American Considering Move to Vancouver

[Natnasci]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

Beautiful aerial shot of Seattle with Mount Rainier in the background







The Puget sound from West Seattle with Lake Washington in the background





The I-5 going through downtown I do not find it too "intrusive", actually is somewhat nested.

The Alaskan viaduct is currently being taken down, there will be a tunnel and a surface park where the viaduct is.

Seattle is more spread out than Vancouver (which has advantages and disadvantages), and you have mountains a bit closer, however we have the beautiful Puget Sound and you have water surronded by mountains both west (the Olympic Range) and east (the Cascade)

One thing I like is that we hactually have more water inlets and little coves than Vancouver (at least easily accesible)

Another thing that I like is that when the grayness gets me too much, I can easily drive only two hours east (easy drive, freeway and cruise control) and I get to Yakima.....always beautifully sunny and desert like conditions (including rattlesnakes...), breathless wide open spaces....total change of scenery, completely different, feels like flying to Arizona.

You have to drive much longer from Vancouver to get in a similar environment (not exactly the same but somewhat similar in the Okanagan Valley)

Your photos didn't come through ?? A lot of people who haven't been to Seattle think Mt Rainer is right next to downtown since these telephoto long shots are often used on postcards. It' 87 K from downtown Seattle, whereas, albeit shorter, Vancouver's mountains are right across the harbour.

[saturno_v]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

You laughing about accountants earning $15 in Seattle and talking about Craigslist? Why, go to Craigslist vancouver and Craigslist Seattle and compare adds. You'll see that most accounting positions in both places pay approximately the same, no kidding. In fact, it looks to me that accountants earn even more in Vancouver than they do in Seattle.

I'm talking real accountants not glorified bookkeepers....the market here is very robust, there is actually a shortage of certified accountants....I know of kids out of college getting insane offers.

Vancouverites moving to Settle for work? Sure, if you talk about the lucky few who found positions at Microsoft. I met many of those.

Is not only Microsoft or only the tech industry...actually Microsoft does not pay that well anymore......I'm talking about Accountants, Logistic experts, peopel in the healthcare business, mechanical, electrical and aeronautical engineers and so on....

New manufacturing is hiring big, we have many innovative manufacturing companies right now on a hiring spree....recently a friend of mine moved from Vancouver, he worked for Ballard Systems there and he is very happy with the move

Obviously Real Estate and residential/commercial construction is a bit soft at the moment....

Seattle is not traditionally being considered among high paying cities in the US.

Not according to Forbes

The Cities Where A Paycheck Stretches The Furthest - Forbes

Monster (Seattle ranks #2 as Technology hot spot..and does not mean only programmers and software engineers)

Top 10 Technology Hiring Hot Spots | Monster

1 ever 5 Seattle city employees make 6 figures

Local News | 1 in 5 city of Seattle workers earning six figures | Seattle Times Newspaper

how bad public school situation is in Seattle. It's not a secret to anybody but you. The bottom line is, Seattle is not family and kid friendly at all. Families move out to suburbs. I'm sure you know that.

I don't know about what bad school sistutation you referring too....all of my friends send their kids to schools where they live...here in West Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah......yes you may have some issues if you want to live in South Center...or South Tacoma....and frankly I think all Northamerican high school education is bad...really bad....Canada or US......a far cry from European standards.

I'd never move to a place I don't care about just because of better job opportunities and lower cost of living, as important as they are.

I agree about not moving just for job opportiunities or income....you will never convince me to move to Chicago or New York, no matter the pay.....

Having said that, I can't understand though how you, as a Western European, can like Seattle more than Vancouver. I mean, I spent 11 years of my life in Germany and prefer more Canadian cities, for many reasons.

More arts and culture, more "energy" (I cannot find a better word for that) ...yes I feel more "energy" here, more motivated people, more bustling.....but you guys have the better Asian food, I give you that!!! Dim Sum in Van is fantastic.

Last but not least, lower cost of living and better job opportunities in a place do not automatically mean better quality of life for me, as important as they are.

I agree......nor a better train system or more public swimming pool automatically make a better quality of life either....

Vancouver would be much more beautiful with a lower cost of living, a more real economy and a tad better road system It has potential I give you that.....

I leave you with this segment that you can find in this article "Paradise Found" in the Avenue Edmonton lifestyle magazine, about people going back to Edmonton from Vancouver....their words not mine

That’s putting it mildly. Vancouver routinely ranks at the top of global livability rankings, and in the most recent iteration of The Economist’s “world’s most livable cities” rankings, it finished in third place, just slivers behind Melbourne and Vienna. But these rankings are informed by a rather curious definition of livability, one that privileges criteria like hygiene, culture, recreation, public transportation and personal safety above things like housing prices and a viable job market. It is, in other words, a ranking of livability for people who don’t have to actually worry about making a living.
For those who do need to make a living, Vancouver is just about the furthest thing from livable.

What makes matters worse is that while real-estate prices in Vancouver look a lot like those in Hong Kong, Sydney and New York City, the incomes that people earn look more like those in Windsor, Ont. or Saint John, N.B.

Link: http://www.avenueedmonton.com/articles/paradise-found-0

[skihikeclimb]

I posted this in the American forum, and I am going to post here as well:

Skiing at Grouse mtn is not much different than skiing at snoqualmie pass. The only difference is that it is significantly closer to downtown Vancouver.

That being said, if you want a darn jobby job it is best you stay in Seattle. BTW comparing Toronto/Buffalo to Vancouver/Seattle is no comparsion whatsoever. Seattle is easily a head above Vancouver in terms of jobs and buisnesses that actually employ people. And honestly the access to nature is just about as equal. Seattle is relatively close to Mt. Rainier and the Cascades plus Olympic Mtns. Who cares if the mtns in Vancouver are 15 minutes closer. Trust me if you don't have the money to go skiing at Whistler and stay their on a regular basis it won't make a difference. You will end up living in a cheaper suburb like Surrey (which is pretty much like living in Renton or Burien).

Finding a job in Vancouver is pretty hard, unless you want to work for a cheap wage. Most of the people who grew up in Vancouver can't even afford to live in the city anymore. You pretty much have to move to the suburbs unless you are willing to fork over a huge sum of money. The reality is (unless you are willing to have a roomate), you are going to be living in the more suburban areas outside of Vancouver proper. By the time you drive from the outskirts to the ski slopes the time advantage dissapears.

When it comes down to it, Seattle has all the things that Vancouver has to offer. The fact is you can have a better lifestyle in Seattle. Now if you come from a family with money; and you are prepared to throw down at least 500K for a place to live pick Vancouver.

One last thing..... The culture in Seattle is much more creative and industrious than the culture of Vancouver. Look at all the start up companies and music that comes out of Seattle. Think of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, grunge music, REI, Costco, Microsoft, Amazon etc. etc..... Seattle has more of an organic feel about it, if that makes sense. Vancouver is a manufactured playground for really rich people from all over the world.. Many of the jobs are service oriented.

That being said, I do love Vancouver B.C. but its not affordable for most young people starting out in life, OR older folks trying to maintain their lifestyle..