Erik L. Arneson 
This article from PDX Monthly laments the old Portland "vibe," and it may have a good point. There is always a nostalgia about the Things That Were, though. I still find lots of creativity in Portland, even if the cost of living here is basically strangling all of us.
andcarnivorous@pymander when I lived in Portland I found it a beautiful mix of modern and old, from someone who grew up in rural Italy, it had things in common somehow with the city near where I grew up. The only downside I ever saw was the staggering homeless population and the fact that you were not ever really "safe" downtown. But the areas around the convention center, lloyd district and irvington were so nice.