I have been formalizing some mid-term goals for myself and want to move to another city (outside Canada would be really cool - currently living in Toronto) within the next three years. My goal here is to spread my wings, gain some independence, meet new people, and inspire my design work with some new scenery.

I am currently pretty junior in the product design field and would love some advice from you fellow designers about how to begin the planning stages of uprooting oneself and settling down somewhere else for a while.

I keep thinking that Portland, OR would be a great place to live and work. I visited the city a couple of years ago and felt like it resonated with me. Plus the design community there seems to be more bustling than here in Toronto.

But I am definitely open to other places, if someone wants to make a good case. Whatcha got?