Voting Has Ended
For my seventh city out of ten, I gave my readers a chance to vote on where I should move next, giving them the following choices:
Austin, TX.
Denver, CO.
Portland, OR.
Seattle, WA.
The winner after two months of voting, with just one more vote than the runner up, was Seattle.
As I finish out my year here in Nashville and prepare to make my move across the country, check out my life on the road, read my thoughts on the world and experience my dream.
The voting has ended, but my journey is far from over.
Join the history of 10 Cities / 10 years.
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This is tough – I am thinking of moving to Portland in 2012 myself, and my uncle just moved to Seattle and said it’s amazing. those two are so close together that it’s kind of like a two-for-one. but Austin is so tempting as well, and I really think that you would love it there, from what I know about it. I vote Austin. For the Ryan Adams reasons.
I currently live in Fort Collins, Colorado, about an hour north of Denver. Granted, FoCo and Denver are not close to the same, but my move to Colorado was probably one of the best decisions of my life. The mountains are beautiful and very easily accessible if you want to get out of town to hit the slopes or go camping (even just for a day). The people around here are generally happy, and I have yet to find a bad thing to say about them. If you like live music, many diverse groups come through the area on a regular basis. Plus, if you like drinking beer, Colorado has a ton of micro-breweries, and I’m sure you can find your new favorite beer with ease. If you make it out here, definitely let me know. Cheers!
Seattle… Best, unique city in the USA.
I love it, three responses, three different cities. That’s exactly what I wanted, thanks all for voting.
Feel free to pass it on.
I voted for Austin. It’s supposed to be the most progressive part of Texas. You can visit other parts of Texas, but if it gets too “hillbilly,” it’s OK because your homebase is Austin.
It would be “just enough” Texas experience.
HI, I voted for Seattle as the best of those picks. I don’t like rain or gray skies but I have heard great things about Seattle and who knows, maybe you might meet McDreamy, McSteamy and McHotty, not to mention living on a houseboat. Well what would you expect in irreverence from one who lives in #10!
Hah, I have an ex who would probably be a lot more excited about the prospect of all those Mc’s, but I do think I’d enjoy Seattle (even if the rain might wreck havoc on my mental state). Thanks for your vote.
And I look forward to rounding out my project in #10, it’s been too many years since I’ve been able to visit.
The Big Apple and I await your return to civilization. If Spinny Liberal is a fan of yours, I’m going to assume you’re at least left of center and as my ultra-conservative former sister-in-law refers to the Upper West Side as “a hotbed of left-wing liberal crazies”, I’m sure you’ll find a comfort zone in NYC. AND…I’m a real estate broker tah dah!
You could say I am certainly ‘left of center’ on most subjects, which is indeed likely why Spinny likes me and why I’ve always wanted to live in NYC. Haha, I’ll keep you in mind if I’m looking for a place to live… a nice loft apartment in the city…
I saw this on craigslist… I picked Denver, CO because I am actually moving there next month. I have spent the last decade in Santa Barbara, CA and am ready for a change. Denver is an amazing city and I can’t wait to become a resident!
Hello, I live in Kent,about 15 minutes from downtown Seattle.Yes it’s rainy here . But where else can you experience the rain forest,ocean,ferries,mountains,hiking,fishing,flooding rivers,bald eagles,salmon runs in the creeks,coffee,Pikes Place Market,strange people(but friendly),art galleries,Canada is a day ride,and so much more to list.If you’re going to stay in NYC. then why not try the opposite side of the states.You’ll love it.
Well, I did Orange County, CA and San Fran, but I’ve been wanting to do Seattle or Portland pretty much since I started this project. Both cities interest me, and I’ve heard from most people that I’d love them, but it’s not up to me. It’s up to the voters.
Thanks for taking the time to give me your input, it is very much appreciated.
Austin is now neck and neck with Denver! Come on Austin!
Yes, it has now become quite the horse race. Denver, Austin and Seattle are duking it out, we’ll see who comes out on top. Still plenty of time for Portland to rebound, though.
Don’t move to Seattle unless you like an unfriendly environment. It’s also just weird here, and not in a good way. Portland is a great pick. You couldn’t do better than that. They have a much better cultural scene there too. Austin isn’t bad either. I’ve enjoyed the music and BBQ. Don’t know what it’s like to live there though.
Portland may be a bit small, but considering everything you’ve mentioned above, it seems like a great fit. It’s easy to live cheap in portland for sure, not as easy to make money and find jobs as in the bigger cities of course, but it seems almost too easy to get just about anything you need for free.. You’ll meet people the day you arrive that you’ll probably call family later. Just about anyone would take you in and help you out. As the stereotype goes, everyone in portland is a musician or artist or both, that’s give the city it’s tighter scene . Just like Seattle you have great outdoor options: mountains, hot springs, the coast is only an hour away, etc. Throw portland back in the running. I’m from seattle, by the way. go nw!
Well, as a Seattlite who has moved away and back several times I can tell you that Seattle is a pretty cool city for those who get it. That being said, the scene in Portland is supposed to be what Seattle was like in the 90’s…loads of stuff going on all the time.
Seattle is bigger and so has quite a lot going on, but sometimes smaller scenes are more genuine and accepting and therefore may be easier to assimilate into.
And if both Seattle and Portland are on your to do list, then you should start in the smaller town and then do Seattle the next year. As it’s been said, they are close enough that you could get an idea about Seattle before you moved.
I’ve lived in Portland, Denver, and Seattle, in that order; of the four, I’d pick Austin.
I’d moved from the Bay area and Portland and Denver both paled in comparison. Portland was small and white and impoverished, and felt like living in an overgrown small town (not in a good way) and Denver was like the ugly lumbering step-brother of beautiful Boulder… sprawling, flat, and too filled with beer-drinking sports fans. Seattle was the easiest to feel at home in, if in part because it’s got a stronger cultural identity and is sizable enough to be interesting. (That, and I liked the broody mist of the northwest).
Don’t get me wrong: all three had their charms! Denver has some great art museums and it isn’t that far from the mountains (which if you’ve not lived in Colorado are absurdly spectacular); Portland is falling-over-itself friendly and filled with people with unusual ambitions; Seattle is young and geeky with fabulously mild winters.
It’s a strange decision to float, though. Denver and Seattle, though the same size, are about as different as two cities can get; picking between the two, to my mind, is far more about your personality and needs than some objective “one city is better than the other.”
I appreciate everyone’s input so far, especially those of you who have taken the time to write about your choices. Seattle certainly seems to be the most continuous of the cities, with some people loving it and some people warning me against it (both on here and in my day-to-day life). Voting will end on the 30th (though, more than likely, it’ll be closer to 3 or 4 before I actually get home to see the results).
Spread the word and encourage your friends to vote.
DENVER!!!
I’ve lived here for 3 years for college and I am in love with this city. You won’t regret it, I promise. It’s a beautiful city with beautiful people.