Which is the better place to live - Washington or Oregon?

Question

I lived in Renton, WA and Kent, WA when I was younger. We want to move to the Pacific Northwest in about a year, but are having trouble deciding on Oregon or Washington. I am looking for mountains, trees and water - not the flatter parts of either state. Does anyone have any insight as to which state is the best to live in, and why?

Answer 1

well there's no sales tax in oregon as far as shopping goes, but i know that's balanced out by the fact that they have a state income tax or whatnot.

the two states are very similar, even in their spread of big cities. you go down I-5 in washington and hit bellingham, everett, then the seattle area. in oregon you hit portland area, salem, then eugene. if you are looking for water though, i would say washington has much more of that than washington. i would say the oregon coast is nicer than the washington coast. but washington has the sound that basically gives all the cities that lie within it great access to the water. i do think the weather is slightly better in oregon though. i don't think they get as much rain and they're typically always a couple - 10 degrees warmer.  

Answer 2

Both are pretty similar.  Washington has more population, so the metropolitan areas are a little bigger.  I would assume more employment opportunities come with this.  Also, there are more things like major sports and concerts that would come to Washington.  But as for culture they are similar.  Oregon is like the little brother of Washington.

Answer 3

The Peninsula area of Washington State has forests, mountains and water. I love it here.

Answer 4

They are pretty similar states, but they do have significant differences.  I grew up in Oregon and have lived in the Seattle area for the past 5 years, plus went to college up here.

Oregon has all you're looking for, mountains, tress and water, specifically Portland.  However, it only has the Willamette River running through the city, not a bay or ocean.  The Columbia River and Gorge are not far away though, just East of the city a little ways.  Plus, you have the Cascades and Mount Hood.  I think Portland is a great, vivacious city and it's not as crowded as the Seattle area, but still growing just the same.  So, I'd say the pros of living in Portland versus Seattle would be the decrease in population.

Washington on the other hand is just beautiful.  The Seattle area is such a picturesque place to be.  Not only do you have both the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, you also have Mount Rainer, Elliot Bay, Lake Union and Lake Washington.  Plus, there are tons of places to find your trees and forests.  Another bonus about Seattle is that you're very close to Canada, San Juan Islands, and the Hoh National Rainforest on the Peninsula which is also a gorgeous area of the country.  That's a big bonus I'd say.  I just visited the San Juans for the first time last week and it just took my breath away!  One of the major downfalls of the Seattle area though is the rapid increase in population which has led to horrible traffic.

I will always have a place in my heart for Oregon, but I have certainly become a Washingtonian and have embraced what it has to offer.  I think that in terms of scenery, Washington, specifically the Seattle Metro Area, is a better place to live.

Answer 5

Both places suck. Move to  california. SD !!!!!! Bloods all the way.

Answer 6

Washington vs. Oregon

Well as most people have said, they are about the same. I enjoy both allot. Most people think Seattle (a wonderful city) when they thik of WA, but there is a whole lot more. I live in south west WA (no income tax) and it is wonderful 2 hrs from pacific ocean, 30 min from Mt. St. Hellenes 30 min from Portland (no sales tax) and about two and a half hours from seattle (a nice day or weekend trip) it has all of your classic washington weather (rain). Lots of wilderness and the columbia river gorge. The further you get from I-5 the more woods you find. ohh and Mt. hood is only about an hour or two away for great snow sports

Answer 7

i believe washington is a better state.

if you like trees, you could probably live on Whidbey Island, which is close to mount raineer, and seattle. its an island so it is surrounded in water. i also save $20,000 a year, as per there not being income tax.