Spokane, WA

[av8instyle]

Gig Harbor, no doubt.

 

[seatrumpeter]

Seattle

I've lived in Seattle for 12 years and love it. Sure, it rains now and then but Spring Summer and Fall are wonderful. As for outdoor recreation - if it exists you can do it here.

For living, you could try Olympia, Enumclaw, Monroe. All close and affordable. Look at a map and google some of the outlying areas. Sure the city is fiendishly expensive but even then if you are willing to take a risk on some of the up and coming areas (Central District, Beacon Hill) you can get affordable housing and will probably see big capital gains.

As for Portland to Seattle, I have been doing that commute for 4 years. Door to door in no traffic (from my house in the U-District of Seattle to PDX) is 2 hous and 40 minutes precisely, at 5 miles above the posted speed limit. During rush hour, depending on the direction of the commute, you can add up to one hour.

As far as flying that commute goes, well, in winter it works OK but in summer forget it... Horizon is permanently full, cancels one or two a day and Skywest is so weight limited... Much easier to drive, listen to a book on tape and forget the hassle.

I agree with Dave B. I think Spokane to Seattle is probably fairly tough commute. I fly that route regularly and we can rarely take non-revs especially in the winter when alternates are frequently required.

Also, comparing Spokane to Seattle as a place to live.... well unless you like small towns with not much going on....


Seatrump

 

[mach none]

Gig Harbor, no doubt.

The pilot ghetto.