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You know... I had a similar issue when I moved to NYC. Not in regards to taxes but the cost of living in Brooklyn vs Manhattan., so I decided to live in Brooklyn in the beginning so I could save more money.
I realized in the end that my 2 hour daily commute, friends living far away, events and networking opportunities I missed were not worth it. Sure, I am now paying more money but I now enjoy being part of the city, going to events and meeting people. Also the 8 minute commute to work is something hard to give up.
Speaking of ad valorem taxes on cars... I meant to ask, I don't really have intentions of owning a car after living in NYC where the subway takes you from point a to point b which is all I need. Could I rely on public transportation in Portland?
I started a job about 3 weeks ahead of my family moving out here. I lived at an airbnb at 40th and Hawthorne on the east side of town with no car. I took bus 14 to work in downtown (I work near PSU). It was very easy to live car free. I walked everywhere and took buses or the MAX everywhere. My physical health improved drastically with the increase in walking and the access to nature. Washington park is accessible via MAX and enables one to be car free and still be in nature.
You know... I had a similar issue when I moved to NYC. Not in regards to taxes but the cost of living in Brooklyn vs Manhattan., so I decided to live in Brooklyn in the beginning so I could save more money.
I realized in the end that my 2 hour daily commute, friends living far away, events and networking opportunities I missed were not worth it. Sure, I am now paying more money but I now enjoy being part of the city, going to events and meeting people. Also the 8 minute commute to work is something hard to give up.
Speaking of ad valorem taxes on cars... I meant to ask, I don't really have intentions of owning a car after living in NYC where the subway takes you from point a to point b which is all I need. Could I rely on public transportation in Portland?
Yes if you live in Central Portland. Not so much if you live in the suburbs.
Thanks a lot for your responses Nell and Texasdiver, I would definitely search in Linkedin and Fisher Investments website to see if there are any opportunities available. I agree, the job security is the determining factor if I will end up in Oregon of course.
About living in Camas is certainly a possibility; I have heard Oregon has one of the highest income taxes in the USA. So I could imagine the money you could save from living in Camas while shopping with no sales tax in Oregon. I assume thats what a lot of people do.
Thanks a lot again, this was really helpful.
Cheers
As a NY'er you pay Oregon's income tax rate AND Washington's state tax. I don't see NY'ers jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge because of the combined 23% tax haul and that's on top of the Federal bite! For anyone else the tax thing might have relevance. For a New Yorker, anywhere in the country is an improvement tax wise.
I have to say I am not hearing you express any interest in some key intrinsics of Portland. How did Portland make it onto your short list? Don't know where you are from originally and what you are looking for but I think you should be working with some sort of ... life coach. That, or one of those "Places Rated" books that help you rank your druthers and match them up to cities that tick off more boxes than Portland might.
As a NY'er you pay Oregon's income tax rate AND Washington's state tax. I don't see NY'ers jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge because of the combined 23% tax haul and that's on top of the Federal bite! For anyone else the tax thing might have relevance. For a New Yorker, anywhere in the country is an improvement tax wise.
I have to say I am not hearing you express any interest in some key intrinsics of Portland. How did Portland make it onto your short list? Don't know where you are from originally and what you are looking for but I think you should be working with some sort of ... life coach. That, or one of those "Places Rated" books that help you rank your druthers and match them up to cities that tick off more boxes than Portland might.
Camas came up in the context of working at Fisher Investments which is in Camas and not Portland. The OP would not owe a dime of OR tax if he lived and worked in Camas and only drove over to Portland for social life and recreation.
I agree, there is little reason to live in Camas or Vancouver if one works in Portland. Housing is perhaps a little cheaper but not that much cheaper to be worth the hassle in my mind. Schools are perhaps better funded if one has kids in school. But that's about it.
Camas came up in the context of working at Fisher Investments which is in Camas and not Portland. The OP would not owe a dime of OR tax if he lived and worked in Camas and only drove over to Portland for social life and recreation.
No worries. My comment to the o.p. came directly from their own public musings vis a vis the possible benefits of living in WA while being close enough to OR to benefit from its lack of sales tax, ad valorem whatever ... ... another poster in this thread put it far better than I can, but as a lifelong New Yorker who only left 10 years ago (I am 60) the obsession with taxes hits a nerve.
You live in Camas and work there, and it appears there could be career opportunity for the o.p. there. I get why you recommended it. My point was that moving to Camas from NYC would in itself be such an improvement in their tax posture as to make it a no-brainer decision should the job opportunity actually be there. I wouldn't be quibbling about the WA sales tax. There is no income tax. A New Yorker pays both a high sales tax AND a high income tax. A 26 y.o. growing their career is not going to have much time to hang out in PDX I'm sorry to say. There have to be nice women available locally in Vancouver.
Or one could move to Portland (from NYC) and find a job here and pay the Income Tax with equanimity. Because there is no sales tax. That is about as good as it gets. We prefer Portland over Vancouver because we are completely plugged into the cycling lifestyle and community. I am a bike mechanic, musician and avid cyclist, hiker and eco-warrior. People (I think) should KNOW why they want to move to a place. Do I understand that the o.p. was just 2 years in NYC? 26 is old enough to have a little better handle on what can work for them and what cannot. There are people to help in sorting out the details if for whatever reason a person finds themselves unable.
No worries. My comment to the o.p. came directly from their own public musings vis a vis the possible benefits of living in WA while being close enough to OR to benefit from its lack of sales tax, ad valorem whatever ... ... another poster in this thread put it far better than I can, but as a lifelong New Yorker who only left 10 years ago (I am 60) the obsession with taxes hits a nerve.
You live in Camas and work there, and it appears there could be career opportunity for the o.p. there. I get why you recommended it. My point was that moving to Camas from NYC would in itself be such an improvement in their tax posture as to make it a no-brainer decision should the job opportunity actually be there. I wouldn't be quibbling about the WA sales tax. There is no income tax. A New Yorker pays both a high sales tax AND a high income tax. A 26 y.o. growing their career is not going to have much time to hang out in PDX I'm sorry to say. There have to be nice women available locally in Vancouver.
Or one could move to Portland (from NYC) and find a job here and pay the Income Tax with equanimity. Because there is no sales tax. That is about as good as it gets. We prefer Portland over Vancouver because we are completely plugged into the cycling lifestyle and community. I am a bike mechanic, musician and avid cyclist, hiker and eco-warrior. People (I think) should KNOW why they want to move to a place. Do I understand that the o.p. was just 2 years in NYC? 26 is old enough to have a little better handle on what can work for them and what cannot. There are people to help in sorting out the details if for whatever reason a person finds themselves unable.
We are on the same page. OP is a bond trader which is something that isn't really a profession in Portland as there are no bond markets here. But that experience might leverage into other banking and investment related fields. But one will have to be creative and consider all options to do that in Portland and the surrounding area if one wants to relocate here.
If I were still single and 26 I'd definitely live in Portland too. In fact, that is exactly what I did. Especially if working in Portland. But if I happened to land a job on the WA side of the river, I'd think long and hard about living there to be closer to work and avoid the OR taxes. Vancouver and Camas are rapidly developing and becoming more urban. Downtown/uptown Vancouver is becoming an increasingly interesting area with new brewpubs and restaurants seemingly opening every week and a lot of new apartment and condo complexes going up as well. Camas appeals to a little older demographic. More like say Lake Oswego or some of the upscale neighborhoods in SW Portland. But it is quite nice as well with its own share of brew pubs, coffee shops, and restaurants.
No worries. My comment to the o.p. came directly from their own public musings vis a vis the possible benefits of living in WA while being close enough to OR to benefit from its lack of sales tax, ad valorem whatever ... ... another poster in this thread put it far better than I can, but as a lifelong New Yorker who only left 10 years ago (I am 60) the obsession with taxes hits a nerve.
You live in Camas and work there, and it appears there could be career opportunity for the o.p. there. I get why you recommended it. My point was that moving to Camas from NYC would in itself be such an improvement in their tax posture as to make it a no-brainer decision should the job opportunity actually be there. I wouldn't be quibbling about the WA sales tax. There is no income tax. A New Yorker pays both a high sales tax AND a high income tax. A 26 y.o. growing their career is not going to have much time to hang out in PDX I'm sorry to say. There have to be nice women available locally in Vancouver.
Or one could move to Portland (from NYC) and find a job here and pay the Income Tax with equanimity. Because there is no sales tax. That is about as good as it gets. We prefer Portland over Vancouver because we are completely plugged into the cycling lifestyle and community. I am a bike mechanic, musician and avid cyclist, hiker and eco-warrior. People (I think) should KNOW why they want to move to a place. Do I understand that the o.p. was just 2 years in NYC? 26 is old enough to have a little better handle on what can work for them and what cannot. There are people to help in sorting out the details if for whatever reason a person finds themselves unable.
So to answer some of your questions, about me: I was born in Venezuela, grew up in Switzerland; but I have lived in Costa Rica, China, New Orleans, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles and now NYC. Why in the world do I need a life coach for? I have accomplished everything I ever wanted in my life. Including all aspects of my educational, military and career goals. Never requested the help of some person with a paper that says "life coach certified", why would I need to do it for moving to Portland?
Why I am looking to move to Portland? that's simple, opportunities and less expensive than NYC, even if the tax was the same as NYC, looking at Zillow I could get an apartment for 1/3 of the price here. Sorry if I don't have a more profound and elegant answer such as "because I want to be an eco-warrior, hiker and avid cyclist" This is why my second question here was regarding people's outlook in job opportunities and growth in Portland.
In most cases yes, public transportation in Portland with the occasional use of Uber for late-night transportation works well. Living in SW Washingon without a car would not be practical.
I lived in NYC after college and used the subway/bus system, no car necessary. When I moved back to Portland I purchased my first car - that was before we had light rail. Our light rail and bus system is excellent but keep in mind we don't have the population density of NYC.
Portland is very, very, different from New York City.
First, I would not call Portland a "city" proper. More like a large town. It is extraordinarily easy to get around by car (if you need it). Public transportation is slow, but will get you probably everywhere you need to go. Generally, people are friendly. It is a very blue-collar, working-class town.
Portland is well suited to three types of people:
people who like to chill, drink beer and eat comfort foods
people who like to hike, kayak, snowboard and bike everywhere
And a person who is a combination of both.
Although there are white collar jobs, blue collar jobs are way more abundant. Both do not pay anywhere near the salary you are used to getting. Job growth is very slow here.
If I were a young man, I would NOT under any circumstances live in Camus or Vancouver WA unless you want to be bored out of your mind.
You need to come here and visit for at least a couple of weeks. I would suggest staying in the NE near Mississipi Ave or in the SE near Belmont. Those are the "hip and happening" areas. Do not expect "night clubs" or any such nonsense. It's strictly all low key brew pubs and restaurants. There are a ton of strip clubs, but they are not exciting. Do NOT stay "down town". That place is a **** show. Dirty, creepy, full of homeless people. Downtown is the crime capital of Portland. The rest of Portland is pretty safe.
If you don't find Portland to your liking, you may want to consider Seattle. Cheaper than NYC, no state tax, more cosmopolitan city than Portland and much better job outlook.
In most cases yes, public transportation in Portland with the occasional use of Uber for late-night transportation works well. Living in SW Washingon without a car would not be practical.
I lived in NYC after college and used the subway/bus system, no car necessary. When I moved back to Portland I purchased my first car - that was before we had light rail. Our light rail and bus system is excellent but keep in mind we don't have the population density of NYC.
Thanks Nell,
That is a good thing to keep in mind!
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