Photo: Courtesy Jessica Faraday
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Gold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized Sunday morning.
lessGold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized
... moreImage 2 of 15
Gold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized Sunday morning.
lessGold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized
... moreImage 3 of 15
Gold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized Sunday morning. The license plate has been digitally altered for privacy reasons.
lessGold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized
... moreImage 4 of 15
Gold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized Sunday morning. The license plate has been digitally altered for privacy reasons.
lessGold-colored graffiti covers the house and car of Portland transplants Jessica Faraday and Preston Page. The couple moved to Oregon from Southern California in February and found their property vandalized
... moreImage 5 of 15
Click on to read about the experiences of those who've moved on.
Click on to read about the experiences of those who've moved on.
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42, nonprofit finance
Where do you live now?
Portland
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
8 years
How long has it been since you left?
2 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
We couldn't afford to purchase a single family home and we were tired of renting.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
Mixed. It's difficult making a move in your 40s when you leave all your friends and colleagues behind and start fresh in a city where you don't know anyone. Making new friends has been slow going for us. Also, Oregonians generally don't like transplant Californians, so it's awkward when the "where are you from?" question comes up. On the plus side, we now have a beautiful home that we can afford, with a yard, a garden, and a basement apartment that we Airbnb. Also, Oregon's natural beauty is truly amazing and very accessible from Portland.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area?
The thought crosses my mind from time to time, but I have my doubts that we could afford to move back.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area?
Its progressive people and the racial diversity.
42, nonprofit finance
Where do you live now?
Portland
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
8 years
How long has it been since you left?
2 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
We couldn't afford to purchase a
Image 7 of 15
67, retired
Where do you live now?
Back in Marin after moving to Bellingham, Wash.
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
30 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Looking for less traffic, higher affordability, smaller town, quality of life in retirement.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
Yes, in many ways we were. Bellingham has a wonderful quality of life, close to Canada, people are even healthier there, even more outdoorsy than here, close to Cascades, very creative, lots of beauty, no traffic, friendlier, slower pace, great people. Only ONE thing was wrong with it, and that was enough to make us move back - it is cloudy and gloomy there most of the time! The light is dimmer, you never see a big bowl of clear blue sky, and you can get chilled to the bone with the damp and dark. I so missed our radiant California sun melting the heat into my bones.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area?
I missed the sunshine, the bay, the views of San Francisco, being able to get to the ocean, Pt. Reyes... the golden hills and the oaks, the excellence of the medical care and other services, the vitality and the huge numbers of volunteer organizations.
67, retired
Where do you live now?
Back in Marin after moving to Bellingham, Wash.
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
30 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Looking for less traffic, higher
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40, appraiser
Where do you live now?
Moved to Portland, Ore. in 2003, then moved back to Concord, Calif. in 2011
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Too expensive and too much traffic.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
Lived in the Portland suburbs but moved back to the Bay Area in 2011. The weather there sucked. Traffic was bad. Lack of diversity.
What did you miss the most about the Bay Area?
Missed the weather, diversity, culture, friends.
less40, appraiser
Where do you live now?
Moved to Portland, Ore. in 2003, then moved back to Concord, Calif. in 2011
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Too expensive and too much traffic.
Are you better
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45, radio sales
Where do you live now?
Boise, Idaho
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
30 years
How long has it been since you left?
10 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
The "Governator," the overcrowding, high prices and the Enron scandal
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
No. The people of Boise are staunch conservatives with no education and completely judgmental. They are happy to be living 15 years behind everyone else in the country and the living wage is far below what it should be.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area?
No. Too expensive. I've priced myself out.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area?
SPORTING EVENTS!!! First-rate concerts. The tourist traps. Family.
45, radio sales
Where do you live now?
Boise, Idaho
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
30 years
How long has it been since you left?
10 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
The "Governator," the
... moreImage 10 of 15
37, video production
Where do you live now?
Portland
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
25 years. Born and raised.
What made you leave the Bay Area?
The lack of affordable housing.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
Financially speaking, yes. I own a home, traffic isn't terrible, food is good and I'm close to the ocean, wine country and snow. The downside: the rain. It's been non-stop and I'm convinced it makes the people weird. Not in a fun way either. As more people move here the metro is becoming more diverse, but the area is very white.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area?
I miss the weather. The laid back attitude and general pleasantness of the people. Oh, and the Asian food [in Portland] is a a couple of steps behind.
less37, video production
Where do you live now?
Portland
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
25 years. Born and raised.
What made you leave the Bay Area?
The lack of affordable housing.
Are you better off now than
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58, translator and editor
Where do you live now?
Seattle
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
25 years
How long has it been since you left?
10 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Longer and longer commute times, bad Muni service, high rents, yuppification.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
No. The trend followed us to Seattle.
less58, translator and editor
Where do you live now?
Seattle
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
25 years
How long has it been since you left?
10 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Longer and longer
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19, industrial design student
Where do you live now?
Walla Walla, Wash.
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
18 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
School
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
No, I feel restrained in southern Washington. We only have fields. People shoot guns for fun.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area?
Yes, I really love the location and people.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area?
The food and culture. I miss being able to drive an hour to San Francisco and 45 minutes to Santa Cruz. Being so close to so much.
less19, industrial design student
Where do you live now?
Walla Walla, Wash.
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
18 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
School
Are you better off now than when you were
... moreImage 13 of 15
23, sales
Where do you live now?
Seattle
How long has it been since you left?
5 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Attending the University of Washington.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
No, where I lived in Los Gatos was much nicer. However, I can afford a much better place in Seattle for the same cost of one in the Bay Area.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area?
Not at this time.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area?
The weather and my childhood friends.
less23, sales
Where do you live now?
Seattle
How long has it been since you left?
5 years
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Attending the University of Washington.
Are you better off now than when you were
... moreImage 14 of 15
Retired
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
I was a native.
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Married an Oregonian.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
No.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area?
The energy. I feel it when I land at SFO. The politics. The liberal attitude. Mostly the weather [and how it] rains in season not all year long.
lessRetired
How long did you live in the Bay Area?
I was a native.
What made you leave the Bay Area?
Married an Oregonian.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area?
No.
What do you miss
... moreImage 15 of 15
State hate crime? Calif. transplants react to graffiti incident
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After experiencing an audacious bout of California hatred in the form of spray painted missives, one couple is determined not to let it ruin their outlook on Portland.
Jessica Faraday and her fiance Preston Page awoke Sunday to find their car and home covered in graffiti, not-so-subtly telling the Southern California couple to leave town.
While it's easy to chalk up this story as a burning (or spray painted) example of Oregon's supposed longstanding dislike of California transplants, Faraday said that up until this incident, she has felt their adopted hometown was welcoming towards them.
"We have such a great community and such great neighbors," Faraday said in an interview with SFGATE. "This was one person who obviously is uneducated as to what is really happening in Portland. I can understand that there is some tension with people surrounding the housing market, the job market, things like that, but if you look at it, we have very large corporations that have multiple employees and they bring in employees from other places ... and that's what happened in our case."
Page, 32, and Faraday, 34, moved to Oregon back in February, when Page's job with Portland-based Adidas forced the couple to relocate. The tagging incident is, in the couple's opinion, more related to a road rage incident from Saturday, with the message fixating on one thing: the California license plates on Faraday's car.
"He made a statement," Faraday said of the vandal. "He really thought about the statements he was going to write on the car, you know what I mean? That's where it affects me. There's somebody in my neighborhood who doesn't want me here and ... I worry every time a car drives by and it resembles the [car from Saturday's altercation].
"Do I feel like a victim of a hate crime? Not at all," Faraday later added. "I feel like the victim of a really big — hole. I love all people and I just want everyone to be happy; I would hate for this to be scrawled across somebody else's home and car and for them to feel vulnerable in the community."
Still, the influx of non-natives has stretched the patience of those who have called Portland home for decades. A recent article noted that the population of Portland increased 148 percent since 1968 to its current total of approximately 630,000 residents — making it the 26th largest city in the United States.
Despite how locals may feel about it, there are indicators that the growth of transplants to Portland is slowing. Last year's figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that 9,249 people have moved to the City of Roses, which is lower when compared to 2014 and 2015 numbers, according to Willamette Week.
The story has certainly found traction outside of Oregon and California, with outsiders taking a look at what may have spurred such a public display of discrimination. Faraday attributed the story's popularity to the visualness and brazenness of the incident, acknowledging that there must certainly be some folks who feel that Californians are having a negative impact on Oregon.
"I think when people see it written on a car in gold spray paint, that's a big, big effect," Faraday said. "That's in your face. That could be your house, that could be your car — people would be horrified to wake up to that. You imagine people from California or other states are living in Portland thinking, 'Oh my goodness, that could have been my house this morning.'"
"We have an opportunity to squash this now, before things like this turn into an actual hate crime, to people with other religions or to people from other countries," Faraday continued. "I look at Portland as a place that is very very accepting of people of all ages, all race, all colors and that's something that I really love about the city."
Faraday said that since the discovery of the vandalism, Page has tackled the task of repainting the house and the couple installed security cameras to help prevent against future incidents. The car and its damage — which includes a broken side mirror and deep scratches to the paint, alongside the graffiti — will soon be repaired. Neighbors have also come by to help soothe some of the pain, Faraday noted, with a few bearing welcoming gifts, such as food and bottles of wine.
"We've had such a great experience moving here and buying our first home together, it's a wonderful community," Faraday said. "The fact that everybody has pulled together after this happened just proves that we're in the right place and ... I'm tempted to paint my car gold, just in protest."