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Here's something interesting; both regions exchange nearly the same amount of people with each other (advantage to the SW by 174 people).
SOI Tax Stats - Free Migration Data Downloads (http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=212718,00.html - broken link)
(Keep in mind, this is 2007-2008 statistics)
Pacific Northwest from the Desert Southwest
Arizona to Washington: 11,634
Arizona to Oregon: 7,152
New Mexico to Washington: 2,270
New Mexico to Oregon: 1,300
TOTAL: 22,356
Desert Southwest from the Pacific Northwest
Washington to Arizona: 12,629
Washington to New Mexico: 2,112
Oregon to Arizona: 6,708
Oregon to New Mexico: 1,081
Here's something interesting; both regions exchange nearly the same amount of people with each other (advantage to the SW by 174 people).
SOI Tax Stats - Free Migration Data Downloads (http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=212718,00.html - broken link) (Keep in mind, this is 2007-2008 statistics)
Pacific Northwest from the Desert Southwest
Arizona to Washington: 11,634
Arizona to Oregon: 7,152
New Mexico to Washington: 2,270
New Mexico to Oregon: 1,300
TOTAL: 22,356
Desert Southwest from the Pacific Northwest
Washington to Arizona: 12,629
Washington to New Mexico: 2,112
Oregon to Arizona: 6,708
Oregon to New Mexico: 1,081
TOTAL: 22,530
Just some food for thought.
Totally, They're total opposites and people from both regions get curious about life in the other climate. I can't count how many people I grew up with in AZ moved to Oregon because they wanted rain all the time, and conversely I meet people from WA and OR here in Phoenix all the time who said they came down because they always wanted to live where it's sunny all the time.
The desert southwest is spectacularly beautiful when we have cloudy or semi-cloudy days...which is almost never. Most of the time the landscape looks very dull and washed out under a cloudless sky with intense sunlight. The one thing I really appreciate about the PNW, especially areas like Portland and Seattle, is that they stay beautiful and green pretty much year round. Many cities (i'm lookin at you, Denver) turn into ugly brown wastelands come winter.
Totally, They're total opposites and people from both regions get curious about life in the other climate. I can't count how many people I grew up with in AZ moved to Oregon because they wanted rain all the time, and conversely I meet people from WA and OR here in Phoenix all the time who said they came down because they always wanted to live where it's sunny all the time.
Pfft..its like you guys SKIP the HUGE state with all those climates and then some right next to you Or are we like the Soviet Union and must be contained at all costs?
Now that I think about it, I saw a lot of AZ plates driving up through the Pacific Northwest this past week. It's weird because states like Missouri, Tennessee, and Louisiana are even closer to AZ than AZ is to WA, but Arizonans generally seem to be more comfortable coming to the PNW than those regions. I thought that was interesting.
In fact, just as many people moved from AZ to WA as people from AZ moved to NM (11,634 vs 11,790)
Now that I've explored both areas a lot more, I say both.
You can't lose. Literally. I'm a pretty outdoorsy guy, and I'm not too sure I'd even spend too much time in any of the cities for that long if I lived there. The countryside there is infinitely more interesting IMO.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lifeshadower
Now that I've explored both areas a lot more, I say both.
You can't lose. Literally. I'm a pretty outdoorsy guy, and I'm not too sure I'd even spend too much time in any of the cities for that long if I lived there. The countryside there is infinitely more interesting IMO.
I would agree in the Southwest as living in the state of New Mexico & Southwest region itself appeals to me moreso than the city of Albuquerque (or Phoenix/Tucson) based on its own merrits. However in the Pacific Northwest as awesome as it is with its wealth of outdoor activity and natural beauty; Seattle on its own merrits in my opinion is one of the more interesting cities in this country.
I would agree in the Southwest as living in the state of New Mexico & Southwest region itself appeals to me moreso than the city of Albuquerque (or Phoenix/Tucson) based on its own merrits. However in the Pacific Northwest as awesome as it is with its wealth of outdoor activity and natural beauty; Seattle on its own merrits in my opinion is one of the more interesting cities in this country.
Seattle is extremely interesting. Maybe I've spent way too much time there in the past 2 years, but I never got to explore more of the Cascade region adjacent to Seattle. Driving on I-90 to Eastern Washington does NOT count to me as hanging out in the Cascades.
However, I will say that Carkeek Park in NW Seattle is a hidden gem. It literally feels like the middle of nowhere, but you're still in Seattle!
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Or are we like the Soviet Union and must be contained at all costs? 
