Vancouver/Seattle/Tacoma V.S Pittsburgh (Spokane, Pacific: pros and cons, closing, income)

[midnightangel2473]

Ok so currently I live in St Louis and I want to get far far away from here. We were looking into either moving to Pittsburgh or Washington (Seattle, Tacoma or Seattle.)

I personally want to go to Washington but hubby wants to go to Pittsburgh (he grew up there)

What are some pros and cons for each area?
which would you prefer?

Also which area would you prefer for Washington?

[USDefault]

Your winters will be far milder in Seattle, or any major Washington city/county west of the Cascades. Snow on the West Coast is rare at sea level; you'll need to head up to one of the (many) mountains for snow. And these last couple winters, our February daytime temps have been in the mid-50s and even low 60s a few days last week, and we've had maybe one evening temp below freezing. I am beginning to wonder if this is our new normal; I've seen people in shorts outside walking dogs and jogging this February (though the joggers will wear shorts year-round in Washington, even in very cold weather). Spring is essentially here, the trees already are starting to grow buds, the frogs are out, days are getting longer very quickly.

Better spring and summers as well here in Washington (and Oregon), really beautiful, and I would argue spring, summer and fall in the Pacific Northwest (and West Coast) is among the best in the United States -- clean, green, lush, plenty of fresh clean water. The Pacific Ocean is a major moderating force, keeping the temps in a tighter band than most of the rest of the U.S. A lot of East Coast weather is terrible, from very humid, and sometimes scorching, summers to very cold winters. I hate Manhattan and D.C. from early June to late August, it's misery.

Finally, as for WA area, Seattle and Tacoma are great. We are in Vancouver, near the Columbia River and fifteen minutes by car to Portland (non rush hour). Love it. You may want to check it out, especially if popping over to Portland for dinner or shopping appeals to you (and close to PDX, arguably one of the best airports in the country).

[texasdiver]

Seattle will be about 2x to 3x more expensive than Pittsburgh

Tacoma is a little more reasonable and a much smaller city. But it is on the edge of the greater Seattle commuting zone (lots of people commute from Tacoma to points in the Seattle area and the east side tech hubs) so prices in Tacoma are not that much lower.

I would not move to the Seattle area unless you have jobs waiting. The cost of living will be brutal. It is closing in on San Francisco in that respect. All things being equal in terms of jobs and salary, you'll have a much higher standard of living in Pittsburgh where costs are much lower.

You might look at Spokane as a much more affordable option to Seattle.

[midnightangel2473]

Oh yeah he would definitely have a job lined up

Costs are higher but Pennsylvania has ridiculous taxes so I thought the no income would help
Plus higher pay for his job field
and even minimum wage at that if I decide to get a part time job, since all I do is watch my little ones right now.

I also know that Pittsburgh traffic sucks as well as being hard to navigate through and the transit is also bad which are both kid of big factors.

[Jane917]

Traffic in Pittsburg might be bad, but it does not hit the top ten traffic areas, at least on the lists I look at. Seattle (including the greater metropolitan area which includes Tacoma) and Portland usually hit the top 10 list. Although Washington does not impose a state income tax, you get taxed on just about everything. The money has to come from somewhere.

Public transportation is good in Seattle and Portland. Not so good if you want to commute from Vancouver WA to Portland OR. I am not sure how good public transportation is for a commute from Tacoma to Seattle.

The important part of moving to a new area has already been mentioned....have a job lined up.