[lbo-talk] portland / seattle?

[Gar Lipow]

On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 8:38 PM, Miles Jackson <cqmv at pdx.edu> wrote:
> shag wrote:
>>
>> thoughts?
>>
>> I'm trying to negotiate contracting rates with this staffing agency for
>> microsoft and the dude is driving me totally bonkers because I keep telling
>> him I can't fathom why I'd want to leave my current job to move to a place
>> with a much higher standard of living for anything less than X/hr. dewd
>> keeps calling anyway, with different positions, trying to get me to work for
>> a crappy hourly rate.
>>
>> It's possible that I'm way off, but i don't think so....
>>
>> Anyway, I have a line on many other gigs out that way, both seattle and
>> portland. What COL are we talking here? I'm seeing things like $750k median
>> for homes. Gak. That's twice what it is here, and I'm living in a zip that
>> is pricey -- though there are zips that are pricier.
>
> Seattle and Portland are worlds apart in housing costs.  About a year ago, I
> sold a stupid little 1000 square foot ranch house in a working class
> Portland neighborhood for 200k.  You can probably do better now. Double that
> for Seattle.
>
> 750k would buy a very ritzy home in a very nice neighborhood in the
> Portland/Vancouver area.  I'm happy living in a 1928 Craftsman that was just
> assessed at 220k.
>
> Miles
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>

 I currently live in Olympia with a much lower cost of living than
either Portland or Seattle. Both are nice cities. I liked some of the
intangibles in Portland. I really liked being able to go places by
train, though only about a third of the city is Max accessible. OK bus
system.   I freaked over Powells, more used books together than you've
ever seen together in one place in your life - and with unionized
staff (and that was a fight). Lot's of good food from most cultures,
though for some reason good Mexican is hard to find (not impossible,
but tough). In terms of cost. If work had a Max stop you could maybe
live in a suburb and commute by rail. Commute time would not be lost
cause you could read or play on the Internet during commute. (Of
course important not over-romanticize transit. The whole "do x" while
you travel thing only applies if you find a seat. If all seats are
taken you grab a bar while you stand so as not to fall on your ass,
just curse or state blankly into space. You can talk on your cell
though, and annoy the other passengers until the train goes into a
tunnel if you like.)  Anyway, not pushing you one way or the other on
any move. If you do decide to move though, seriously consider
Portland.  Most (not all) of the pluses of Seattle, a lot fewer of the
minuses and it has the Max.   And, again, Powells. Not the only cool
bookstore either.