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Ok, that sounds consistent with what I've gathered so far. In Seattle, do they have anything like Forest Park or places right near town where you can go hiking? How far is the nearest skiing?
Yes, actually, when I visited I tried to get a sense of the neighborhoods and I really liked the Sellwood area, however, it was pretty far from the Pearl District and popular tech scene venues like Bailey's, so I would probably end up opting for something more central. I don't mind a longish bike commute, but it feels a less flexible being so far from the MAX line.
Ok, that sounds consistent with what I've gathered so far. In Seattle, do they have anything like Forest Park or places right near town where you can go hiking? How far is the nearest skiing?
Sadly, Seattle doesn't have an urban forest reserve. But you might like Discovery Park. The Seattle area has wonderful hiking options, these are the most popular options= Hiking near Seattle - Best Hikes, Guides, and Trail Maps | EveryTrail If/once you move to Seattle, you'll get more familiar with the area and start to know the more lesser knowns options.
Snoqualmie Pass is the closest ski area, I'd say is about 45 mins from Seattle.
Mafhoney is a poster in the Washington forum who incidentally is from Florida, moved to Seattle and now posts wonderful pictures of her hikes (you'll see them in the Wa picture thread). You should check it out and see if you can ask her some questions.
I actually feel like Portland is losing some of it's luster, but Seattle has just been gaining and gaining it. Its like...why move to Portland when you can move to Seattle for more and better paying jobs and much better city that actually offer what it's hyped? Seattle is also a much better looking city with a larger urban core.
Having stored up enough Vitamin D to last a lifetime and tired of treading this flat, monochromatic, blind-your-eyes sunny, sweltering, squat palm tree studded sprawl-a-thon that is Sarasota Florida, I'm trading in my beach towel for a rain jacket and heading for the Pacific Northwest.
However, we have a dilemma. We're having a hard time deciding between Seattle and Portland. A little about us so you can perhaps help us in this difficult decision. We're the typical two-kid family and primarily we are interested in proximity to outdoor activities like biking, hiking, skiing, kayaking, camping, etc. We also want to move to a place where we can use public transit in lieu of relying on the car as we do here in Florida. I work as a software developer and I'm free to work from home, so either city is viable for my current job. The schools are excellent in both places so that's not a deciding factor. I want a good tech scene as well (and both places seem to have that).
I visited Portland (4 days), Seattle (1 day) and Vancouver British Columbia (4 days) this spring and all places exceeded my expectations. I'm fine with the rainy weather and when I visited, I had 4 days of the typical gray weather so I'm not seeing things through "rose-colored glasses". When I visited Portland, I definitely enjoyed the sense of community (people were very friendly), Forest Park, the many hiking trails right in Portland's backyard (along the Columbia river), the coffee shops and the smell of pine. I did not spend enough time in Seattle to get a feel for it. It *felt* a bit safer walking around on the streets at night in Seattle, simply b/c there are more people on the streets so the safety in numbers thing (whereas in Portland there would be only 1 or 2 other people and they were bums). What I like about Seattle is the sheer number of interesting, challenging, high-paying jobs so that if I decide to leave my current job at some point in the future, there is a ridiculous number of options. Portland has a start-up scene but from the research I've done it's quite a bit smaller and the salaries are much lower than Seattle, more so than the reduced cost-of-living can possibly make up for. However, from Seattle do you have to drive an hour to get to decent hiking trails? In Portland, there are several waterfalls 30 minutes from the city (Mount Hood and excellent skiing is only 1.5 hours away).
How is the public transit in Seattle? How does it compare to Portland? Do they have good bike lanes in Seattle? My wife would really like to be able to do her day-to-day errands on foot or transit. Are parks, libraries, etc. accessible without a car? Is Portland sunnier than Seattle? I didn't see enough of Seattle to know, which is prettier? If I moved to Seattle, I would probably need to get a new job to afford the 20% higher cost of living, but that would be fine, since they have appealing options. Portland seemed to have a lot of families. Is that the same in Seattle? Which city is safer and better for kids to grow up in?
I know there are a ton of these threads. I've read them. But I'm still here on the fence, vacillating between options. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Just by visiting a place you can't tell what it would be like after you move there. Might want to look into Bellingham if you work from home. If you lived in a smaller town (i.e. Sarasota for a long time), I'm not sure how you'd like Seattle. Every time I visit (btw, I live in Pinellas), I find it congested and rat-race like. I think Seattle is becoming too big and some people may not like that. Plus you have the recent shootings(someone posted they've had 4-5 shootings past several years, not sure?) If I lived up there (or in any city), I'd wanna be as far away from the center as possible.
Bellingham is close to Mt Baker which gets the most snow than any other mountain in North America. Housing is less expensive than Seattle, it's close to Vancouver BC (60 miles away) and has direct access to the San Juan islands. On the down side, you'd still have to rely on your car but it has very little traffic. If you like the rain now, go for it. Others freak out, it's overcast from Oct-May.
I actually feel like Portland is losing some of it's luster, but Seattle has just been gaining and gaining it. Its like...why move to Portland when you can move to Seattle for more and better paying jobs and much better city that actually offer what it's hyped? Seattle is also a much better looking city with a larger urban core.
And this feeling is something that's evident all the way in Atlanta?
Just by visiting a place you can't tell what it would be like after you move there. Might want to look into Bellingham if you work from home. If you lived in a smaller town (i.e. Sarasota for a long time), I'm not sure how you'd like Seattle. Every time I visit (btw, I live in Pinellas), I find it congested and rat-race like. I think Seattle is becoming too big and some people may not like that. Plus you have the recent shootings(someone posted they've had 4-5 shootings past several years, not sure?) If I lived up there (or in any city), I'd wanna be as far away from the center as possible.
Bellingham is close to Mt Baker which gets the most snow than any other mountain in North America. Housing is less expensive than Seattle, it's close to Vancouver BC (60 miles away) and has direct access to the San Juan islands. On the down side, you'd still have to rely on your car but it has very little traffic. If you like the rain now, go for it. Others freak out, it's overcast from Oct-May.
Interesting recommendation, I will consider this as well. Bellingham does seem to have a beautiful natural setting with nearby outdoor activities. Is it grayer/more rain than Seattle?
Portland does is not yet on the global level that Seattle and Vancouver are. Seattle probably wins on the tech scene, since it is becoming a close second to Silicon Valley.
I've found many of Portlandia's stereotypes to be rather true. I don't mean this as an insult, but I've encountered a lot of weirdos in Portland (i.e., nose rings and top hats are the norm) that I wouldn't see in Seattle. When I was riding on the MAX once, I passed three shirtless guys dancing on trash cans.
Portland does is not yet on the global level that Seattle and Vancouver are. Seattle probably wins on the tech scene, since it is becoming a close second to Silicon Valley.
I've found many of Portlandia's stereotypes to be rather true. I don't mean this as an insult, but I've encountered a lot of weirdos in Portland (i.e., nose rings and top hats are the norm) that I wouldn't see in Seattle. When I was riding on the MAX once, I passed three shirtless guys dancing on trash cans.
Seattle was known for those stereotypes back in the 90s, it's just more of yuppie environment these days.
Both Portland and Seattle are okay--but I wouldn't move here unless you like the natural landscape and surrounding environments(and don't mind getting out and doing stuff under often grey skies). The cities themselves are overrated, though they are nice locations overall, but after a while they can feel limited. Like they're solid "B" cities, they're livable, but they're pricey and full of people who just moved here and trying to figure out if they like the place or not, and they aren't going to have real urban excitement if that's what one is looking for. If you can find your niche in either one they're enjoyable places, but I wouldn't move to the Northwest without a love for the landscape of the mountains and forests and sea, because that's the main attraction overall. If one like hiking or fishing or that sort of thing then it's great living here.
Last edited by Deezus; 06-12-2014 at 09:55 AM..
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