EXUP Worldwide

guys, can you give me a bit of insight as to cost of living in the seattle/portland area? also, what makes you stay in that area?

are the rumors i hear about the weather true?

thanks!

So, you are serious about moving then Jason??
The cost of living (read housing) is pretty high here, but like many areas - it is overvalued by a bit.
It amazes me that people move here and pay up like they do, but it doesn't seem to stop...........
Seattle is a provincial, self-promoting little backwater of a municipality that seems to have a vested interst in keeping a thumb on it's constituant's lives in a low key but omnipresent sort of way.
Winter days are short cold and dark, traffic sucks, and the people get inordinately selfish and small minded way too often.............
But, there is still a healthy contingent of earthy can-do individuals scattered among all that, and enough folks do take their civil liberties seriously enough here that the powers that would like to be remain just that - wanabes...........:(for the most part) :cool
But spring and summer here are like nowhere else on earth.
If five months a year of really good living are worth weathering the winters, then it just might be your kind of place........
There are a lot really good attributes to a lot of places, but on average, this little backwater has a pretty good collection of many of them all in one place.
The techie/programer/geek employment market is oversaturated here, which is both good and bad.............lots of company, but very competitive.
I say come out and see for yourself, you might like it, you might not.
You will have to be the ultimate judge of that.
That's my , and I will now stand down - next?

Yea...what Bob said. Thing is though ...you CAN commute and save a LOT of housing dollars.
We live a boat ride away from Seattle (I used to commute every day) and housing costs are 1/3 what they are in Seattle
And I have a pretty fair view too. On the water...
And did I mention we have almost 8000 sq ft?

Bob aint too far off the mark. No offence to anyone up here, but the only thing that is keeping me up here is the Wife and Kid. My step-son is in college right now. Once he's graduated, I'm looking to move back to the South. Just too damn cold up here for me.

The people up here IMHO are as a general rule, pretty nice. I find that refreshing as I came from a place that makes claims of "Southern Hospitality". The views up here are quite amazing. We have the coast, the mountains, a rain forrest, and a desert. Go figure.

With that being said, Seattle grew up in a Tsunami Zone, on a Fault Line, next to a Volcano. It's all about Location, Location, Location....

Jason,

In addition to the personal testaments, you can get comparisons for Wilmington versus Seattle using the following website (salary, housing, schools, moving costs, etc ...)

http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc.html

It's similar to the book Places Rated Almanac only online. If your local library has the book it's full title is Places Rated Almanac: Your Guide to Finding the Best Places to Live in America

Don

after plugging in some data into dj's link for cost of living & moving

I could be King in Tennessee

My sister keeps telling me to move down there (thats where she lives)

I'm already an elvis fan....what more could I ask for?

thanks guys!

right now, i am in the process of sorting out what i want to do. i have family that would like to see me move back to the cleveland, ohio area, but i don't miss the weather.

the philly/wilmington area has it's pros and cons like every major metro area, but the overpopulation and housing costs are starting to wear a bit thin. my career as a graphic designer allows me to move wherever the jobs are hot, but my industry sees more than it's fair share of "hot cities" with good employment. there are always the standards like boston, NYC, chicago and san francisco, but the hotspots are just that.

i turn the big 3-0 in july, and i am itching to get into a house of my own. problem is finding an area where i can make decent money and afford to live. plus, i am really considering setting up my own small design firm so i have to be able to make ends meet in the process.

hmm, lots to think about.

cleveland is only about 1.75 hours from mid-ohio though...

Seattle and Portland both have tracks.

nad six or seven drag strips....

Well theres chicago area. within a 5 hr drive theres 6 road courses. Most within 2-3 hrs.