Vancouver, WA vs. Phoenix, AZ (Seattle, Pacific: rentals, mortgage, hotels)

[amp092]

Considering a move out of this Phoenix heat within the next year or so. Been searching for options and Vancouver has caught our interest. What are some things that a person moving from AZ to WA should be aware of? Pros and cons? Anyone who has lived in both areas that can comment on differences in traffic, job availability, etc? Any insight would be much appreciated!

[StealthRabbit]

need more info (from you)

Job / career field?
Housing budget?

Kids? / schools / any other specific needs (access to transportation / medical / school)

A car is required in Vancouver, but Portland can be car free.

Difference... weather (of course), arid environment,

4,737,270 people vs 174,000 people

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by amp092

Considering a move out of this Phoenix heat within the next year or so. Been searching for options and Vancouver has caught our interest. What are some things that a person moving from AZ to WA should be aware of? Pros and cons? Anyone who has lived in both areas that can comment on differences in traffic, job availability, etc? Any insight would be much appreciated!

Welcome to the forum. I noticed this is your first post. To help others help you, we'll need a bit more info such as the Q's Stealth is asking. Otherwise, there's no way of addressing potential fit.

Have you visited the PNW before? What are some things you are looking for in an area beside a change in the weather? The answer to this will most likely determine the best place to live ultimately.

We're looking at moving there and have been researching the area quite a bit. There are some obvious differences for you like climate. Since you want to get out of the heat, the PNW is a very nice option. Are you ok trading the excessive heat of Phoenix with a more moderate climate most of the year and cooler in the winter with a lot more cloudy, rainy days? You also won't have the thunderstorms of PHX. You will also get snow on occasion.

In terms of work, are your jobs very transportable? Are you trying to start a new business or reinvent yourself? Do you work with on planes, the food industry or... <some other wild guess>? How far are you willing to commute? Note that a good number of folks commute across the river into Portland for work. Not all, but it really depends on what you do and where you can land a job. Vancouver is like a big suburb of Portland though it does have some jobs of its own. Whereas Phoenix is a much larger city especially when you consider the greater metro area. That has its pluses and minuses. Overall there are more jobs, people and traffic like any larger city. A lot of the job market will depend on your professions. I like to use indeed to check out jobs to get a general sense of the market wherever I am considering moving.

Note also that some folks will leave the cooler, cloudier PNW for warmer pastures including places in AZ. Everyone has their preferences. Some like it hotter and sunnier more often while other prefer it cooler overall.

Then there is the incredible great outdoors which is a huge advantage of the PNW for some. It really depends on what you like beyond the weather.

Derek

[AleeGee]

I am a native Washingtonian, but I've lived in three other places, Phoenix being one of them. The way I see it is like this; Phoenix is a fast city. There is only one speed in Phoenix, and that is fast. In Wa., you can go slow if you want. There are sooo many family oriented activities, events(indoor & outdoor), fairs & festivals that you don't even have to contend with the seedier, "faster" side of Wa.
If you want the drinking/drugging side of life, you can find that here too. It's up to the individual on what gear he/she chooses to use for his/her life.
Prices have skyrocketed in EVERYTHING, and I'm still in dismay. The housing market is Numero Uno, and then COL, car tabs(daughter paid $300 for her POS Forrester). I wish we would stop trying to be like f-----g California. It seems like Wa rubber stamps anything they do, whether it is beneficial to the state or not.
You won't get the heat up here. Even our summers in the mid 90° range got nothing on triple digit heat in Phoenix. I moved there during the heat wave of 2001. Do you remember how hot it was that year? Record breaking temps all over AZ. It was 121° the day I arrived July 13th, 2001.
What you will get here in West Wa is rain, and lots of it. It rained for six straight months from Oct. 2016, until about May 2017. It was horrendous, another El Nino year. You might want to consider Eastern Washington if rain gets you down. Of course I'm in Seattle, but I think it affected the whole western half of Wa., incl Vancouver.
You might miss the desert, I know I did. The desert is magical, healing, and that's all I have to say about that.
For comparison; living is cheaper in Phoenix, but there's more to do here, free stuff even, like the museums being free the 1st Thursday of every month in Seattle.
Vancouver is great. I used to live in Pacific county, and went through Clark county numerous times. I don't have any first hand knowledge of Vancouver as of late, but I think it's still a great place to be. You're connected to Portland by the bridge, and I think you got two great cities going for you. You made a good choice in Vancouver.

[amp092]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

need more info (from you)

Job / career field?
Housing budget?

Kids? / schools / any other specific needs (access to transportation / medical / school)

A car is required in Vancouver, but Portland can be car free.

Difference... weather (of course), arid environment,

4,737,270 people vs 174,000 people

Sorry! Didn’t think about this as I’m just researching now (although this general area seems to be the direction we’re heading), but would probably help if I shared more. As MtnSurfer mentioned, this is my first post here. Thanks for the welcome!!

My boyfriend works in fire protection (inspections and the like) and is with a company that he can likely transfer to in Vancouver, which is one of the reasons we began looking at this city specifically. I currently work in the mortgage industry, but have years of experience in hospitality - both hotels and restaurants - that I can always go back to if it gets down to it. Also have dabbled in a few other things - wedding planning, worked in a school, etc. I’m interested in working in healthcare also, so potential in that area would be a plus wherever we move.

We own our house in Phoenix right now, but would probably want to rent in the first year or so after moving just to get the feel of the area we would want to settle for a longer period. No kids yet, but we’ve talked about possibly in the next few years. This is another reason we kind of want to get out of the metro area since we would prefer to not raise kids here.

We each have our own vehicles, so will be able to get around just fine. Depending on public transportation availability, we may use it, but definitely not necessary. Also in his line of work, he will have a vehicle provided to him by the company.

In terms of weather, we are both sick of the heat and ready for a change. Since we were both raised in AZ, maybe nothing too drastic like mountains of snow every winter. I spent a year in southern England, which I imagine is a fairly similar climate to southwest WA. Very rainy and cloudy most of the year, but nothing crazy like tons of snow or extreme heat waves.


Hope that helps clear things up! I appreciate all of the information you guys have already given.

[amp092]

Originally Posted by AleeGee

Prices have skyrocketed in EVERYTHING, and I'm still in dismay. The housing market is Numero Uno, and then COL, car tabs(daughter paid $300 for her POS Forrester). I wish we would stop trying to be like f-----g California. It seems like Wa rubber stamps anything they do, whether it is beneficial to the state or not.
You won't get the heat up here. Even our summers in the mid 90° range got nothing on triple digit heat in Phoenix. I moved there during the heat wave of 2001. Do you remember how hot it was that year? Record breaking temps all over AZ. It was 121° the day I arrived July 13th, 2001.

I am a bit worried about the cost of living. That’s one of the few things this area has going for it.

I do remember that heat wave! We had a similar one last summer. I think we got up to 121-122. We’re expecting this summer to get just as bad in the next couple of months...only thing that helps is the monsoons. I will miss those when we end up moving away.

Thank you for all of your input!!

[amp092]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Welcome to the forum. I noticed this is your first post. To help others help you, we'll need a bit more info such as the Q's Stealth is asking. Otherwise, there's no way of addressing potential fit.

Have you visited the PNW before? What are some things you are looking for in an area beside a change in the weather? The answer to this will most likely determine the best place to live ultimately.

Derek

Thank you for the warm welcome!! I answered some of the questions in my other reply. The only real time I’ve spent in the PNW was a quick vacation in Seattle to visit some family up there. Other than that, the closest I’ve gotten is northern CA. My boyfriend has spent a bit more time there than I have, but not by much. We do plan to go visit up there a few times before we make any sort of final decision.

Looking for less people in general. Phoenix metro area is jut a bit too big city for us. We were both raised in northern AZ in the Cottonwood/Sedona area if you know it at all. So closer to the small town vibe, but not super rural so that there are still enough jobs and things to do. We both enjoy the outdoors - four wheeling, hiking, camping, etc. We also have a big dog if that makes any sort of difference.

Appreciate all the help!

[notnamed]

Originally Posted by AleeGee

car tabs(daughter paid $300 for her POS Forrester).

That nonsense is limited to the Seattle area since you're paying for the sound transit and such. Much cheaper down here.

[MtnSurfer]

Hi Amp092,

The further information is very helpful. Based upon these factors it sounds like Vancouver could be a great fit for you both. If your bf can get a job on the Vancouver side that cut down on the commuting across the bridge.

Since you did mention price was a concern I recommend looking at the various neighborhoods. Some are more affordable than others. Stealth is really good at recommending locations for rentals. You probably shouldn't worry about school districts initially since you don't have kids yet.

There are lots of great places for those outdoor activities. Plus tons of waterways (river, lakes, waterfalls, ocean, the Sound) which you probably aren't used to. So those give you even more options than you've got now. If you do visit you'll want to hike the Gorge trails and see all the waterfalls. They are amazing! At the very least take a trip out to explore it and see what you think.

All the best,

Derek

[texasdiver]

Bottom line?

Vancouver is a great place to live if you can WORK in Vancouver.

It can stilll be a decent place to live if you are working across the river in Portland as is the case for a large percentage of Vancouverites. But you pay a lot more taxes if you do that and the commute seems to be getting worse and worse every year with no reasonable relief in sight within any of our professional lives I expect.

If you are coming from AZ I would recommend visiting between Nov and March to see the PNW at its most gray and rainy. If you visit during the summer it will seem like heaven compared to AZ. But that is only about 4 months of the year.

If you are outdoorsy types you will most likely love it here. But it does take a while to adapt to the gray winter climate.

Vancouver has a LOT of new hotels under construction or opening up soon. And there are two major hospitals as well as dozens of clinics. So job opportunities in both areas if that is what you are looking for.