Military Move... Lots of Choices... Where to go?

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by citylove101

With your housing costs covered, I'd go with Seattle. The Pacific Northwest is one of my favorite parts of the country and the city itself--where you can afford to live--is very cool. Nice thing about the place is that it s a small and manageable city with a lot of big city amenities, plus a lot of outdoor recreational activities nearby. And with your rent paid, you could afford to take advantage of these opportunities. Summers are beautiful, winters are mild, and contrary to popular opinion it does not rain there all the time. All the Seattle people I've ever met have said to me something like "Well, that's what we tell Californians to keep them from moving here!" Seattle is also laid-back in a way that many other Northeastern and California cities are not. And God knows they have enough restaurants in and around the city for your girl to find work. Seattle is great, and I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could.

You can't beat Washington for all the scenery it offers: Desert, Mountains, Plains, Rainforest, forests which doesn't lose their greenery (even in winter), the ocean, rivers and lakes. Lots of recreation opportunities.

Well, more likely OP's going to Tacoma (Fort Lewis). The COL is a tad lower there than Seattle. At $1143/mo, that's going to get you a nice apartment in the Tacoma area, maybe even a house. An average/ok apartment in Seattle but definitely not a house. If OP is going to work on base, then he better live close because traffic is bad here and our gas prices are on the higher end.

As for Portland, OR... OP will have to factor in the bad job market there. It is possible the gf will not find a job for quite long while. More job opportunities in Seattle/Tacoma-- plus, Washington doesn't have income tax while Oregon does (but OR doesn't have sales tax).