Does anyone on here live in the NorthWest ?

[John_Kerry]

Does anyone here live aroung Oregon or Washignton. Anywhere in that area ?

If so, is this really a nice place to live. I hear great things and it looks so nice in pictures. They have the Ocean, mountains, great climate, good economies.

Is it really as good as it seems ?

The only thing bad that I have found is that there seems to be a little above average crime.

Do you feel safe living there ?

Thanks

 

[John_Kerry]

On the east coast the COL is way too high and they have to deal with these hurricanes. In the midwest, the economy sucks and the climate is horrible. Here where I live it can be 100-110 degrees with humidity in May, June, July, August, September and then by November its -10 degrees windchill until March.

Also, the economy is horrible. Where I work, we put an ad in the paper for an entry level position that paid $6.50 per hour and had really no benefits and we got over 200 resumes.

For a $6.50 an hour job ?

The minimum wage is higher than that in states like Oregon, Washington, and California not to mention the beautiful part of the country.

 

[Woody0]

I live to the North of those States. Warm summers, wet winters and the scenery is great.

Can't say I understand your comment on crime. I've always felt more wary on the East coast.

 

[WildBill]

JK,

You might want to note that Oregon and Washington have relatively crappy economies at this time. They got hit very hard in the last recession because they are heavily dependent upon foreign trade and high tech industry. Things are getting better, but still no great shakes.

Couldn't put it much better than this, state unemployment rates for July:
Alaska 7.2%
Oregon 6.8%
Washington 6.0%

Only Michigan at 6.8% and California at 6.1% are in the same vicinity.

Still though the weather in the best available outside of the California cities, at least west of the Cascades. In Seattle a 90 degree day, even without humidity, is a heat wave and a day with snow that actually sticks for more than a few hours is a major winter storm. As long as you don't mind cloudy days you probably will like it because despite its reputation, the city gets less rain than places like NYC, Chicago or Dallas. Just lots of cloudy days from October until March with drizzle and light rain.

And I don't get the crime thing either, there isn't much violent crime. Most of the crime problem revolves around car theft. If I didn't have my current job and career path I would definitely go back to Seattle, it is a hard place to beat for quality of life among the big cities.

 

[John_Kerry]

I got that from this link

http://www.city-data.com/city/Everett-Washington.html


It says the U.S. average crime index is 330.6 ( Higher means more crime ) everett, washington for instance is 519.0, it does look like there are a lot of auto thefts, and larcenies though and that might be why it is higher.

As far as the economy, the everett, washington website says "the city has more jobs than residents". That seems a little puffed up, are they counting children and the retired as residents ? If so, they could never come close to filling all jobs even with people coming from nearby cities. Most of these jobs must be service jobs but even so, they would have to be paying $8 to $9 an hour to start since the minimum wage is $7.16 in washigton. Add the fact that there is no state income tax to the fact that you should be able to easily start out at $10 an hour and that isnt too bad just getting started.

Thanks for the input here, it does seem like a great place to live because I cant stand these god awful hot days for 5 to 6 months out of the year. Its 80 + degrees here right now and with humidity it feels like 90 + at 7 PM. You are trapped inside all summer because you have to have air conditioning. As soon as I graduate from college in January I am out of here.

 

[John_Kerry]

From the everette, Washington website


Everett is home to more than 96,000 citizens on 25,000 acres of land and 9,600 acres of water. Along with its strong economy - that provides more jobs than there are residents - the area boasts a wide range of family-centered entertainment, cultural, recreational and educational opportunities. The climate is relatively mild year-round, with seemingly endless outdoor recreational activities.

I am moving to tha area in Jan or Feb 2005, just doing research to see exactly where I want to move to. It seems like Washington generally has a higher COL than Oregon, but Oregon charges 9 % State Income Tax ? That is crazy, like the Fed taxes arent high enough. Washington charges 0. I rules out California due to population problems and I like a coast state because the oceans are so awesome. Really excited about this area because I have family there and its so nice with the oceans and mountains, and the climate is nice.

 

[REDEYE]

Great place to live, wouldn't move anywhere else, great clinate, Portland is close to the beach, mountains,rivers, lakes, beautiful women.If you use your imagination you can make good money out here. I'm not sure about the every day jobs,9-5 grind though.

 

[stef]

Live in Seattle since 1984. Moved here from Phoenix cause of work. Decent place BUT the winters are so long to me. Not a place for somebody who likes the sun. Bottom line I would go back to the desert but now that I have been here this long I will probally stay here.

 

[Conan]

I live in Oregon where NFL parlay wagering has been legal for 12 years. (It's a state-run book)

Aside from that, you guys who think that this place is financially depressed take note:

You can still buy an oceanfront home for less than a cracker-box in LA or San Francisco would cost you. But closer to California, in Brookings, Gold Beach and Bandon (for example) homes have appreciated in value nearly 300% in the past 6 years. As the baby-boomers get rich and retire, prime real estate in California has gotten out of control so the money is going north where homes are still affordable. There is only so much desireable oceanfront property available. Coastal properties are a solid investment. More and more marinas and golf courses are being built and real estate prices are going up as the money moves north. The average home anywhere in Southern Oregon has increased an average of 35% in price in the past 2 years.

The weather is mostly mild and almost never humid but the further north you go, the more rain there is. Late summer is the nicest weather of the year along the Oregon and Washington coastlines.

 

[Dante]

WOW conan.....very nice to see you posting...hope all is well

 

[John_Kerry]

Thanks for the input.

It sure does look good conan from the research I have been doing. Everything I have seen says the economy is strong.

The only thing I have found negative about Oregon is a 9 % State Income Tax . That is outrageous. Washington has no state tax, so if I am making just $25,000 a year I am paying an extra $2,250 to live in Oregon or $200 a month.

 

[John_Kerry]

Living in Washington may cost a little more, but wages for comparable jobs are slightly higher as well. I think I can find something in the range of $25,000 - $30,000 pretty easily. I will have a bachelors degree in business administration and a little experience but not much. The state minimum wage is over $7 which is about $15,000 a year for a full time job. So I think I should be able to find a $25,000 to $30,000 which is a moderatly nice living for a single person.


I will also be brining about 30 K in savings so I wont be looking to buy a home until I am sure I like the area. The plan is to get a job and a few years experience and maybe start up a business within 5 years or so. I may check into the small business grants you can get where if you have 50 K to start the gov't matches it.


As far as the weather goes I cant wait. I really really despise these hot days of the midwest. We can have 4 to 5 months of MISERABLY hot weather. I will take 30 degree weather every day and love it.

 

[just4fun]

[The only thing I have found negative about Oregon is a 9 % State Income Tax . That is outrageous./QUOTE] There is no sales tax in Oregon so this is a wash and a plus if you are going to be buying a car

 

[REDEYE]

Definately more pros then cons living here in Oregon. I'd just as soon have no more people finding out about how great it is out here

 

[WildBill]

Oregon tax at 9% has a number of deductions if you are only making 25k a year you probably will get an effective rate closer to 5% or less. If you really want tax heaven, move to Clark County, which is just north of Portland across the Columbia River. As long as you live and work on the Washington side you pay no income tax, but you do all your major shopping in Oregon and pay no sales tax. Portland area malls get packed with cars with Washington plates around the holidays, the draw of no tax is obviously high.

Your comment about the crime makes more sense because you are talking about Everett. Everett is famous for being home to Boeing's biggest plant and therefore is far more industrial than most of the Seattle area. Only city about as industrial as Everett is Renton, and guess what Boeing has lots of facilities there too. Everett is a so so place to live, does have a reputation for being a little more dangerous. More jobs than people is very misleading because you can't count Everett like it exists apart from the rest of the area. That would be like saying Wall Street has more jobs than people, but doesn't mean everyone that wants to work on Wall Street can get a suitable job there.

If you decide on Seattle, one of the best facets is the "ghetto" is miniscule compared to the huge swaths of "no go" areas in most major cities. So if you are worried about crime I would put it at the least of your concerns around Seattle. Most people in Seattle are far more concerned about the cost of living and the traffic. Being in an area surrounded by water makes even short commutes time consuming.

I only know a little bit about Portland and Oregon in general, but most people in Seattle think Oregonians are a little bit backward, hehe. The area of the coast that Conan talks about is called the "banana belt" because it receives less rain than other spots along both the Oregon and Northern Californian coast. If it weren't so isolated from a big city I am sure all the Oregon Coast would be far more valuable.