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Seattle is a bigger city. It has the space needle. It's more expensive to buy property or a home there. It seems like there are more jobs that pay more for those who are qualified.
Portland is more woodsy. There is some large parks there. It is less expensive but still not cheap to live there. There's no sales tax in Portland or Oregon.
The weather is pretty similar. They are both the largest cities in their states. Portland is in Oregon and Seattle in Washington. Since they are both in the Northwest they are similar cities.
Seattle is much bigger and more of an ecomomic powerhouse- several large companies (Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, etc.) are there and so more jobs. Seattle is right on saltwater also (Puget Sound) and has better scenery IMO. Portland has a different feel to it and the pace seems slower. You need to visit both and see which vibe you like.
Oregon is said to be one the highest unemployed states in the union. I love living in Portland but, for me, the job prospects are better in Seattle than Portland and that's why I moved away years ago. But, between the two I would prefer Portland.
The easiest may to sum it up to me is that Seattle is more yuppie and Portland is more hipster, but there is a lot of overlap. Seattle has a lot more going on, is much more scenically beautiful and has much more international exposure and pull. Seattle is a major city where Portland is just a large city. I cannot think of a lot of advantages that Portland has as an advantage over Seattle except that it is smaller and a better size when it comes to big city problems like traffic and high home prices. Seattle is pretty expensive. I definitely prefer Seattle but I know why Portland appeals to some.
But for the insidious cloud cover in both places, Portland is the best city in the U.S. It "works". Very friendly people, beautiful town and parks, bikeable, transit everywhere and access to beach and mountains.
seattle is quite a bit larger in population and the skyline in seattle is far better than portland. the weather is fairly similar, with seattle having slightly worse/ more gray days than portland. the scenery in these cities are similar as well, with very large mountains in viewing distance. i prefer seattle because it is a larger city with more things to do. i did enjoy living in portland though because you can get around the city fairly well, minus the traffic at the interstate bridge.
seattle is quite a bit larger in population and the skyline in seattle is far better than portland.
Actually, Seattle is only slightly larger in population:
2010 World Almanac:
Seattle population (2008) 598,000
Portland population (2008) 557,000
Seattle's skyline might make for a better sight from a distance, but at ground level I'll take Portland's downtown over Seattle's downtown any day. It is much more walkable with more cafes, bars, restaurants, stores, etc. Downtown Seattle has more generic, sterile office buildings.
Actually, Seattle is only slightly larger in population:
2010 World Almanac:
Seattle population (2008) 598,000
Portland population (2008) 557,000
Seattle's skyline might make for a better sight from a distance, but at ground level I'll take Portland's downtown over Seattle's downtown any day. It is much more walkable with more cafes, bars, restaurants, stores, etc. Downtown Seattle has more generic, sterile office buildings.
Actually Seattle's population is around 617,000 now, and the metro is significantly larger (over 1 million larger) than Portland's. I think Portland has a great walkable downtown, but it lacks the energy and 'big city' feel that Seattle provides in my opinion. I don't know that Portland really has 'more' cafes and stores -
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