Seattle vs. Portland (George, Index: rentals, house, neighborhoods)

[leslieranea]

Hello there. I am another one thinking of relocating to one of these two cities. If anyone out there lives in either Portland or Seattle, or if you've lived in both, your feedback would be greatly appreciated. What I care about: traffic and how to avoid it, if SAD really exists and what you can do about it, the theatre/performing arts scene, the art scene, dive bars, neighborhood descriptions, and places I can take my dog. What I don't care about: the weather (since it sounds about the same), sports teams, outdoor sports, and who pumps the gas. Thank you to anyone that can help.

[neptune]

I have lived in both and of the things you mention, both cities cater to all of that so it balances out. There are things I like and dislike about both but Seattle to me just has more of all of it, including traffic. It's a trade-off personally I feel is worth it. And oh yes, SAD does exist. I just turn on more lights in wintertime and make sure I keep active, one of the first things I noticed about both cities was how many people continue to do outdoor stuff even in the rain, compared to other places I've lived. Visit both downtowns and in Portland check out the NW district and Hawthorne and take the dog for a hike in WashingtonPark, and in Seattle visit downtown, Capitol Hill, University District, and take your dog for a walk around Green Lake, just be sure to bring baggies to clean up after him/her regardless

[leslieranea]

So am I right in assuming that in Seattle Capitol Hill and Queen Anne are pricey neighborhoods to live in? And the same for Portland in Hawthorne, Irvington, and North Portland? What are the Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods like? Where do you live now? Thanks again.

[leslieranea]

Not Queen Anne, but Belltown.

[Muhnay]

Good place to live in Seattle is South Shore. Look into it.. East Lake is also a very nice place. My Brother used to live there.. now he has a house in South Shore.

[leslieranea]

South Shore is down there by Steward Park, right? I don't think I'd want to live that far away from downtown.

[Woof]

Originally Posted by leslieranea

So am I right in assuming that in Seattle Capitol Hill and Queen Anne are pricey neighborhoods to live in? And the same for Portland in Hawthorne, Irvington, and North Portland? What are the Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods like? Where do you live now? Thanks again.

Are you renting? Personally I'd say it it's all too expensive, but probably the cheapest close to downtown is First Hill. It's all mixed up though, all the neighborhoods have good and seedy areas, and the seedy places don't necessarily have lower rents.

If you go to the Seattle Times classified section, you can put your rental prices and criteria in and have them email you when something suitable shows up: http://rentals.nwsource.com/rentals/SearchIndex.asp

I think Fremont, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill are interesting places to live that have their own character. I wouldn't mind living in Magnolia either, it's pretty and has Discovery Park, which is large and fun to walk or bike through. During the time I lived in Seattle, it seemed to me that most dive bars were in the Capitol Hill area, and maybe Belltown, although I don't really know too much about that scene.

As for SAD, the best way to deal with it is to get outside for at least one half hour every morning - that works even on overcast days. There are also special lighted goggles that can be used for 20 minutes, those are meant for hardcore cases.

[neptune]

Originally Posted by leslieranea

So am I right in assuming that in Seattle Capitol Hill and Queen Anne are pricey neighborhoods to live in? And the same for Portland in Hawthorne, Irvington, and North Portland? What are the Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods like? Where do you live now? Thanks again.

Capitol Hill and Queen Anne are more expensive however you can get older studios for relatively cheap, same goes for Hawthorne respective to Portland rents, Irvington is a great choice but its hipness might have already jacked up the price too much, and North Portland should be cheaper but you should be able to pretty quickly get a vibe for any neighborhood between the convention center and N Portland and if you like it and can afford it I'd go for it. You might also check out the Hollywood district in Portland. In Seattle Fremont and Wallingford might be slightly cheaper than CH and QA but if you go further north to Green Lake, Geenwood, Maple Leaf, or Licton Springs you can pay less money with good bus routes into downtown. Northgate is a good choice if you feel it out and like it, it's changing for the better as is a lot of North Seattle. Some other ideas closer to downtown would be lower Queen Anne and even Belltown if you stay away from the hi-rises and look for that rare older building with a studio, same goes for First Hill, and Georgetown south of downtown Seattle is an industrial, artsy up and coming hood worth taking a look.