Wedding Etiquette Forum

NWR: Where to live?

This is a long-term(ish) goal of ours: getting the heck out of Las Vegas in the next few years.  We're both tired of the desert and would love to move (back, for me) to the West Coast.

Our short list (in order of preference) --

(1) SF Bay Area
(2) San Diego
(3) Orange County
(4) Seattle
(5) Portland

I'm looking for opinions from the ladies who live in or around these areas.  Mr. Imp and I want good weather, low to few issues for allergies, urban areas that have that "neighborhood" feel.  One of the things we miss most is being able to just walk.  He grew up in NYC and me in SF (I also lived in DC/Arlington), we really miss being able to walk out of our homes and go get something to eat, see a movie, etc.

If you live somewhere on my list, pimp it to me!

Re: NWR: Where to live?

  • I'll put in a plug for Santa Monica :).  I loved living there.  It was nice to be in LA, but be by the beach and be able to walk to shopping, restaurants, markets, etc.

    I like SF too and Seattle was beautiful when I visited.
  • I would pick Portland, but that's just me!
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  • I don't live anywhere on that list at the moment, but the Seattle/Portland area is my ultimate goal. Not sure you could classify that as "good weather" though. :-)

    And BTW, from where I'm sitting, Vegas IS the West Coast.
  • I lived in San Diego for a year and it's gorgeous.  The weather is always beautiful and there is so much to do year round.

    Their downtown are, the Gaslamp District, has great shopping and a lot of yummy restaurants.  There are plenty of nice areas to live in downtown San Diego. 
    The beach communities there are great, but very young (I lived in Ocean Beach, which was perfect for my 22 year old self...I wouldn't live there now at 30).  It's only a short ride north to some awesome beaches in La Jolla, Encinitas, Del Mar...

    I found it to be very laid back and friendly.  I would have stayed if it wasn't so damn far from Boston.
  • I love love love SF, but I feel like it would be hard to get both the feel you want and good weather, which I'm sure you already know. H and I plan to move to SF in a couple of years, but I feel like we'll be there a few years for the fun of it and then eventually move to somewhere in the Bay Area that's less foggy because I need sun.

    I know LA isn't on your list, but going off what Money said, if you can both live and work on the westside it's a great place (Santa Monica, Brentwood, Venice, Culver City). I went to UCLA and loved it, and you get the good of the city without toooo much of the awful LA traffic if you don't have to commute too much.
  • I love Seattle SO MUCH.  I'd move there tomorrow if it were feasible.

    What kind of allergy issues do you have, though?  My allergies are mold and mildew related, so I know Seattle would slowly kill me.

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  • I <3 San Diego so much.  My dad used to own a place in Del Mar on the beach and I just loved the area.  There was so much to do and it was beautiful there.  I'd move there in a heart beat. 
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  • If "neighborhood" is what you want, I like Portland.  Or if you pick your neighborhoods well, LA (try Venice or Los Feliz, maybe Santa Monica).  Orange County is a big suburb, I don't feel like it's very neighborhood-y unless you can afford Laguna Beach or Newport Beach.  San Francisco is great, but it's expensive.  I feel like you need to live in a city (SF or maybe certain parts of Berkeley/Oakland) to really feel like you have a walking neighborhood, otherwise, there's just a lot of suburb.
  • I live 45 minutes north of Seattle and go down there a lot.  I love the city, and it's definitely perfect for being able to just walk anywhere for food, coffee, shopping, etc.  I would love to live closer to the city, but it would be too long of a drive in traffic for H.  Obviously the weather isn't great with all the rain and not as many sunny days, but coming from Buffalo I love that winter only gets to about 30-40 degrees.  It's really just beautiful here, and you are also so close to many outdoor activities as well.

    We have friends that live in Portland, and while it's nice, I don't like it as much.  We also don't spend a lot of time in downtown Portland though.  They live East of the city, and it's more of a relaxed feel, with people biking and walking everywhere.  I do like going there, but I like Seatlle better.   
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  • I know nothing about these places except that I think its funny that SF isn't considered "good weather" year round, hehe. And, like Manda said, I totally see LV as west coast from my stand point, ;) GL finding the right city!
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  • I lived near Seattle for a few months, but I can't say I really enjoyed it.  I HATE the cold, I remember sitting in the house on my birthday wearing a sweatshirt.  My birthday is in June...  I don't think I'd live there unless one of us got a job making a shiit ton of money.  Of course, this is coming from someone who grew up in the desert, so of course I hate the rainy cold of Seattle.

    FI and my ultimate goal would be to live in Kona, Hawaii...perfect weather year round :).  In order to do that though, FI would have to get a work from home job, because there aren't any jobs in his field in Kona...so we'll see.  He did get offered a WFH job, but it was only a 6 month contract, which obviously isn't stable enough for us to pick up and move.  But hey...a girl can dream, right?
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  • edited April 2011
    Hey what about Sacramento?

    I have lived in So Cal - not for me but that is a personal opinion.  I wasn't into night life at the time.

    I grew up in the Bay Area (20 miles from SF and 20 miles from San Jose).  It was a lot different then and I loved it.  Now I feel it is very expensive and everything moves too fast.

    I LOVED Washington when we visited Wenatchee (Central WA) and I thought it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.

    I've traveled to San Diego many times when I worked for a certain company.  It was BEAUTIFUL constantly (except June which is June Gloom but still awesome).

    Orange County never stood out to me of course I've been there before but it wasn't too memorable.

    I live close to Sacramento and I must say overall it is my favorite place I have lived.  It is close enough to Reno/Tahoe.  Close enough to the ocean and my family near San Fran.  It is not very expensive and there is a lot to do; camping, night life, shopping and relaxing.
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  • Haha, Musical, SF itself is foggy and quite cold much of the year. In the middle of summer it can be 85 degrees at my house (45 min away) and 55 degrees in the city.

    Feelslike, we're from pretty much the same place originally then, and I totally agree with you about how it's changed. I was just talking to someone the other day about how when I was in high school I didn't know about what the expensive brands were or care about any of that superficial crap (even though I was aware that I lived in a wealthy area), and now kids are walking around Stanford Shopping Center with Seven jeans and LV purses.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-live?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0262bbf4-4303-4c9e-966d-6ddc9ebfb42ePost:575d30cd-5978-449b-94c6-8320705811d6">Re: NWR: Where to live?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I love Seattle SO MUCH.  I'd move there tomorrow if it were feasible.<strong> What kind of allergy issues do you have, though? </strong> My allergies are mold and mildew related, so I know Seattle would slowly kill me.
    Posted by RobotLegs[/QUOTE]

    <div>Mr. Imp is going through hell right now, it's been really windy with a seriously high pollen count today.  His main issues are mulberry pollen (there's fruitless mulberry trees all over the LV valley) and dust.  With little rain and no actual soil here, we get dust like crazy.</div><div>
    </div><div>My allergies got better when I moved out here, but as mine are worst with oak and grass, I was miserable in the DC area.  Oh, the ironies!</div>
  • I had really bad outdoor allergies in NY, mostly from pollen.  Knock on wood I haven't had any problems here yet.  
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  • i spend  a fair amount of time in Seattle as my sister lives there.

    it is a beautiful and "young" city.  it is truly a myth that it "rains all the time".  they do get rain when we usually get snow.  often teh "rain" is more of a steady drizzle vs downpour.  its rarely below 35 there in the wintertime (although they did have an odd winter this year).

    summers are very dry - little precipitation and no humidity.  the mountains are breathtaking.  i imagine portland is very similar.

    ive heard wonderful things about san diego.  san fran is nice but super expensive.
  • Thanks for all the input, I'll be sharing it with Mr. Imp.  He told me he wants warm (but not hot), relatively allergy friendly and urban.  I'm more okay with the Pacific Northwest than he is, but I told him the real deciding factor is going to be where he can find the work he loves to do (drafting/CAD).

    We're thinking about doing some scouting weekends to our list cities in the next couple of years to get a real feel for these places.
  • Another plug from Seattle... our summer is July-September, so to the poster from Phx that was freezing in June, well, that's par for the course.  I live about halfway between Seattle and DNB, so it's super convenient for us to go into the city.  If FI and I didn't need a massive amount of space and actually worked in Seattle instead of the burbs, we would absolutely live there in a heartbeat.  I love the downtown area, the markets.  I feel safe downtown which is not something I've found in other cities.  The temperatures are a bit more mild, but you can g over the mountains for hot and humid/snow.  Coming from Michigan, I am thrilled with the winters here.  Most days is just spitting rain, and it's not necessarily all day. 

    FI and I both have allergies, his are worse than mine, but definitely kept under control with allergy meds.  My biggest issue has been with dustmites.  apparently I've been allergic to them my whole life, but in MI it gets so hot in the summer/cold in the winter that they die, so I've never noticed.  Here, it's a problem.
    We are both also allergic to our dog - but that has nothing to do with you moving here :)
  • edited April 2011
    San Diego! I love it here. I'm originally from WA, but have been in SD for 6 years. I'm an allergy sufferer and I have had the least discomfort from them here (including the year I spent in AZ where I was told my allergies wouldn't be a problem). When the weather is nice, both Seattle and Portland are gorgeous, but, for me, there are too many not-so-nice, dreary days. My DH grew up in OC and his parents still live there, so we spend some time up there. Okay place, but not somewhere I would want to live (and DH has no desire to move back there either). SF is a nice place to visit, but the weather can be lousy there too--cold, windy, grey. And then there's the cost of living in SF. San Diego has a very different feel than a lot of SoCal places. Best place I've lived and would highly recommend it! There are some really cute neighborhoods throughout the area that have shops, restaurants, etc. within walking distance and the "neighborhood" feel.
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  • We're actually thinking of moving from Seattle to the desert (Phoenix, specifically).  I never had an allergy problem until I moved here, but now they're aweful.  Also, the winters are really long and dreary.  However, the summers here are amazing.  The sun has finally been coming out and nothing beats driving past the Sound with your windows down and music up.  Plus, if you love neighborhoods this city is obsessed with them.  Every section of the city is broken up into mostly walkable, unique neighborhoods that are fun to explore. 

    On a side note, are those South Park cake toppers?  And if so, how do I get me some?
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-live?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0262bbf4-4303-4c9e-966d-6ddc9ebfb42ePost:57c953a2-06a0-47d9-b9be-c473d3e84918">Re: NWR: Where to live?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Haha, Musical, SF itself is foggy and quite cold much of the year. In the middle of summer it can be 85 degrees at my house (45 min away) and 55 degrees in the city. Feelslike, we're from pretty much the same place originally then, and I totally agree with you about how it's changed. I was just talking to someone the other day about how when I was in high school I didn't know about what the expensive brands were or care about any of that superficial crap (even though I was aware that I lived in a wealthy area), and now kids are walking around Stanford Shopping Center with Seven jeans and LV purses.
    Posted by emilyinchile[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>My sister works at a deli and all of the ladies sit in there and talk about what designer bags they have.  It's a deli in Woodside but they still don't make much..it's just the point of what they base their existence and goals on.</div><div>
    </div><div>My Brother has thrown Bday parties for his daughter that probably cost about the same as my wedding (8k).  For her 4th Bday she had a candy bar that most would think was amazing for a wedding.  She had another over the top 3rd bday party in which they hired people to dress as the Disney Princesses, ponys brought in, a train brought in etc.  They even had a doggy area for all the people to bring all their little dogs.  He lives in So Cal but still the same idea as the bay.  In some ways I wish I could do those things for my daughter but in others I'm glad I can't.  She's fine with cotton candy a bounce house and a bbq for hers :)</div><div>
    </div><div>Sorry I know this went off topic</div><div>
    </div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-live?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0262bbf4-4303-4c9e-966d-6ddc9ebfb42ePost:f9126137-0e1d-4211-b96c-519fa002ed73">Re: NWR: Where to live?</a>:
    [QUOTE]We're actually thinking of moving from Seattle to the desert (Phoenix, specifically).  I never had an allergy problem until I moved here, but now they're aweful.  Also, the winters are really long and dreary.  However, the summers here are amazing.  The sun has finally been coming out and nothing beats driving past the Sound with your windows down and music up.  Plus, if you love neighborhoods this city is obsessed with them.  Every section of the city is broken up into mostly walkable, unique neighborhoods that are fun to explore.  <strong>On a side note, are those South Park cake toppers?  And if so, how do I get me some?</strong>
    Posted by nra2183[/QUOTE]

    <div>They are indeed SP character toppers.  I found a website - <a href="http://www.actionfigurefactory.com" rel='nofollow'>http://www.actionfigurefactory.com</a>.  There's instructions on how to create yourselves as SP characters, then you can send that .jpg and your wedding attire details to the artist.  They were pricey, but it was pretty much the only major splurge I allowed myself for our wedding :)</div>
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