Portland ME vs Asheville NC vs Portland OR vs Seattle WA (living, better)

[djohanna]

Hello, after extensive research I have whittled my list of cities to consider living to these four.
Here are my criteria for a city:

-affordable for someone making less than 35,000 a year (about $3,000 a month); I will be a 23-year-old college graduate.
-weather is not too extreme; overly hot summers are unacceptable. Cold weather is okay.
-a lively healthy & sustainable living and fine arts scene/movement
-low or normal crime rate
-mountains, pretty geography nearby
-a generally sophisticated populace; educated and polite (as opposed to lots of drug addicts, people who are loud and rude for little reason, annoying partier youth)
-near the coast
-a decent amount of environment/sustainability or city-planning related jobs...GIS is a possibility

So, City Data-ers, which of these places sound the most fitting?

Thanks in advance...

[DevanXL]

Seattle and Portland Oregon fit the bill!. Do you want to live in the city? 3000 a month could definitely get you by in you get a smallish place for less then $1200. What other other expenses are you planning on? Do you have a car? Do you plan on going out alot? What career path are you taking?

[RadicalAtheist]

What's your social security number?

[projectmaximus]

A Caveat: You've picked a group of cities that I'm not terribly familiar with. That said, I would be surprised if you can live without much hardship on that salary in any of those cities besides Asheville, and possibly Portland ME.

My impressions are they all more or less suit your criteria well though, except Maine may be a bit extreme on the cold side and both Maine and Asheville will have fewer job options.

FWIW, I really love Seattle and Portland, OR and Asheville and Portland, ME are high on my list of places I've never been to.

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by DevanXL

Seattle and Portland Oregon fit the bill!. Do you want to live in the city? 3000 a month could definitely get you by in you get a smallish place for less then $1200.

Seriously? That's really good to know. Could I pull it off in a nice, vibrant, walkable neighborhood?

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by projectmaximus

Seriously? That's really good to know. Could I pull it off in a nice, vibrant, walkable neighborhood?

It all just depends. Right now Ballard, Capital Hill, and South Lake Union are the hottest neighborhoods in town. New Construction, nightlife, Cafe's bars, just fun places to be. Those will probably be between 1200-1700 if you want a nice spacious new place in the thick of things. Just browse around. Ive seen listings for brand new South Lake Union apartments for less then $1100 a month, and you would be basically right downtown.

[SETabor]

I don't know about the east coast cities, but Seattle's job prospects are likely better than Portland, OR's.

[tocoto]

I can't imagine living on $35K in Portland O, Portland M. or Seattle, at least not in a nice urban section. Portland M is pretty small but packs a lot into a smallish city. Jobs may be tough to find. Definitely gets cold but great ocean scenery. Can take a train or bus to Boston in 90 minutes and easy access to mountains and lakes. Attractions of Seattle and Portland are well known but you must be comfortable with lots of cloudiness. Don't know about Asheville but NC has a southern flavor some like and some don't.