I moved back to my hometown in my 30s. I thought I'd still hate it, but I've fallen in love with living here.

"Portland, Oregon, isn't perfect. It's not particularly diverse, and most restaurants close way too early for anyone under the age of 60. The "Pacific Northwest freeze" is a real thing: People here can be simultaneously too nice and impossible to befriend. When I left Portland in my early 20s to travel the world for almost a decade, I didn't think I'd ever move back."

"Locals love to brag that you can be in the mountains or on the coast within an hour and a half - a luxury few cities can claim. Believe it or not, you can even be in the rainforest in half an hour, surrounded by ferns and fluorescent-green moss. I regularly make the scenic drive to the Columbia River Gorge, a historic stretch dotted with tunnels and waterfalls, when I need to clear my mind."

"Growing up in Portland, Oregon, was magical, but I hated my hometown the way angsty teens often do. To my surprise, I moved back to my hometown in my 30s and realized it's the perfect city for me. I love Portland's quirks, strong sense of community, natural beauty, food, and LGBTQ+ nightlife."

An individual left Portland in their early 20s to travel for nearly a decade and returned during the coronavirus pandemic, remaining there five years later. The city offers exceptional access to mountains, coast, rainforest, and the Columbia River Gorge, with frequent scenic drives and waterfalls. Local neighborhoods contain wild blackberries, roaming animals, and secret gardens. The food scene has a high concentration of outstanding restaurants per capita. The city also has drawbacks: limited diversity, many restaurants closing early, and a social reserve known as the "Pacific Northwest freeze." Quirks, community bonds, nature, food, and LGBTQ+ nightlife create strong personal appeal.

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