Which City is Better: Seattle or Portland?

Ah….the age-old Pacific Northwest question! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked that one! Okay, so without making you scroll all the way down to the end of this blog post, I’m just going to tell you what the answer is RIGHT NOW. 

Are you ready????

Wait for it…..

It all depends! That is to say, it depends on your taste and desires when visiting a cosmopolitan city! It’s true. The long and short of it is you really cannot compare Portland to Seattle. Both are equally awesome, engaging destinations in their own right! And just because I live in Portland does NOT mean I am partial to that city. Well, I sort of am, I’m not going to lie to you. But honestly, I would just as well live in Seattle if I had the means to!

So let’s examine the reasons why both cities are so damn appealing.

But first, I should mention, I purposely did not include Vancouver. B.C. in this blog post, for several reasons. It’s in a different realm altogether; a different country, a different culture (somewhat). And for many people, it’s just not practical to travel to Canada, as many U.S. citizens love to travel within the U.S. and do not have a passport.

And with that, on to our discussion of Portland vs. Seattle. The pros and cons of living in Seattle and Portland are many. As in the infamous words of the late great Bernie Mac in the movie Ocean’s 13, let me break it down for you like a fraction.

The Area

Seattle is in a gorgeous location, set along Puget Sound, one of the most beautiful land (and sea)scapes in the world. But Seattle is a sprawling metropolis…not as large as Los Angeles, but you will spend a good two hours (in light traffic) driving through civilization before you hit countryside again. There are so many suburbs and the traffic can be quite distressing at times. Don’t even get me started on rush hour!

Portland is a bit smaller and a bit more land-locked. Although the Rose City does also have its share of suburbs, they are not as plentiful, and the city has a KILLER public transit system. So much so that you don’t even really need a car to get around as long as you’re staying within the metro area. In Seattle, it’s a good idea to have a car.

The Food

Both cities are a foodie’s heaven, but for this topic, I’d have to give Portland the gold medal. Not only does Portland have more food carts per capita than any city in America, but many of them are also run by chefs who do not want the overhead of a traditional restaurant. For any kind of ethnic food, any kind of budget…you will find it here. And Portland runs the gamut of incredible brick-and-mortar restaurants, as well.

The Seattle food scene is also extremely vibrant. However, there are not so many food carts; rather, Seattle puts a little more emphasis on seafood (hello, it’s right next to awesome waters!) and the number of fine dining restaurants exceeds Portland. Having said that, there is just as much diversity in the type of food you can eat, just as in Portland. So it really depends on what your foodie aspirations are.

The Neighborhoods

This is an area where Portland and Seattle truly come in as a tie. Both are a collection of smaller neighborhoods, each with their own vibe and unique attributes. It is so fun to explore each and every one of them, to find your next favorite attraction or hangout. If I were to nick-pick a major difference, it is that due to its size, Seattle neighborhoods are more spread out from each other. Whereas Portland neighborhoods are more compact, and often tend to meld into each other.

The People

It really depends on whom you meet, isn’t it? I will not attempt to lump everyone together saying they are all friendly, aloof, or unwelcoming. By and large, people are genuinely friendly just about everywhere you go, as long as you give off a friendly and welcoming vibe yourself! I mean, come on, that’s just human nature, and the more you travel to places far and wide, the more you will come to realize this.

Having said that, I will speak to the general consensus of the population in both cities. Seattle is more urbanite, I feel, and so people will be friendly, but keep their emotional distance somewhat. I believe the millennial term is “social freeze”. People are friendly enough but will keep you at arms’ length until they are sure about your intentions. Portland residents can be the same way but tend to have a slightly more personable air to them. Visit any of the neighborhood hangouts, and you will quickly find that people in Portland are generally more laid-back and willing to divulge more. Just sayin’.

So in the end, I am going to leave it up to YOU to decide which city you should visit (You really should visit them BOTH). But if you have to choose just one, I hope this has given you enough information to go on. And if not….please get in touch with me if you have more questions. I’d be happy to help!