Oh, Bethany. The little suburb haven has grown and expanded so much since my family moved to the area before I was born. Even though it's so close to "Portland, Portland," it has its own quirks and culture. It was recently named the area with the highest median income in Oregon and one study said that its occupants were the happiest in the state. Here are some things that happen when you leave college and come back to this piece of unincorporated Washington County.
1. Doing a double take when you see an unfamiliar strip mall and wondering how long it's been there.
Bethany is constantly changing and growing, and it seems like new strip malls appear all the time. It can be disorienting when you see a strip mall that you've never seen before.
2. Remembering just how many Starbucks locations there are.
Even though I go to school in Washington, I feel like there are just so many more locations of Starbucks around Bethany! It seems every strip mall has at least one.
3. Hoping you don't see anyone you know during your late-night ice cream run.
...or when your parents ask you to run up to QFC to get them a few groceries and you just look like crap. The whole time you're thinking, "Please don't run into that jerk from high school..."
4. Getting annoyed by all of the traffic that you swear wasn't there when you were living at home.
Traffic is so annoying. As Bethany gets more crowded, traffic gets worse.
5. Discovering that there are food pods in Bethany Village.
"You mean I can get a grilled cheese made for me, and I can only drive half a mile to pick it up?" Shoutout to Zeek's.
6. Getting flashbacks to middle school when you drive past Bethany Village.
All the cool middle schoolers hung out at Bethany Village. What we did there, I'm not sure I can exactly tell you. I know it usually involved getting Subway, Starbucks and hanging out by the fountain. It makes sense; it was the only place we could really go without relying on our parents to drive us.
7. Remembering just how diverse Bethany is.
Though I love Gonzaga, it has such a lack of diversity compared to where I grew up. Bethany is so diverse as far as ethnicity, race, gender identity and sexuality. It's refreshing. It's really nice to be around people that have had different experiences than you.
8. Wondering just what in the heck you did with friends in high school.
I love Bethany, but man, what did I even do with friends in high school around Bethany? I can't remember.
9. Wanting to go into town but not wanting to deal with parking.
Parking is terrible downtown. It's awful. And yet... Salt and Straw.
10. Seeing a new housing development and thinking, "I thought this was a farm."
Bethany used to be all farmland, and now it's all housing developments. Another common thought: "They're trying to put how many houses on this plot of land?"
11. Asking your parents, "Now, where is the urban growth boundary again?"
I used to think that the UGB was somewhere completely different than I guess it is because there's a ton of houses where I thought it was. The best is when you get a sigh in response.
12. Remembering that you can take MAX downtown.
The MAX is actually great, and you can go a ton of places around Portland. You don't have to deal with traffic or parking downtown; just the parking at the MAX station.
13. Running into an old family friend or teacher and having a nice chat with them.
This is the best feeling ever because they're acknowledging you as an adult and usually seem proud of you.
14. Fondly remembering the accessibility of forests.
Forests are everywhere! It's so easy to find a place to take a nature walk or hike.
15. Rejoicing because you don't have to explain where Bethany is to anyone at home.
"I technically don't live in actual Portland because I don't live in city limits, but I don't live within any city limits, but I have a Portland address. I live halfway between Beaverton and Portland, and the area I live in is called Bethany, but it's not actually a city. It's a census designated area, though. I went to school in the Beaverton School District. I'm about 25 minutes from downtown."
They say that home is where the heart is. Bethany is my home.
