By Jené DeSpain, December 31, 2025
2025 has been a year where many of us in the United States have asked, “What can I do this year to connect with a larger sense of community?” For a handful of us in Portland, Oregon, we have been asking this question for almost a decade in light of national politics. The desire to expand upon our network is connected to who we hold shared interests with, who we care for, and an understanding of how our personal framework participates in shaping our experience of the nation’s political impact.
While 2025 has brought many, MANY challenges, a disruption to our agreement in the purpose of democracy, and threats to our neighbors & our own safety in public, there have been multiple local responses to these national dangers that reaffirm the choice to be a member of the City of Portland. My decision to become a realtor in my hometown was always a political one. After years in the seat of Land Use Chair for my beloved neighborhood, I sought to do more, to play a larger role in the efforts to shape this ever changing city while prioritizing the people who called this place home. Inviting new people to come be a part of our culture has long been valuable in my pursuit of the City I’m hoping to help create.
Across social and corporate media, we have heard US citizens asking this year:
“Where can I move to and feel safe?”
“Do I need to move my family out of the country or is there somewhere we can stay here?”
“Where can I go that’s going to accept me?”
“Where can I find communities that share my values?”
“Where can I move where my children will be surrounded by other kids like them?”
It’s with great warmth that I confidently and compassionately offer “Portland, Oregon” as the answer to these questions. To anyone who is seeking an urban life that is rich with resilience & the abundance found in a shared vision of the necessity for holding both resistance and hope in our actions, while celebrating the moments of local bounty & beauty all around us, then Portland, OR would be a wonderful home for your consideration.
To all of the incredible clients I had the powerful joy of working with this year, Thank You. To the fellow realtors I had the honor of pairing with this year as co-agents, Thank You. To each of the amazing neighbors who I have the deep luck to love this City with everyday, I feel grateful to live here with you. Thank you Portland for holding the beacon light during 2025. Raising it up as we enter 2026. ♥
