Considering moving back to the Pacific Northwest from San Fran and leaning toward Seattle (Vancouver: rent)

[bayareacaligirl]

My husband and I moved to San Francisco from Portland 6 years ago and although there are many things we love about San Francisco and it’s surrounding areas we am tired of the high cost of living (just received our yearly $500 auto registration which about sent us over the edge….UGH!) and are considering returning to the PNW. Having spent the bulk of our lives in the Portland Metro Area we know we can handle the dreary weather. Despite loving much about the bay area and enjoying the many days of sun, there is also much we miss about the PNW.

In addition to needing a change and wanting to get into some better weather, part of the reason we left Portland in the first place was that we found it to lack energy and be a bit dull for our tastes. With that said we were younger (me 26 and he was 29) when we left and now at 32 and 35, we are much more homebodies. We are thinking Seattle might be a nice change and perhaps have a bit more energy than Portland.

One thing we do like about living down here is that there are so many great day and weekend trip opportunities to interesting places such as wine country, Tahoe, Carmel/Monterey, Big Sur etc. Portland really lacked that as we found the beach towns to be pretty uninteresting and I suppose central Oregon was all right, but not spectacular and nowhere else was all that appealing. Are there interesting places for day/weekend trips from Seattle. Victoria looks beautiful and close enough for a weekend excursion. Any other options? We do recognize that one bonus of residing in Seattle is that we could afford to more frequently purchase airfare and take weekend trips that way, where as we are confined to a pretty tight budget here in California.

We are able to work anywhere with our current jobs so our incomes will remain the same. We currently rent a 1050 sq ft 2 bdrm, 1 bth, pretty outdated house for $2,600 and would like to save money and spend a fair amount less than what we currently pay on rent in a nice neighborhood that is walkable. Is that a realistic expectation and are there any neighborhoods that would make sense for us?

We have no children, are still in the early stages of discussing moving and are not opposed to packing up and relocating again in a year or so if we decide Seattle is not the place for us, so I guess I am just looking for a little insight from those who know the area.

Thanks in advance for any help you are able to offer!

[Ira500]

I think a 2 bdrm 1 ba outdated house in a pretty nice neighborhood in Seattle would rent for between 1200-1600 per month.

[svartkatt]

I'd say there is quite a bit here in terms of weekend trips. To the east are the Cascade Mountains with tons of hiking, including great trails just 45-60 minutes from Seattle (Mt. Si, Granite Peak, Mailbox Peak, Rattlesnake Ridge). Further north in the Cascades is the stunning Alpine Lakes region, and the North Cascades Highway is breathtaking. Even futher east, the Columbia River basin around Vantage is starkly beautiful, and very different from our region west of the Cascades. Southeast is the wine country around Walla Walla, Yakima, and Columbia Valley with local wineries galore. North of 90 and east of the cascades is Lake Chelan, a popular weekend getaway.

West is the Olympic Peninsula - beautiful rugged ocean beaches (the area around Kalaloch and then north at Shi Shi is amazing), the Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, and Hurricane Ridge overlooking the Olympic Mountains. Lake Crescent on the north side of the peninsula is beautiful and has an alpine feel to it, as is Sol Duc Hot Springs. At the very tip of the peninsula is Cape Flattery, very worth the long drive. I much prefer the Kalaloch area to Ocean Shores and Westport, which I find less beautiful and interesting. Port Townsend on the NE corner of the peninsula is known for it's Victorian downtown and historic buildings.

South are the Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens national parks, north is the Mt. Baker. All of them are great weekend trips.

Northwest is Whidbey Island and Deception pass, an easy day-long getaway. La Conner, a small town on the Sound, is a nice visit, and the area around there has the tulip festival every spring, which is unbelievable. Further up are the San Juan Islands (reachable by ferry from Anacortes, or by a more expensive private ferry from Seattle during the summer months). The Islands are a very popular getaway, and each of them has a little different character, San Juan being the busiest with the largest town in the islands. Each of them is similar with the open pastures surrounded by forest and beautiful beaches. SJ is also a popular whale watching spot in the spring. Sitting on the rocks at Lime Kiln Point while pods of Orcas swim by just yards away is unforgettable. There are also boat tours for whale watching.

Victoria BC is beautiful, and accessible by private ferry from downtown (about 3 hours, I think). Downtown Victoria is very quaint and the area right around the harbor has an English feel to it. Hatley Castle and Bouchart Gardens are close to town and very worth visiting. Further west up the coast is stunning primeval rainforest - it's quite a jaunt to get there, but is very rewarding. 3 hours north by car or 4 by train is the amazing city of Vancouver, which is a large cosmopolitan metropolis with a gleaming, modern downtown in a spectacular natural setting. My partner and I go there at least 3 times a year, and always find something new to explore.

Seattle is great and has enough to do in terms of culture, sports, etc. Obviously we're not New York, but I would say Seattle has a pretty good arts and culture scene. San Fran is more interesting to me in terms of interesting and diverse/historic neighborhoods, and just the greater number of restaurants, cafes, etc that SF has because it's a much larger metro area. But I think we do pretty well; I know I'm never bored here. I do wish we had better rapid transit here. It's happening, but sloooowly. In terms of transit, biking and pedestrian safety, Portland is ahead of us, but I like being here for the feeling of a bigger city, with the benefit of the outdoors being easily accessible.

[bayareacaligirl]

Thanks so much for your responses. I appreciate you taking the time and providing some incredibly helpful information!