Would you move from Colorado to the NW (Seattle)

[Flyer]

Got a job offer where I can work remotely but managing multiple teams could become challenging. The office is in Vancouver (Canada) and I am quite sure I don't want to move to Vancouver due to the cost of living and 45% tax rate. So I started to think about maybe moving to Seattle where I could go be in Vancouver a few days every 2-4 weeks.

Why Seattle? It's a big city with potentially other job opportunities (just in case) and it is near the water and the mountains. I like to explore offroad, mountain bike, road bike, and would like to take up kayaking if I move there. Its proximity to Vancouver is the work-related appeal. Love to take off on weekends and explore mountain passes, go camping, hiking, and do some photography. I do that here a LOT...just got back from Crested Butte, Aspen, Marble- mostly trails. Also recently went to Telluride and Ouray (mostly off-road trails and passes).

Portland is too far from Vancouver and the economy there is not exactly stellar. I don't mind the liberal crowd. I'd rather be near them than bible-thumping areas even though I am politically independent. However, Portland is just too far from Vancouver and that defeats the purpose of the whole thing.

Seattle's cloudy drizzly weather- I hear a LOT of people complaining about this. I am not overly fond of blasting sunny days (heck, I have a Jeep with a hardtop that I never remove) but I don't know if weeks of cloudy drizzle would affect me. I like misty cloudy weather but here in Colorado, it is almost always sunny- even on freezing winter days (yes, that is nice).

Any thoughts?

 

[Flyer]

I'm thinking most think this is a daft idea....:rockthrow:

 

[HOJeepster]

Funny you bring this up, I'm thinking of doing the opposite, moving from Seattle to Denver.

To be fair, Seattle is a good city. Good job opportunities, close to mountains and water, cool neighborhoods.

However, traffic here is getting horrific, cost of living is always rising, people here tend to be a little less friendly than other places I've been, and yes, the weather here can suck the life out of you. This summer has been amazing with 73 days of sunshine more or less in a row...but this is a weird occurance. Come November, plan on being stuck in gray and drizzle for the next 6-7 months. No joke.

Colorado appeals to me as the weather is better and it will allow for me to explore some new outdoor areas I figure.

Good luck

 

[Flyer]

That is funny...and I may not move unless working form here does not work out effectively enough. I suspect it will be tougher. Anyway, let's talk about Colorado for you- great weather- almost always sunny...even through the winter. We don't get that much rain except in the summer and when some big fronts move in.

Moab is around 5.5 hrs away. Fruita is 4 hrs away. Telluride-Ouray and Aspen-Crested Butte-Marble have some of the most amazing trails and mining roads and passes in the country. You can spend days and never get on the same trail. The scenery is stunning.

You can ski/snowboard/snowshoe/etc. all winter from Dec-April. The ski resorts have already started to make snow. No place has so many trails for off-roading, hiking, and mountain biking. The mountain towns are fun too. Cost of living is pretty good, and traffic isn't bad, UNLESS you consider returning traffic from the ski slopes in the winter. That can be a drag.

Let me know if you want any specific info. I live west of Denver in the Ken Caryl Valley off highway 470.

 

[04rnr]

Got a job offer where I can work remotely but managing multiple teams could become challenging. The office is in Vancouver (Canada) and I am quite sure I don't want to move to Vancouver due to the cost of living and 45% tax rate. So I started to think about maybe moving to Seattle where I could go be in Vancouver a few days every 2-4 weeks.

Why Seattle? It's a big city with potentially other job opportunities (just in case) and it is near the water and the mountains. I like to explore offroad, mountain bike, road bike, and would like to take up kayaking if I move there. Its proximity to Vancouver is the work-related appeal. Love to take off on weekends and explore mountain passes, go camping, hiking, and do some photography. I do that here a LOT...just got back from Crested Butte, Aspen, Marble- mostly trails. Also recently went to Telluride and Ouray (mostly off-road trails and passes).

Portland is too far from Vancouver and the economy there is not exactly stellar. I don't mind the liberal crowd. I'd rather be near them than bible-thumping areas even though I am politically independent. However, Portland is just too far from Vancouver and that defeats the purpose of the whole thing.

Seattle's cloudy drizzly weather- I hear a LOT of people complaining about this. I am not overly fond of blasting sunny days (heck, I have a Jeep with a hardtop that I never remove) but I don't know if weeks of cloudy drizzle would affect me. I like misty cloudy weather but here in Colorado, it is almost always sunny- even on freezing winter days (yes, that is nice).

Any thoughts?

Probley would, Im getting sick of all the illegals here, all the transplants, etc etc I could go on.

Funny you bring this up, I'm thinking of doing the opposite, moving from Seattle to Denver.

To be fair, Seattle is a good city. Good job opportunities, close to mountains and water, cool neighborhoods.

However, traffic here is getting horrific, cost of living is always rising, people here tend to be a little less friendly than other places I've been, and yes, the weather here can suck the life out of you. This summer has been amazing with 73 days of sunshine more or less in a row...but this is a weird occurance. Come November, plan on being stuck in gray and drizzle for the next 6-7 months. No joke.

Colorado appeals to me as the weather is better and it will allow for me to explore some new outdoor areas I figure.

Good luck

Colorado if FULL.... try new mexico

 

[RandyDaytona]

I lived in the Seattle area from 2004 to 2009. In Issaquah, to be exact, right off I-90 at the base of the mountains.

First, I didn't find Seattle's weather to be THAT bad. Especially in the summertime, Winter was a bit more rainy, but that's basically because where you might have snow in other places, you get rain in Seattle. It can also be raining in Seattle, sunny north of the city, and snowing in Snoqualmie pass (just up I-90, to the east).

Keep in mind, though - I moved there from Juneau, AK, where it either rains, snows or is misty/foggy/drizzly virtually EVERY DAY from October to April. Bad enough that when the sun actually comes out, the federal government shuts down and sends everyone home (because they'd basically spend the day staring out the window and drooling, anyway).

If you want to avoid a lot of the rain, Whidbey Island seemed to be nice when it was nasty elsewhere in Western WA. It's supposed to be because of some wind/tidal current or something. It's also an easy ferry ride to Seattle.

As far as getting out to trails and doing things outdoors, there is plenty of access to that kind of stuff from Seattle. And not far, either. However, on a nice weekend, you will often find that everyone else has decided to go to the same place and do the same things you wanted to. My wife and I once had a hard time finding a place to park to go snowshoeing along the roadside in the National Forest!! Now, I work outdoors and spent a lot of time in the same areas during the week, and at that time it's almost deserted. If your job will give you the flexibility to do a lot of your recreating on weekdays, you'd be much better off. Just my opinion.

Personally, I don't like cities at all. But if you have to be in a "big" city, Seattle isn't that bad. As far as "transients," illegals, or whatever else was mentioned, EVERY big city is going to have that to some degree. Both Seattle and Denver seemed to get really popular among the outdoor-loving crowd at right around the same time. I haven't lived in Denver, but there are more than an average amount of people who are 'from somewhere else' living in the Seattle area, especially when you consider the tech industry, the shipping industry, the aircraft industry, colleges, etc.

I would actually look at Bellingham, WA. Not huge, but not tiny. Definitely not too conservative (not much in Western WA is). Cool little town along the border. Close to BC and Vancouver.

You can take a ferry to SE AK from there, explore BC, go kayaking or sailing in the San Juan Islands, check out Cascade National Park and the mountains of north/central WA. But far less crowded than the Seattle metro. YMMV.

 

[Hepar]

I would never hesitate to tell anyone who has any interest in the outdoors to move to Seattle. I think Denver and Seattle share many similar qualities, but Seattle has one big one. Water. The sound and the ocean. Every season brings a different activity. You can hit the mountains from spring to fall and the snow in the winters is usually amazing. Surf season is year-round with the right equipment.

 

[calikev]

That is funny...and I may not move unless working form here does not work out effectively enough. I suspect it will be tougher. Anyway, let's talk about Colorado for you- great weather- almost always sunny...even through the winter. We don't get that much rain except in the summer and when some big fronts move in.

Moab is around 5.5 hrs away. Fruita is 4 hrs away. Telluride-Ouray and Aspen-Crested Butte-Marble have some of the most amazing trails and mining roads and passes in the country. You can spend days and never get on the same trail. The scenery is stunning.

You can ski/snowboard/snowshoe/etc. all winter from Dec-April. The ski resorts have already started to make snow. No place has so many trails for off-roading, hiking, and mountain biking. The mountain towns are fun too. Cost of living is pretty good, and traffic isn't bad, UNLESS you consider returning traffic from the ski slopes in the winter. That can be a drag.

Let me know if you want any specific info. I live west of Denver in the Ken Caryl Valley off highway 470.

Wow!! Sounds to me like you need to find a way to stay where you are. I'm sorry to butt-in and I know I have no real input for this post, but reading your statement above makes me want to move to Colorado myself. It's clear you love it there. I wish I could say the same about Los Angeles.

Good Luck with whatever you decide!

 

[bofa]

Leave CO? Blasphemy! I'm moving to CO next year (to 04rnr's dismay)...

FWIW, I've been in a virtual role for 3 years now working with dozens of different people at any time. It can be a challenge but once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad. Hopefully you are very organized and are good with getting yourself into a routine. The company pays for us to travel once or twice a year, depending on the project, and really I'm glad I'm not close to an office. The expectation for you to make an appearance is more common for those within an hour or so and once you get into the groove, there are times when you are glad you don't have to go in. If you are worried about needing to be there once in a while, I think you will find companies with a virtual workforce tend to budget for those needs. If you landed the job from CO, I'm sure you are going to be fine.

 

[theizzardking]

as a long time washingtonian and lover of the state above most other i'd have to say stay where your at unless the ocean calls your name, i'd move to the CO in a heartbeat if i could get work there, that said though i see it as being CO #1 in the country and the WA being #2..but my life is in the mountains and hills , and really i'd choose WA over CO if it weren't for the weather, it drives me batty having to do everything in the rain year round, i'd kill an entire race or species to have a complete 4 seasons in this state, it more like; kind of sunnny,rain,more rain,rain with snow,rain,rain,rain, kind of sunny,rain x's infinity....but hey sometimes you gotta follow the money, so do what you gotta do.

 

[Flyer]

I am getting similar feedback from others. I will be visiting the new company soon, for final negotiations. I am going to work in the "work from home-office" thing, and will have them fly me in every 3 months for a week or so. That will give me time to decide, and even spend some time in the Seattle area. Thanks!

 

[Atlanta_man]

My son lives in Seattle, for the past 10 years. He loves it. but...
Says when his company hires people from other parts of the country that half of them leave within a year - driven away by the grim weather.

 

[Desert Fox]

When Intel closed the fab here in Colorado Springs I had the choice to move to Oregon and stay with Intel or leave Intel and stay in Colorado.

It was a very difficult decision. Intel is a great company to work for and I had a good career on track.

I made the decision that living in Colorado would provide a higher quality of life than living in Oregon, even if it means leaving Intel and taking a $10,000 pay cut.

Now it is over 4 years since I made the decision. I do miss working at Intel but I have no regrets. I have my income back up to where it should be and I work for a company that has plenty of opportunity.

I put the quality of life for my family at the top of my priority list. The rest fell into place (with some effort on my part of course)

Good luck with the decision you make