NorthwardBound

My friend and I are moving north, hopefully in the next year. Natives of Nebraska, we both fled home after college and relocated to Florida (different cities at different times). It turned out neither of us fell in love with Florida. We both love the ocean and the warm climate, but we want to be near the mountains too, or at least not flat Nebraska terrain. We both enjoy the heat and the cold, so northern seems to fit much better than southern. Our delimma stands in moving to the northeast or northwest. I'm thinking Oregon, she's thinking Vermont. I wouldn't mind anywhere in the New England area. We both agree that Seattle and NY are too big.

We are both 31 years old and just ready for a change. She is currently in Jax, Florida and I'm back in Omaha, NE. I've read some really great messages on this site, so I'm hoping someone can give us some insight.

Requirements: Not too big in terms of population. Medium is nice. Not too much crime - could never live in Miami, for example. We both love having the four seasons, just not the extremes that you get in Nebraska. Florida was just way too much humidity. We don't mind the rain or snow.

We are young and want something fun to do. We like to go out, but we are not crazy when it comes to nightlife. We are, afterall, small town country girls at heart. We are just looking to experience a new place, meet new friends, enjoy a nice climate, and do something NEW. We both also happen to work in the advertising/public relations field, so the town has to have a fairly decent job market, or be very close to one that does.

So - Northwest or Northeast?? Any particular towns? Help us find the perfect place to move!

Many Thanks - Northward Bound

sunbum1944

I vote for Pacific NW ( I live there too) and I think Portland would be a great place for you - wish my 29 yr old daughter would move there. It has a lot to do for young and old in my opinion -

beachbum

I live in Portland and agree with sunbum, but I'm not sure we meet all your criteria..

We only have two season: rainy, and not rainy. Not rainy is usually the third week of July.

"Ocean" and "warm climate" don't belong in the same sentence here. And unless you're decked out in a wet suit, our ocean is just to look at.

How big is too big? There's quite a difference between NYC and Seattle! Portland metro area is around 1.5 mil. Which may be a problem for you. I'm thinkin you might have to be somewhere bigger for more job opportunities.

Really, though this is a decent place to live. Ocean, mountains, and high desert, all within a couple hours drive. Mild climate, reasonably friendly folk, and a pretty attractive city. Except for a current methamphetamine problem, we're doin' okay on the crime scene too.

A final piece of advice; compare costs of living. Housing costs are headed through the roof here.

suze

I lived in Vermont for a number of years and LOVED it while I was there. Still have many dear friends in the state. Now have lived in Seattle for even longer. While I think Vermont is absolutely beautiful, and the people are the greatest, I can't deal with the extremes in the climate... cold and snowy for 6 months of the year, then mud season, followed by a hot muggy summer with lots of bugs.

I like both Oregon and Washington WEST of the mountains (east side of both states are very different both climate wise and politically are much more conservative).

Long story short, I moved from Vermont to Seattle 20 years ago to try it out for "a year or two" and never left.

suze

Corvallis or Eugene, Oregon are both gorgeous and fun college towns if Portland is too big for what you want.

Don't discount Seattle (have you visited here?), New York City it ain't!!

Seattle is kind of a small town big city, that's why I was able to adapt here so easily with the move from New England (I have lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, as well as Vermont). Part of why I decided on Seattle was because I wanted a city but felt Boston, New York, Phili were too much for me to handle comfortably.

suze

If you decide on Vermont, I highly recommend Brattleboro.

NorthwardBound

Hey everyone. Thanks for your replies. The balance in climate (hot/cold) and population/job market (not to big/but decent job market) is why this is a tricky move. Remember that I currently live in Omaha, NE, population 390,000. Growing up, this was "the big city" considering I grew up on a farm outside a town of 350 or so. You heard me... 350. LOL. I think we can both adapt to a city larger than Omaha fairly easily - I lived in Tampa for 4 years and she in Jacksonville for 3. But NY, etc is would just be to much for us. Omaha is a nice town with a reasonable amount of things to do, but it gets old quick. I don't see myself here 20 years from now.

As far as the climate goes, it doesn't have to be summer all year round - just reasonable fluctuation in the temps without getting to 110 in the summer and -20 in the winter. And the seasons are a MUST. There is nothing better than watching the leaves turn in the fall. Florida only has one season - the green season - Yuck. Even that gets old.

Scarlett

Hey~
I am a Southern/California girl married to a born and raised NYYankee.
We lived in NYC for a long time, just moved to Jax this past year.
We have sold our house and will be moving to Portland Oregon by the end of the summer.
We wanted seasons again, but not the harshness of the NorthEast. We love mountains and the ocean. We want to live IN the city and yet be near all the beauty of nature..not a days drive, but right there!
Personally, Vermont and that area is very beautiful in the summer (a very short summer) and beautiful for the first or even second snowfall, then you are stuck with it !
I wish you luck with your decision..we took a while, we visited Portland last Sept and made the decision to go there this April.

starrsville

PNW

Fodorite018

I have lived in both areas. We were in upstate NY , very close to Vermont and went there often, and we have lived in RI and CT. I have also lived all over the PNW, but am back in Portland now. So, from my experiences and what you say you are looking for, the first places that came to mind were the Seattle and Portland areas. Seattle really does not seem that large, and there are some wonderful suburbs that let you be very close to the mountains, yet a short drive into the city for the culture. Portland is the same way, although the mountains are a bit further. That is one thing I miss about the Seattle area.

You will not see the beautiful foliage here though that Vermont has. Just no comparison.

If you have any questions, just ask.

klw25

I was going to suggest looking into Portland, Maine. I've known a lot of young people (30ish) who live or have lived there and love it. But then I read that you don't want temperatures as low as 20. I think Vermont should be out for you as well, then. I live near Boston and a large chunk of our winter was 20 and under!

NorthwardBound

That was a -20 (negative). Sorry about that.

Gardyloo

If I had to move to the east coast (which I would resist) and didn't have the bank account to afford living in NYC the way I'd want, I'd pick Portsmouth NH. Small, cozy, propgressive, wonderful countryside nearby, Boston easily reachable for big city fixes, definitely 4 seasons. This is ironic because my ancestors moved to Portsmouth from England in the early 1600s, and kept moving west over the next 350 years.

That said, they called it Portland Oregon for a reason - "State of Mainers" settled in the northern part of the state, "Little Dixie" in the south. Portland has 4 seasons too, but generally spring is wetter and fall usually more abbreviated than you'd get in New England; midsummer temps can get downright hot compared to Seattle.

The virtue of the Pacific NW is that if you don't like the wet or hot or cool weather, a quick trip to the coast or over the Cascades puts you in an entirely different climate. In the east, by comparison, it's not that easy to flee the heat or the cold, short of going to the airport.

So I think Portland is a good choice, presuming that any larger city will offer employment potential for you and your friend. Note Portland is not in the middle of any economic boom at the moment, and prices are definitely going up, but have yet to reach levels seen in large northeastern cities. In terms of advertising and PR, Seattle definitely will offer more choices, but Portland is not without resources in that regard too.

There's no substitution for visiting any candidate areas several times over the course of a year, so you don't see it just with tourist eyes.

Maple

We have been in Seattle area for almost two years. We were 7 years in Dallas, but born and raised in Nebraska (Omaha and a town of 600), so we can relate to your situation. We are actually in a town 20 minutes from Seattle. Kind of like driving from the Omaha airport to West Omaha. Seattle "proper" was just too expensive for housing. There are great neighborhoods throughout the city - kind of like Dundee and Field Club. But we found the less expensive homes were in the outer areas, and that's where we ended up. Close enough for a fast trip to downtown or the mountains. The folks in Seattle complain about the gray skies - they don't know gray skies until they have lived in the midwest in the winter!! At least you don't have to scoop the fog and mist.

There are not four FULL seasons like Nebraska has. Spring goes on for forever and is beautiful and fresh, summer is mild and dry, fall was pretty and winter was damp and cool with a couple of snows - amounted to about 1" - !! The rain is not like Nebraska rain - it is mostly mist and droplets, not gully-washers.

There are lots of midwest transplants out here, we see numerous Husker stickers and t-shirts!

Just our opinion - but we are certainly happy here, and our Nebraska family loves to come visit us - it's a fun place to live.

hopingtotravel

Well, your title prompted me to read because I couldn't figure out where on earth the "Pacific Northeast" would be. Just don't move to Baker City; I'm saving that one for me!

Here's an old saying: Oregonians don't tan; they rust. Good luck. I'm sure there's room in Portland for 2 more people. Try the Tin Shed for breakfast.

pdxgirl

Re the advertising job market in Portland - my sister is a copywriter and her husband is also in the ad biz. They tell me the job market is on the upswing (Sis freelances and has more work than she can handle). Portland is a great place to live. The only major downside IMHO is the cost of housing. Good luck!

sunbum1944

Eugene Or was mentioned in a previous post- and although Eugene is a very nice place- the job market is not good and has one of the highest cost of homes per income in the country. In an article in the paper about why people left Eugene one person was quoted as saying " they paid us in scenery"
However it is small, easy to get around- takes me 10 minutes to get to work, lots of bikes trails connect the city- so certainly does have nice things to offer.

vedette

Think Bellingham, WA. On the water, very near the mountains. University town. 1 1/2 hours from Seattle, less than an hour to Vancouver BC. Boating, skiing, hiking all at hand.

Andrew

Portland, OR has most of what you want, perhaps not all, but no place will. It's a very young city and some great urban neighborhoods. Relative to Boston and Seattle, Portland is a tiny city - most of us here consider more of a big town. But it has enough of the big city stuff to satisfy most people. Sure, there is crime (where isn't there?) but I'm fairly sure you will much safer here than in Miami.

Biggest thing is the job market. Find the job first or at least job leads before you come. Do some research, find out the big agencies who hire in advertising here.

And now, here's a shameless plug for my website with hundreds of pictures of Portland to wet your appetite: www.PortlandBridges.com . You should both try to swing a visit here to see how you like it.

Andrew

Scarlett

Andrew, that has been on my list of favorites since last summer

Now I will actually get to see them everyday! in person! Yay.