Is Seattle or Portland a better place for a geek? (Yakima: spring break, rentals)

[seattlenextyear]

Originally Posted by AT-AT28

Uh no, I am not that weird.

You said you attended Bronycons so we were expecting the worst.

[AT-AT28]

Originally Posted by seattlenextyear

You said you attended Bronycons so we were expecting the worst.

[green_mariner]

I would bet more on Seattle. Seattle is the home of Microsoft, and it is the American headquarters for Nintendo of America(which is also part owner of the Seattle Mariners).

[RVD90277]

tl;dr for me too.

seattle. it's bigger. this means more asian girls. enough said.

[AT-AT28]

An off topic question but might as well keep it in my thread, where are the more cheaper areas in the Seattle area for a 1 - 2 bedroom apt. I'm used to my 2 story 2 bedroom apt with all utilities included for $590 a month, so I'm curious what areas are cheaper in Seattle

[Arushan]

Generally, the further North or South from the city proper you go, the more affordable it gets. Probably not $590 cheap though.

[AT-AT28]

Yeah, I know I'll never get that cheap again, I'm gonna miss it. What about to the east of Seattle and the smaller out lying towns? I heard Bellevue is expensive as hell tough. Can you give me ideas what the typical cost is for an older 1 bedroom with utilities? What do and don't landlords include in the monthly fee? Are most open to pets like a cat and or aquarium?

[Arushan]

The Eastside tends to be expensive, so I probably wouldn't focus on that at this point. The smaller outlying towns vary a lot in affordability, but the ones to the north and south of Seattle are more affordable. One issue with choosing a far-flung area is a possible nightmarish and long commuting distance to work... It could actually be better to pay a little more in rent to live at an area closer to work instead of paying all that money in gas. If you can telecommute, all the more power to you.

The easiest way to get an idea on rents is to do a search on craigslist.

Typically, you pay the first month's rent, a background check fee, security deposit, and pet deposit. Some apartments allow pets and some don't. A number that I've seen are "cats only", so it's easier with a cat than dog. Not sure about an aquarium. Electric bills are reasonable, but water/sewer/gas bills are on the high side. Sometimes, w/s/g are included in the rent.

If possible, look into Olympia. It has easier access to Portland, has cheaper rents than the Seattle area, and has some jobs.

[AT-AT28]

I've been doing out of state job hunting since making this thread and the Seattle area's job market is definetely a lot healthier then Portlands, especially in IT, so Seattle is looking better already but i'm still undecided.

Anyone new care to chime in some more incite or suggestions for me?

[Vinylly]

I would say if you are in your early 30's and married 5 times!? I would say Wow, I think you have a problem and should stay away from the ladies, specially oriental. I have an oriental wife, we have been married 54 years. I would say that in general asian ladies are more socially conservative then other races and may not be suitable for you.
If you can work from home I would say move to Yakima near your parents. Yakima is a nice town. Also, it will far less expensive to live.