jd's Journal: Portland, Oregon

A short diary entry, for a change. I recently moved to Portland, Oregon, as it's probably the most high-tech place in the US outside of California. (It's also a lot cheaper.)

However, there really aren't as many jobs as all that, and those that do exist are massively over-applied to. The State has one of the nations' worst unemployment rates and most new jobs are in the low-end service industries.

PDX is an interesting place (if you like books - or think you are a book) and is probably one of the most progressive cities in America. It still falls a little short of perfection, however. As well as there being a lack of jobs, I've noticed a lot of polarization. You really don't need a resume, if you've got a street address.

On the more progressive front, it seems to have a very strong Linux following (proof of enlightenment? Or maybe some other window manager). Public transport in and around Portland is excellent and seems better run than that in much of Europe or Britain. The Internet Cafe's are definitely good. It even has a pet volcano (Mt. Tabor) inside city limits.