Thinking of Moving to the PNW (Portland, Oakland: transplants, rentals, daycare)

[stinalee]

So, my boyfriend and I have been discussing moving up to the PNW area from Nebraska. He has moved around a bit in his life, but I have never spent more than a week or two away from "home". Trying to get an idea of everything is a bit difficult being far away from there. I'm wondering if some people from the area would tell me what area they like the best, some of the advantages/disadvantages of Portland vs. Seattle vs...wherever.

*I have a 2 year old and 4 year old girl, so safe but not too expensive is a big deal for me*


I pretty well figure anywhere up there will provide more opportunity for culture, outdoor activities, a bit of everything

What's your job situation like?

Seattle and Portland are both pretty much guaranteed to be failures for you if you move here with no skills and no job.

Jobs can be hard to come by and cost of living is pretty high. People who fail to understand those two things come here, wind up broke, then return back to wherever they came from in a matter of months.

That said, if you can make it work, Portland is nice. It's big enough to have decent museums, shows, etc. Access to mountains and the coast is quick and easy.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by stinalee

So, my boyfriend and I have been discussing moving up to the PNW area from Nebraska. He has moved around a bit in his life, but I have never spent more than a week or two away from "home". Trying to get an idea of everything is a bit difficult being far away from there. I'm wondering if some people from the area would tell me what area they like the best, some of the advantages/disadvantages of Portland vs. Seattle vs...wherever.

*I have a 2 year old and 4 year old girl, so safe but not too expensive is a big deal for me*


I pretty well figure anywhere up there will provide more opportunity for culture, outdoor activities, a bit of everything

Coming from Nebraska, I think you might be in for sticker shock in terms of rental prices, food prices, and the overall cost of living. Will you both need jobs? And what is your budget? Not too expensive for you might be totally different than not too expensive for someone living here in the PNW.

[patches403]

Originally Posted by stinalee

So, my boyfriend and I have been discussing moving up to the PNW area from Nebraska. He has moved around a bit in his life, but I have never spent more than a week or two away from "home". Trying to get an idea of everything is a bit difficult being far away from there. I'm wondering if some people from the area would tell me what area they like the best, some of the advantages/disadvantages of Portland vs. Seattle vs...wherever.

*I have a 2 year old and 4 year old girl, so safe but not too expensive is a big deal for me*


I pretty well figure anywhere up there will provide more opportunity for culture, outdoor activities, a bit of everything

If you've never spent more than a week or two away from your Nebraska home in your life, then a jump all the way to the PNW will be pretty traumatic for you, especially if you have no family and friends nearby for support. Life in the PNW is vastly different than life in Nebraska is in many ways. The culture, landscape, weather, people, and overall lifestyle are all vastly different than what you're used to. Are you prepared to live somewhere this different and this far away from all your family and friends?

As others have mentioned, you should take a look at the prices of rentals and the other costs of living - pretty-much everything is more expensive in the PNW than the Midwest - the costs of gas, food, entertainment and especially housing and daycare (if needed) will all be sticker shock for you. I normally tell people with kids to not to even bother moving to the Portland area unless they can make a household income of at least $100,000 if they want to live a comfortable life and take advantage of all the area has to offer. In Seattle the income needed to live a comfortable life would be even higher, at least $130,000 to $150,000. Outside the major cities, housing is a little cheaper, but the employment opportunities also aren't very good. The PNW as a whole is not a good place for newcomers looking at minimum wage incomes so a lot of this comes down to what you two have for job skills and what those skills can earn in the PNW.

If you really want a change of scenery and more opportunities, why not suggest to your boyfriend that you look at cities that are much closer to where you are now and that would be a much easier transition for you, such as Kansas City, Wichita, Minneapolis, etc.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by patches403

If you've never spent more than a week or two away from your Nebraska home in your life, then a jump all the way to the PNW will be pretty traumatic for you, especially if you have no family and friends nearby for support. Life in the PNW is vastly different than life in Nebraska is in many ways. The culture, landscape, weather, people, and overall lifestyle are all vastly different than what you're used to. Are you prepared to live somewhere this different and this far away from all your family and friends?

As others have mentioned, you should take a look at the prices of rentals and the other costs of living - pretty-much everything is more expensive in the PNW than the Midwest - the costs of gas, food, entertainment and especially housing and daycare (if needed) will all be sticker shock for you. I normally tell people with kids to not to even bother moving to the Portland area unless they can make a household income of at least $100,000 if they want to live a comfortable life and take advantage of all the area has to offer. In Seattle the income needed to live a comfortable life would be even higher, at least $130,000 to $150,000. Outside the major cities, housing is a little cheaper, but the employment opportunities also aren't very good. The PNW as a whole is not a good place for newcomers looking at minimum wage incomes so a lot of this comes down to what you two have for job skills and what those skills can earn in the PNW.

If you really want a change of scenery and more opportunities, why not suggest to your boyfriend that you look at cities that are much closer to where you are now and that would be a much easier transition for you, such as Kansas City, Wichita, Minneapolis, etc.

I agree. How about Pittsburgh or Cincinnati?

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by patches403

If you've never spent more than a week or two away from your Nebraska home in your life, then a jump all the way to the PNW will be pretty traumatic for you, especially if you have no family and friends nearby for support. Life in the PNW is vastly different than life in Nebraska is in many ways. The culture, landscape, weather, people, and overall lifestyle are all vastly different than what you're used to. Are you prepared to live somewhere this different and this far away from all your family and friends?

As others have mentioned, you should take a look at the prices of rentals and the other costs of living - pretty-much everything is more expensive in the PNW than the Midwest - the costs of gas, food, entertainment and especially housing and daycare (if needed) will all be sticker shock for you. I normally tell people with kids to not to even bother moving to the Portland area unless they can make a household income of at least $100,000 if they want to live a comfortable life and take advantage of all the area has to offer. In Seattle the income needed to live a comfortable life would be even higher, at least $130,000 to $150,000. Outside the major cities, housing is a little cheaper, but the employment opportunities also aren't very good. The PNW as a whole is not a good place for newcomers looking at minimum wage incomes so a lot of this comes down to what you two have for job skills and what those skills can earn in the PNW.

If you really want a change of scenery and more opportunities, why not suggest to your boyfriend that you look at cities that are much closer to where you are now and that would be a much easier transition for you, such as Kansas City, Wichita, Minneapolis, etc.

If you have never even visited the PNW, how did you decide that two of the most expensive cities in it would be a good fit to test your earning abilities, especially with two very young kids? Do you have good jobs lined up or savings enough to last a jobless 6 months or longer, along with enough left so that you could move elsewhere if it did not work out? Do you know that gas prices in the PNW are the highest in the lower 48, which matters if you live far from your jobs?

[Hockeygirl063]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

I agree. How about Pittsburgh or Cincinnati?

I was just reading something about Pittsburgh, how it is an up and coming place to live. It has been years since i was there but it is not dirty and gritty like it use to be. it has many nice areas and neighborhoods.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Hockeygirl063

I was just reading something about Pittsburgh, how it is an up and coming place to live. It has been years since i was there but it is not dirty and gritty like it use to be. it has many nice areas and neighborhoods.

I have been reading a lot about Pittsburgh and it has so many job opportunities especially for college grads. The city has homes in the urban core for 100K or less and the city needs transplants to move in and renovate its aging housing stock. Pittsburgh has excellent colleges and universities which may be important to the OP if grad school is a consideration.

[Familyman6]

The city of Pittsburgh is a dump.... I was just there not that long ago for an alumni game. In Oakland, where the U of PITT is absolutely ghetto. I would never recommend anyone live in the city limits there. They have some really nice suburbs like, Cranberry Township, Wexford, etc.... but MOST of the actual city of Pittsburgh is garbage.

[EasyBeezy]

Pittsburgh has dumpy areas for sure. Most cities do. But to call it a dump is, IMO, a gross overreaction. Pittsburgh isn't as homogeneous as Portland and had an extended economic downturn, but by all measures it is on the upswing. Plus, it has alot of affordable housing, which is important for non-rich people. It has a really interesting cityscape (which is, unfortunately, horrible for bicycling due to numerous huge hills), good food and nightlife, and an unpretentious culture. I think it would be a better choice than Portland for the majority of transplants.