Charlotte or Portland OR. or Seattle?? (real estate, mortgage, home)

[erinavery]

I recently moved to Charlotte from Dallas and think it's really pretty here and love being close to the mountains and the beach and all the other cool outdoor adventures nearby but miss a lot of things about dallas too...like the dallas world aquarium and the zoo's and all the great shopping and resturaunts and the art scene...i actually kinda wanted to move to a larger city than dallas but my husband got a job here in charlotte...anyway were thinking of looking again and i've always loved what I know about the PNW but i'm worried about my husband dealing with the weather...is it so cool that it's worth dealing with the weather?? is portland considered a bigger city than dallas?? not neccesarrily in size but more urban...would seattle be a better choice?? I have been to and fell in love with san francisco but can't imagine ever actually being able to afford to live there...


so what would you do...stay in charlotte for the awesome weather and cost of living and the fact that there's cool outdoor stuff to do or go to portland or seattle so you can have a city that's both beautiful and cool/ funky/ urban??

[goozer]

Originally Posted by erinavery

I recently moved to Charlotte from Dallas and think it's really pretty here and love being close to the mountains and the beach and all the other cool outdoor adventures nearby but miss a lot of things about dallas too...like the dallas world aquarium and the zoo's and all the great shopping and resturaunts and the art scene...i actually kinda wanted to move to a larger city than dallas but my husband got a job here in charlotte...anyway were thinking of looking again and i've always loved what I know about the PNW but i'm worried about my husband dealing with the weather...is it so cool that it's worth dealing with the weather?? is portland considered a bigger city than dallas?? not neccesarrily in size but more urban...would seattle be a better choice?? I have been to and fell in love with san francisco but can't imagine ever actually being able to afford to live there... .

so what would you do...stay in charlotte for the awesome weather and cost of living and the fact that there's cool outdoor stuff to do or go to portland or seattle so you can have a city that's both beautiful and cool/ funky/ urban??

"Is it so cool that it's worth dealing with the weather??" --Many, many people think exactly this.

While not as expensive as SF, Seattle is a pretty unaffordable place too for the average person. Portland is probably the best with respect to affordability, but the average home price there will be about twice what you are used to in Dallas and Charlotte. And no...Portland is half the size of Dallas.

[erinavery]

thanks...i actually think i would love portland...i love the rain and the pictures i've seen just blow me away...coming from dallas which is really not very pretty and nothing cool nearby really for roadtrips so that's why i like charlotte but portland seems much cooler than charlotte except i'm not sure my husband could deal with the weather or even be able to get a job there...what's the market like there for finance?? does anyone know??

[pwright1]

Originally Posted by goozer

"Is it so cool that it's worth dealing with the weather??" --Many, many people think exactly this.

While not as expensive as SF, Seattle is a pretty unaffordable place too for the average person. Portland is probably the best with respect to affordability, but the average home price there will be about twice what you are used to in Dallas and Charlotte. And no...Portland is half the size of Dallas.

First of all real estate in the west is more expensive than anything in the south. I think everyone knows this. Yes expect to pay more for a home. Unaffordable for the average person is not true though. I for one do not make 6 figures but I am quite happy with living in Seattle. If you want true urban living then both Portland and Seattle are the far better choices. If you want walkable, bike friendly cities then Seattle and Portland are for you. If you want beautiful breathtaking natural beauty then Seattle and Portland are no brainers, and believe me after 7 years in Seattle, natural beauty makes it that much better. If you like breathing fresh air then Portland and Seattle are for you. If you want summers where you DO NOT need a/c then Seattle and Portland are for you. Yes it does drizzle and rain in the winters yet it still is not as bad as people say, at least imo. I came from winters with blizzards, highs 15 and 20 degrees and no plant life so Seattle winters are a breeze. My geraniums on my front steps are still blooming beautiful red flowers. Though Dallas' downtown is getting much better, if you want live downtowns with many downtown residence, major shopping, markets, great restaurants and nightlife then Seattle and Portland are for you. If you want to take short excursions to beautiful places like Vancouver B.C., Victoria, the Oregon coast, Mount Hood, Multnomah Falls, whale watching on the sound then Seattle or Portland are for you. It's not perfect but despite some of the things you've probably read on City-Data there are many of us who do honestly love living here in the pacific northwest. I am a photographer by hobby and here's a taste of Seattle.
My friend's neighborhood coffee shop.


My place




Downtown Seattle














Mount Rainier National Park

[ajf131]

Seattle owns. No questions asked. I personally think you would have to be nuts to choose Charlotte or Portland over a place like Seattle. Seattle is a big city with MANY tourist attractions...IMO the amount there is to do there makes it capable of competing with Chicago, Miami, or NYC for vacationing.

[john_starks]

i'd probably go w/ seattle. the constant rain would kill me slowly though

[erinavery]

Yay!! Thanks for that guys... I know you're right....and love the pics....share as much as you like...i can't get enough of em' they both seem so beautiful I can't stand it...and I do want to be in a bigger city...so maybe Seattle would be better...it may be easier to find a job there too, right?

[e2ksj3]

If you can deal with the cost of living, Seattle and Portland are good choices, but if cost of living and weather is a factor I would stay in Charlotte. Charlotte, may not be as urban as the northwest cities, but it is changing and a lot of development is going on in not only downtown (or Uptown as the locals call it), but Plaza-Midwood, South End, NoDa, and Dilworth. Also you have the lakes, mountains, and the coast within a days drive, not to mention the you're not that far away from the major cities of the east coast.

[toughguy]

i can't speak for Charlotte, but Seattle has a more robust economy than Portland at the moment. The finance sector may be a little shaky right now as far as hiring, since the mortgage bust has hit Washington Mutual pretty hard (and I imagine it trickles down from there).

[Steve-o]

Seattle is the best of the cities you listed, IMO. It truly is a great city with tons to do. However, it is severely dreary most of the year, and that plays heavy into many a psyche out there. Be prepared for it and make the most of it and you should be ok.