Possible move. Any people from or move to AZ, Idaho or similar? (Seattle: rental)

[enigmadsm]

I am currently pondering a move to either the Seattle/Tacoma area or Portland next year.
I am originally from Phoenix, AZ (lived their 20yrs) and lived in the East Bay area of California for 2yrs and now reside in Boise Idaho.

I have no real gripes about any of the places I lived. Phoenix however seemed to be having a lot more crime in areas that I used to know as nice and safe places. While they are still relatively safe I just did not enjoy it as much. I don't have any plans of moving back.
Northern California was amazing. I lived in a town called Vacaville (just outside of Travis Air Force Base. It was about 45 miles from Sacramento and 50 from San Francisco.
It was a lot more green over there and a lot more mountains, especially driving to Lake tahoe in the winter to enjoy the snow! Squaw Valley is simply epic. I wouldn't mind living back in Northern California for that matter. But I have always been intrigued/drawn to the northern most states on the west coast.

Now I am here in Boise Idaho. I was in culture shock from how friendly the people are. Traffic here is a joke (unless you count the random bottlenecks from 2 people side by side going 10 under haha). The mountains are close, there is plenty of outdoor stuff to do (same with in Northern California). And the small downtown is actually a place to hang out (unlike in Phoenix, where noone wants to go there haha). Unfortunately I don't like the high desert visually no trees, there is a mountain but the only time I venture over to it is to snowboard, its a little smaller of a city than i am acustomed too. Boise isn't bad at all however, if it came to it i wouldn't complain about staying. The winter here seems similar to that of the PNW (not the rain, but it is overcast here the majority of the time, and daylight hours are fairly short also).
So far, i haven't experienced any dismay due to the lack of sunlight in the winter (there's no way for me to predict how I would/could cope with it in Portland/Seattle.) For me the payoff seems fantastic, I love the forest/trees/greenery/mountains.

So basically, I am 23 and am married with a 2yr old son. We have 2 dogs as well. We love outdoor activies (4 wheeling Jeeps/ATVs, snowboarding, hiking, etc) and we love movies, art, nightlife etc. My wife enjoys shopping lol. And all the above of course. I hope to get my son involved with sports as well. Soccer, BMX, atv's etc. Oh and my wife has been OBSESSED with killer whales/dolphins/marine life since childhood and it seems like WA has plenty of sightseeing for that also. I'm a Pac-10 guy, so Boise State athletics don't do it for me haha. And I love the fact that both Portland and Seattle have soccer teams. Obviously neither are reasons to move but just some bonuses!!!

I work in the medical profession, and would most definetly find a job before I up and moved, but from looking online it seems like there are quite a few laboratories and hospitals on both areas. So i'm optimistic at this point.

I am going to visit each city for 1 week in July and again in November to experience both parts of the year.

In the summer time, is there an average amount of sunlight during the day? Or is it overcast constantly from may-september as well? Is there a different vibe of people between the two cities? From reading the board it sounds like people are open/friendly in passing but don't really commit to things. I feel like if I have activities/sports in common that it would be somewhat easy to find people who also appreciate the same things.

What are the main differences between Seattle and Portland? I know Seattle is larger and experiences more traffic, but what about the subburbs? I wouldn't mind living 15-20 minutes outside the city in suburbia. I would like it to be a newer area that is relatively safe as well. We will probably rent for a year or 2 before buying a place. From what I've read online it appears that MT's get paid roughly $45,000-$60,000 annually in both cities. I will likely continue my career in the medical field, I am content with what I am doing. The only other option would be if i miraculously was able to get on with a fire department. So i will continue to pursue that on the side, but if it doesnt work out medical field is fine with me
My wife works for Wells Fargo so hopefully she will be able to transfer to a location out there. We only have 1 car payment, one credit card, so our bills aren't extreme. Not to sure on what to expect for a monthly rental payment. Other than housing, is the cost of living expenses similar?

I've read Portland is EXTREMELY liberal. I don't have a preference personally but is it so bad that it comes to a point where it feels like enough is enough? And is Seattle the same way? Is either one of them more or less culturally diverse? Do they both have public parks and dog parks? Is it easy/close to kind of get away for the weekend out to the mountains or coast? Oh and I'm a BIG Seafood fan, i'm assuming WA has that covered. Does one necessarily seem better for a young family looking to stay for the long term and build some roots?

Oh and how does Tacoma compare to the two also? I know is real close to Seattle, does it just have a suburbia vibe of Seattle or does it feel like a separate city? Does it have the same things to offer. Is it more/less safe?

Overall I'm just wondering if anyone on here has moved to the PNW from where I have listed, or left the PNW to go TO where i listed. And their perspective on how they compare.

Sorry if this is so drawn out or poorly written. I am just trying to figure these places out. Online it seems as though everything is FANTASTIC or AWEFUL haha. I will post more questions as i get them.
Oh and hopefully its okay if I post this in Both the Seattle and Portland section to avoid any bias from one city compared to the other and recieve input from residents of each.

Thanks,
Nathan

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by enigmadsm

In the summer time, is there an average amount of sunlight during the day? Or is it overcast constantly from may-september as well?

Very nice in the Summer, we'll have a stretch where its in the 90s (ick)... but otherwise, very nice and sunny in PNW... Sun will set around 9pm.

Originally Posted by enigmadsm

What are the main differences between Seattle and Portland? I know Seattle is larger and experiences more traffic, but what about the subburbs?

Seattle is bigger and IMO offers more than Portland. Traffic is awful in both cities. You have people being priced out of the cities, so they live in the suburbs, then everyone is moving to the suburbs where the prices are now jacked-- so they move further out.

Originally Posted by enigmadsm

I've read Portland is EXTREMELY liberal. I don't have a preference personally but is it so bad that it comes to a point where it feels like enough is enough? And is Seattle the same way? Is either one of them more or less culturally diverse? Do they both have public parks and dog parks? Is it easy/close to kind of get away for the weekend out to the mountains or coast? Oh and I'm a BIG Seafood fan, i'm assuming WA has that covered

It gets way more than enough. Both states essentially has a one party rule. But Seattle is not as bad as Portland. Seattle is more culturally diverse. Yes, public parks, dog parks. Though, nothing compares to Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA. WA has a very varied microclimates and its easily accessible. But why live in Portland? Who wants to pay income tax?

Originally Posted by enigmadsm

Oh and how does Tacoma compare to the two also? I know is real close to Seattle, does it just have a suburbia vibe of Seattle or does it feel like a separate city? Does it have the same things to offer. Is it more/less safe?

Tacoma... is very different from Seattle and Portland. Very Blue collar and a bit rough around the edge. It is a separate city, and economically speaking, always lag behind Seattle. A lot of people will tell you that Tacoma is a ghetto and it's awful and full of crimes. That's only true in some sections, but not all. It has its own zoo (very small), beautiful beachfront, the DT is very Charming (albeit tad empty). The schools are not good however. I would suggest you live closer to Olympia, Steilacoom, Dupont which has a better school district. Or you can look into Gig Harbor which is a very nice area-- their schools are better than Tacoma's.

[enigmadsm]

I suppose i chose portland as an option between the two because I've heard its a more relaxed slightly smaller version of Seattle, but still with the majority of the amenities. The income tax is definetly something to look at though. I will take that into acount.

Also, after my trip in July I will post my opinion thus far on the two. Thanks for your input! Looks like I will be crossing Tacoma off the list haha.

[CityGirl72]

I was born/brought up in Santa Monica, CA. Went to Sacramento for college, moved to Seattle, lived there 5 years and recently moved back to Nor Cal.

I disagree with the above poster. It does get 90s but only "every now and again" not for any stretches like you are used to. Houses in Seattle PNW do not come with air condition, because the amount of days over 80 degrees are only but a hand full and sparsely "here and there" through the summer.

The summers are beautiful - when you come in July you will love it. But the sun does not set at 9 pm, it sets around 10:30 pm. It stays light for a very long time - which is really nice.

In contrast the rest of the year - the sun hibernates and it's dark for the majority of the time, whether because of sunsets or because the sun is hiding behind clouds.

All in all - what I say is : Everyone is different. You need to figure out if it's good for you (and your family). It wasn't good for me there, but there are many on this forum who love it. Sometimes I ask people : What do you do when it's cold outside (to you) and wet? Do you stay indoors? Or does it invigorate you and push through it? It made me stay home all the time and I felt trapped by the weather. But that's me. Plus are you working and your wife stays with the kids? Take that into consideration, and ask her :How do you feel about it being wet for the kids? If she takes care of the kids, then it will effect her more.

As a person with a kid, I disliked being a parent there as I had to keep my kids dry and bundled up for such a big part of the year. Not everyone is like that - but I am since I came from warmer weather.

[eskercurve]

I went to Phoenix on business for three months and absolutely hated it. If you enjoyed Northern California and enjoy the nature of the mountains, the Seattle area will have you covered. A good day will have you at a 10-15 min drive in the suburbs from Seattle proper. Traffic can get tiresome here, you may need to settle for a 30-40 min drive to your workplace if you work in the medical field in Seattle and make 50-60k. Have you tried looking at the hospitals and other medical centers in the area? You wouldn't need to drive at least ... the bus routes here are excellent. You may also want to be open to the idea of renting a house long term. A lot of people do it here and invest the savings in the market or otherwise save. The housing bubble bursting helped a bit, but typically, you can save 300-400 a month renting vs. owning. However, the flip side of that is, now is probably a good time to buy as the economy will recover and people are moving to Seattle still.

Portland is smaller and you do get the same amenities, but everything is smaller and in smaller quantities because ... it's a smaller city. I wouldn't mind living there though, as it's less "discovered" by Los Angelinos and New Yorkers who try to foist their "vision" on the city and in the process price all the unique people who contributed to that feel out of the city.

To me I wouldn't live in Tacoma because ... it just never really struck me as the kinda place I'd enjoy living in. It tries really hard to be an attractive place, but all I can say about Tacoma is that they have that cool Chihuly bridge, a beautiful (and under-leased) waterfront, and I've nearly lost control driving around the highways there due to an oil slick ... I typically just drive through it if I'm going down south. If you work in Seattle it'd also be a real bad commute.

[enigmadsm]

C'mon i know more than 3 of ya have some advice/tips!!!

If my wife and I are making a combined income of around 70-75k is that fairly reasonable to get by? I'm not wanting to live in a condo right downtown or something. But a suburb or somewhere with a 3br and a yard and again i don't mind a commute. Any advisable areas to look?

[seattlenextyear]

"Reasonable income" gets a lot of debate on this board. Some people say you can get by with $50K, some people think you need over $100K. Renting is a a better value than buying a place. And neighborhood makes a huge difference.

We bought the house similar to one you're looking for: a modest 1980s 3 br with a small yard. If we commuted to downtown Seattle, it'd be maybe 30 minutes. Our mortgage is over $2000 a month (that's with 20% down, 30 yr fixed).

Houses in some of the further neighborhoods are little cheaper (although not by too much): Renton, Bothell, etc. Commute times from these towns depend on where in Seattle you're headed.

[CityGirl72]

We made about 140K a year and our mortgage was also $2000 a month (in North GreenLake) 3 bed 1 bath 1300 sqft. and a 20 minute commute by bus downtown

Out of our circle of friends we made the LEAST. But we felt very comfortable.

[enigmadsm]

I'm thinking that somewhere in the 1500-1600 range would be acceptable. I don't plan on buying for a while. Possibly not buying in the PNW at all.
If i want to own a house i will likely buy back home in AZ and rent it out. Its a lot more affordable to buy down there.

so is around $1600 enough to get a 2-3br house with a yard for my dogs in a decent neighborhood?

[seattlenextyear]

Yes, you could find a decent place to rent for that.