Should I move to Vancouver, WA or Portland, OR? -

My husband and I are looking to relocate to the west coast in the next 2 years. We currently live on the east coast near Washington DC. I know the job market here is no where near comparable to the west coast, but was wondering what people thought about Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR. Which do you like better? Can you give me suggestions on different suburbs in the area? We are thinking to just buy the real estate now to rent out - would this be easy to do in those two areas? The reason why we want to move to the west coast is to live in an area that s more slow paced and laid back. Everything in DC is fast paced and we just want a change in environment. We want to live in a neighborly place.Any thoughts/comments/info would be great - thanks so much!

I have lived in the Vancouver/Portland area for 25 of the last 35 years.Buy in Vancouver. Portland is cooler with more to do, but there are several big advantages to Vancouver.Washington has lower property tax. Vancouver is less expensive to buy a house. You can still drive to Oregon to buy major purchases such as a TV or something (tax free). Washington is a lot healthier (financially) than Oregon, so they have more money for schools, etc.A good place to buy in Vancouver is Hazel Dell (zip code 98665) or Felida- but there are several nice places in Vancouver. I would avoid Kaufman and Orchards.Overall Vancouver is full of people just like you and your husband: families that want a nice neighborhood, with convenient access to the big city life 10 miles away. Vancouver caters to your type. It s friendly, and it s home.Good luck.

If you re a Republican, move to Vancouver. If you re a Democrat, move to Portland.Vancouver definitely has more of a small town feel compared to Portland. The people are much, much more conservative (as a whole) and don t get out as much as Portlanders do. Portland is fun, exciting (although warm and safe) and a very progressive city where you ll always find fun things to do. Good luck with the move!!