Portland or Seattle Areas

[Digital M@]

Hey everyone. I will be transferring from the wonderful city of Chicago to the beautiful NW. I can choose where to live and wonder what your experience and thoughts are on the Seattle Area and Portland Area.

Share whatever you like, I am just trying to get as much data as I can.

 

[Vargo]

As a native Seattleite, I say Portland. The three main reasons:

1. Their property values haven't gotten quite as insane as up here.
2. Portland seems to have it's collective crap together when it comes to mass transit, whereas Seattle is still in the stone ages.
3. Powells!

I'd move, but I've got a cush job.

 

[Darthjaye]

Portland is a beautiful city. Not quite as much rainfall as Seattle (just barely) and is just a few hours from Seattle if you ever waznt to drive north and see what the difference actually is and how much better off you would be in Portland. Also, close enough that if you change your mind (or are allowed to with said transfer) it's a hop skip and a jump from you.

 

[DragonTurtle]

Puget Sound beats the Columbia River any day for natural beauty. Sure our property values are higher, but that means more appreciation for you. Plus no State Income Tax (of course we do have sales tax).

Also when the Seahawks make the superbowl again this year, you can cheer along with the rest of us.


Honestly, even though Portland is only a few hours south, I really can't say much about it, however I have lived in Seattle 30 years. So I vote Seattle.

 

[Darthjaye]

Puget Sound beats the Columbia River any day for natural beauty. Sure our property values are higher, but that means more appreciation for you. Plus no State Income Tax (of course we do have sales tax).

Also when the Seahawks make the superbowl again this year, you can cheer along with the rest of us.


Honestly, even though Portland is only a few hours south, I really can't say much about it, however I have lived in Seattle 30 years. So I vote Seattle.

Hey, I thought they said no team could lose two Super Bowls in a row anymore. I think they called it the "Buffalo Bills prevention act" or something like that.

 

[sniffles]

I love Portland. I moved to the Northwest from Texas 15 years ago to attend grad school, and I've never wanted to leave. Portland has a great feeling of being relatively small yet very cosmopolitan. The variety of dining experiences and entertainments available still amazes me. I really like the mass transit system here, which keeps expanding, and the freeways are easy to negotiate and not too bad with rush-hour traffic.

The weather is generally pleasant as long as you don't mind the rainy fall and winter - it's not as rainy here as it is in Seattle. Seattle is also hillier, which I find a nuisance to drive when I go to visit. There is a state income tax in Oregon, which I don't care much for, but no sales tax. And if you drive across the border into Washington as an Oregon resident you don't have to pay sales tax there either, except for food.

Portland also has the advantage of being centrally located to a variety of different types of terrain. You can be on a ski slope or a beach in about the same amount of driving time, and the drive to either location is beautiful. Oregon's beaches are all public property - you can get out of your car and walk onto the beach anywhere and no one will come out and yell at you to get off their land. There are quite a few Native American casinos near the coast if you enjoy that type of activity.

I think the Columbia Gorge is gorgeous to drive through, and I've spent time on Puget Sound too, DragonTurtle. The gorge has some of the most breathtaking waterfalls I've ever seen.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Not only do you get Powells (the world's best book store) in Portland, you also get The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival every fall. And Voodoo Donuts, which is only open at night.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Portland vs. Seattle

I currently live in Portland. I spent a few summers in Seattle as a kid and have visited many times over the years. The biggest difference I see is that Seattle is a City. It is much larger and more cosmopolitan than Portland. There is more of everything: people, shops, traffic, etc.

Portland is a Big Little Town. Really. It's pretty "small" for being the largest city in Oregon. If you like the small-town feel, move here. If you want a more urban lifestyle, pick Seattle.

Oh, and in Oregon it is illegal to pump your own gas. Seriously.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Oh, and in Oregon it is illegal to pump your own gas. Seriously.

Huh. I thought New Jersey was unique in that particular form of stupidity.

 

[Darthjaye]

I currently live in Portland. I spent a few summers in Seattle as a kid and have visited many times over the years. The biggest difference I see is that Seattle is a City. It is much larger and more cosmopolitan than Portland. There is more of everything: people, shops, traffic, etc.

Portland is a Big Little Town. Really. It's pretty "small" for being the largest city in Oregon. If you like the small-town feel, move here. If you want a more urban lifestyle, pick Seattle.

Oh, and in Oregon it is illegal to pump your own gas. Seriously.

Yeah, that weirded me out at first. I started to get out and my friend who lives there says "Don't, it's illegal. Let the guy do it". I guess it's a way to ensure there's a few more jobs filled. But it does make it nice on rainy days (of which there's definately a fiar share of them there)