to it! So many folks compare Austin, Texas to Portland, Oregon and I though it would be fun to compare the two based on firsthand experience and actual stats. I grew up in Portland (spent 30 years there!) before moving to Austin for a career change. I had to leave Oregon at that moment for a plane, but I hope that when I return, it is still weird.Are you trying to figure out the similarities and differences between Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas? I think I can help. I looked up and the cashier was staring at me with a blank look, wearing a green T that said the same phrase and sporting a beard that would make the Boston Red Sox jealous. I was in a souvenir store in the Portland airport and saw a t-shirt with the saying "keep Oregon weird" again. The demonstration was so wonderfully weird. She proceeded to wrap the gyro again tightly and then put aluminum foil around it showing me how to rip it off and eat it. The owner/chef of the place overhead me and came out from the back frustrated saying, "you are supposed to wrap it, let me show you". I asked the cashier for a fork and knife so I could eat it. About half way into the gyro it kept slipping out of its wrapper and getting everywhere. I think I had the best gyro in my life today for lunch in Old Town Portland. Honestly, what a high functioning city, beautifully green and again, wonderfully weird people. When I visit Portland on business, I can fly there in the early morning, grab the train at the airport, be downtown in 30 minutes, back on the train after and home on the early evening flight. Where else can you go to see ducks walking down the street? (BTW - ducks are my favorite animal). Where can you see someone in the grocery store and quack at them and get a quack back. Where else can you arrive to a work meeting and half the people are soaked from head to foot from riding their bike in the rain as well. About 10 people immediately stopped their bikes and cars, and helped this individual get their car to the side of the road. One day I was riding my bike to the bus station to get to the university when a car stalled. When we lived in Eugene, Oregon about ten years ago, we noticed the wonderful weirdness. It is really one of the coolest, weird places in the country. There are bumper stickers that say "keep Oregon weird". The meeting was well, but what I enjoy about Oregon the most is the people. I left early in the morning for the airport and just returned. Today was a business meeting in Portland, Oregon. I do admire her keeping a daily blog for a year and a half now. She is just too busy, tired or something. I have been delegated Lindsey's blog for the night.
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