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If you spend much time in Portland, you’ll hear lots of people claim the recent woes are ‘just like this everywhere’ and because of national policy. While nationwide macro policies do make a difference such as tariffs that are causing broad price increases, many other metrics do not.

Moody’s analysis indicates that Oregon is one of 22 states already in, or at high risk, of recession, while around 16 other states are actually experiencing expanding economies.

Recent data from Oregon’s labor market shows a recent very high spike of unemployment and under-employment.

Oregon’s unemployment rate has steadily climbed for 2 years – now up to 5.0%. The U-6 rate (under-employment rate which consists of full-time employees that have had to take part-time jobs or recently given up looking for work) is at 9.3% – the highest level since Covid.

Besides bad management leading to a 10 year academic decline until Oregon is the 5th worst school system in the country, Portland has another new problem: dramatically declining student enrollment.

In 2023, Portland schools saw an astounding 17.3% enrollment decline. Parents simply pulled their children out of the failing, dangerous school system into private schools or moved elsewhere. What’s worse, is this trend has not only not stopped, but continues to see loss of students. This, all despite some of the highest spending per student and 30 years of complete Democratic party control.

Part of this may be due to the steady, 3 straight year population decline of Portland as people leave some of the highest taxes in the country, one of the highest property crime rates, and some of the least affordable housing due to urban growth restrictions. How bad is this decline?

The 2015 forecast, for example, predicted about 55,000 students for the 2028–29 school year. The latest forecast predicts PPS will dip below 40,000 that year, enrolling 39,945—about a 27% decline.

This means that Portland schools are about to see their funding dramatically cut since it’s based on student population – probably by about 30%.

Links:

• https://www.opb.org/article/2023/04/18/why-portland-elementary-school-enrollment-is-declining/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2025/08/13/murmurs-enrollement-projections-sound-alarms/

In what turned out to be a shockingly un-advertised amazing event, The Adventure Game Fan Fair (blog feed, facebook) was held in Tacoma, WA on July 26, 2024. Present were all the amazing people who made the games from your childhood days at Sierra. Ken and Roberta Williams, Al Lowe, Graeme Devine (7th Guest), actors from Phantasmagoria, creators of Space Quest, and many others. It was surprising how small the event was with so many of the best dignitaries of the industry present. In fact, many online were shocked to learn about the event only after it was over.

If you did miss it, the entire event was livestreamed (source). They even used my copy of 7th Guest at the panel discussion. You certainly don’t want to miss Al Lowe playing the Leisure Suit Larry theme on the saxophone:

There’s no word yet on if it will happen again, but there are rumors it will come back in Q3 of 2026 – somewhere in the Midwest. So keep an eye on their website. I count myself lucky to have been there because the crowds were so small you could sit and chat with any of them at length about anything.

Since the end of July 2025, all 32 speed cameras in Portland have been off. Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesperson Hannah Schafer told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the cameras are being replaced as the city shifts to a new vendor. The project won’t be done until November at which point the cameras will then be turned back on.

So until then – drive safely I guess?

Despite the fact Oregon has tons of free wind and dam power, we have power bills that are going up by double-digit rates every year. Up nearly 20% in just 3 years.

We have much higher costs for power than many parts of the country. Why?

Dramatically increased state regulation, demand pricing, and requirements to be 100% carbon free by 2040 name a few.

https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2024/03/5-takeaways-why-are-oregon-power-rates-going-up-so-fast.html

An emo song that is 100% accurate about Portland drivers in 2025. They can’t merge. They stop while merging to signal in. At least 10% of cars have no license plates (real number was much higher according to ODOT). Niceholes that come to stops while they have right of way to wave people without right of way across intersections (and cause accidents). Rear endings GALORE.

For only having 600,000 people, Portland beats out Chicago, Detroit, New York, Atlanta, and all the major east coast cities for property crime rates. In 2024, there were 5526 property crimes per 100,000 persons.

Recent early data in 2025 (and anecdotal evidence from local forums seems to confirm) that it’s gotten even worse:

Links:

• https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/city/oregon/portland
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate
• https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/home
• https://www.surveillance-video.com/blog/us-cities-have-the-highest-property-crime-rate.html/

The New York Times has a strange love-hate relationship with Portland. They fawn over it’s eclictic parts while (rightly) lambasting many of the now widely known disastrous far-left public policies.

They mention all these things to try with 36 hours, but there’s absolutely no way to do all of this, or even half of it in that timeframe. Still, it’s an interesting list.

• Food/drinks:
  •  TwentySix Cafe, ask for a hazelnut latte (from $5.50), made with a house-made nut paste instead of syrup
• Events:
  • the Goodfoot Soul Stew dance parties
  • https://turnturnturnpdx.com/
• Galleries (they miss lots of better ones, but these aren’t bad):
  • https://www.nucleusportland.com/
  • https://www.blindinsect.com/
  • https://guardinogallery.com/ 
• Cascada Thermal Springs & Spa

Links:

• https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/08/28/travel/things-to-do-portland-oregon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hk8.6yCg.XUQgQEi5wXIr&smid=url-share

At the end of every summer, Vaux swifts start migrating through the region. For many years, thousands and thousands of them used to roost each night, precisely at sunset, in the Chapman elementary school chimney.

After decades of roosting there and attracting near circus-level crowds that watched them each night, they appear to be seeking quieter locations to roost each night on the east side of Portland. It’s probably for the best – the swift parties near the school were getting out of control.

Little did I know someone actually wrote a song about them.