new thread
I'm glad I found this board! Great idea.
I'm new here. Going to be moving from Salt Lake City, Utah (where longhairs my age are few and far between these days) to Portland, OR next year.
Had hair to my ass throughout all of my 20s. Decided that I missed it, and have been growing my hair for about a year now, and it is currently to the middle of my back. I'm turning 39 in about 2 weeks.
Wondering if anyone out there is in the Portland area or has lived / been there. First question: is it as longhair-friendly as I imagine? Second question: how will the damp weather affect my naturally straight normal-oily locks?
I'll post a pic soon.
First of all, WELCOME to MLHH!
I have a brother that lives up in Roseburg, OR; but that's more southern OR than it is all that close to Portland -- but still, from all the stories I've heard over the years about how ultra-conservative Salt Lake City, Utah is, my guess is that Portland will probably be a HUGE improvement!
My visits to Portland have always been brief; but what I remember about it is that it always felt like a nice area to live in, very outdoors-y, etc. I've also had a couple of friends move up there from CA -- one of my dance partners retired up there, for example, and loves it (but she's not a longhair, unfortunately - LOL)....
I hope my meager reply has at least helped in some small way!!
- Ken in San Francisco
There isn't exactly a proliferation of longhairs around here either and this state is not exactly what I would consider "Long hair friendly".
my name is John and I have been checking out this site for about a month and have a strong desire to return to long hair, but in perhaps a more moderate climate and "hair friendly" state. ;-)
it gets AWFUL ~Hot~ here especially this time of year!
Not hot today here in San Francisco, where Ken and I live!
Current temperatures, above, are typical for afternoons in July and August.
Visit our city if you get tired of the heat. And of course, there are longhairs here.
Bill
Salt Lake City is better than Texas (excepting Austin).
Anything is better than Houston in summer.
If you are looking for a long hair friendly (or at least more accepting) place, as Bill says, head blue-ward, where diversity and real individualism is valued.
ps: make it a road trip and let your hair free!
Exactly the sentiments that I have heard by people I know that have lived in Texas. I hear Austin is pretty laid back and a really cool place to live, but the rest of that particular country is largely in its own world. And I definitely don't think I could take the heat at all.
I've had my eye on Seattle for many years. Considered Vancouver BC too. I fell in love with The Pacific Northwest (as far south as San Jose) when I was younger so this is a big thing for me.
Portland won because it struck me as the most down-to-Earth. The housing in Vancouver is just too damn dense and Seattle struck me as a place that would be really great if you're rich. But the murderous downtown traffic killed it for me, particularly because that's where all the tech jobs are (and yes, I'm an IT geek).
I'm always a *little* skeptical of things, but I tend to think that Portland will deliver what I'm after. But when I checked into a hotel there recently, I was greeted at the front desk by a gentleman with long grayish hair, and that actually made me feel very welcome.
If anyone is in the area and want to grab a coffee or a beer sometime, let me know!
Thanks very much! I appreciate all the responses so far. As time goes on and I investigate deeper, it seems like Portland is going to be just what I need. I've actually been visiting the area a few times while we've been working through the moving process (we made the decision about a year ago actually), and I definitely feel very comfortable there so far, but haven't had many interactions with people yet. I've seen MacVader in a YouTube clip once previously, and I look forward to proudly serving my evil overlord.
It's hard to paint SL, UT with a single brushstroke. I don't know if I'd say *anywhere* is better than here. But I will agree that it's been a *very* harsh 39 years.
Yes, businesses and white-collar workers are *extremely* uptight and ultra-conservative for the most part. Blue-collar ones too, really. Finding work here with long hair is next to impossible, but it's impossible anyhow if you're not a member of the Mile High Club, if you catch my drift. The social scene is a *little* bit different. From the 80s to the mid-90s, there was a very intimate and close-knit post-punk / goth scene, which I have some fond memories of. Lots of good liberal-minded folks who have mostly moved on. Speedway Cafe and all of the other really great punk stores under the freeway have been dozed by the church. Somewhat sadly, that's about all I have to cling to here.
Yes, I knew Sean Fightmaster personally (watch SLC Punk if you haven't yet), but who didn't? ;-)
Sugarhouse is a lot like a hippie community to a small degree. Lots of artsy folks and shops there. Downtown is a lot the same way. Both pretty cool places, but there's a *lot* of stupidity going on there these days. But where I grew up on the south end of the valley, it's really like the 1950s meets the 1800s meets 1984. Needless to say, I grew up in terror of the Mormons. Beneath their fake smiles, there is a *lot* of horribleness going on there. It's not so bad as it was when I was young, but I grew up in a time *before* the Church President's well-publicized "vision" in the late 1970s that it's actually okay to be black.
Salt Lake has some good things going for it. Utah is stunningly beautiful. The snow can't be beat, but I'd prefer it to stay in the mountains where it belongs. ONE MORE WINTER!!!! I can't tell you all how good it feels to say that. Yeah, the social scene is barely adequate for my tastes, especially nowadays. And work tends to gravitate toward whoever gives their 10%, long hair or no.
Congratulations on your upcoming move!
I lived in Portland for 12 years, but with shorter hair. Great place to live, and it is wetter than Utah; Like Seattle, it is a Maritime Climate. More rain than most places in California, and at sea level. Quite a few grey days.
On the other hand, it is a very accepting place. Oregon is a Blue State, after all.
I still live in Oregon for that reason, I just moved east to the mountains and snow.
Portland has it's share of punk rockers, garage/grunge bands, geeky guys, and grad students. It is a very politically liberal city, with currently a gay mayor.
There is a vibrant art scene, design, and computer hardware and software scene.
It is always a good idea to check places out In Person, if you can, ahead of time. See if it fits your impression on the internet or word of mouth.
Best of luck on your move; as for the effect on hair, it will definately poof it up a little, so it might need some "hold", and something to help if it is windy, which it is there at times. Come check out the Northwest; I think you will like what you see.
-Daniel
Portland...
But this makes me want to move there NOW! XP
Looks like a fun enough place to be long hair friendly! I have a former student who lives there, in the tech field, and there may be a lot of high tech, which is also LH friendly.
Can't say 100% for sure, but as someone who has lived in the area of Portland for so many years, I very much doubt you would have any long hair troubles here.
Justin~
I've known people in New York from Portland that left because of the meth problem there. Just be forwarned.
Yeah, I've heard that it's a bit of a problem there, actually.
Follow Ups:
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Judging by what I've seen about the neighborhood that we're moving to, I'm not too worried about it.
Thanks for the warning. If there's anything I might be overlooking, I'd appreciate knowing.
I've lived in Portland for 19 years and also work in the IT field. My dad was in the military and then I was myself and so I've lived all over the country and in Europe....Portland is, hands down, one of the coolest places on Earth!
Just out of curiosity, what part of town are you looking to move to? The meth issue still exists but has quieted down quite a bit...mostly in the SE and NE parts of town and in Gresham.
And definitely shoot me a response when you actually move for that coffee or beer, both of which Portland has variety of in spades!
Bryan
It's good to meet other people in the IT field. I'm currently working as a free agent. I've been doing the freelance thing for about 6 years now, but I'm starting a new business for when I move up there. I will let you know when I get the Web site set up and everything.
We're building a house in Beaverton. And like I said in my post, it seems like a really nice area. What part of town are you in?
Drop me an email (I can't seem to write you privately). Let's stay in touch. I only know a few people in the area and would love the opportunity to grab coffee or beer.
cheers,
Anthony