Moving! Again... Looking for my place to settle (Portland, Salem: chapel, house)

[gookgette]

So I'm originally from Cleveland, OH. I didn't mind Ohio so much, but it wasn't the place for me as a single young professional. I was looking for more young professionals (OH was mostly retirees and families), diversity, and a more vibrant city life. I then moved to Chicago early this year. I got everything I was looking for but I hate the traffic, cost of living, 10% tax, tickets on everything, bitter cold, wind, snow, cockroaches, and lack of nature. I am in my 30s and ready to settle down, but I can't see myself buying property here.

So now I have my eyes set on Portland, OR, Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, or Asheville or Chapel Hill, NC.

Things that are important to me:

- Cost of Living. I want to buy a nice house for $200k
- Diversity (i'm Asian, but i like a MIX)
- Nature - I love running, hiking, the coast!
- Weather - I hate the cold!!
- No gross bugs that will bite me when I run or lay on the ground
- No old buildings with cockroaches or bedbugs
- Bike lanes. I'd like to be able to bike to work
- Good place for Singles
- Arts
- Hipsters
- Open-minded people who embrace all types
- Christianity
- Public Transportation

I got an offer in Salem, OR and somewhere near Austin and Tri-Cities, which is far from Seattle. Any input about these cities would be helpful.

[crisw]

"- Weather - I hate the cold!!"

28 degrees here right now and snow is predicted...

Portland is rarely this cold, but it's chilly and rainy much of the year (as is Seattle.) If sun and warmth are really important to you, look elsewhere.

Depending on what you mean by "Christianity," Portland may not suit you either. The Pacific Northwest is the most unchurched region of the US. You do also say "Open-minded people who embrace all types"- if you mean that, then you may be OK- what really doesn't go over well is obnoxious, proselytizing. What you do in the privacy of your own home (or church) is up to you and no one will care as long as you don't foist it on others.

Nice house for $200,000? Depends on what you mean by "nice" and how close to Portland. Check out RMLS.com™ Regional Multiple Listing Service - Home for an idea of what you can get here for that price. That will buy you a small house on the outskirts of town, but not a 3-bedroom, 2-bath in NW

Gross bugs? We have mosquitoes, but not too many.

Other than that, your other requirements would be met here.

[Nightdiver13]

- Cost of Living. I want to buy a nice house for $200k
Possible in any of the towns you listed, but it really depends on location and what you consider a nice house.

- Diversity (i'm Asian, but i like a MIX)
I consider Austin and Chapel Hill to be more diverse than Asheville and Portland. Chapel Hill draws a lot of ethnicities due to RTP jobs and the major universities in the Triangle. Portland isn't too bad considering it's part of the PNW, which is pretty dang white. But for it's size, I find it to be less diverse than other major cities. Not too sure about Seattle.

- Nature - I love running, hiking, the coast!
All these cities offer access to nature, with Asheville being right in the thick of things, although it's still a 4 hour drive from the coast. Chapel Hill splits the difference, with a 2 hour drive to mountains (for the East Coast anyway) or coast. Seattle is on the coast, but it's not the sort of coast you really want to go sunbathing on, if that's your thing. And forget about swimming without a 5 mil wetsuit. Same goes for Portland.

- Weather - I hate the cold!!
Depending on what you mean by "cold", I'd say stay away from Portland and Seattle. They never get very cold, but they have a long rainy season where you get that deep, moist sort of cold feeling. Austin would be the opposite issue if anything. It gets crazy hot and humid there during the summer. Asheville and Chapel Hill are both fairly mild in comparison.

- No gross bugs that will bite me when I run or lay on the ground
Anywhere can have bugs, and all the places you've listed have mosquitoes in varying degrees.

- No old buildings with cockroaches or bedbugs
Every city will have old buildings and bugs. Just don't choose those buildings to live in.

- Bike lanes. I'd like to be able to bike to work
Portland has the reputation of a bike town for a reason. Austin isn't too bad and is getting better all the time. Chapel Hill and Asheville are both perfectly fine cycling towns. Not sure about Seattle, although I hear it's pretty commuter friendly.

- Good place for Singles
Any of the towns listed would be fine, with the larger towns having more active single scenes. I would consider Asheville the most limiting in this area.

- Arts
I'd say Chapel Hill would be at the bottom of this list, which is to say that the other towns all have huge art scenes for their respective sizes.

- Hipsters
Aren't hipsters everywhere now-a-days? I've seen droves of them in all these towns, but less so in NC.

- Open-minded people who embrace all types
You can find that sort of community in any of these towns, and you can find the exact opposite as well.

- Christianity
Also everywhere, but there's a reason the Bible Belt has it's name.

[gookgette]

thanks, chrisw and nightdiver13. i think i can live above freezing temperatures. if the average is 40 degree winters, that's fine with me! it's been so cold here in chicago that my fingers feel like they're going to fall off! it's only a few degrees colder here, but it's also windy, and it feels colder than Cleveland! weather really does make a huge difference in terms of living. i dread going outside, and i never go running as i usually do during the spring or summer.

this is all really good info. i like the list responses you made, nightdiver13. so which city would you have chosen?

[Nell Plotts]

Portland's weather is not as extreme as either Chicago or Cleveland (heck, I have had consulting gigs in a Cleveland snowstorm). Our summers are not humid, basically our moisture falls as rain. Snow pretty much stays in the higher elevations.

Homes are MUCH cheaper in Cleveland, doubtless for a reason.

Salem would bore me to death, but that is just me. State capital with a high % of state employees. There are folks who live in Portland and commute to Salem, and visa versa. South and west of Salem is the town of Monmouth which has WOU: About the university.

[Nightdiver13]

Originally Posted by gookgette

this is all really good info. i like the list responses you made, nightdiver13. so which city would you have chosen?

That's tricky to answer. My favorite city is Portland, by far. It pretty much checks all your boxes, with the only potential stumbling block being the $200k housing. It exists, but it might not be in the exact neighborhood you want or it might not be in perfect condition. Also the lack of diversity might bother you if having a decent Asian population is important. Seattle is a lot better in that regard.

I like some aspects of Austin, and from your list I think it could be an excellent fit (if you don't mind the summers there), although it's still surrounded by Texas (sorry Texans!). Chapel Hill is essentially just a big college town, and I think it's lacking in some of the things you're looking for.

Asheville is pretty awesome, and a lot of folks consider it to be something of an east coast Portland. Unlike Portland though, it still has some antiquated attitudes that prevail in portions of the population. Not difficult to avoid that, but it exists and is the biggest reason I moved out of NC to begin with. Not many asians there either.

I've heard great things about Seattle from friends, and from the few times I've been there it's been nice. Forget about finding a decent house for $200k within any young-professional loving areas though. You'll be shoved down near SEA-TAC which is a pretty different vibe.

[Yankeemama]

Thoughtful post, Nightdiver! Thanks for sharing!

[produrre]

I live in Corpus Christi and Texas living can be tough, but if there were any town in Texas that I'd choose to live, Austin would be it. They are far more open minded there than anywhere else in Texas. It lacks good public transportation and great biking routes. The music scene is super and the weather in Austin is a plus. The Cost of Living is very good in Texas. The surrounding hill country is beautiful. We've also lived in Chicago and LOVED it... it had the diversity we wanted and a lot happening, but it was too cold for too long. Asheville is really nice, but small... you won't get the "city" vibe and diversity that you may be used to. We are looking at relocating to Portland right now. From our investigation, it sounds like Portland would have much of what you are looking for with regards to biking, nature, diversity, open-mindedness, etc. But cost of living is high in Portland proper, and you will have to deal with colder weather than the deep south. Good luck in your search! Maybe we will see you in Portland. We are investigating it ourselves and weighing the options as well.

[ccjarider]

I am curious as to what exactly folks mean by "open mindedness."

[produrre]

I think that's a good question ccjarider... I can only speak from my own frame of reference... and the lack of open-mindedness I've experienced from areas I've lived in the past. For me its about being less judging about people who are "different" from the norm of the "white heterosexual working class", though the norm is changing in the states. It means being accepting of multi-racial, mixed unions, all sexualities, various religious or non-religious, no matter what someone looks like, whom someone loves, or what lifestyle one chooses (barring violence, criminal behavior, etc). Kindness is always preferred over intolerance. I have witnessed some fairly deplorable intolerance resulting in blatant criminal behavior in several different states. I have found when someone is seeking a haven of open-mindedness, it is often because they have experienced the opposite and don't want to live that way any more. This is just my opinion and my own thoughts on what my definition is.