login
Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic
-
No new posts
 2009-07-16 2:38 PM |
Master  3022  |  Subject: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topicWonder if anyone here has moved from the Midwest to Portland or Seattle. I may have the opportunity to transfer with my employer and am looking for anyone's thoughts / experiences. I currently live in SE Michigan and have a family (wife plus 2 and 1 on the way). Thanks in advance. |
| 2009-07-16 2:51 PM in reply to: #2289922 |
Veteran 1097  Elizabethtown, KY | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic dangremond - 2009-07-16 3:38 PM Wonder if anyone here has moved from the Midwest to Portland or Seattle. I may have the opportunity to transfer with my employer and am looking for anyone's thoughts / experiences. I currently live in SE Michigan and have a family (wife plus 2 and 1 on the way). Thanks in advance. Shouldn't you be training? My wife and I moved from Indianapolis to Kitsap County, WA (west side of the sound) back in 2000. We loved it out there. You DO have to get used to the weather, but if you can achieve that (and it IS a significant hurdle for some) then there are few places more beautiful in which to live. Both Seattle and Portland are great cities, but I love how close Seattle is to Mount Rainier, St. Helens, North Cascades, and Olympic Mountains NP's. And Vancouver/Victoria are fun weekend getaways. Homes are more expensive, and so is the coffee (but the coffee's much better, just steer clear of any Starbucks). What was striking, more so when we moved back to the midwest, was that we really noticed how much 'nicer' people are here as opposed to the west coast. That's a gross generalization to be sure, but . . . Regarding training - well, get ready for some hill training. Also, both are pretty congested, in terms of traffic, and I found getting out on the bike to be easier here in the middle of the country where rural roads are closer to home. That said, both attempt to be bicycling-friendly. Regardless, good luck in your decision, Mitch! |
| 2009-07-16 3:56 PM in reply to: #2289977 |
Master 3022 | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic roch1009 - 2009-07-16 2:51 PM Shouldn't you be training? Jeff, I didn't think I have enough going on in my life right now...so I thought I would complicate it a bit more. |
| 2009-07-16 4:06 PM in reply to: #2289922 |
Extreme Veteran 3177 | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic While I did not move here from the midwest, I did move here from Eastern Washington which is just as different from Western Washington as the midwest is. It is a great place to live. Portland is Beautiful area with lots of nice Rural roads once you get out of town. There are a ton of smaller towns/areas to live in around the westcoast as well. Since you mentioned both Portland and Seattle do you have a choice which one? that makes a huge difference as well if you can choose because both of the communities are quit different around the major cities. For the most part the people here are quite nice but they do tend to show it in a bit of a different manner. If you love the outdoors and dont mind cloudcover I would say you would be ok. |
| 2009-07-16 4:11 PM in reply to: #2290196 |
Master 3022 | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic Bit more detail. My company is expanding into the Northwest. New operations being built out in Portland and Seattle. I could conceivably have a shot at either location. Thoughts? |
| 2009-07-16 4:21 PM in reply to: #2289922 |
Extreme Veteran 3177 | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic If I had a choice of either I would take Seattle due to proximaty to prime hiking/backpacking areas. Portland is a close 2nd though so it really comes down to what type of environment you are looking for. Also take note that Portland has better bike facilities than Seattle at this point and Seattle is doing a stupid job at trying to catch up. On the good side for Seattle is we also have lots and lots of beaches for OWS practice as well as several really nice and active Tri Clubs. |
| 2009-07-16 6:12 PM in reply to: #2289922 |
Pro 4100 Wherever the trail takes me, WA. | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic From Florida originally.... Never leaving Seattle again! I love it here! |
| 2009-07-16 11:31 PM in reply to: #2289922 |
Master 2665 The Whites, New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic Portland, Portland, Portland!! LOVE Portland, it's the only place where I would actually live IN the city! You have a view of Mt. Hood from just about everywhere. The suburbs are (generally) well planned and are fairly distinct towns. There are trees freakin' EVERYWHERE. Very, VERY biking-friendly. Super crunchy. Amazing culture of every type imaginable. But seriously, the city ripped out an interstate to put in a park. Does it get any better than that? |
| 2009-07-16 11:33 PM in reply to: #2289922 |
Master 2665 The Whites, New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic Ooops, got carried away, meant to add: my former spouse moved to Eastern WA from Ann Arbor area in high school, then her family went from there to Portland while she was in college. Her mom and siblings are still there, and adore it (so does she). They loved the move from MI to Portland, for what that's worth. |
| 2009-07-17 12:09 AM in reply to: #2289922 |
| 31 | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic Portland and Seattle are both fantastic, with lots of access to the great outdoors and active tri clubs. For me, the final decision came down to community size. Portland, is smaller and more compact, with LOTS less traffic. |
| 2009-07-17 4:05 AM in reply to: #2289922 |
Expert 859 Perth, Australia | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic I visited Portland last year with the family and was blown away by the countryside around the city. It's not a pretty city but it works really well, has lots of interesting places and is really easy to get about - the buses have bike racks!! I found the people really friendly and it's a very kid-compatible place. I was staying with a friend who moved back there after spending time working in Australia, she cut her visit short as she missed Portland so much and I can understand why. It's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland wierd" but it's a nice kind of wierd. If I had to move there for work, I reckon I'd be pretty happy, though I might have issues with the weather, there are enough winter sports to make up for it and Mount Hood has skiing pretty much all year round. My five year old son cried when we had to leave. Edited by daisymouse 2009-07-17 4:06 AM |
| 2009-07-17 4:31 AM in reply to: #2290939 |
Master 2665 The Whites, New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic daisymouse - 2009-07-17 5:05 AM Mount Hood has skiing pretty much all year round. Yep! I won a seven-day, six night ski trip to Timberline Lodge...for July. Schweet. It was one of the best vacations I've ever taken. The weather isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, it rains every day...for twenty minutes. From 2:00-2:20 p.m. Nothing is scheduled outside during that time unless it doesn't matter if it gets rained on. Otherwise, nice bright sunny days! I happen to think it is a pretty city, but that's up to the beholder. The people are very laid back and friendly, and tend to take things in stride. The rain, for instance - everyone carries an umbrella, it is more ubiquitous than a Crackberry on Wall Street. No need to get upset at the rain, just adapt and be happy and stress-free! The public transit is outstanding as well - it's lots of fun riding the Max and zooming by all the traffic on the interstate. Plus, they have Powell's. The City of Books. Just the main store, and there are others, is a full city block and five stories high. OMG. My heart rate goes up just thinking about Powells. *swoon* Edited by Slugger 2009-07-17 4:32 AM |
| 2009-07-17 6:37 AM in reply to: #2289922 |
Expert 859 Perth, Australia | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic Sorry Slugger, I spent most of my life in Edinburgh, Scotland which kind of spoils you for anywhere else. How could I forget Powells, I could live in there if somebody would just drop me some sandwiches every now and again. Also there's the Rose Garden, the Botanics and the Chinese Gardens which are all incredibly beautiful. No sales tax either and I think it's mandatory that everybody owns a bicycle. Then there's Zell's for outstanding breakfast and too many other good restaurants to mention. |
| 2009-07-17 9:06 AM in reply to: #2289922 |
Regular 95 Oregon City, Oregon | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic I live in the suburbs or Portland, so happen to be a little biased. My sister lives in the Seattle area (northeast part of town, closer to Microsoft), so I get up there for visits a decent amount. I've lived on the east coast for a while, but grew up in Portland. When my wife and I got done with grad school, there was no question that we would return to Portland. It would be very, very hard to get us to move away from here. Portland is smaller than Seattle, but outside of major sport teams (besides the Blazers), I think the town has as much to offer as Seattle, with fewer problems of a big city. Our food is just as good, our beer is better, and we're a more friendly bike city. The only reason Seattle might edge out Portland for hiking/backpacking is the Olympic Peninsula. Our coast is better (most places don't allow vehicles on the beach, while they do almost everywhere in WA). From Portland you're only two hours away from the beach or the mountains, two beautiful playgrounds. We do like to tell people that it rains here all the time so they don't move here. Especially Californians.  |
| 2009-07-17 10:27 AM in reply to: #2291343 |
Extreme Veteran 3177 | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic daleskibum - 2009-07-17 7:06 AM I live in the suburbs or Portland, so happen to be a little biased. My sister lives in the Seattle area (northeast part of town, closer to Microsoft), so I get up there for visits a decent amount. I've lived on the east coast for a while, but grew up in Portland. When my wife and I got done with grad school, there was no question that we would return to Portland. It would be very, very hard to get us to move away from here. Portland is smaller than Seattle, but outside of major sport teams (besides the Blazers), I think the town has as much to offer as Seattle, with fewer problems of a big city. Our food is just as good, our beer is better, and we're a more friendly bike city. The only reason Seattle might edge out Portland for hiking/backpacking is the Olympic Peninsula. Our coast is better (most places don't allow vehicles on the beach, while they do almost everywhere in WA). From Portland you're only two hours away from the beach or the mountains, two beautiful playgrounds. We do like to tell people that it rains here all the time so they don't move here. Especially Californians. I live in Seattle but I would have to agree with you on a lot of that. I do like Portland a lot but just to far away from the north Cascades (My favorite hiking/backpacking area anywhere) and the Olympic national forest/park area is also awesome. I do like Portland being smaller and more compact, more bike friendly etc...but if I had a choice I would want to live in one of the smaller communities a couple of hours outside of Portland (Corvalis comes to mind because I am familiar with it already) but that would not be easy for work commutting. |
| 2009-07-17 11:42 AM in reply to: #2289922 |
Extreme Veteran 589 Gig Harbor | Subject: RE: Portland/Seattle- somewhat off-topic Move to the Kitsap penninsula - beautiful views of Seattle, houses are still cheap, and you can hop on a ferry to the city And as was mentioned the hills are plentiful and challenging. That being said Portland is pretty sweet. I love the city but I don't like the burbs there. Honestly I think there is more to "do" in Seattle. More festivals, farmer's markets, restaurants, tri & cycling clubs, races, music venues, shops, etc. But again Portland comes in a close second - its weird - in a good way and has great public transportation! |
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK