I'm contemplating a cross-country move to Portland, OR. Does anyone have any tips or advice?

Give the cats a large collapsible kennel (I used the fabric and plastic tubing type). It keeps them out of your driving space, and keeps them safe in one spot. They'll likely spend most of their time lying in the litter box, so keep it clean when you stop at rest stops, and always offer them food at the rest stops. Water should be always available and in a reasonably-sized bowl/cup that won't slosh about easily.

Stop at every rest stop, too. Even if you don't need to "go", you still need the break to stretch and give your eyes/mind a break from driving.

If you need to change interstates or go on state routes, check the actual set up of the exits. This always got me when I'd drive through Memphis and Kansas City because their exits are on both sides of the road (left and right).

When you're tired, go ahead and call it a night and find a hotel. PS - make sure they're Pet Friendly or at least have a reasonable pet deposit.

South Dakota is made to induce Highway Hypnosis. Take a break every half-hour if you need to. And stop by Wall Drug - the kitschiest tourist trap in America, but it has 5-cent coffee and is worth a lookie.

Get your car thoroughly tuned up and all the fluids replaced - including getting the differential greased (not checking that caused my car to catch fire in Georgia).

I advise to not move in the winter - it becomes too complicated.

Price your options - it may be cheaper to ship your stuff by freight than to rent a U-Haul.

Have a First Night Box ready with toiletries, bedding, towels, lamp, etc. so you don't have to unpack everything as soon as you get in.

Don't be surprised if homesickness hits and you wonder WTF you were thinking by moving. It'll pass.

Take your time and enjoy the trip. I regret not being about to do that when I had to move cross-country twice. less

I've been to Wall Drug. You're spot on with that...and South Dakota too.

Summer '97 I took a school trip out to Glacier Ntl Park and back. It was nice to get off the mitten for a couple weeks.

I have the cat boxes and found the XM station that plays Garrison Keeler. Dip loves Garrison Keeler for some reason.

We've looked into the shipping option. Another idea was to sell as much stuff as possible and just buy new/used when we get there. Since it's PDX, I'm thinking I'm going to sell the car for moving money.

Thanks for the suggestions! less

I live in Washington and go down to Portland quite frequently. I think Portland is a very nice city and I actually like it better than Seattle.
The weather in Oregon is a little nicer too, it's not as grey.

Also, as people have mentioned; there is no sales tax in Oregon but they make up for it by having an income tax. I go down there and do a lot of shopping, especially for big items.
The traffic can be insane during certain times but I think that's to be expected with most major cities.
Also something to note; in Oregon they don't let you pump your own gas.

For a cross-country move I would definitely try to get a POD. I've never been able to get them for my longer moves because they don't deliver to smaller areas, but I think that would be the way to go if possible.

I love living in the Pacific Northwest, we have mountains, lakes, and beaches. It's absolutely gorgeous. less

I heard that about the rainfall. It's a temperate rain forest area from what I've read.

My girlfriend spent a year and a half out there and was talking about how much better it is out there, compared to central Michigan.

So far, I've found that LTL shipping is the cheapest way to move things. A truck service or storage unit move is >$2500. Shipping via pallet is about $400 or so. less

I heard that about the rainfall. It's a temperate rain forest area from what I've read.

My girlfriend spent a year and a half out there and was talking about how much better it is out there, compared to central Michigan.

So far, I've found that LTL shipping is the cheapest way to move things. A truck service or storage unit move is >$2500. Shipping via pallet is about $400 or so. less

Technically speaking, the ONLY 'temperate rain forest' located in the Continental USA is in the Olympic National Park (the Hoh River valley area on eastern section of the mountain range and the Enchanted Valley of the Quinault River valley on the south side of the mountain range) of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. Some of the largest coniferous trees in the world are found there with boles that approach 20 feet in diameter and crowns that soar over 200 feet into the sky and are over 1,000 years old. The Park and its surroundings have been internationally recognized as a biosphere reserve and a world heritage site. There are over 581 miles of maintained trails within the Park. BUT, that is Washington.

As for rainfall, it is more of a misconception. There is more mist and cloudy days that may lead someone to 'feel' that it rains all the time. Moreover, we here in the Northwest would rather keep it that way so no one WANTS to move here. It is getting too crowded and the roads ARE a big problem not only in Seattle but in Portland as mentioned above.

Moreover, we are finding more and more Californian's moving north to Oregon and Washington and basically they are getting OUT of California, because of their economic and fiscal problems.

For places to search for housing, I would suggest that you look into areas around Portland, such as Beaverton, Tigard, and Aloha to the west; the Wilsonville area to the south; and Gresham and Troutdale to the east. They each have their own quaint characteristics to consider. There is also Vancouver, WA as mentioned above.

If you don't like SNOW, then this IS the area to consider; it's not like central MI! You may only have, on average, about one week of snow that melts off fast. less

I've been to Wall Drug. You're spot on with that...and South Dakota too.

Summer '97 I took a school trip out to Glacier Ntl Park and back. It was nice to get off the mitten for a couple weeks.

I have the cat boxes and found the XM station that plays Garrison Keeler. Dip loves Garrison Keeler for some reason.

We've looked into the shipping option. Another idea was to sell as much stuff as possible and just buy new/used when we get there. Since it's PDX, I'm thinking I'm going to sell the car for moving money.

Thanks for the suggestions! less

Portland is a nice city, but the interstate hub is a fricking nightmare!!! Right across the river is Vancouver Wa--a very nice medium sized college town. Let me know when you move down there, I have friends and such that can help answer any questions you may have about things to do, etc. OH!! Go to Canon Beach --beautiful area!!

Do NOT be an idiot like I am--it takes a few days to go from Detroit to Portland...Hubby and I drove from Montana to the bottom of Alabama in 4 days--round trip!!!--holy hell...

Good luck, the west coast is absolutely beautiful and even though I live in Mt and complain--west is the place for me!! less