Portland or Seattle? (Vancouver, Everett: how much, home, construction)

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by stuckinseattle

Portland is exactly what it appears to be. Seattle, on the other hand, is exactly what Dan Savage says it to be: it's Boise that thinks it's Paris. You do not get value for your money here. There's a superficial appearance of concern for the environment, culture, and sophistication, but there's no real depth behind it. Culturewise, Portland is equally full of smalltown climbers trying to get above their raising, but you're not paying through the nose to live with them. Portland is also much better governed and has reasonable transit. Do not think you can live in Seattle without a car. I moved here thinking it was possible (I can't drive) and I am totally isolated and stuck.

King County Metro Online

Consider yourself unstuck.

You can live in Seattle without a car, very easily. Often it's more a hassle than it's worth. There are also car-share options.

[Bill Loney]

Originally Posted by PeterNorth

I've lived all over the PNW, as well as other parts of the U.S., and now I'm stuck in this goofy hippyville called Bellingham. It's hands-down the worst place I've ever even visited, let alone lived in! I'm thinking about giving up a 100K a year job just to get the hell out of here and get back to Seattle or Portland!

Don't let the door...

[Bill Loney]

Originally Posted by stuckinseattle

Portland is exactly what it appears to be. .

Portland is a big small town. No more. No less. Nice place, great transit system, great food, beautiful surroundings.

But it's not Seattle. And it's not close. But please feel free to move to Portland anytime.

[Casportsfan]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

The artist thing...I've been recently thinking that bohemia/artist living in San Francisco is long gone and it has a lot to do with the very high cost of living. It seems to be thriving in Portland. I am wondering if Seattle is losing the edginess due to the high cost of living?

Not true. Go to Haight/Ashbury area, there are plenty of them around. It's a myth that artists are driven away by gentrification. You can survive in Seattle or SF with any number of menial jobs just as one can in Portland. For example, a flat or studio is doable in the Haight for $750, and with public transportation you can shell the car and insurance. It all depends on what you want to give up and how you want to live. I've seen apts for rent in seattle for $650 in areas that I visited that didn't seem all that terrible to me.

To Capsportsfan:

I agree with what you said in your recent post.

I found a great one bedroom apartment here in Seattle for 650 a month in a decent area. However, it did take effort to find such as good deal.

Actually, I think it was slightly cheaper for me to rent that apartment than to pay for a college dorm and share a college dorm with someone.

That is also true that it depends on what someone wants to give up and how they want to live and where they put the money they have.

Even in places such as Seattle, San Francisco, NYC, etc. someone can live well in all of these places even with a lower middle class salary or less, but it all depends on someone's personal circumstances that determine how well someone can live on a certain budget and how the money goes.


Overall, though, Portland seems to have a slightler lower cost of living than Seattle, but much more economic problems, and lower salaries in general than Seattle.

oops typo"How far the money goes.*

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

The artist thing...I've been recently thinking that bohemia/artist living in San Francisco is long gone and it has a lot to do with the very high cost of living. It seems to be thriving in Portland. I am wondering if Seattle is losing the edginess due to the high cost of living?

Not totally true.

SF has jumped astronomically in cost in the last couple decades, and yes, this has most definitely pushed out a lot of what I guess you could call the "artist class" that it once had, since there are only so many people willing to buy so many abstract pieces of art for a price that turns a profit on the materials, labor, and still allows you to stay in a dwelling. Some of this, though, is just to do with the times-a-changin': the beatnik movement is over, the hippie movement is over (at least on the massive scale it once was), the punk movement is over, the new wave movement is over, the alternative movement is over. As a natural, lifelong artist who went to art school (yeah, I'll admit it...), it seems as though the days of "movements" have largely kicked off, and now art seems to have taken on a much more solipistic trend: barring the anime/pixel art/general deviantart scene, for the most part, you have more instances of people who do their art more on their own as part of a community.

I don't know why this is the case (probably something to do with the internet, MTV, cell phones, video games, the failing American public education system and its lack of emphasis on the arts and humanities, etc), but it has it's ups and downs. On the one hand, people aren't as easily pigeonholed into a "movement" that they don't really belong in, which can keep them on the sidelines. This also means that people are (theoretically) more apt to go their own path. On the other hand, the sort of community support that allowed these art scenes to become well-known and acknowledged has also largely kicked off. It's a lot harder to be a career artist these days no matter where you live, though it seems as though you find more people who are living and working out of smaller towns and cities, rather than in the city centers.

All this said, San Francisco still has an extremely vibrant arts community. Portland is most definitely thriving: so are the communities in Austin, Oakland (which seems to be rapidly becoming the destination du jour for the hipster/art scene, just as Portland was ten years ago), and many other major and secondary cities all over the US.

[Yankeemama]

I am new to Portland, OR and have been here for about seven months. I am the opposite from you in that I am a big- city person, originally from S.F. and sometimes PDX feels very tiny and small town. Sounds like you would love it here. I recently started going to Seattle now that am settled in PNW and LOVE it! Seattle has a big city feel but more manageable than NYC and not as spread out as L.A. Seattle, and WA in general, has much better economy than PDX. It is hard to find any job in PDX! My hubby works out of state and telecommutes so we are very lucky to be able to live in Portland since the job market is so bad but the cost of living is much lower than other West Coast cities. You may want to check out Eugene, as other posters have mentioned earlier. My general feel is that Seattle may be more city than you are looking for.

[gotigers123]

Originally Posted by Casportsfan

Not true. Go to Haight/Ashbury area, there are plenty of them around. It's a myth that artists are driven away by gentrification. You can survive in Seattle or SF with any number of menial jobs just as one can in Portland. For example, a flat or studio is doable in the Haight for $750, and with public transportation you can shell the car and insurance. It all depends on what you want to give up and how you want to live. I've seen apts for rent in seattle for $650 in areas that I visited that didn't seem all that terrible to me.

All due respect, but many things wrong with this post.

You absolutely, with 100% certainty, cannot find a livable studio in the Haight for $750. You cannot find a studio in ANY decent neighborhood of San Francisco for $750. Renting a room in a larger apartment for $750? Sure that's possible. Also, the art scene in SF is not in the Haight. Not even remotely close. Try the Mission, Tenderloin, SoMa.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by gotigers123

All due respect, but many things wrong with this post.

You absolutely, with 100% certainty, cannot find a livable studio in the Haight for $750. You cannot find a studio in ANY decent neighborhood of San Francisco for $750. Renting a room in a larger apartment for $750? Sure that's possible. Also, the art scene in SF is not in the Haight. Not even remotely close. Try the Mission, Tenderloin, SoMa.

One of my friends just got a studio for $990 at the corner of Market and 9th on a month-to-month in the Trinity Plaza, which is a pretty "bleh" building (it was built as a cheesy resort in the late 60's... kind of a cool building, but it's definitely seen better days). It'd probably go for $600 in Seattle, but $990 for anything in or near Downtown SF with its own bathroom and kitchenette is a steal!