Seattle

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Tim:

If you really like Seattle, I don't blame you if you want to live there but it is very expensive!

I was very lucky because there was a group of people who advocated for me to move into my house. I have CP, and I have been in a wheelchair for 17 years. I was born here (Seattle,) and I love it!

I live in an area called Wallingford, and Dave Matthews is one of my neighbors!

Plus, Oregon is the only state where you do not have to pay sales tax!
Tim, get yourself an apartment at first {the average apartment is roughly $500-800 monthly rent}and see where things go from there.
Portland is a very beautiful city where there's always something going on.
PSU has a program where they work with students with Aspergers, they work with AS students on HW or any type of social anxiety.
Most commuters use bus and light rail {$1.75 ticket}, bike, or use carpool.
We have places that you can explore to your content.
Portland has three main shopping joints {Pioneer Place, Lloyd Center, and Eastport Plaza}.
Have you heard of Saturday Market?

Seattle was my first stop in the USA when I went there one year ago, you are right Tim it is a great city. I wasn't aware of how expensive it was but hey maybe live there a couple of years and see how it goes.

$200k US

Commute is by light rail, heavy (commuter rail) or bus. Depends on where you are. Construction on light rail from downtown Seattle to the airport is under way. Commuter rail runs all the way to Tacoma. Busses run all over. Funny thing is, it's faster to take a bus from Tacoma to Seattle than it is to ride the heavy rail from Tacoma to Seattle. However, both are convenient. Light rail will eventually reach Tacoma, but the trip will probably take an hour or more. Please visit SoundTransit for more information.

Also, consider north of Seattle, Everett or Marysville, but be prepared for a 60-90 minute cluster each way. I say Everett and Marysville, because anything south of that is generally $300k + territory.

Portland has a light rail system larger than Seattle's that takes you right in to Downtown, out to the airport and I believe they are constructing a north-south line as well. They also have a streetcar that's very popular and convenient and a spectacular tram that takes you up to a medical institution (not sure of the name). Portland is also extremely bike-friendly. I've also never experienced freeway congestion in Portland that I couldn't tolerate. Overall, a great City with a great walk-able Downtown.

Oregon: No sales tax, but a state income tax.
Washington: Sales tax (by county, mine 8.8%), but no state income tax.

Both Portland and Seattle can be considered Liberal.

Gangsters, crackheads, meth addicts, and runaways proliferate in both Cities.

If it must be Seattle, I believe you can find a $200k condo within walking distance or a 5-minute drive away to a free (yes, free), and secure parking garage, where you can then board the train into Seattle. I still think you'll be okay, even more so if your starting salary is $75k.

Still, consider Portland and Eugene and Corvallis - all great places, the entire Willamette Valley is beautiful

Well you don't have to pay the 400K all at once. Apartments in Seattle would probably be expensive though, but no more than $2,000/month, $24,000/year for rent. That's probably for a big high-end apartment though. If you get a studio it'll be a lot cheaper. Save up for a few years and you'll have a good down payment for your house. My parents both rented until they were in their 30s.

It's good to hear all of your thoughts!

I remember someone in this thread saying that Seattle was the first place they had ever been to in the US. Where are they originally from?

Besides Seattle and Portland, the only other liberal cities I can think of are San Francisco, New York, and Boston, and all of those cities are even more expensive than Seattle (plus I don't think New York or Boston would have that many geology jobs).

Tim

Austin TX is ostensibly pretty liberal... it is after all home to Hippie Hollow (a famous nudist colony) and a few years ago Leslie Cochran (vagrant transvestite) got 7% of the votes for mayor. Somebody here recently made a Leslie Cochran "dress up" thingy to put on your refrigerator - a magnetic pic of Leslie w/ various clothes you can stick on him... which is now available in various stores around town. I remember somebody talking about looking at a political map of TX where the whole state is basically a big red field except for a big blue dot around Austin. Granted that doesn't necessarily mean Austin is your kind of liberal and it's still a smaller town compared to Portland or Seattle which has its pros and cons. I have no idea if there are any geologist jobs here, though the cost of living is below average for the US.

What is liberalism in Austin like?

Tim

Hard to say... Is there anything in particular you'd like to know? Tiff and I unfortunately haven't got out much and don't know a lot of people around here... but maybe I could ask around if there's something specific you'd like to know about.

I'm sure they are all very nice cities!

I can't really think of anything.

Tim

When I say I am liberal, what I mean is:

I like animated sitcoms (especially the Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy). I also like indie films, and a lot of comedy movies.

There are some elements of these interests that many "conservative" people could potentially find offensive.

It is not a political or religious thing.

Tim

Hmmm... well I suppose it would have to depend on circumstance, but I've never heard of someone being offended by South Park or the Family Guy because they were conservative. They've never struck me as particularly "liberal" shows honestly. Anyway I'm apt to think you don't have much to be concerned about there.

I can't really picture the ultra-conservative religious guys watching those shows, any more than I can picture a tree-hugger watching the 700 Club.

Another issue I have that would make me liberal is that I feel that it is ok for two people in a committed relationship to live together, regardless of whether or not they are married.

Tim

Ahh okay... well yeah, I imagine the 700 Club types or the Jerry Falwell types are likely not watching South Park or the Family Guy ... though those folks are at the extreme end of the spectrum. In any given major metropolitan area (i.e. don't put yourself out in the country in the Styx), most people are going to be more moderate - closer to the middle.



That's a fairly popular belief these days, even amongst many self-identified conservatives. It's another one of those "stay in a 'metropolitan' area and you'll be okay" kind of things. I can't imagine either of these things being an issue here in Austin -- this town is way too liberal for either of those things to get you in trouble. At least not being a geologist... If you were looking to find some kind of work with fundamentalist churches specifically (and I'm sure there are a couple even here) then maybe... but not just being generically around town.