It's really nice here, actually. But don't come if you don't want to.
I’m not trying to attack Portland, I don’t know much about it.
Ten years ago, many parts of many coastal cities would qualify. Being in the Bay Area, I know San Jose, Union City, Newark, Fremont, Dublin, Livermore, and Walnut Creek homes were all affordable on working class Bay Area wages. Those days are gone. I'm bitter about most of my friends being unable to afford a middle class life here. However, they're mostly the same people that complain about any new construction and homes, so it's a bit self-inflicted.
It is a bit self-inflicted, but having lived in cities my whole life you can't ignore the demand side of the story.
White flight has completely reversed itself in the last 15 years and urban areas are now incredibly popular destinations for millennial aged white people who grew up in suburbs in a way that just wasn't the case before. Even with a ton of building, it is hard to keep up with the demand boost.