The Real Reasons Everyone is Leaving Portland, Oregon. 

I grew up in Portland. Back in 2000, I joined the military and ended up being stationed in Japan and then living in Indonesia for the next 14 years. When the pandemic hit, my visa was pulled so I had to return to Portland. In my memory, Portland was a beautiful quirky little city. There were street kids but they were harmless and they didn't cause any meaningful problems. Downtown had peaceful parks where children would play, people would sit for lunch, etc. We had concerts and events down along the waterfront. I loved going downtown and hanging out with friends. Now, the place is disgusting. There are homeless encampments all over the place. Near where I work in Northeast Portland, a homeless encampment sprang up over a couple weeks and effectively blocked off one of the entrances to my work. They chained up dogs to the trees nearby making it unsafe to walk down the street even if you wanted to walk through the encampment. After about a month, we started seeing cars appearing and being stripped over a week or so before the shell was dumped in a near by lot. Over the next few months, well over 20 cars had been stolen and stripped and the police did nothing about it. About 1/5 of the people I used to work with have moved out of Portland. They can't stand living here any more. While I'm not at that point yet, if things keep going this route, I definitely will be soon. Yet, people here keep voting for the same clowns and the same policies. Edit: A bit of an update. They have cleared basically all of the tents from downtown and most other areas of Portland. The campers that had taken over one of the entrances near where I work was cleared and then they placed large cement blocks to prevent them from coming back. I have been downtown twice this last month with my kids and it was enjoyable again. It isn't quite as nice as it was a decade ago, but it's heading in the right direction finally.

Parking downtown for work praying your vehicle is still there when you get off work is a struggle. People ODing on drugs near your workplace sucks too

I was born in Portland and moved after living there for sixty-seven years. If it weren’t for still having friends there, I would never return.

It saddens me. I finally moved from Portland after 42 years, about 3 months ago.

I live in Seattle and want to move out. We have seen everything you talk about in Portland. It's a very expensive place to live while dodging bullets, fighting traffic and dealing with the grief of losing so many great friends (who moved out) and watching the most beautiful city I've ever seen be ruined. What preceded much of the decline was our terrible city government. They did not step in to stop anarchy at the beginning of the pandemic. Had they supported our laws and our police, criminals would not have been emboldened. We are awash in petty crime and addiction. Life has become miserable. I believe funding mental health care, addiction services and criminal justice would have saved Seattle and Portland.

I have two brothers that live in Portland. One of them’s been there 15-16 years it’s crazy how much that city has changed. It’s really sad to see where it is.

I wanted to love Portland so badly, but couldn't. I trekked all the way from Chicago to start a new life there. It seemed like such a creative and independent city. Lived there for 2.5 years and became so tired of the crime, drug use, and homeless issues. Went back to the Midwest.

When I was homeless, I considered trying out Portland. When I heard about the drugs and crime, I started looking elsewhere. Yes, there are homeless people who are not drug addicts and criminals. Unfortunately , I would be seen as 'weak' for not living that lifestyle, being amongst that lifestyle. I have an RV now, still seeking the perfectly overcast town. I will be staying put in the hot, hot, hot South TX RV park for now...😅😉

The crazy thing is Portland has spent a billion dollars on homeless services and it hasn't changed a thing, in fact it has gotten much worse the more they spend.

Oregonian born and raised here! I moved to Albuquerque, NM a few months ago for a change- and while some things can compare, the weather has been an absolute life changer for my mood and overall outlook on life. Oregon will always be there, until next time! 👋

Portland also decriminalized all drugs and defunded their police. Those are two HUGE factors for its downfall.

Its so sad and depressing what the city leaders have done to Portland. it almost seems that the city leaders have declared war on the middle class and when Nike can't maintain their factory store and even Walmart as classy as they are, closes all their stores, something is seriously wrong.

The nail in Portland's coffin was decriminalizing hard drugs.

Imagine that! Turns out riots and firebombings drive small businesses out, especially when they aren't protected by there police because of policies/defunding

Great video Briggs, I am a local realtor (if the handle didn't give it away), and definitely have helped clients move out of the area for several of these reasons. Not all are leaving Oregon itself but will move to suburbs or beyond. Some other agents like to ignore some of these issues when talking about our area, but I like to provide all the facts when consulting. These are certainly valid reasons that local leadership needs to address.

As an outsider I watched Portland news like reality TV in 2020. Blue haired kids burned and vandalized, and the police fled their own station like a bunch of scared kids, while the mayor stood with Antifa. I tuned into the Mayoral debate heading up to an election expecting to see some "enough is enough" law and order stuff. The first back and forth was both candidates blaming "police brutality" for their problems. Portland is blessed with natural beauty, but gets what they vote for.

You get what you vote for.

I lived in Portland almost 21 years and have left for some of the reasons you mentioned. Years after leaving, I'm surprised how much further that city has fallen.

Born and raised..70 years old ..and I.m going to have to move out because of the homeless and crime..i cannot spend the rest of my days like this..the collateral damage is unbelievable.

I am born and raised in Portland Or. I have seen it get bad in the past but the current situation is WAY worse than I have ever seen it. A huge part contributing to the issue is the local politicians doing nothing to actual solve the major issues. They are "reacting" instead of being proactive.

Spent a week in Portland back in 2008 with my Mom. We had a wonderful time. The downtown was vibrant and lively. We moved to Oregon in 2017 and were absolutely heartbroken at how the city had declined. Fast forward to 2023 and to this day we have not gone to Portland again except to go to the Airport. The state of Oregon is one of the most beautiful and diverse geographically. Mountains, rain forests, waterfalls, deserts, Ocean coast line, crater lake, and more. I do not regret moving here at all. But the homelessness, drug abuse, crime, and ridiculous housing prices have tarnished the state’s reputation. Hopefully they can turn it around.

When I moved to Sitka, Alaska back in June, 1985, local people told me “we only see sunshine about 5 times in the summer”. Being from Wyoming, I thought to myself.. “yeah right! just like we see Jackalope all the time in our front yard too!” in reference to colloquial fallacies. Come Labor Day in Sitka, I was asking “when do these other 3 days of sunshine come?”.

The decline of Portland just MAY have something to do with the failure to enforce the law. Portland is a great example of how wonderful things will be in any city which fails to fund and support its police force.

"It's kind of gotten a little too liberal," that is the understatement of the year!

I've lived in Oregon all of my life near but not in Portland but have worked there. It is a cesspool. It is sad that the population of the cesspool dictates the laws in Oregon. The past two Governors have been the worst. Passing laws the people vote down to move their agenda forward. They will eventually make the state unlivable for everyone.

I left the Portland metro area 4 years ago because I didn’t want my children to grow up in an area where the homeless, druggies and criminals have more rights than they do. I didn’t want my children to be around the filth of tent cities, the drug paraphernalia all over as well as people smoking fentanyl and doing other drugs openly on the streets. I lived in the area for 49 years and miss what a beautiful area it used to be. People keep voting democratic/liberal and then don’t understand why things are getting worse.

I visited Portland in November for my birthday. I was shocked to see the state of the city. I asked the concierge at the hotel, where is the bad part of Portland? She said, “Portland”. I had the feeling that I was in a dystopian novel set in the future. Every vertical flat surface below 25’ in height is tagged with graffiti. The freeway right of ways are lined with homeless encampments. I was deeply saddened to see such a once beautiful city being desecrated.

I live and worked in Portland. I had a job that provided services to other industries. In my almost 30 years of employment here, I saw the demise of industries that provided family wage jobs for blue collar workers. Employers such as paper and lumber mills, large scale breweries, and rail car manufacturers shut down and disappear. The land they once occupied are now high rise condos. Instead of family wage jobs that also provided benefits, we now have service industry jobs and the gig economy. It doesn’t help the area when jobs barely pay you enough for food and shelter. Nobody is going to go downtown and shop if they don’t have disposable income. Also, work from home has impacted downtown also. The offices are empty. The number of people who do some quick shopping on their break or eat their lunch out is way down also.

This is what happens when your Mayor is also your Police Commissioner: no checks and balances on crazy political whims

The ship has sailed in Portland. I lived in Portland for 26 years. The 1990's in Portland were it's heyday. We left Hellhole Portland in 2013. No looking back, either. It was already in big decline with homelessness. It's all just gotten worse.

Its a bad sign when even Walmart closes all their stores in your city because shoplifting is so out of hand.

The worst part is it has been bleeding into Vancouver. I have lived here for over 30 years and I never thought we would have such a downfall in the area.

I've lived in Portland since 2010 too and I have to agree with you on all of the accounts. It's really sad how bad the city has gotten and how unfriendly people are now. It's so strange. I rode my bike through downtown today and notice some areas have been cleaned up while others are just horrible again. It's time to move out of this city and find a climate that is more enjoyable.

I lived in Portland from 1962 to 1989 and it was a beautiful, well-maintained city. It is so sad to see it the way it is now. I always thought I would go back there to live some day but I don’t think that will happen, especially now that I am retired and the cost of living has become so high.

I remember going to Portland in the late 80s and early 90s. It was one of my favorite pastimes because my grandfather and dad both loved Portland. We got to ride the Max train, go to OMSI, see the giant battleships pull into the bay, driving around downtown on a rainy day. It was very nostalgic for me… but now? Population after the 90s boomed like crazy and the 2010s boomed even more. Thanks to the show Portlandia. Now it is a “liberal Paradise”, if you wanna call it that. Hundreds upon hundreds of homeless people camping out in the streets, shitting everywhere, people rioting, political unrest, higher crime, and tons of trash all over the place! It’s a really sad far cry to what I once knew Portland was.

The straw that broke my back and made me move out of Oregon was when I had to start paying 5cents a bag. I complained to everyone. 40 days later I’m paying 35 to 55 cents per bag. The second straw was all of Oregon was looking like a third world country with all the stink and crime. Third - I just couldn’t afford housing in Oregon. I moved to Cherokee county Oklahoma and bought a 1250 sf house on half acre 2 blocks from lake for 152,500.

Division Ave tells the story. When it was undeveloped Portland was affordable. Then it was built into a shopping and housing plan, Portland saw rentals go up over 30 percent year to year. When you want to be like cities like Seattle and San Francisco you get these results. Portland was different because it had organic growth at a slow rate. Outside developers from other states siezed then excelerated the growth. I knew when the Overlook was torn down that is was over. Portland was like a secret that you could go tell your friends about and now it's broken. My friend was murderd on Burnside and that was the event that made me move away. My heart aches for what Portland used to be.

I've had relatives who lived in Portland. I remember it as a cute little city with mild weather surrounded by beautiful nature. There is only 1 thing that could make people flee such a place. SELF PRESERVATION.

Actually nobody is leaving Portland. It may seem that way because there’s homeless and drugs, but it’s actually a really nice city that a lot of people live in. It is very beautiful.

This is pretty accurate. For those who keep denying all that's going on in Portland I wish them luck. With the current leadership very little, if anything, is going to change. My suggestion to any one who can afford to....GET OUT!

My problem with the homeless people, besides all the issues you stated, is that the local politicians have given them more rights than the general public, and the business owners and the homeowners. There's the problem. The people that are actually trying to make the city good or getting penalized and being treated like crap compared to the drug addict camped in their front yard.

1984 I visited Portland with my aunt. She was in college there. She would drop me off at a local water park all day. Then drive by after school to pick me up. Portland has a place in my heart. I visited in 2019. I won’t go back unless I have to.

Misguided policies on crime, drugs, and homelessness is the root of nearly all these issues. It’s very difficult for businesses to survive in cities that have embraced these policies. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the ideology behind these policies has been catastrophic for the cities that chose to embrace this failed experiment.

I’m born and raised in jersey city, I feel like it’s one of the cool new places for people to move to. Guess what? It’s getting worse and worse everyday, terrified it’s going to be the new Portland.

What boggles my mind is how there are so many homeless here in a state where it rains 120+ days a year.... Oh, Wait maybe it is because the state of Oregon pretty much pays you to be homeless and you can do all the drugs you want here! I mean if you're high all the time maybe the weather is the last thing you're worried about. about

Waiting for Austin to reverse course as well. It baffles me that people are still flocking there.

So sad for so many reasons. I loved the PDX/Vancouver area when I lived there. Completely ruined now. It’s a damn shame. Just sad.

I moved to Portland when it wasn’t mentioned , in 77, the zoo had chimps and a few elephants, nothing more. We raised our kids there! Portland was known for kid positive things, starting with excellent birth centers! I escaped two years ago! Sad but relieved!

My brother has moved to the seaside. He lived in Portland since 1977 or so. He hated the way that the homeless were taking over the sidewalk. The businesses could do nothing about it. He hated the riots and the way the downtown had been lovely but now in his estimation is demolished.

Add Mayor Wheeler he isn’t even warning the citizens about a possible serial killer. Six women .....

The crime increase in Portland since 2015 is pretty shocking

And here we are 6 months later. I’m 7th generation Oregonian but I’m thinking of getting outta dodge and try intel in chandler. I’m just south of Wilsonville but it’s still not far enough away from bs.

I saw Portland for the first time in 2019. It was ridiculous how many tents I saw on sidewalks, under overpasses and along freeways. I felt very uncomfortable there and vowed I'd never go back!

As a Seattle girl, I used to love to go to Portland for a mini-vacation. Not anymore

Hippies and ideologies ruin cities. I live back east and our cities are far older than theirs and not even decaying nearly as fast. Its sad.

I lived in Portland from 2000-2008 and you missed the real 'heyday' of that city. Honestly I think I did too - because the best years up there were the 90s and previous to that if you ask locals who have lived there a long time. When I moved there, I got a 2 bedroom, 985 square foot apartment for $585 a month! it was super nice, felt very safe and I thought I'd never leave. Before I moved in 2008, the rents went up almost double because of the housing crisis and they never came back down. Crime started to skyrocket and my friends who still live there say they no longer feel safe outside at night or walking alone. I worked as a musician and performed live frequently. It was never easy making money in the city, people tend to be seriously stingy and not all that friendly or open. I had way more luck in Portland's suburbs - people were way more generous and friendly outside of the city center.

I moved here about that same time you did and I really miss what the city was in 2010-2017. It's become difficult here and it's tragic.

I moved away from Portland way back in the year 2000 for many reasons including my neighbor who got busted for attempting to steal kids from bus stops. Guess he had nothing better to do.

I lived in Portland in the late 70's early 80's. It was wonderful and clean at that time. I was a young busboy at Jake's Famous Crawfish.

I'm from SE Portland and live in Hillsboro now. Recently I went to a meeting and decided to choose the option to stay in the dorms rather than get up early and take the Max, then have to Uber home every night because the meeting went till after nine several days. On the first day of the meeting it had a presentation of fun things in Portland, good restaurants etc, but then the DO NOT GO ANYWHERE ALONE AT NIGHT. I've only been downtown a few times in the last five years or so and it breaks my heart.

Salem is going that way fast. Moved here 6 years ago but so bad now. Graffiti, homelessness, drugs and violence all in 6 years time. Loved it now moved

Last year I visited relatives in Vancouver, WA. Closest airport was Portland. The drive from the airport to Vancouver was horrifying! There were random tents pitched all over, trash everywhere, it looked like Woodstock the morning after! When I commented on it my relative said, "Yeah, that's why we live in Washington."

What a shame. I've lived on the east coast all my life. For years I've felt a strong tug to move to the Pacific Northwest, specifically Portland. The only reason I hadn't pack my things and moved is that jobs are much more plentiful in my field here. Then, a few years ago, I started hearing about all the troubles Portland has been having. Things are getting bad everywhere, but it's easier to deal with it when you're familiar with your environment. Still, the Pacific Northwest looks so beautiful from what I've seen, i'd like to at least visit one day.

I moved to Portland, Maine in 1996. In the early 2000’s a lot of people I knew started moving to the other Portland ( yes Maine had the name first ) because it was billed as the land of milk and honey. I thought they were crazy to give up living on the Ocean here. Well almost 30 years later Portland, Maine is no longer an undiscovered gem and those friends have moved back. Glad I stayed put. I’m in a rent controlled apartment in a safe city on a beautiful bay with a thriving arts and food scene. All that glitters is not gold and by the time a city is called “ the IT place to be “ it’s already been plundered. Thanks Portland, Oregon for showing us how not to run a liberal city.

I can name Portland's demise in two words........Ted Wheeler. You mentioned 2017 several times as the downturn of Portland. What a coincidence, it's the year Wheeler was elected Mayor. He is a one man wrecking crew of his city.

Moved to the Portland area in 2010 and left in 2022 mostly because of the political bs. I miss my mountain, the trees, and just the landscape. I also miss the friends I made and the enjoyable times we had until the big C hit, the isolation was the worst. You truly nailed every reason why I left.

I moved to Portland, Or in 1976 lived and worked in town. My first encounter with unhoused individuals was in the inner NW area north of Burnside. There were people who lived under the bridge. My mode of transportation was a bicycle. I experienced Mt. St. Helens eruption. Attended and graduated from The Museum Art School in 1981. I left the Northwest in 1983 and have been happy ever since about my move to New England. What I want to say is that Portland has the same problems as we do in the NE. crime, homelessness, drugs & high cost of housing but we have it to a lesser degree because of our smaller population. We are a microcosm of the macrocosm with similar struggles. What people may find in other regions of the US is that our country is struggling with these problems everywhere.

I graduated from Banks HI in1971. Joined the Navy and Retired 11-92. Portland was a favorite city to Shop. I LIVE in Mount Vernon, Washington Since 1994.

We moved to Oregon 2 decades ago and live in a city near enough to Portland that we could go up there 1-2 times a month. We loved going for the the shopping, theater, concerts, restaurants, 4th of July, etc. Once the BLM riots started during lockdown and Antifa joined in,we stopped. After things opened up we went once, but it was so scuzzy with trash everywhere and tents covering the sidewalks that we left and haven’t returned. The mayor showed little interest in cleaning things up, and even implied in one of his speeches that Portland didn’t need tourist dollars to do well. Apparently they don’t need other Oregonians’ money, either, since the rest of us are staying away in droves. It’s sad, because Portland is our primate city- it’s where we all went for the cool stuff that only big cities can provide.

You get what you vote for. Simple.

I looked into moving to Portland back in 2006. I spent some time checking it out by walking, taking public transportation, checked out their local policies and laws, cost vs added value to what I was looking for. Based on my experience and research, I decided against it as I recognized the possibility of increased crimes in its downtown. Glad my instincts were spot on.

I lived in Newberg for six years and flew helicopters all around the Willamette Valley. I saw the writing on the wall and got out in 2008

I lived in Portland back in the 90s. It was a paradise compared to where I came from. So sad to see what's happened to it :(

Over 45 years I have lived in P Town. This is the worst I have ever seen it. Crime, homelessness, social decay, graffiti, violence, and it's everywhere. Not just downtown.. The crime travels on the light rail and public transport to all the neighborhoods.

Yep, PDX is not cool anymore. I moved there from New Orleans when the cool factor of the Big Easy was over and Portland was on the rise. The after the 'demic moved to Nashville until that played out. Now in Billings MT. I'm in the body art biz and its important to be on the leading edge.

#6 - The Weather... If you are from California (San Francisco to San Diego), the weather sucks. But in reality, this is the Northwest. We really have 4 seasons. People from California have no clue about changing seasons. I live across the river (Columbia) in Washington and actually like the changing seasons........

Portland State 1970 grad here. Left to go to grad school. Cried when I left. Now I cry when I watch your videos. Just sad to the millionth degree to see the decline of a once great city.

Plus the serial killer who has claimed 6 victims. So far.

I left Portland in 2010 and I never looked back. I'm loving Texas now. You can't convince me that that show "Portlandia" was a big reason a lot of people moved there.

So glad I made the move out of there. Best decision of my life. The crime is out of control and just went to hell . When malls and shops move out of a big city , it’s bad.

I was there last week to see a friend who was from hs who was struggling (not homeless or anything just a mid 20s dude suffering from loneliness) I left in 2019 and we drove around town and it's upmost unrecognizable especially in East Portland. We went to a 7/11 on 148th and Division and a bum tent was set up in the Dumpster area and a guy was smoking a white rocky substance on the curb in front of a Portland Police. It seems a town of only lawlessness thats left and that's one of the reasons I now reside in the Denver Metro

I blame so much of the crime and violence on the Mayor of Portland! Because of the bad decisions that were made with the police department, it is in a sad state of affairs. So many police officers have retired or left the police force. When we travel from Idaho to Oregon, we always bypass Portland.

I live In San Francisco and I see the exact same problems. I destroys me to see the city o grew up in and live today be destroyed, tourism is down to 0% and everybody and every business is leaving

Per an overall situation that is utterly heart-rending- you provide a bit of laughter. Thank you.

Where I live we had a Verizon call center. As employees, our main directive became to train our customers to solve all their own problems using the app instead of calling in. I saw the writing on the wall and left long before they shut it down. When your job. Is to train your customers to do your job, it’s not a good sign for job security.

I used to live in Portland in the 90's. It sucked then. Today, Portland is an unlivable city. Don't go anywhere near it or you'll be sorry.

2:09. That woman's face and gesture says it all: Dispair and sadness for what has happened to Portland, Oregon (and San Francisco, CA for that matter): A once prosperous city left to decay because of ill politics, bad economy, social engineering and tolerance to crime. My heart truly sank.

cool video, and you actually did live there, nice work Briggs (: came from youtube home recommend :)

We’ve been in the area for 17 years - selling our home currently and moving out of state!! 🥳

I almost moved to Portland in 2005. I'm glad I didn't. It was a gorgeous city back then. I hope they get it together and get it back to what it used to be.

In order to reduce homeless in Portland, they've shipped them to the rural areas. Since 2020, I've seen an increase of homeless hanging around my beautiful downtown. If they are from our town, we should help them. If they are from somewhere else, they should be shipped back to where they came from. Portland was a place that you took visitors for a fun day in the city. Not anymore! The governor doesn't care about Oregon.

I went to Portland on March 1982 from Jakarta, Indonsia, and admire the beauty of the City , many gardens, flowers everywhere, truly a paradise. It is very sad how it became nowadays. Hope the Portland will revive again and back to the former glory.

California f..ked it up!

I have lived here my entire life and I am disgusted with how its turning out. Progressive policies have ruined Portland and Portland has ruined Oregon. Transplants drove up housing prices and now we have a homeless problem, we decriminalization hard drugs and enabled the homeless so it created more crime. Liberals focus on treating the symptoms but never try and get to the root cause of the problem. I never imagined leaving, now I dream of a better life elsewhere.

I worked downtown (PSU) 15 years ago or so and because of the homeless we had to watch out for used needles and aggressive panhandlers. I don’t know if it’s still happening but I did like it when I could buy a “coupon” book (proceeds went to charity) and the coupons were for free food and drinks at different restaurants including chains. Idea was to give the panhandlers coupons instead of cash

Thanks for the insightful video, most of these 'why are people leaving Portland' end up being super politically charge and don't focus on the city's actual problems. I'm 31 and I was born and raised here, Portland is a generally safe, beautiful city but its definitely hit a rough patch. I hate to pull the 'millennials have it the hardest' card, but out of all my friends, only one of them has managed to find a solid job here. The rest of us, including myself, who all have plenty of job experience have been unable to find jobs that provide an actual living wage (which, in Portland for a single person is $74,086.) Even with roommates, many people my age are barely scraping by. All of my friends have had to move back in with their parents or move out of the city to more rural areas in order to actually find a place to live and find a job that will pay their rent. The median rental price cited in the video (~$1,200ish) will often only get you a small one bedroom nowadays, unless you want something that's full of roaches. There are even tiny studio apartments that are going for that much. Near where I live, there are full apartment complexes that are sitting empty because the rent is so high. I used to say that I would never leave Portland, but sadly I no longer see a future here unless the city sees a serious change in the next couple of years. Once I finish my degree I'm likely going to leave just like many people my age.

I lived in Portland for years, loved it, and moved 18 months ago. I agree with you.

Given the status of both Portlands, I think Maine would be a better one to live in.

I've moved to Portland and back home many times since 1980. It was a cool place back them and rents were dirt cheap for a nice place. Went back there in 2006 and things were changing. Saw alot of aggressive homeless drug addicts sleeping on the sidewalks and rents were getting expensive. People don't realize what they have until they lose it. It's lax attitudes on drug use that ruined Portland.

I left in 2020 after 25 years. One of the best cities in America in the late 90's...2010 it started to go down hill like a Minnesota thermometer in January. And the city EVERYONE just let it happen... Get well soon Portland. Love my 🌹 city!