Hi kvw,
as a very recent Chicago transplant (with Southern roots) to Portland, and a fan of Seattle, I'll add my two cents.
If you want a large city, happening environment, and more job opps, Seattle is the choice.
For me, I was already in a large city (chicago) and was looking for a change (smaller, less crime/congestion, better life/work balance...). Both cities rock but let's face it, the larger city is going to offer more diversity and opportunity in most cases. You have to look out for yourself and I'll be brutally honest, we (white married couple) almost didn't move to Portland because of the limited diversity we saw during our visits. A realtor we are no longer working with called any neighborhood in Portland with a white minority "transitional" and even "scary". We told her compared to Chicago all of Portland is Lovely (and she should relax)!!!Good luck and continued success to you!

Kevin:

I live in Columbia City - have for 15 years.

Fritzrl

By his own admission, Kevin "moved to Seattle (from Chicago) one year ago"...

and now he expects anyone to take his words as those of a Seattle expert? or even someone who has enough of an awareness about Seattle to seem mildly familiar?

So far that hasn't seemed the case.

Many of the rest of us have been here in Seattle (proper) for decades and we really know the territory on which we report.

Consider the contrasts.

An interesting--and possibly quite relevant to the OP--article on the changing demographics Portland and Seattle:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032525/

ok, that link didn't work, try this one:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13389273/

Just FYI, Bbq boy, SEA is undeniably larger (and more exciting) than PDX, but it is not twice the size...the latest estimate I saw had the Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area at about 3.6 million, and Portland/Vancouver/Salem at about 2.5 million...

Fritzl - LeDoutre has just proved you completely wrong. Here is the excerpt from the article. thank you, LeDoutre!!

PORTLAND, Ore. - Already the whitest major city in America, Portland is rapidly becoming even whiter at its core.

"The heart of the black community is gone," said Charles Ford, 76, a black activist whose neighborhood in Portland has flipped in recent years from majority black to majority white. "There ain't no center anymore."


• More U.S. news

About 150 miles north in Seattle, the nation's second-whitest major city, the same process of downtown demographic bleaching is accelerating for the same reasons

I am jumping into this late, but I have a question. It seems to me, the original poster was more concerned about the dating scene than whether blacks are the targets of racial hatred or if she would be the only black person there. There is a difference between the two.

While people may not be racists in many places, they may have a certain bias toward dating one race over another. This fits into an undefined category that makes people squeemish. After all, its not racist to only date within one's race or within 1 or 2 races and exclude another. However, many people will say they are open to dating anyone, yet have a preference.

If the predominate race is Caucasian in Seattle, the greater question is, are these men open to dating black women? Do you ACTUALLY see them dating black women frequently? Or when they date interracially, is it mainly with Asian or Hispanic women? The same would be true of the Asian and Hispanic men who live there. Are they open to dating black women? If so, do you actually see these men dating black women regularly or is it an anomaly?

Also, of the black men that live in the area, are there many that are 1) single 2) in the same educational and professional category as this woman? That would probably influence whether this woman feels like she could have an active dating life in the city or if it would be exceptionally difficult compared to ATL.

I'm sure this will generate some sharp responses from many of you, but if we want to get down to what this woman is really asking (at least the part related to dating), I believe that is what she means. In Atlanta, the dating scene is full of black men that fit "categories" 1 & 2. I don't live in Seattle, so I don't know whether the same holds true there. I wouldn't presume to make that judgement. However, others from the area may want to consider these factors in providing a response about that part of her question.

Just my .02. I hope no one takes offense. I realize these questions may be outside of the comfort zone for some.