Federal Way vs. Portland (Seattle, Tacoma: renting, new home, place to live)

[Pfhtex]

First, please understand that I have spent hours and hours on this board reading tons of fantastic information. But since you all seem so accomodating, I find it necessary to ask for your feedback.

I have job offers in Federal Way and Beaverton, OR. Assuming that the jobs are identical, could y'all help me out in my decision process?

I'm 41, happen to be a single straight male, and am moving from Dallas and Austin, TX. My favorite days are overcast, I'm totally ok with that part. But I want to live, and therefore work, in a spot that really immerses me in the beauty of the region, while still accessing traditional "city" elements.

I might not get all these but I want: view of mountain(s) from my new home, access/view of water, be it lake or ocean, and more snow than not. I will have to be, I suppose, within a half hour of Beaverton or Federal Way, and am coming up to vet out the companies in a couple weeks. My goal is to decompress thoroughly. I want to become outdoorsy. I will be renting a SFR with a yard.

Again, I've tried to avoid cluttering the board with another "should I move there?" post. I KNOW I'm on the way, I just need your advice regarding the optimal spot.

Thanks!

[SaltyDawg]

Well, Federal Way is hardly the city locals would hold up as a beacon of what the Northwest has to offer. While there are some spectacular views of Puget Sound and the Olympics from spots, it's mostly an exurb bisected by a major thoroughfare (highway 99) with all of the strip malls & nonsense we've grown accustomed to.

I don't know Beaverton as well, but it's well-connected to Portland via MAX, and has some major industry (Nike) in its backyard.

I love Seattle, but I'd choose Beaverton.

[Pfhtex]

If I were to live, say, a half-hour away from FedWay or Beaverton, where might be optimal places? I might seem contradictory when I mention that access to some semblance of nightlife, in the shadow of a mountain, giant trees, while also on the shore of a giant body of water, where it snows more than less, is kind of what I'm looking for. Pipe dream?

[VeronikaW]

I don't know anything about Beaverton, but I'm fairly certain you're not going to find lots of snow within a half hour of Federal Way. What I know of Federal Way, it's sort of an ugly, seedy place (the parts that I've seen).

[Ira500]

Here's the rub:
If being near a large body of water within 1/2 an hour of Federal Way is the big priority, then mostly you're talking about Puget Sound, and if you're talking about Puget Sound, there's going to be very little snow...
Be that as it may, North Tacoma is where you'll want to go for nightlife, and a nice place to live if you want something a little more city, and parts of Federal Way such as Dash Point and Browns Point are lovely spots far away from the ugly seedy parts of Federal Way that Veronika describes.
Also, how about Burien? Burien, like Federal Way, has ugly, seedy parts, but it has a huge park (Seahurst)on the water that also goes up the hill in the woods with amazing views, and a rejuvenated old downtown area with great restaurants and a couple of cool bars.

[texastrigirl]

Being a half hour from Federal Way leaves a lot of options doesn't it? Wouldn't West Seattle be 1/2 hour from Federal Way?? View of the Olympics, right on the water, great proximity to downtown, etc. My neighbors just moved here from Beaverton a few weeks ago and liked it very much as well. I think some of it boils down to if you want to live in a large city or a medium sized city. I like Portland a lot but Seattle has more large companies and has great proximity to both the mountains (we love to ski!) and the water (we love to sail!). But wow, congrats on having two jobs offers in really good places. We moved here from Austin in July 2007 and are enjoying ourselves immensely.

[malarkey]

Beaverton!! Without a doubt. Fed Way is a dump. What I like about Portland over Seattle: Access to the ocean (not the Sound, but real ocean) way closer to Portland than Seattle. Access to beautiful wine country: way closer to Portland than Seattle. All of Washington's wineries are about 4-5 hours east of Seattle. Unless of course, you count all those ugly storage sheds in Woodinville :-> Access to snow? Who cares after this past winter?!? (jk ;-)

[secret_squirrel]

If mass transit is important, pick Beaverton.

[rigorddonjr]

Traffic in Seattle is rough. Portland slightly less rain. Sports Seattle has it by a mile. Both close to snow get about the same amount. Seattle has better downtown, IMO. I have lived in both areas. Enjoyed Seattle slightly more.