Seattle's view of Portland (Vancouver, Kirkland: appointed, sales, rent)

[Sunderpig]

Forgive me if this has been asked before (I looked around, but did not see any discussion). I'm curious what folks in Seattle think about Portland. At one time I thought about moving there, but the more I read/learn, the less attractive it looks. In fact, the place almost looks comical. Seattle on the other hand looks like a great place.

[tobester]

Seems you've already made up your mind. I've always enjoyed my visits to Portland, have many friends who live their and like it a lot - much better mass transit and more bicycle-centric. Great market downtown on weekends.

[SaltyDawg]

Honestly, most of the criticism between Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver is all of the brother/sister variety. I feel really lucky to be able to be 3 hours from two cities that I'm able to enjoy immensely.

There are differences, to be sure, and your mileage may vary depending on your personality. Seattle is much more of a 'big city', and Portland (at least downtown/Pearl/NW Portland) has a much more human scale to it. Doesn't make one better than the other at all.

I'll spare the broad generalities that have been brought up before ad nauseum, but I would spend time - substantial time - in both cities rather than just reading the generalities that you'll get when asking people to compare/contrast.

Go to the neighborhoods (in Seattle, maybe try Capitol Hill, Ballard, Fremont, Columbia City, West Seattle, in Portland the Pearl District, NW, SE, Lake Oswego, Hillsboro) to get a true feel. Spend time in the radius areas around the cities - that's where the cities really diverge.

I could be happy in either city, I know that much. Just happen to be firmly rooted in Seattle with friends, family, and work.

[godhead]

Both cities are great and have many similarities.
The major difference to me is Portland is a river town and Seattle is at the seawater.
Boats boats everywhere in Seattle...in Portland, not so much.
(ahoy!)

[motor80]

Originally Posted by godhead

Both cities are great and have many similarities.
The major difference to me is Portland is a river town and Seattle is at the seawater.
Boats boats everywhere in Seattle...in Portland, not so much.
(ahoy!)

Although Portland and Seattle have much in common, they are a tale of two cities. Portlanders like to believe that there is no difference between the two and that Portland is somehow on the same scale of Seattle. That is just simply not true. The density and urbanity of Seattle far overshadow our sister to the south.

I stumbled across this blog post last month -- great read about a Portland food scene blogger making a visit to Seattle. Puts things into perspective.

Lemonbasil: Eating Through Seattle: 40 Hours in the Emerald City (http://www.lemonbasilpdx.com/2011/03/eating-through-seattle-40-hours-in.html - broken link)

[mea-oh]

Originally Posted by motor80

Although Portland and Seattle have much in common, they are a tale of two cities. Portlanders like to believe that there is no difference between the two and that Portland is somehow on the same scale of Seattle. That is just simply not true. The density and urbanity of Seattle far overshadow our sister to the south.

I stumbled across this blog post last month -- great read about a Portland food scene blogger making a visit to Seattle. Puts things into perspective.

Lemonbasil: Eating Through Seattle: 40 Hours in the Emerald City (http://www.lemonbasilpdx.com/2011/03/eating-through-seattle-40-hours-in.html - broken link)

When she was a toddler she was disappointed when she got to Seattle and they weren't visiting someone named "Attle." HOW ADORABLE IS THAT???

[DJKirkland]

I lived in Portland for a couple years after college, and have been in Seattle for 6 years now. Funny thing is when I lived in Portland, I drank the kool-aid and to me it was the end all - be all city. The coolest, hippest, funkiest, most green place a person could live in. I agreed with my friends there that Seattle was a place of freeways (traffic), skyscrapers, and *gasp* no light rail! Portland is a great city - love downtown, love the Park Blocks, the transit is on the surface more user-friendly. So, in that regard - well, that and the fact I have quite a bit of family there, I still like to go often to hang out and visit. Still an easy drive from Seattle.

Now that I've been living in Seattle for awhile, my perspective has changed a bit. I don't look down on PDX at all, but I do feel differently about it. When I go down for a visit, it feels much smaller and quieter. Downtown has that great human scale, but it lacks the foot traffic, urgency, and vibrancy of Seattle. It is more walkable than Seattle in my opinion mostly because downtown is downright FLAT compared to here. You may want to at least be in decent shape to navigate Seattle well on foot (not a lot of overweight people living in downtown and the periphery coincidently) but I will say the bus system is impressive and EVERYONE uses it, so it's not some taboo form of transport as it is in many other cities. I like streetcars, but also like Seattle's electric busses. I like that our light rail - what exists of it - is grade separated. It takes FOREVER to get through dt Portland on the Max because it's on the streets with the people and cars. In Seattle we effectively have a subway. Much more efficient.

I pay more rent here, but I earn a lot more. I don't pay a huge chunk of change in state income tax here like I had to in Oregon. That is more progressive IMO- you can limit what you pay in tax due to your consumption instead of being dinged for making a decent wage.

The neighborhoods here (Cap Hill, Queen Anne, U-dist, Fremont, Green Lake/Greenwood, Wallingford - all more extensive and impressive than Portlands nabes. Nothing like the beaches of West Seattle in Portland. Portland on a clear day is spectacular with its mountain views. Seattle is just that much more impressive. The mountains are bigger and there's more of them. Views of the Sound and Islands vs the rivers in PDX.

Anyway, could go on and on. I still love Portland, but don't see myself uprooting from Seattle anytime soon to go back. I feel like we have almost everything Portland offers and then some.

[mea-oh]

Originally Posted by DJKirkland

I pay more rent here, but I earn a lot more. I don't pay a huge chunk of change in state income tax here like I had to in Oregon. That is more progressive IMO- you can limit what you pay in tax due to your consumption instead of being dinged for making a decent wage.

It's technically regressive. With this structure, someone who earns less pays a higher percentage of their income in taxes than someone who earns more. Income tax is technically more progressive than sales tax.

[DJKirkland]

Aha- yeah, that makes sense re: tax structure. I could see that being the case. I can't even remember what income tax was- like 8% or something? I still prefer Washington's set-up; I can choose how much I buy (to a point) and how much tax goes out the window, and unprepared food items / prescriptions are not taxed, which are essential survival items. I think it is easier to make a living here than in Oregon at the present time. I'm in the architecture field, and pay in Washington is noticeably higher than Oregon from what I've seen too.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by mea-oh

It's technically regressive. With this structure, someone who earns less pays a higher percentage of their income in taxes than someone who earns more. Income tax is technically more progressive than sales tax.

Which is part of the reason why this is the better city to live in if you didn't completely fail in life and fall into the "recipient" side of the donor/recipient relationship all members of society are in.

The two cities are only alike on the surface. If you live in both, you see the VAST differences. As to which one I prefer? Well, pretty obvious from which one I chose.