Whatever Happened to Caliphobia?
by Lori Cronwell
Portland, OR
Five year ago I drove across the Oregon border and stopped for gas. The smiling station attendant greeted me with “Welcome to Oregon.” Seeing my California license plates and my PT Cruiser packed to the ceiling, I’m sure he thought, “Just another California refugee.” And that I was.
Yes, I was one of those Californians who dreamed of moving out of the congestion and smog of Los Angeles to greener pastures and a simpler, healthier life. But after 20 years in La La Land, I felt branded by the city I lived in. Whenever I traveled out of state, I sensed people’s stares, as if they could see an imaginary “California” seared across my forehead. How would I ever make the transition to Portland? Didn’t people up there hate Californians?
In preparation for this major transition, I read Mark S. Bacon’s The California Escape Manual: Your Guide to Finding a New Hometown. Bacon gave my fear, or rather the reaction I anticipated, a name: “Caliphobia,” generally defined as a fear of Californians who move to another state and the impact they have on house prices, culture, etc. His stories of Californians who had moved to the Pacific Northwest warned me to expect a lukewarm reception and even hostility when I mentioned the “C” word. I talked by phone to several x-Californians who had moved to Portland 10 to 15 years ago. They warned me to keep a low profile and get those license plates changed right away or my car would be egged.
On my first visit to Portland I decided to be upfront (This is also the strategy Bacon advises.) I said to every person I met, from the lady taking my coffee order to shop owners, artists at the Portland Saturday Market and business people I met at local trade shows, “Hi. I’m from Los Angeles and I’m thinking of moving to Portland.” The results: Not one negative reaction. Not one person told me to turn around and go home. I couldn’t have found Portlanders more welcoming and more encouraging. In fact, the most common response I received was: “I’m from Southern California too. What part of LA are you from?”
My conclusion: Caliphobia no longer exists because so many Oregonians are from California. I would even go so far as to say that the Californians who move to Oregon are not that different from the people who were born here. The very qualities that attracted them to Oregon, and that make Portland so livable, are the qualities that natives hold so dear: beautiful parks, wonderful neighborhoods, reliable public transportation, smart urban planning, healthy living and a relaxed lifestyle.
My Portland neighbors welcomed me with cookies and lent me furniture until the movers arrived. As I settled comfortably into my 1915 craftsman, I felt grateful that I had not let fear and uncertainly stop me from finding a new life in this great city.
