Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Between Denver, Portland, and Seattle (and, yes, we have already done TONS of research):
-best job market for marketing, apparel merchandising/buying, and corporate work
-best job prospects for someone wanting to go through an alternative teacher certification program and teach middle or high school english/language arts
-best place for 20somethings
-best weather
-best airport, lake, beach accessibility
-cheapest downtown (ability to live downtown or extremely near the fun-part right out of college)
-best sports teams and support for them
-best air quality, ease of walking around or biking, etc.
-whatever else!!!
Thanks!! (please explain your vote if you can)
We are also considering a lot of the surrounding areas: Auburn, Olympia, Renton, Shoreline, Bellingham, Federal Way, Everett, and Vancouver, WA; Lincoln City, Newport, St. Helens, Dallas, Lebanon, Wilsonville, Woodburn, McMinnville, Lake Oswego, Albany, Tigard, Corvallis, Springfield, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Gresham, Salem, and Eugene, OR; and Castle Rock, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Longmont, Thornton, Westminster, Lakewood, and Aurora, CO. If you have any experience with any of these places, please let us know what you think!
Not sure exactly what apparel merchandising/buying is, but Portland is known as the home of Nike, Adidas America, and Columbia Sportswear. Unfortunately the job market isn't great right now, Nike is laying off people left and right.
Portland is great for 20somethings, you can ask anyone to verify that. They move here from the midwest in flocks.
Portland and Seattle have pretty much the same weather, with Portland having slightly more clear days per year. Denver is different, but I've never been there so I can't really speak to that.
Portland's airport is routinely rated as the best in the nation, but Sea-Tac has more international service. Not sure what you're really looking for. Oregon also has better beaches than Washington and, logic would suggest, Denver. As far as lakes go Seattle beats Portland. There are tons of beautiful lakes in the metro area, not sure about Denver.
You could probably find cheap apartments near Downtown Portland, but all of the condos are going to be really expensive. But remember, you could live on the east side of Portland (which is the hip area) and you would be an extremely easy bike ride into downtown.
As for sports teams, Denver is the obvious choice.
Portland handedly wins for ease of getting around and bike friendliness. All 3 are reputed to have great air quality.
Between Denver, Portland, and Seattle (and, yes, we have already done TONS of research):
1. best job market for marketing, apparel merchandising/buying, and corporate work--or something that would just be in general neat, like make-a-wish foundation...
2. best job prospects for someone wanting to go through an alternative teacher certification program and teach middle or high school english/language arts. Where is there a bigger need for English Language Arts teachers? What school districts are better?
3. best place for 20somethings
4. best weather and climate--green, not too much rain/snow, not too hot or humid, not desert looking
5. cheapest downtown (ability to live downtown or extremely near the fun-part right out of college), fun things to do, and water accessibility (to lakes, beach, etc)
We are also considering a lot of the surrounding areas***: Auburn, Olympia, Renton, Shoreline, Bellingham, Federal Way, Everett, and Vancouver, WA; Lincoln City, Newport, St. Helens, Wilsonville, Woodburn, McMinnville, Lake Oswego, Albany, Tigard, Corvallis, Springfield, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Gresham, and Eugene, OR; and Castle Rock, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Longmont, Thornton, Westminster, Lakewood, and Aurora, CO. ***If you have any experience with any of these places, please let us know what you think! Are any of these smaller cities too far? Worth living farther out? Too dead/quiet/small? Too old of a crowd?
The only time I was in Denver was for a layover, so I can't say much about it. DEN is a very impressive airport, but boy it has a very long concourse that I was a little weary of traveling through. SeaTac (SEA) Airport, I feel, is more dynamic and is currently undergoing an extensive renovation, including a new terminal in A concourse and the newly opened Central Terminal, which has the Pacific Marketplace. Since I live so close, I've never been to PDX and can't say much about it.
In the way of bodies of waters, you won't find much for beaches. Seattle has some small stretches of beaches (Alki, Golden Gardens) here and there. The metro area, however, does have a number of lakes. The city itself is like an isthmus and water recreation is bountiful here. Portland is a little more inland along the Willamette which flows into the Columbia, but most of that is industrial. Denver, obviously, has nothing. But I will second PDX_LAX, the Oregon Coast is magnificent. About an hour drive or so from Portland, you can rent a beach house, and you'll enjoy it.
Currently, Denver is the only city left with teams for the three major sports leagues, since the Sonics left Seattle, but Seattle has gained an avid following of soccer fans for their new Sounders franchise. FC Barcelona is coming to town in August for a friendly, and Qwest Field is being considered as a venue for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup if the US makes the bid.
There's probably more, but I'll post more as soon as I think of it.
You mentioned something like the Make-A-Wish foundation....Not quite the same, but the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is headquarted in Seattle (their brand new HQ is currently under construction). It's the largest private charity foundation in the world, so if you are interested in humanitarian work, the biggest dog on the block is right here in Seattle. Also, for merchandising positions, Costco Wholesale is in the burbs (Issaquah). Of the three cities, Seattle has the biggest corporate presence, followed by Denver, with Portland trailing far behind. I don't know enough about the teaching situation to comment, although I know Washington has a big budget shortfall in the next coming years, and probably won't be hiring boatloads of teachers.
There are plenty of large lakes near and in Denver, with beaches, boating, swimming, etc. Cherry Creek Reservoir and Chatfield Reservoir are within Denver itself and Horsetooth Reservoir is up in Ft. Collins. All are very nice and easy to enjoy with all the sun!
There are plenty of large lakes near and in Denver, with beaches, boating, swimming, etc. Cherry Creek Reservoir and Chatfield Reservoir are within Denver itself and Horsetooth Reservoir is up in Ft. Collins. All are very nice and easy to enjoy with all the sun!
No, actually there aren't. A "large lake" in Colorado would amount to a small lake or a large pond in Washington and Oregon. The reservoirs around the city are nasty and overcrowded. The water is full of oil and gasoline residue from all the boats that try to cram themselves onto every last inch of those tiny lakes. There are no lifeguards on duty and the boaters come dangerously close to the swimmers on the beach.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
