I moved to Portland 10 years ago. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, and the opportunity to move anywhere else seemed vastly superior to staying in that shit box. I didn’t know anything about Portland, but quickly learned the weed was really strong and rent was actually cheaper than “back home.” I found a job on Craigslist, sold off everything I could, and drove halfway across the country in three days. Fast-forward a few years. Portland got expensive, and it got hard to find a place to live. I was resentful, but I held out as long as possible, making it from 2007-2017. Then I finally got priced out.

Now I live in the suburbs, and you know what? I like it here. A lot more than the city, actually. Things are simpler, the people aren’t pretentious, and nobody is crying about “the OLD Beaverton.” I enjoy it for all the reasons I started to hate the city. I guess what I’m saying is this: Think about what you really need in the city, and entertain the idea that you can still have access to everything Portland has to offer from further out. Until then, quit bitching. Alberta, Division, Hawthorne, and downtown all suck now anyway.—Anonymous