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Vancouver is fortunate enough to be right at the foot of the Cascades while Seattle has the Cascades off in the distance. Vancouver also was fortunate enough to have better city planners in it's planning and layout of the city in it's pioneer days. Vancouver does not have it's city core taken out by the I-5 freeway corridor which has permenently destroyed downtown Seattle. This has also happened to Portland, which also once was a beautiful city.
As I remember correctly (I could be wrong), Stanley Park was designed by the same famous landscape designer the planned Central Park in New York. Seattle also hired this same person who did some park designs but the city council at that time chose not to impliment his ideas. His plan was to build a grand central park surrounding Lake Union when it was still surrounded by forests. His plan was also to build a tree lined boulivard from downtown to that park. This was before Lake Union was built up with building development. That plan will never be implimented today, that opportunity is now gone. Seattle forefathers just lacked the foresight of Vancouver planners, they lacked the appreciation of Seattle's natural beauty that was so clearly laid out before them.
The Alaskan viaduct is being taken down, the will be a tunnel and a surface park where the viaduct is.
I5 going through the city does not "ruin" downtown too much...actually is nicely "nested".
Vancouver road system is a joke with terrible gridlock, they can afford to be a "cozy" freeway free town because it does not have an actual, real economy to worry about...we do.....
Last edited by saturno_v; 02-13-2013 at 11:45 AM..
Mount Baker is actually much closer to Vancouver than it is to Seattle. But still, it's the fact Canada's Coast Mountains have 3/4 ski resorts AND they are super close to the city (with the exception of Whistler), not a 2 hour drive up into the mountains.
Skiing at Grouse mtn is not much different than skiing at snoqualmie pass. The only difference is that it is significantly closer to downtown Vancouver.
That being said, if you want a darn jobby job it is best you stay in Seattle. BTW comparing Toronto/Buffalo to Vancouver/Seattle is no comparsion whatsoever. Seattle is easily a head above Vancouver in terms of jobs and buisnesses that actually employ people. And honestly the access to nature is just about as equal. Seattle is relatively close to Mt. Rainier and the Cascades plus Olympic Mtns. Who cares if the mtns in Vancouver are 15 minutes closer. Trust me if you don't have the money to go skiing at Whistler and stay their on a regular basis it won't make a difference. You will end up living in a cheaper suburb like Surrey (which is pretty much like living in Renton or Burien).
Finding a job in Vancouver is pretty hard, unless you want to work for a cheap wage. Most of the people who grew up in Vancouver can't even afford to live in the city anymore. You pretty much have to move to the suburbs unless you are willing to fork over a huge sum of money. The reality is (unless you are willing to have a roomate), you are going to be living in the more suburban areas outside of Vancouver proper. By the time you drive from the outskirts to the ski slopes the time advantage dissapears.
When it comes down to it, Seattle has all the things that Vancouver has to offer. The fact is you can have a better lifestyle in Seattle. Now if you come from a family with money; and you are prepared to throw down at least 500K for a place to live pick Vancouver.
One last thing..... The culture in Seattle is much more creative and industrious than the culture of Vancouver. Look at all the start up companies and music that comes out of Seattle. Think of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, grunge music, REI, Costco, Microsoft, Amazon etc. etc..... Seattle has more of an organic feel about it, if that makes sense. Vancouver is a manufactured playground for really rich people from all over the world.. Many of the jobs are service oriented.
That being said, I do love Vancouver B.C. but its not affordable for most young people starting out in life, OR older folks trying to maintain their lifestyle..
Last edited by skihikeclimb; 02-14-2013 at 08:54 AM..
Skiing at Grouse mtn is not much different than skiing at snoqualmie pass. The only difference is that it is significantly closer to downtown Vancouver.
That being said, if you want a darn jobby job it is best you stay in Seattle. BTW comparing Toronto/Buffalo to Vancouver/Seattle is no comparsion whatsoever. Seattle is easily a head above Vancouver in terms of jobs and buisnesses that actually employ people. And honestly the access to nature is just about as equal. Seattle is relatively close to Mt. Rainier and the Cascades plus Olympic Mtns. Who cares if the mtns in Vancouver are 15 minutes closer. Trust me if you don't have the money to go skiing at Whistler and stay their on a regular basis it won't make a difference. You will end up living in a cheaper suburb like Surrey (which is pretty much like living in Renton or Burien).
Finding a job in Vancouver is pretty hard, unless you want to work for a cheap wage. Most of the people who grew up in Vancouver can't even afford to live in the city anymore. You pretty much have to move to the suburbs unless you are willing to fork over a huge sum of money. The reality is (unless you are willing to have a roomate), you are going to be living in the more suburban areas outside of Vancouver proper. By the time you drive from the outskirts to the ski slopes the time advantage dissapears.
When it comes down to it, Seattle has all the things that Vancouver has to offer. The fact is you can have a better lifestyle in Seattle. Now if you come from a family with money; and you are prepared to throw down at least 500K for a place to live pick Vancouver.
One last thing..... The culture in Seattle is much more creative and industrious than the culture of Vancouver. Look at all the start up companies and music that comes out of Seattle. Think of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, grunge music, REI, Costco, Microsoft, Amazon etc. etc..... Seattle has more of an organic feel about it, if that makes sense. Vancouver is a manufactured playground for really rich people from all over the world.. Many of the jobs are service oriented.
That being said, I do love Vancouver B.C. but its not affordable for most young people starting out in life, OR older folks trying to maintain their lifestyle..
I made the same points, almost verbatim, on the Vancouver forum....
Vancouver has nothing to offer more than Seattle while Seattle has much more to offer than Van....end of the story.
Not to sound crass but....our cleaning lady and her husband (our gardener) own their house and they drive a Chrysler 300 and a SUV......a lot of people with decent jobs in Vancouver cannot afford a car....
Last edited by saturno_v; 02-14-2013 at 11:13 AM..
I think someone with entrepreneurial skills or any other really scarce skillset can choose where they live. But most people who day dream are probably barista candidates. But the way I see it, anyone can live in proximity of all the great attractions of NW WA. Just choose the right place. Don't have to buy where the prices are outrageous. I'd never overpay for shelter. I don't feel I need to live right in the heart of anything.
Vancouver has nothing to offer more than Seattle while Seattle has much more to offer than Van....end of the story..
Vancouver has an NHL team, Seattle does not.
To the OP,
Move to Vancouver. Why settle for what you believe is second best.
As far as Vancouver providing much of a feeling of being foreign compared to Seattle, the higher population of people of Asian decent and who speak a language other than English as their first language (48%) would probably be most significant. Vancouver is 50% white 45% Asian. Seattle is 70% white, 14% Asian, 8% black. Along with that, Vancouver has way more immigrants, 27%.
Up next in foreign significance is sports. Vancouver has an NHL team and residents really dig hockey. Minor league in both senses in Seattle. Both have pro football teams, but with different rules. College and high school football here, college and high school hockey there. Both lost NBA teams and play basketball in schools. Vancouver has minor league baseball, Seattle major, same relationship in importance beyond the pros. Vancouver has trotter horse racing. The small difference in football rules is probably a good representation of the small difference overall between the two cities.
Slight differences would be signs in kilometers and French in Vancouver. Canadians pronounce z "zed" and often say "ay" at the end of sentences. Legal drinking age is 19 in Vancouver, 21 in Seattle. Otherwise, both cities drive on the right, spend dollars, have opera, theatre predominantly in English, a symphony, ethnic restaurants, good live music scenes. Vancouver's proportion of musicians of the western European/Celtic folk variety is higher as Vancouver was once dominated by descendants of people form Ireland, Scotland, England and Germany. Seattle has a higher percentage of hip-hop, as one would expect with Seattle's higher proportion of blacks.
Seattle has an NFL team, the Sounders who get 40,000+ people every game and NBA and NHL teams soon. Vancouver does not have all of this and will never have it.
Seattle has an NFL team, the Sounders who get 40,000+ people every game and NBA and NHL teams soon. Vancouver does not have all of this and will never have it.
Why did you address that to me? I never wrote anything to the contrary.
One last thing..... The culture in Seattle is much more creative and industrious than the culture of Vancouver. Look at all the start up companies and music that comes out of Seattle. Think of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, grunge music, REI, Costco, Microsoft, Amazon etc. etc..... Seattle has more of an organic feel about it, if that makes sense.
Well, that is just the difference between the USA and Canada. Canada is a "very traditional" country. Innovation and Individualism is just NOT encouraged in Canada. Hell, instead of a revolution in Canada the Brits had to kick them out of the house!!!
That said. I use to live in Vancouver in the 70's. It is a world class city. Seattle is well....sort of boring. There are few cities in the world like Vancouver. I lived in San Francisco and it comes close. San Francisco does have much better weather.
These days....Vancouver in the 70's is Portland, Oregon today. It is a much smaller version of Vancouver, but has a similar vibe to Vancouver in the 70's.
Not sure how to explain it...but trust me on this one. Remember way back in the 70's NO ONE knew anything about Vancouver or Seattle.
To the OP,
Move to Vancouver. Why settle for what you believe is second best.
As far as Vancouver providing much of a feeling of being foreign compared to Seattle, the higher population of people of Asian decent and who speak a language other than English as their first language (48%) would probably be most significant. Vancouver is 50% white 45% Asian. Seattle is 70% white, 14% Asian, 8% black. Along with that, Vancouver has way more immigrants, 27%.
Up next in foreign significance is sports. Vancouver has an NHL team and residents really dig hockey. Minor league in both senses in Seattle. Both have pro football teams, but with different rules. College and high school football here, college and high school hockey there. Both lost NBA teams and play basketball in schools. Vancouver has minor league baseball, Seattle major, same relationship in importance beyond the pros. Vancouver has trotter horse racing. The small difference in football rules is probably a good representation of the small difference overall between the two cities.
Slight differences would be signs in kilometers and French in Vancouver. Canadians pronounce z "zed" and often say "ay" at the end of sentences. Legal drinking age is 19 in Vancouver, 21 in Seattle. Otherwise, both cities drive on the right, spend dollars, have opera, theatre predominantly in English, a symphony, ethnic restaurants, good live music scenes. Vancouver's proportion of musicians of the western European/Celtic folk variety is higher as Vancouver was once dominated by descendants of people form Ireland, Scotland, England and Germany. Seattle has a higher percentage of hip-hop, as one would expect with Seattle's higher proportion of blacks.
I find alot of people in Washington underestimate the differences between Canada and the US because there are so many similarities between BC and Washington, and alot of those similarities are very visible. That, and the PNW is pretty white, and white English Canadians are the most similar of the peoples in the US and Canada to each other. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and centuries of differing political history, policy, and a border that stops the migration of peoples and institutions matters, and can lead to surprisingly strong differences people don't expect given the cultural aspects that are identical. Vancouver is a foreign city and that will sometimes jump out at you in surprising little ways if you live in BC, but doesn't necessarilly come across to tourists.
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