Thoughts on Texas and Oregon

Well, it's been a couple of months since we stepped off the plane here in Portland. Where does the time go? Sorry we haven't blogged more, but the last six months or so have been really challenging. I had to spend a lot of time undoing four years of wear and tear on our old house in Texas to get it ready to sell. Little boys are hard on houses, let me tell you. We (mostly me) repainted it top to bottom, had new carpet installed, and put new tile in the master bathroom. On top of working and taking the kids to school, scouts, and the like. Thankfully, it all got done, and the dust on our move is starting to settle at last.

Our reasons for the move are many and varied; I won't get into all of them here. I make no secret of my dislike for what Austin has become over the last several years or so. As recently as 15 years ago, it was a fun, laid back place to live. However, things have changed since then, and not necessarily for the better. I like to say it has become "Dallasificated." You know -- the traffic, the smog, the sprawl, and the massive rush to tear everything in sight down and build overpriced high-rise lofts in their place. The last one is what really chaps me the most. Many cultural aspects that made Austin unique over the years are rapidly disappearing thanks to crass redevelopment. I understand people need places to live; I just wish those places wouldn't come at the expense of Austin's cultural icons. If you want to live in Dallas, then move to Dallas. Don't turn Austin into another Dallas.

Sadly, I have come to the realization that Austin is what it is now, and I can't do much to change it. I can either accept it or leave. So along with a variety of other reasons, we made the decision to do the latter. All that said, there are many aspects of Austin I truly miss -- things like Texas Longhorns football, Trudy's Tex-Mex Cafe, Rudy's BBQ, and of course, the many friends we made there. We plan to come back and visit lots to get our fill of those things as often as we can.

I confess my views have probably changed some over the last several years, even to the extent that they are no longer compatible with the prevailing political climate in Texas anymore. I wouldn't say I am liberal so much as I am libertarian these days. The politicians running Texas seem to spend all their time pandering to either high-dollar corporate lobbyists or their pet ultraconservative social issues. Criminalizing private sexual behavior immediately comes to mind. I could care less if people use sex toys on each other in private -- of course in the context of a loving, committed relationship. I am much more concerned about funding road construction, fixing failing schools, lowering energy prices while developing alternative sources of energy, and ensuring affordable access to health care for everyone. You know, actually addressing the problems that impact Texans in their everyday lives. But those are all hard problems to solve, and it's much easier to go back to Waco or Dallas or Amarillo come election time and reassure all the voters there that you did your part to keep those evil, Satanic vibrators out of our great state.

Here's a question to all of you who believe we should legislate morality: what would stop a Muslim from assuming power and imposing Sharia on everyone? Would legislating morality be such a great idea then? I for one look to the church for God's teachings, and not the state. By virtue of the fact that God has imbued each of us with free will, we have choices. We can choose to follow God, or we can choose to live in sin. Having the state impose a particular version of morality on everyone seems to run contradictory to our God-given purpose.

But I digress.

Having lived in Oregon for a couple of months now, I absolutely love it here. Sure, the winters are drab. No place is perfect, and that is part of the deal if you live here. Needless to say, trips to the bookstore or library, skiing on Mt. Hood, and vacations to Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, and the Caribbean are popular then. (We figure a holiday visit back to Texas would be an ideal plan for us!) However, the summers here are fantastic, and the scenery is second to none.

Best of all, the people here are wonderful. Sure, there are a few knuckleheads here, just like anywhere else. Nearly everyone we met has been friendly and welcoming, though. It's a really laid back place. You don't really have to worry much about fitting in because everyone here is perhaps just a little bit different in some way. People here seem to be less concerned with putting up appearances, which I love. Best of all, I think half of Oregon moved here from Texas in the first place. We have run into so many people who are either from Texas, used to live in Texas, or have some other kind of Texas connection.

Yes, Oregon does have certain quirks. You can't pump your own gas here. We have a high state income tax here, but no sales tax. We have to pay deposits on soda cans and bottles. The state here owns all the liquor, although most stores are not state-owned anymore -- they are run by private contractors instead. There are no "wet" and "dry" areas as such here, though. I think these are all things that make Oregon unique and interesting, but perhaps they aren't everyone's cup of tea.

One of the big knocks on Oregon is the land use restrictions. In essence, cities cannot grow out beyond a limit known as an urban growth boundary. I am not up on all the particulars, and perhaps it is possible to extend the boundary if people want it to be done so. This has created an interesting situation in places like Portland, where people who bought large lots long ago have made money by subdividing their lots and having another house built on them. So lots here tend to be smaller, and home values tend to be higher. There are also many cases where nice, older homes have been either relocated (somewhere outside of Portland) or, more commonly, demolished in order to make room for a big mansion on the same lot, often negatively impacting the character of the neighborhood. I can understand those criticisms, but I do like how the regulations have made Portland into a more compact city. It feels like a much smaller city than it really is, thanks to its compact size. I also like how the regulations protect the farmland outside the city, too. I do understand the criticisms, although it is worth noting that Seattle has no such restrictions, and they have even higher housing prices than we do to go along with all their sprawl.

Overall, I like it here in Oregon, and I plan on staying a while.