There have been several letters and columns in the paper lately complaining about noises in the city, whether they be from rock concerts, Portland Harbor or airplanes. Come on, people, you live in a city! Expect noises.

My husband and I bought a house at the lower end of Danforth Street in 2013 and moved there after extensive renovations. We came from a 230-acre farm in the middle of Kansas that was quiet as a rock most of the time. Only the grain trucks traversing the country roads during harvest time were a bit noisy, and this was only for a few weeks during daylight hours. We could always rely on our very dark, quiet, starry nights with the occasional coyote howling in the distance.

Then we moved to Portland. Wow! No one told us we would be awakened by peep whistles from the tugboats bringing oil tankers and freighters into the harbor at Cassidy Point around the clock.

No one told us that those freighters carrying salt, sand or coal would be offloaded at Portland Harbor 24-7 until the freighter was empty or that the sound of huge trucks shifting and downshifting would go on all night as they left the harbor with their loads.

No one told us that the train running just below us would forget that it is in a residential area and blow its whistle loudly far into the night.

No one told us that we would be living right beneath departing and arriving airplanes from the jetport.

No one told us that we would hear rehearsals for concerts at Thompson’s Point, and also the occasional concert, if the wind is right.

No one told us that there would be traffic noise mornings and evenings as commuters use Danforth as a quick way to and from work.

No one told us that our good neighbors, Cianbro, would have high-wattage lights directed right at our house, making it possible to get up and write ourselves notes without turning on the lights in the dead of night.

But guess what? We love it all. These are all signs of a city that is vibrant and active and of a working waterfront that keeps our city going.

Sure, we have to quit talking when planes go over and we are outside on our deck. People say the flight patterns change, but we have always had planes overhead and have never noticed a change. Sure, we have to have room-darkening window coverings. Sure, we have to turn up the music or other ambient noise to cover the nighttime truck and train noises.

But we are not complaining. We think Portland is the best place we have ever lived in our over 75 years of living, noise and all!

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