Why Salem sucks compared to Portland

One of the favorite activities of people who live in Salem (Oregon) is asking ourselves, "What's wrong with this town?"

My wife and I have a Salem address, though we're outside the city limits, so we're entitled to engage in this ongoing question that lacks a precise answer. Here's my current contribution to coming to grips with Why does Salem suck? 

I'm moved to write about this subject because I just got back from a visit to Portland's Bridgeport Village, a mere 45 minutes driving time from our home -- yet light years distant in terms of energy, interest, positive vibe, and overall entertainment value.

There's nothing like Bridgeport Village in Salem. Or anything like the Pearl District in Salem. Or anything like NW 23rd Street in Salem. (I'm vaguer about Portland's east side, but I'm sure there's plenty of cool areas over there that also put Salem to shame.)

The best way I can describe living in Salem is when you feel rundown and lackluster, but you're not really sick. You just feel out of sorts. It's only when you're back to normal that you truly appreciate the difference between vibrant health and merely getting along.

When I get out of the car in Bridgeport Village, or some other Portland locale my wife and I like to visit, I immediately feel energized. Salem sluggishness lifts for a few hours.

Today I was able to move easily between four favorite stores: the always interesting Apple Store, a great Barnes & Noble, REI, and Whole Foods. Each was filled with people who seemed to express more positivity and a vest for life than Salemites.

One of the theories put forth by locals to explain the Salem sucks phenomenon is that the governmental and institutional side of Salem -- which is significant -- casts some sort of psychological pall (I'm tempted to say "spell," but that would fit better with the Massachusetts Salem) over the city.

We have the main state mental hospital. Penitentiaries. Government offices galore. And of course the Capitol Building, which houses state legislators who often can't be described in any sort of positive terms.

There may be something to this state capital theory. Salem seems to be to Portland as Olympia is to Seattle and Sacramento is to San Francisco: a second-class city that is over-shadowed by it's nearby way cooler metropolitan area.

One problem with Salem, among many, is that there isn't any area or neighborhood -- not one -- which has a critical mass of "must see/go to" places that appeal to a wide variety of people like so many locales in Portland do.

I mean, there are places a Prius-driving, vegetarian, progressive guy, namely me, enjoys a lot in Salem. I like the Great Harvest Bread Company, Venti's, the RJ Dance Studio, and Pacific Martial Arts (where I have my Tai Chi classes).

Each is on the same downtown block of Court Street. The Beanery, my favorite coffee house, is just a short distance away. So this area of Salem is where I hang out the most. But it doesn't draw people the same way a genuine attraction like Bridgeport Village or NW 23rd Street does.

There's just not enough there anywhere in Salem for that. Hopefully one day there will be. The downtown riverfront holds considerable promise, as it has begun to be redeveloped in a mixed use fashion.

For now, though, the present is pretty depressing. Whenever we drive into town we pass the Sunnyslope shopping center in south Salem. A stand alone building with a drive-up window has been under construction there for several months.

Naturally my wife and I have been curious about what it would turn out to be. A week or so ago I came home and said, "There's a sign up on the new Sunnyslope store. You'll be underwhelmed to learn that it's a... Subway."

"Figures," Laurel responded. "Salem loves Subway. Big high calorie uncreative sandwiches. There's plenty of Subway stores in town. Now we've got another one."

Well, people who live in Salem are used to being disappointed. We missed out on a Trader Joes when Corvallis got a store, though Salem has three times more people. On the title of a post about Trader Joes passing up Salem I also used the words, "Salem sucks."

Probably will again.

Comments

[Paul]

Being a former Salem resident who has been living in Corvallis for a few years, I can totally sympathize with you about Salem. It's a place bursting with potential and no one wants to take advantage of it. It's gotten better in the past 10 years, but I keep seeing the same mistakes. Salem has very little of interest. Like you mentioned, it has a lot of Subways, 3 Walmarts, 2 empty malls, a whole fleet of Walgreens, and pretty much every chain restaurant (albeit Salem isn't even cool enough to get some of the "better" ones).

When shopping at Trader Joe's in Corvallis (we also have two locally owned co-ops that are great and offer more local flavor), I've begun using my old Salem zip code when making purchases to hopefully make it clear how many people from Salem actually will support TJ's.

The only thing Salem has that I miss is Minto Brown Island. That park is a gem that many cities can't even touch.

[Larry Nunn]

So move to Portland.

[Blogger Brian]

Larry, if I changed my life every time I found that one thing in it "sucked" in comparison to some other thing, living would be impossible.

For example, the closets in our early 70's house suck when we compare them to much larger walk-in closets in newer homes, even those not as large or nice as our house.

This doesn't mean that we want to sell our house and get a new one. It simply means that our closets suck. Similarly, lots of people in live in Salem say "this town sucks" for valid reasons, but they don't want to move for equally valid reasons.

[Slacker]

Keep your chin up. The Portlandization of Salem is beginning. New non-chain restaurants are cropping up and thriving even in the midst of a terrible recession. Flashy condo projects are going up all over the downtown area, which is big because having people living downtown is a pre-cursor to getting a cultural rennaisance going. The Cultureshock Project people are actively working towards bringing new activities and events to town. The Farmer's Market continues to grow. Etc. Etc.
Yes, Salem is lackluster in many ways, but it doesn't have to be, and many folks are working to change that.

[Blogger Brian]

Slacker, good points. There are reasons for optimism about Salem. I need to keep that in mind. It's just frustrating to see Salem's slow progress. Such as...

I was involved with the Fairview redevelopment (into a sustainable community) effort early on. This had, and still has, the potential to be a very cool mixed use project. But it has slowed to a crawl, with Pringle Creek Community the only visible development on the Fairview site right now.

Hopefully that will change as the economy perks up. I still think there is a strong market for close-in sustainable living in a creative community. Living in a downtown Salem condo doesn't appeal to me and my wife, but I could see us living in a Sustainable Fairview home one day if the project becomes what it was planned to be.

[Sarah]

I agree 100%.

[Whoops]

Flashy condo projects are going up all over the downtown area, which is big because having people living downtown is a pre-cursor to getting a cultural rennaisance going.

Wasn't it those "flashy condo" residents who got The Space shut down after 10 p.m.?

[Jonathan Boys-Art]

If you have a facebook account you should really check this fan page out:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=111783582172225

Things are afoot at the Circle K!

[MacKenzie Caldwell]

We don't need anymore restaurants, we need more things to do in Salem besides eating. The downtown area needs to be more fun! I went through the Salem Center yesterday, counting all the empty stores, I counted 10. It might not seem like a lot compared to the LLoyd Center but think about it. How many other stores can you think of in the Salem Center other than Nordstrom and Khols? Salem does suck!

[Sean Fornelli]

Funny. I don't think Salem sucks at all.

[Blogger Brian]

Sean, congratulations on having such a positive attitude wherever you live, which I assume isn't Salem.

[Johnatha]

It depends on your lifestyle, I lived in the Portland area and felt refreshed to move to a smaller city. I live in SW Salem which is an arguably nicer area than the industrial areas you comment on. The slower pace with room to breathe, not getting shoved around, stuck in excessive traffic, etc is a relief. So Salem sucks to you, but not everyone. Portland sucks to some too. In fact, its easy to be fooled by its charming daytime facade until you get tired of hearing about a new gang shooting every night, not being able to walk down the street at night with out hundreds of homeless people lying in door stoops, having your car vandalized on the street of a "safe" neighborhood etc. Honestly, there are ups and downs to every city, and you are less likely to see the downs if you dont actually live there.

[Blogger Brian]

Johnatha, excellent points. I agree -- Portland probably is a lot nicer place to visit than to live in full-time. My wife and I find a lot to like about Salem. Heck, I wouldn't have lived here for 34 years if Salem wasn't as pleasant as it is.

And yet... (there's always an "and yet") there's a lot of room for improvement. Salem can keep it's small'ish town feel and still be more vibrant, creative, interesting, entertaining. So let's keep the good and make Salem even better.

[Rachel]

hi there, this was written in 2010 so it's nearly 3 years later, has anything changed?
thanks!

[Blogger Brian]

Rachel, sadly, not much.

But we now have a Trader Joes! That makes me feel a bit better about Salem. I've gotten hooked on quite a few TJ products, including the cheap bag of airpopped popcorn that has become my new late night snack of choice, and the $2.49 Merlot that has become my usual evening red wine choice.

Otherwise, re-development of the riverfront area is going extremely slowly, with regular apartments now being planned rather than a vibrant mixed use area. Ditto with the Sustainable Fairview property, which now is on track to be boringly non-sustainable.

But I still enjoy living here. As I frequently say, "It's great to be able to usually park for free almost right in front of where you want to go downtown. (Because so few people go to downtown.)"

[David Chipps]

It is the energy that SUCKS in Salem Oregon, a lack of critical thinking on how to really renovate a town, a lack of interest from outside of the town, and a very small pond of individuals that want complete control over how the town progresses. Salem Oregon is miserable. I'm all for the renovations going on in downtown Salem, but once again the thinking doesn't make sense. The Pearl District before its renovation was a run down district of hodge podge artists that garnered a lot of outside interest much of which has moved to NE Portland since the renovation. It seems Salem should want to garner interest in downtown by incorporating diverse voices in some sort of creative dialog. But no, Salem wants to skip step A and jump to being the Pearl District. The first step in becoming the Pearl District is in garnishing outside interest with some sort of art scene that incorporates diverse views. I'm seeing it a little bit. I'm going to try to get involved..but once again I'll probably run into Salem's clickish behavior that does more to limit the growth of this town then the prison system.

[David Chipps]

One other thing Salem Oregon could never have a Bridgeport Village. The reason Bridgeport Village exists is because of the Portland Business Community that has a team of second generation entrepreneurs that have local family ties going back a generation. Bridgeport Village owes its success to businesses that have flourished in downtown Portland and are now trying to find a more accessible location for wealthy individuals. Bridgeport Village is a mecca of internal and external financial resources that took decades to create. Salem's best hope is to review the history of the Pearl District and start at point A. I'm thinking the 80's when it was a group of shops with art exhibits from local grass roots artists that garnished state interest by the amount of outside interests.

[Blogger Brian]

David, thanks for the thoughtful comments. You made me think differently about Salem and what needs to happen here if our coolness factor is going to get closer to Portland's.

Makes sense. Throwing some mixed-use makeup over the uncreative face of Salem isn't going to produce something as beautiful as the Pearl District or Bridgeport Village. You've got to have the basic features present; then they can be made more attractive and striking.

[Chippsdavid]

Actually I kind of agreed with you, until I realized that Salem sucks because of what you just wrote. You would rather spend your money in Portland then Salem. Which will continue the cycle of Salem not having any stores etc. Salem sucks because locals do not invest in their own stores and do not allow existing stores to develop or grow.

[Curt]

Sometimes our family just wants to have a good time... no strings attached... no sense of personal obligation to support Salem business with the hope that things will get better one day. Portland provides that. Things there just seem to work. Adventure and fun just happen. You don't need to work at it.