Two potential openings in each city. What would you guys prefer between the two? I am in my thirties, married, with one young child. Seems like Seattle is higher cost of living and Denver is the more "blue collar" of the two?

Denver

Denver

I moved to Colorado Springs in December. The seasons are nice here and the winter will surely be more bearable here than in Seattle. Tons of stuff to do outdoors. Shorter flights back to Aggieland.

I don't know if Washington has state tax, but CO does. It hurts a little coming from Texas. I pay about $3000 a year in state tax, but property tax is lower if you're going to buy a home. So it can even out a little if you go that route.

Denver.

Seattle is expensive. I am from the northwest, so this is my home. I was raised on grey skies. After one of our winters, most Texans want to leave. Denver is more friendly. Seattle is not unfriendly, but there is a phenomenon called the "Seattle Ice."

Washington has no state tax, but the 3rd or 4th highest sales tax in the nation.

Colorado has better skiing. Washington has the ocean...and Seattle is less polluted... Good and bad to both, but I'd go with Denver.

Denver is full of pollution and Californians(they probably brought it with them). I don't know if they can solve the pollution problem, but it is disturbing to see the brown haze covering the Denver area. Everything else about Colorado is great, especially the mountains. Of course everyone there seems to like the mountains, thus the Sunday traffic jams on I-70.



"ROGER - OUT"

Denver.

It is a great city with so much to do and great people. The people are not as concerned with gossip and material things as Texans, and are not nearly as rude/weird as people in Seattle. Of course, not all Seattle people are bad but they definitely have a reputation. Seattle is a pretty city too, and they have a lot more water. But the rain would depress me.

I couldn't have asked for a better upgrade when I moved from Houston to Denver. The seasons are great, and I can't wait for fall and winter. I haven't noticed the pollution or brown haze, as previous posters have mentioned. It's blue skies and great weather the majority of the time. As for Californians, I haven't met many of them. There are people from everywhere, but most of the ones I've met are from Texas, Midwest, and Oklahoma.

With all the activities, people in Denver are very active. I love downtown, and it is especially fun, safe, and clean compared to Houston. Crime seems non-existent here compared to Houston. I would definitely take a trip to Denver to check it out.

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I don't know if they can solve the pollution problem, but it is disturbing to see the brown haze covering the Denver area.

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There are a few days here and there where it is semi-noticeable, but the skies here are much prettier than Texas.

The Sunday traffic jams on I-90 are vicious. I've been delayed 5 hours on Snoqualmie Pass...

I will say this about Seattle: if you love nature, it's hard to beat. Hiking, rock climbing, kayaking... Everything is green here. The average annual temperature is 50. Yes, by early June, I am ready for the sun to return, but you get used to overcast skies and fog.

The people are a little weird to me, but that's because most folks up here are from Cali. People are less flashy and materialistic than Texans (except for the Microsofties in Bellevue). But, I think that has more to do with 1,000sf houses going for $450k. Companies don't seem to pay more for higher cost of living up here, either. Gas is $3.25/gal right now...

But........this is my home and I love the Cascades, so I just deal with the BS and live for the weekend.

Pierce County Ag, what are some "affordable" places around the city to live? Is Kent, Renton, Auburn area south of Seattle decent?

Kent, Renton, Auburn, etc. (called The Valley) is more reasonable than Seattle, but it depends on where your commute takes you - may not be worth it. Rush hour is especially bad on Hwy 167 / I-5 in the morning, especially when it is wet; which is 8-9 months out of the year.

Renton is a little rough, except for Kennydale. I might also look at Maple Valley (again, depends on the commute). Auburn is suburbia. Kent is a mixed bag, but I work with lots of people who live in Kent.

Seattle

I've gotta add that it's a BEAUTIFUL day today! Cloudless and 75 degrees! The office is empty! I've got a couple of alpine climbs coming up, so I'll be getting up at 4am tomorrow to go hiking and get some conditioning. It's nice that I live in a place where I can drive 1hr and hike trails that gain 3,500 feet...

The flip side to this is the other 8-9 months out of the year (2-3 months of hit-and-miss, 6 months of solid grey). In winter, you just gear up and go out in the drizzle.

I dated a woman from TX (San Antonio) who came out on summer vacation and decided to relocate. In October, she was glowing about how great Seattle is. By February, she was in tears (literally) and we are only half way through winter by then... She left Seattle (and me) for Arizona. Just sayin'... It's an acquired taste.

For housing, it depends on where you are commuting to. Since gas is expensive here, the extra $100's you spend on gas every month to live further out might buy a place closer to where you work...

If you are working downtown, you can ride the train from Auburn / Kent. Puyallup is too far south for Seattle - you're looking at 1hr+ commutes every day. You can take the train from Puyallup, but on the days you have to drive...oh, man...

There are some nice pockets of neighborhoods in Federal Way, Des Moines, Normandy Park.

Avoid Burien, Tukwila, White Center, and south Seattle. Some other neighborhoods to avoid in Seattle: Rainier Beach, Greenwood, Lake City (somewhat), and Northgate.

In Seattle, you might find some deals in Wedgewood, West Seattle, or maybe Sand Point. I'm not sure of Leschi...maybe...

You can also try Lynwood, Edmonds, and some of the nicer parts of Shoreline. East of the lake, there's Redmond/Kirkland/Bothell. Traffic on 520 is 10X worse than I-5, with no other options. Just....BAD...traffic.

Issaquah/Bellevue are just as expensive as Seattle. I think the 2nd highest median home price in King County is in Issaquah, though you might look on the Issaquah/Renton border for better deals...

My girlfriend has been voted as Seattle's best realtor by Seattle Magazine (or was it Seattle Metropolitan...), so I inevitably wind up "talking shop" about this quite frequently.

[This message has been edited by Pierce County Ag (edited 8/13/2010 3:27p).]

Question about Denver:

I will be working there for 5-6 months. The office is about halfway b/w downtown and DTC on I-25.

Where would you all recommend staying? Any parts of town I should avoid?

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Where would you all recommend staying?

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Are you paying, or is the company? How old are you (ie: are you looking to go out and have fun?)? If money is not much of an issue, Cherry Creek is probably my favorite part of town. Other good options are DTC, downtown, or just outside Cherry Creek on Colorado. I live in DTC and really like it. Plenty of good bars, restaurants, and happy hours: Tavern, Baker's Street, McCormick and Schmicks, Darcy's, Illegal Pete's, a great pizza place, and many more. The female scene is also really solid, though it does not matter to me.

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Any parts of town I should avoid?

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Denver is consistently nice, but just ask around on here if you have something in mind and want opinions.

[This message has been edited by proudaggie02 (edited 8/14/2010 6:54p).]

Company is paying. I'm 24 & single, and don't know anyone in town.

Is Glendale pretty nice? I see that it's pretty close to Cherry Creek.

^
I'm not sure exactly what encompasses Glendale, but I think it is basically a nice part just outside of Cherry Creek. There is a huge apartment/condo place, and I think it is in Glendale.... it's really nice. If you have some places in mind, let me know and I'll try to drive by on my way home from work one day to see if they're nice.

proudaggie, where do you live in the DTC?

Carriage Place. It's in between McCormick/Schmicks and Baker's Street.

Are you in DTC?

Yeah Greenwood Village off S. Park Terrace