Spokane or Vancouver? (job market, construction, tax)

[Liphik]

I'm torn between Spokane or Vancouver, I like Vancouver because its closer to Portland and their is probally more fun things to do but I have a potential job in Spokane. Concerns of Spokane are the climate, The city itself might not be as "up-to-date" as Vancouver/Portland area. But vancouver I dont have a job lined up, is it really that hard to find a job if your really looking?

[Sobefobik]

Originally Posted by Liphik

I'm torn between Spokane or Vancouver, I like Vancouver because its closer to Portland and their is probally more fun things to do but I have a potential job in Spokane. Concerns of Spokane are the climate, The city itself might not be as "up-to-date" as Vancouver/Portland area. But vancouver I dont have a job lined up, is it really that hard to find a job if your really looking?

It depends on the job you're looking for. What field of work are you in?

Personally I love Spokane and I love the weather there. You're right, though. It's not as up to date as Vancouver/Portland and the downtown can sometimes look dirty. Nonetheless, the climate is wonderful in my opinion, and there is so much to do there especially if you like outdoor activities. The cost of living in Spokane is much lower than in Vancouver.

What are your interests?

[FantasyFootballGuy]

Spokane is better than Vancouver but Vancouver is very close to Portland and Portland is way better than Spokane. So I would pick Vancouver because you could be close to Portland.

[Liphik]

Thanks guys, the Job I have potentially lined up in Spokane is as a Call Center supervisor. But Vancouver I'm winging it. As far as climate I much rather prefer the PNW Rain and clouds to potential snow/scorching hot humid days. Interested in outdoors, With modern luxuries =). Bars, clubs etc.. the usual things. I'm sure Spokane is nice in its own way but is it worth 2,500 Miles to end in a place your not 100% crazy about. Coming from PA btw

[Sobefobik]

Originally Posted by Liphik

Thanks guys, the Job I have potentially lined up in Spokane is as a Call Center supervisor. But Vancouver I'm winging it. As far as climate I much rather prefer the PNW Rain and clouds to potential snow/scorching hot humid days. Interested in outdoors, With modern luxuries =). Bars, clubs etc.. the usual things. I'm sure Spokane is nice in its own way but is it worth 2,500 Miles to end in a place your not 100% crazy about. Coming from PA btw

Will you have the opportunity to take a trip out here? You need to because the areas are very very different. To be honest, I've heard what you said about the PNW weather so many times and I would say a low percentage end up liking it. And coming from Pennsylvania, you're not used to the constant cloud cover that you will get here. That being said, some people love it. Vancouver and Portland have a lot to offer. There's great hiking even right in the city. The Columbia River Gorge is just an hour away (Google it. It's beautiful!). Portland has its own culture that I find comparable to Europe. (If I were you, I would just scratch Vancouver and go Portland).

Spokane on the other hand is high desert. It is hot in the summer, but I wouldn't say scorching. The average temperatures in the summer are probably around 90 degrees. Remember too that it's a dry heat (not the humid stuff like you have there in Pennsylvania), so it's very tolerable. The winters, however, can get very cold and they do get a lot of snow. I personally love the snow and cold so I don't have a problem with it.

Why not take the job in Spokane so that you at least get into the general area you want. From there take a trip to Vancouver/Portland and see if you like it better. Then you can look around, apply for jobs, and just see if you like the area more. In this job market, the last thing I would do is just randomly move somewhere without a job.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Liphik

But Vancouver I'm winging it. As far as climate I much rather prefer the PNW Rain and clouds to potential snow/scorching hot humid days. Interested in outdoors, With modern luxuries =). Bars, clubs etc.. the usual things.

PDX/Vancouver's been very hard-hit by the bad economy. You'd really have to be winging it. People always say they'd "prefer" the PNW rain and clouds and like Sobefobik says, in the long run only a small percentage ultimately do, the rest either move out or make do (while complaining bitterly).

Originally Posted by Liphik

I'm sure Spokane is nice in its own way but is it worth 2,500 Miles to end in a place your not 100% crazy about. Coming from PA btw

Same could be said about PDX/Vancouver... Moving anywhere is a risk. Apart from PDX, Vancouver doesn't have the ambience of Spokane. Vancouver is pure and relatively new suburbia, with a lame "downtown" area. If you want PDX and what it has to offer, move to PDX.

[hamellr]

The major call centers are in Beaverton (West of Portland) and are all constantly hiring due to high turnover. They're Stream, ACS, Comcast, and Yahoo.

ACS has sort of the worst reputation and pays the lowest, but has multiple call centers that support all sorts of products, across the entire Portland area, and the world. They shift work from call center to call center constantly, so you can find yourself without a job pretty quickly. If you're in a supervisor position there is a good chance of traveling internationally to train your replacements though.

Stream is supposed to be the best/highest paid to work for, but can loose a contract pretty quickly. So lay-offs do happen. They do tend to try to absorb as many people as possible onto other teams though.

Comcast pays over minimum, but not as high as Stream. On the other hand it's steady work and you rarely fear getting laid off.

There are no major call centers in Vancouver, although there are smaller ones. The commute from Vancouver to Beaverton is doable, but highly recommended against. Doubly so since construction on the Columbia River Crossing is supposed to start any time soon, and the new bridge is going to be tolled. Just getting across the bridge can be easily an hour, and two hours is not unheard of.

The other thing to worry about is that Oregon will still tax you if you work in Oregon but live in Washington. Working a low paying job, along with the commute would make it hard to make ends meet for many people.