So this is my situation: my wife and I have wanted to move for a long time. We are currently in Chicago. I am drawn to the North Pacific region, specifically to two of its biggest cities, Seattle and Portland. A quick summary of why this is:
Climate is milder compared to brutal Chicago winters and boiling, fetid summers (I don’t care about the rain)
I like cities, but Chicago is proving a bit much; would like to downsize without going small-town or suburban
Overall outlook in both is fairly liberal/left-leaning, which is good for my psychological health
Both appear to have decent public transport options and pedestrian-friendly areas
Good cultural/dining options in both
Good emphasis on outdoor activities & lifestyle
Now, one thing that makes this question more interesting. I am negotiating with my company to work remotely after I move, and right now, there seems a fairly good chance of it going through. This means I won’t have to find a new job in order to relocate, so employment prospects don’t immediately factor in. However, there is always the possibility that I will lose my job, or decide to quit, meaning I would have to find work locally. (I work in marketing.) Portland’s low cost of living is very tempting … unless/until I have to find a job there, and probably take a precipitous pay cut.
Anyway, with this in mind, I would appreciate any insight from people who live in either location, and preferably lived in both. What’s awesome? What’s not so awesome? How’s traffic? How are the people? How much cool stuff is there to do?
I wouldn’t move to either city for the weather. Except for the ridiculous number of rainy days, the quality ofl life is generally better in Portland. It’s a great walking town, which Seattle most definitely is not. The food is better, too. Just my opinion.
Best parts (tie): (1) Very cool but laid-back culture, especially music culture; (2) Stunning and ubiquitous natural beauty. #2 is the part I miss most, and I live in Denver which is fairly renowned for its access to natural beauty. Dense forests, picturesque lakes, the Sound, islands, the coast, the rainforest, the mountains, the volcanoes…even within the city, you’re surrounded by lush nature.
Worst part by far: Never-ending overcast skies. I’ll never forget the desperation for just one sunny weekend day, JUST ONE, for months on end, right on into July. You’ll get nice weather here and there, and summer can be great (not always!). But overcast skies are harsh on the psyche. Trust me, I truly and deeply adore Seattle, but I don’t think I could handle living there again, especially now that I have a kid and we spend tons of time outdoors.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong there. But keep in mind that Seattle and the other cities along the Puget Sound constitute a larger population than the Portland metro area, and Seattle just feels bigger to me. I’m a small town person, so I’d prefer Portland. Not sure what you’d prefer. But I do think they’re both great towns.
Portland also has more great breweries than Seattle. It’s one of the best places in the world right now for beer. Seattle’s no slouch, but Portland’s world class in that respect.
I spent a year in Bremerton Wa, and 6 months in Vancouver Wa. I definitely wouldn’t consider myself an expert in either but I did spend time in both the cities in question.
I really enjoyed Portland but its appeal is more on a younger level. Seattle has a more sophisticated feel to it, more polished. The weather is definitely gray but I love rain so it never bothered me and you learn to appreciate sunny days more than you ever have. If you like a young, hip, artsy, scene with great food options and even greater micro brew options, I’d chose Portland. If you want a more sophisticated mature version of Portland, chose Seattle. Hope that makes sense.
Just my opinion.
Portlander here. Seattle has the ocean. If you’re a boater or love the ocean, then that might be a better choice. Portland’s traffic is much less hectic and people actually stop for you when you set foot off the curb. People are nicer here, IME. Restaurants are possibly a wash, although the food cart scene here is incredible. Street people don’t seem to be as hostile. One bike path here runs for 42 miles, parks are frequent, green, and well-maintained. Picnics are a way of life.
In my neighborhood, I can walk to two markets, a farmers’ market, my doctor, my dentist, several very good restaurants, several good food carts, my mechanic, UPS/FedEx, the post office, my eye doctor, the cat hospital, a spice shop, two barbers, several antique shops, two bike shops, and a bakery, among others. In the last two years, I’ve put 7500 miles on my car. In a normal gas fill cycle, I average - no shit - 12 miles per hour, because we take public transit most places.
We looked at Seattle when we were making our retirement plans, but Portland just seemed quieter, calmer, and more progressive.
I spent a year in Bremerton Wa, and 6 months in Vancouver Wa. I definitely wouldn’t consider myself an expert in either but I did spend time in both the cities in question.
I really enjoyed Portland but its appeal is more on a younger level. Seattle has a more sophisticated feel to it, more polished. The weather is definitely gray but I love rain so it never bothered me and you learn to appreciate sunny days more than you ever have. If you like a young, hip, artsy, scene with great food options and even greater micro brew options, I’d chose Portland. If you want a more sophisticated mature version of Portland, chose Seattle. Hope that makes sense.
Just my opinion.
I don’t know what the traffic situation is in Portland but it’s TERRIBLE in Seattle. Plus Oregon has no sales tax which I’m constantly jealous of, but I think they have state income tax and Washington doesn’t.
To me Portland seems kind of a like a cheap knockoff of Seattle, but of course I’m being unfair.
Say hello to practically 9 straight months of completely overcast weather. Sure, the temperature will be mild compared to Chicago, and you won’t have to often deal with any snow… but not seeing the sun for months at a time is miserable beyond words. I lived my life in southern Oregon and then in Corvallis, and you couldn’t pay me enough money to ever move back there (and Portland/Seattle is even more often overcast than where I lived). If you are a vampire, or just hate sunny days, then either city will work. Seattle gets more rain than Portland but I’d say they are about even on the number of blue-sky days you’ll have (not many).
Lifelong Pacific NW resident here, gotta agree with what everyone else is saying. The PNW is the poster child for seasonal depression - the gray winters are really tough psychologically. They say everyone here is on antidepressants, and that’s only a slight exaggeration. (The plus side is that we’re much more aware and accepting of mental health needs than the rest of the country.) Portland is somewhat more sunny than Seattle, but still gray compared to, say, Northern California.
Seattle is a proper city. Portland feels a bit like a college town, and I think it invented the word ‘hipster’. There’s a bigger job market in Seattle, especially for tech companies. The Seattle suburbs are pretty well indistinguishable from suburbs anywhere else, though slightly damper. I’m not sure about Portland’s public transit facilities, but Seattle’s facilities are just short of critical mass and have been for the last fifty years. Unless you’re really living in the city itself, you’re going to need a car. Don’t plan to commute from a suburb to downtown via public transit unless you’re willing to spend an hour and a half each way. (Go ahead, ask me how I know.) Portland is much more walkable, due to its smaller size.
Take your pick. Personally I kind of like Portland (mostly for the small town feel, cool old houses that can be had for less than $1,000,000, and slightly more sun), but it’s very much a personal preference.
Just chiming in to say the weather doesn’t bother everyone. Some of us tolerate it fine, and feel the summers are fantastic. I agree, for many the grey is a real problem.
Seattle is much more picturesque, it’s hilly with water and mountains on multiple sides, so great views all over the place. Both cities are equally lush and green but you just sent more of Seattle as you’re rambling around. People, per my experience, are nicer in Portland but both cities have a kind of hipper/greener/rightouser than thou sort of snobbiness, especially among the younger crowds. Seattle is famous for the Seattle Freeze (new buzzword, old concept) which never bothered me, probably because I’m a freezer from way back. WA has sales tax but no income tax, OR v-v. Take your pick. Best way to sum, I’d say, is that the two cities are very similar, but Seattle just has more, of pretty much everything , both positive and negative.
Based on your criteria and no overwhelming economic needs, Portland by a landslide. Seattle is a great city too, but is more of a cross between Portland and Chicago.
When I was growing up all the whining about the weather by the nonnatives never computed with me. But then I moved away and lived in other parts of the country/world for a decade+, and not too long ago back here again. Alright, those whiners had a point. The gray does get pretty solid and persevering at times. But then we don’t ever have to deal with blizzards, deep freezes, bone chills, or oppressive endless heat waves or the utter hell of saturating humidity. So I tolerate the gray quite nicely.
Currently living upstate NY with my wife, her sister and sister’s husband. We get all of the above over here… cold winters and hot summers. Have been thinking about Seattle (us) or Texas (sister), still deciding. The gray is pretty much the only downside of Seattle.
Still, it’s hard to believe that it’s just gray and depressing. There are no sunny days in winters at all?