Vancouver, Whistler & Vancouver Island - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 840

Portland and Vancouver had revitalized markets in mid-2013, with demand outstripping
supply and causing a serious rise in values.
The Pacific Northwest keeps exerting a strong pull on the adventurous of spirit. And
though today's Northwest populations tend to be driven by espresso rather than the desire
to chart new territory, there remains a culture founded on restless idealism and the sense
that there's still more prospecting to do.
Small Talk
Mention the Northwest to folks outside this area and you'll start a conversation on the re-
gion's lush forests, snow-dusted volcanic mountains and amazing waterways and coast-
lines. Then you might move on to the region's high unemployment rates, its computer in-
dustry (aka 'Silicon Forest') and, last but not least, those drizzly skies and all that rain!
For the locals, politics is always a good topic (generally left-leaning on the west coast
and right-leaning on the eastern side). How could anyone resist commenting on Washing-
ton's new laws legalizing both gay marriage and recreational marijuana use? Or voicing
an opinion on whether fluoride is beneficial or malignant (after a 2013 vote, Portland re-
mains the largest US city without fluoride in its water supply)? Or whether to allow coal
shipments through Washington and Oregon's rail lines and down the Columbia River?
Sustainability is such a presence in this region that people at parties might be chatting
about hot composting, keeping chickens and/or goats, city growth boundaries and - of
course - the environment and what to do about it: paper or plastic? Local or organic? Hy-
droelectric power or salmon migration?
Sports talk is a no-brainer in this outdoor-loving region, even though Washington and
Oregon only have a few major-league teams: the Seattle Seahawks (football) and Marin-
ers (baseball), the Oregon Trail Blazers (basketball) and the Portland Timbers (soccer).
Hockey-loving British Columbia, meanwhile, loves to gab about its Canucks.
Economic Biggies
Once covered in lush forests, it's no surprise that the Northwest, with its rich natural re-
sources, invited colonization. Today Oregon and Washington continue to lead the USA in
lumber production, while British Columbia contains most of Canada's marketable timber.
The Columbia and other Northwest rivers were once teeming with salmon, but over-
fishing, dam building and deforestation have nearly wiped out the species (conservation
efforts are ongoing, however). Though much diminished, commercial and sport fishing
still plays an important role in the regional economy.