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I haven't seen these 2 states compared on this board, and was thinking about Washington state and paying it a visit next year.
Based on this criteria below, which state is best for overall quality of life?
*Best city options to live
*Best economy
*Ideal weather
*Overall crime
*Friendliness of people
*Outdoor activities
*Future outlook
*Best big city in Nashville, Memphis or Seattle
*Overall cost of living
Two very different states, but not too far off population-wise, with Tennessee @ 6.8 million and Washington @ 7.5 million.
Both have booming large cities in Seattle and Nashville, and both are mountainous states.
Tennessee's population is more spread out. Washington's is heavily tilted to the greater Seattle region.
Washington has infinitely more varied weather...probably a 15-1 ratio of rainfall from the dryest areas to the rainiest, year-round glaciers, etc. Here are details (the highest precip is snowy peaks...omitted those from my ratio).
Seattle is a different level of urbanity than Nashville or Memphis...density, transit ridership, international diversity, cultural attractions, etc. But it's also far more expensive. Surprisingly perhaps, it's by far the largest in terms of manufacturing or military.
Actually, if you live in Spokane, Washington it is actually cheaper to live than Knoxville, TN. The outdoor recreation around Spokane is every bit as good as Knoxville and the Smokies. In Spokane area you have a beautiful waterfall that goes right through the town. You have the Selkirk mountains to the North, Cascades to the West and you have some of the most beautiful lakes in the world just 30 min to an hour away in Northern Idaho. Montana is much closer to Spokane than people think too. As well, Vancouver, WA is a nice suburb of Portland and you can have the benefits of no state tax if you work on the WA side , yet can shop in Oregon without sales tax. I use to live in Vancouver, WA area and enjoyed those benefits. It 's also more affordable than Chattanooga, although comparing the two are a bit hard, because Vancouver is a suburb of a semi-major city (Portland, OR) and Chattanooga is its own city. On that note, you could probably find more higher pay jobs in PDX area.
I am a Cascadian for life and grew up in Oregon, but lived for many years in Washington and as beautiful as I think Tennessee is as a state, nothing compares to the beauty of the state of Washington. I find it even more beautiful than my home state of Oregon. I miss the beauty of living in Snoqualmie Valley right outside Seattle, especially.
Washington politics are the only bad thing that comes to mind. It's trying to shift itself into another California, whereas the state use to be much more live and let live. Tennessee is a very conservative Republican type of state.
Tennessee has more violent crime, but Washington state has more problems with mental illness, homelessness and theft. I had my car broken into even living in the safest suburb of Seattle (Duvall, WA).
I actually find people in the Pacific Northwest to overall be friendlier than Tennessee. Yes, it sounds strange. But, that is just my own personal experience. Both have a similar kind of culture outside the cities and both are a bit introverted. At least the Middle TN area I live. I was kind of shocked to see how rural Washingtonians and Oregonians, as well as Tennesseans both seem to like sporting flannels and beards. You could be in a small town in either state and think you are in the same place. Seattle is very grungy city and people go to 4 star restaurants in t-shirts and sweatpants, sometimes, whereas Nashville is very flashy and every one seems to want to make an impression. The guy you think may be low wage hipster could be a multi-millionaire working for a big tech company in Seattle. So, never look down on anyone you just meet in Seattle, I learned. Just my observation after living in both cities.
Even though Washington's weather may be more varied East of the Cascades, it is actually some of the most homogenous weather of any where in the country West of the Cascades. You have 6-8 months of clouds, overcast and drizzle and 3 or 4 months of very sunny and warm days. If you are East of the Cascades you can get brutal blizzards and blazing hot summers . Wentachee even gets over 105F quite often on the other side of Cascades from Seattle.
Last edited by RotseCherut; 12-21-2019 at 05:52 PM..
I think Washington is more beautiful than Tennessee and that's saying something cause Tennessee is pretty. It's a toss up. Seattle seems like a more Powerful city than Nashville. But Tennessee is more Centrally Located. Washington is way out the way and kinda isolated
Best city options to live: Tennessee
*Best economy: Washington
*Ideal weather: Tennessee
*Overall crime: Washington
*Friendliness of people: Tennessee. Washington is more introverted, homely, and passive aggressive whereas Tennesseans are more likely to start conversations with strangers.
*Outdoor activities: Washington
*Future outlook: Tennessee. The state has more prosperous cities outside of its main star.
*Best big city in Nashville, Memphis or Seattle: Seattle then several steps down. Seattle tips the scales.
*Overall cost of living: Tennessee
I could go either way, but Tennessee wins due to location and having more balanced metro areas.
I haven't seen these 2 states compared on this board, and was thinking about Washington state and paying it a visit next year.
Based on this criteria below, which state is best for overall quality of life?
*Best city options to live
*Best economy
*Ideal weather
*Overall crime
*Friendliness of people
*Outdoor activities
*Future outlook
*Best big city in Nashville, Memphis or Seattle
*Overall cost of living
Two very different states, but not too far off population-wise, with Tennessee @ 6.8 million and Washington @ 7.5 million.
Both have booming large cities in Seattle and Nashville, and both are mountainous states.
*Best city options to live - Seattle
*Best economy - Seattle
*Ideal weather - Tennessee
*Overall crime - Washington
*Friendliness of people- Tenn
*Outdoor activities- Washington
*Future outlook- Tenn
*Best big city in Nashville, Memphis or Seattle- Seattle
*Overall cost of living- Tenn
I worked for a bit in nashville and I might give nashville the edge on quality of life compared to Seattle due to Seattle Traffic, friendliness edge of Nashville, and cost of housing.
For geographical beauty, WA has it over TN, which is a big statement. TN is gorgeous. But that's where WA's positives end.
With the Seattle/Tacoma area being, by far, the dominant area in the state, its influence can't be ignored. Seattle is a C-D darling, but to be objective, you have to look at all sides. Here is a one-hour investigative program one of Seattle's own TV stations (KOMO-TV) did earlier this year on the city called, "Seattle is Dying" ( https://youtu.be/bpAi70WWBlw ). My wife and I visited the Bay Area, Portland, and Seattle back in January of this year and can affirm that this is the case for, not only Seattle, but Portland and San Francisco as well. Once wonderful, beautiful, livable cities ruined by the very politics many of you worship in cult-like fashion, no matter the results they produce. There's little to no political diversity or diversity of thought at all. The local politicians in Seattle (as you will see in this video) literally laugh in the faces of citizens who complain at city council meetings about the horrid conditions of the city. City leaders will not allow the police to enforce laws. Plus you get to pay some of the highest costs of living in the nation for the "privilege" living in such areas. Yet this is what "progressiveness" (the political use of the word, not the literal) gets you. The facts and results can't even be argued. We have visited those 3 areas for decades. But with what my wife and I saw and experienced in those 3 areas, we sadly will not visit any of them again. And to even consider living there would be laughable. Will we visit again? Only if things changed very dramatically. WA, like pretty much any area, has its upside. But its downside is huge.
So I wholeheartedly would choose Tennessee over Washington. Objectively for me, it's not even close.
Last edited by march2; 12-22-2019 at 04:24 AM..
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