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You can't really go wrong in the PNW. It's a very gay friendly place and it's a very social place. I moved to the PNW from Dallas. I was scared because people kept talking about the "freeze" or whatever it's called, saying that it would be hard to make friends, but that is really not the case at all. All options are great though, if weather isn't an issue to you definitely choose Seattle or Portland.
I've lived in Los Angeles (West Hollywood, San Francisco (The Duboce Triangle next to the Castro) and Portland (Inner Southeast -- Buckman/Hawthorne, Rose City, The Pearl District and now Eastmoreland). I am also very familiar with Seattle. Portland is a great place for a gay male to come and live, thrive, be happy, find a husband and make a family -- if your future husband doesn't have kids, you can have your own and grow old and fit in very well with the straight and gay liberal lifestyle of the city. Or you can just adopt dogs. There are virtually no Trump voters in Portland. Trump polled third behind Jill Stein. They got about 9 and 10 percent of the vote in 2016. The city has an educated population of professionals. There are bars here for when you are younger and the radical faeries have a presence in Beitenbush. Portland is a very free place, probably more like San Francisco in the 70s, but in a post radical universe. Easy living. Probably the best city I've lived in since graduating from college in 1978 -- and I bounced around a lot -- New York City (Upper West Side), Scottsdale (it was fun in the 80s), San Francisco, back to old downtown Phoenix (Willo neighborhood which was very gay), and then 25 years ago, Portland. I've never regretted it. You can hang your rainbow flag anywhere here. We put ours up in Eastmoreland, one of the most staid but very liberal neighborhoods in the city. For places to live, stick to the inner Eastside or the Pearl District. And learn to ride a bike. Portland drivers are very respectful of cyclists. I'm older, so drivers defer to me a lot. You couldn't pick a better city to grow up and grow old. It's a very special place.
As a born and raised New Englander say good bye to Dunks if you come to the PNW lol. I've only ever been to the airport at LA but I've been to Portland and Seattle a couple times since moving out here. One other thing to note about Seattle is the traffic is horrible in the area! I've lived in NYC for a number of years and before moving out here I heard the traffic was bad but I didn't think much of it. I mean how bad can it be compared to NYC...right? BAD! You'll learn to hate the i-5 lol. If you are into outdoor activities (e.g. hiking, biking, kayaking etc) Portland and Seattle are great in this regard. Both places have public transportation options but I actually hear Portland's is a bit better? No idea if true just what I heard. I never used either. Honestly it looks like you are leaning towards LA from your pro and con list. Best of luck and enjoy the west coast, I know I am!
That's funny, driven in both. I think Boston's traffic is worse than Seattle.
I am wondering how you came to your ideas of what these cities are like. Your pros list of Portland are not exactly accurate. While you may find these things in Portland, they are not all that prevalent and will be in the most expensive neighborhoods.
Based on your wants, budget and needs, I would suggest the LA area, not necessarily in the city, but somewhere near.
I've lived in Los Angeles (West Hollywood, San Francisco (The Duboce Triangle next to the Castro) and Portland (Inner Southeast -- Buckman/Hawthorne, Rose City, The Pearl District and now Eastmoreland). I am also very familiar with Seattle. Portland is a great place for a gay male to come and live, thrive, be happy, find a husband and make a family -- if your future husband doesn't have kids, you can have your own and grow old and fit in very well with the straight and gay liberal lifestyle of the city. Or you can just adopt dogs. There are virtually no Trump voters in Portland. Trump polled third behind Jill Stein. They got about 9 and 10 percent of the vote in 2016. The city has an educated population of professionals. There are bars here for when you are younger and the radical faeries have a presence in Beitenbush. Portland is a very free place, probably more like San Francisco in the 70s, but in a post radical universe. Easy living. Probably the best city I've lived in since graduating from college in 1978 -- and I bounced around a lot -- New York City (Upper West Side), Scottsdale (it was fun in the 80s), San Francisco, back to old downtown Phoenix (Willo neighborhood which was very gay), and then 25 years ago, Portland. I've never regretted it. You can hang your rainbow flag anywhere here. We put ours up in Eastmoreland, one of the most staid but very liberal neighborhoods in the city. For places to live, stick to the inner Eastside or the Pearl District. And learn to ride a bike. Portland drivers are very respectful of cyclists. I'm older, so drivers defer to me a lot. You couldn't pick a better city to grow up and grow old. It's a very special place.
I don't think you realize the difficulty those who are average wage earners have trying to live in Portland. One large drawback is the OP, based on his salary, won't be able to afford these areas without a roommate or two. COL seems to be a concern of his.
I couldn't afford to grow old in Portland which is why, after decades of living in Portland, I moved to Cleveland when I wanted to retire.
You will be much happier in the Los Angeles area based on your criteria. I would check out Palm Springs as well. It is a growing city with a lower cost of living than LA, but still close enough and also has a large and active gay community.
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