I finally figured it out (Seattle, Tacoma: hotel, home, living) - Washington (WA) -Seattle and King County Suburbs - City-Data Forum

doity · 07-15-2011, 12:09 AM

First off, I want to say that I love Seattle. Always have, and I love to visit and see the Seattle Center, downtown, etc. I grew up in the Portland area and have always been aware of a competitiveness between the 2 cities. Call it the big brother/little brother sibling rivalry or whatever.

Personally, while I would love to have the space needle in PDX, I could not stand living with the traffic in Seattle. And I think that people in Seattle look at Portland as nice, but not in the same league as their town for whatever reason. Truthfully, while outwardly Seattle does seem like a lot bigger town, they rank 15th and 23rd respectively in metro populations which is really not that big of a difference.

Well, I was thinking of why people in Seattle might turn up their nose when being compared to Portland and I think the reason could be that people elsewhere in the US (outside of the PNW) usually lump the 2 cities together. Since there is not much else up here besides water and trees, they just make the logical conclusion that the 2 are somewhat interchangeable.

That brings me to my hypothesis. I think that residents of Seattle fashion themselves as being from a city that is in the same league as SF, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, etc., but since the city is so geographically isolated that it gets overlooked. Hence, when Seattle gets lumped in with little-old Portland it rubs people the wrong way....."Seattle is much bigger than Portland" kinda thing.

Just my 2 cents. Am I far off?

SaltyDawg · 07-15-2011, 12:50 AM

Your thesis starts off incorrectly, as I don't think Seattleites "turn up their noses" at Portland.

They're obviously rival cities simply based on their geographical positioning, and they are certainly different, with various and numerous pluses and minuses for each.

In terms of the metro area and from a business standpoint, Seattle IS much bigger than Portland. Not better or worse, but certainly bigger. There are corporate HQ's in Seattle and a vibrant startup community. Portland has chosen a different path.

The whole 'world class' thing is overblown. Seattle is certainly a hub city in terms of international travel, business, and tourism, but I'm not sure any rational resident would put it on par with Miami or San Francisco in terms of importance.

Not sure why you would include Atlanta in that list - a completely generic megalopolis of the South does not compare with Miami, Philly, SF, etc.

Hemlock140 · 07-15-2011, 06:14 AM

Other than a few forum posters, most Seattle people appreciate Portland as a good neighbor. There is no rivalry, it's not like the two cities compete in sports (other than maybe soccer now) or business. We have our big companies, Port, and airport, and they have theirs.

Actually I'm leaving in about an hour to drive down to Portland for the day.

evergraystate · 07-15-2011, 08:41 AM

I never knew there was a rivalry. Portland is a nice place as far as I know.

Seacove · 07-15-2011, 08:43 AM

My husband and I traveled to Portland in the early 90's to consider it as a place to live. I had traveled to both Portland and Seattle for work but when you travel for work, you don't really see much. We didn't like it and abandoned the idea. We went on to Seattle for fun, since it was only three hours away, but had never considered living there. When we arrived, we knew immediately and went home to list the house. Portland felt wrong and Seattle felt right and this is from people who had no attachment to either place. But I have known others who fled from Seattle to Portland like their hair was on fire. They hated everything about Seattle and loved everything about Portland.

Seattle has no rivalry with Portland. Seattle likens itself to the Bay Area in that we share industries, companies, etc. I have to go to the Bay Area at least once a month. I have to go to Portland maybe a couple of times a year. It's just smaller and for many people, that's exactly what makes it so charming.

I don't know if its still there but Portland used to have a hotel that allowed dogs and had trays of dog treats at the front desk. This wasn't a dive motel, this was a nice hotel in downtown Portland. Our golden retriever loved it.

Inkpoe · 07-15-2011, 10:06 AM

Seattle isn't a big town. It's a city. With a population of almost 3.5 million.

Portland is and feels like a town. And has a population of almost 2.3 million.

Seattle is nearly twice the size of Portland. It does make a difference whether you like to admit it or not.

Personally I never felt any competitiveness b/w PDX and Seattle. I do notice that PDX as a town seem to have a inferiority complex though. People do not turn up their nose at Portland... why would they? While on paper, Portland and Seattle are similar... they're aren't and have their reasons for not being more similar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by doity

First off, I want to say that I love Seattle. Always have, and I love to visit and see the Seattle Center, downtown, etc. I grew up in the Portland area and have always been aware of a competitiveness between the 2 cities. Call it the big brother/little brother sibling rivalry or whatever.

Personally, while I would love to have the space needle in PDX, I could not stand living with the traffic in Seattle. And I think that people in Seattle look at Portland as nice, but not in the same league as their town for whatever reason. Truthfully, while outwardly Seattle does seem like a lot bigger town, they rank 15th and 23rd respectively in metro populations which is really not that big of a difference.

Well, I was thinking of why people in Seattle might turn up their nose when being compared to Portland and I think the reason could be that people elsewhere in the US (outside of the PNW) usually lump the 2 cities together. Since there is not much else up here besides water and trees, they just make the logical conclusion that the 2 are somewhat interchangeable.

That brings me to my hypothesis. I think that residents of Seattle fashion themselves as being from a city that is in the same league as SF, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, etc., but since the city is so geographically isolated that it gets overlooked. Hence, when Seattle gets lumped in with little-old Portland it rubs people the wrong way....."Seattle is much bigger than Portland" kinda thing.

Just my 2 cents. Am I far off?

texastrigirl · 07-15-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evergraystate

I never knew there was a rivalry. Portland is a nice place as far as I know.

Agree. I love Portland. Different cities but both have things that make them special.

swerver · 07-15-2011, 11:44 AM

I like portland too. I even have friends there!

tobester · 07-15-2011, 12:08 PM

Some of my best friends are Portlanders. I enjoy my visits there. And my friends enjoy their visits here.

doity · 07-15-2011, 12:12 PM

No, I just read a lot of comments in the "Seattle vs Portland" threads that gave me the idea that Seattleite's (?) fancied themselves a much larger place. And no, Seattle is only 1 million bigger metro wise and that is only because you throw in Tacoma. If Salem (which is only 40 miles away) is included in Portland's metro, it would be a lot closer.

And besides, does this look like a "town" to you?