Is Seattle or Portland a better place for a geek? (Yakima: apartment, motels)

[AT-AT28]

Originally Posted by 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.

What the hell are you talking about? I've never been married. And no, Yakima is not an ugprade from my current status and its boring, no thanks

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by AT-AT28

What the hell are you talking about? I've never been married. And no, Yakima is not an ugprade from my current status and its boring, no thanks

Sorry, 5 'relationships'.

[007jamesbond]

Seattle for geeks and Portland for hippies.

[pgrdr]

I know you've probably already made your move, but for late comers to the topic:

Seattle is a great city. Lots to do. Good public transportation. More continental than Portland. More expensive than Portland. Bigger than Portland. No state income tax, but also fewer public services and less subsidized housing to accommodate a diverse range of incomes. A city of neighborhoods - great neighborhoods - but they are pretty expensive to live in when it comes to housing. Bicycle friendly, but less so than Portland. Gloomy, cloudy skies with rain or drizzle for months on end, but usually glorious summers (after Jul 4) and autumns.

Portland is a great city. Lots to do. Great public transportation. A city of neighborhoods - funky, cool neighborhoods - less expensive than are Seattle's. More laid back than Seattle. Smaller than Seattle. Easy to get around on foot. Bicycle friendly. Auto unfriendly. Renewable energy center of the country right now. High state income taxes, but also more public services and subsidized housing all over the city in all but the most chic residential neighborhoods up on the NW hill; however, downtown/inner-city subsidized housing is still pricey and they are run by third-party property management companies acting as slum lords. A little further out, but still easy to get to by public transportation, is more affordable, better housing. Also, funky neighborhoods on the east side of the river can be nice to live in, like in a group house, but that won't last as they are regentrifying. (I love southeast Portland's Hawthorne neighborhood, but it's already regentrified to the point that property there is pretty expensive again.) Regular unsubsidized housing in the downtown, inner-city areas is less expensive than is Seattle's. Better weather than Seattle. It does rain a lot in the winter, but not as much as it does in Seattle. Portland is a dog friendly city. I was amazed at how many dog owners are living in rentals in the inner-city. When I was staying in the trendy NW neighborhood for several weeks, every evening between 5:00-6:00 pm, I watched the sidewalks fill with people out walking their dogs after work, yet no dog poop to step in anywhere. Very cooperative people living there. They were cooperative between drivers and respectful to pedestrians on those tiny, cramped streets, too. I was impressed. I've not seen that much polite cooperation or landlord friendliness to dogs anywhere else I've lived in the states.

That's what I know just off the top of my head. Hope it helps someone!

[pgrdr]

In general, Washington does have more industry for providing jobs than does Oregon.

[pgrdr]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

Nothing turns me off like seeing "Ok, I'll try to keep this short and to the point." ... and then go on a multi-paragraph pontification of the finer points of nerddom vs geekdom etc etc.

Rudeness wasn't necessary, but it sure was a drag to read.

[GatsbyGatz]

Originally Posted by pgrdr

I know you've probably already made your move, but for late comers to the topic:

Seattle is a great city. Lots to do. Good public transportation. More continental than Portland. More expensive than Portland. Bigger than Portland. No state income tax, but also fewer public services and less subsidized housing to accommodate a diverse range of incomes. A city of neighborhoods - great neighborhoods - but they are pretty expensive to live in when it comes to housing. Bicycle friendly, but less so than Portland. Gloomy, cloudy skies with rain or drizzle for months on end, but usually glorious summers (after Jul 4) and autumns.

Portland is a great city. Lots to do. Great public transportation. A city of neighborhoods - funky, cool neighborhoods - less expensive than are Seattle's. More laid back than Seattle. Smaller than Seattle. Easy to get around on foot. Bicycle friendly. Auto unfriendly. Renewable energy center of the country right now. High state income taxes, but also more public services and subsidized housing all over the city in all but the most chic residential neighborhoods up on the NW hill; however, downtown/inner-city subsidized housing is still pricey and they are run by third-party property management companies acting as slum lords. A little further out, but still easy to get to by public transportation, is more affordable, better housing. Also, funky neighborhoods on the east side of the river can be nice to live in, like in a group house, but that won't last as they are regentrifying. (I love southeast Portland's Hawthorne neighborhood, but it's already regentrified to the point that property there is pretty expensive again.) Regular unsubsidized housing in the downtown, inner-city areas is less expensive than is Seattle's. Better weather than Seattle. It does rain a lot in the winter, but not as much as it does in Seattle.

That's what I know just off the top of my head. Hope it helps someone!

1. How is Portland auto-unfriendly? I was just there over Spring Break and drove everywhere. It's easy to drive around. There's no traffic by Seattle standards. Seattle is auto-unfriendly. It's annoying as heck to drive in Seattle whereas Portland is a breeze to drive. No idea why you made that point.

Honestly, I feel like Portland is a small city or a large town, much smaller than Seattle, and a little more sketchy/ghetto in some places. Homeless everywhere; literally at every corner of downtown. I thought downtown Portland looked a lot uglier, smaller, and cheaper than downtown Seattle which looks more urban, corporate, and wealthier.

I always wondered about the differences between these two cities, but after gathering more experience of each, I definitely side with Seattle in nearly every capacity. Wealthy city v. funky town.

[pgrdr]

Originally Posted by Ira500

You can find that in parts of Seattle too. Like the Pike/Pine corridor ,SW Capitol Hill or Georgetown.
In fact, if you wore the bra on the outside of your shirt, with the top hat and goggles, you'd stand a pretty good chance of being elected Mayor

So Georgetown has grown? It used to be almost nothing but industrial buildings, a few restaurants and bars for Boeing employees and truckers, and rent by the week motels for tweakers and working people stuck in poverty. What is it like now?

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by pgrdr

So Georgetown has grown? It used to be almost nothing but industrial buildings, a few restaurants and bars for Boeing employees and truckers, and rent by the week motels for tweakers and working people stuck in poverty. What is it like now?

I don't know about grown, but certainly revitalized. Hipster haven. Art galleries, music venues, a couple of microbreweries, antique mall, all kinds of restaurants, including some pretty high end/snotty places. Still industrial, there are still truckers around, but for those few blocks on Airport Way and right nearby, it's pretty happening.

[pgrdr]

Originally Posted by AT-AT28

We have bumpers stickers after all like these

Portland, Missoula, all the cities using the Keep it Weird slogan, stole it from Austin, Texas - the only city in Texas I would want to live in. (<: