A few years ago when we first started talking about moving somewhere, we spent a lot of time thinking about where we might want to move to. While it might just seem like we moved as far away from Texas as possible on a whim, a lot of analysis went into choosing Seattle.
At the time, we knew we were bored with D/FW and wanted to live somewhere different, but we didn't really have any preconceptions about where we'd like to live. We both wanted better weather and I wanted to live somewhere I could walk, but we were pretty open to options. So, we decided to look at quite a few of our options, gathering statistics from Sperling's Best Places (bestplaces.net) on 46 different cities. This information was divided into different categories, like population, including city size, and density, race, family (married, single, divorced, etc.), economy (unemployment, job growth, taxes), housing (home cost, rent rate), crime, climate (average temperatures and precipitation), education, transportation and commuting, cost of living, religion (percentage of people in each religion), and voting (democratic, liberal, etc.).
From there, we figured out which stats were most important. Many of the stats we gathered weren't used, but all of this was done in a spreadsheet and most of these stats were weighted slightly and contributed somewhat to our final results. We determined the most important statistics to be the percentage of people commuting by mass transit, the average high temperature in July, the population density, and the temperature comfort index.
From here, since some categories, like temperature, had multiple statistics to consider, whereas we only considered one statistic in the commute mode category, each category was averaged and then weighted individually. The three most important main categories were transportation (mostly including the percentage of people using mass transit), health/climate (mostly focusing on climate), and people (including density - the higher the better - and size - the more the better).
The point of all this wasn't to have the numbers tell us which city to move to, but to guide us in identifying some potential cities that we might like. We tinkered with our weights for each category a few times, but one of our top eleven lists included:
- San Francisco
- Washington DC
- Boston
- New York
- Philadelphia
- Chicago
- Seattle
- Newark
- Pittsburgh
- Oakland
- Portland
For what it's worth, Dallas appeared 20th in our list and Fort Worth appeared 44th.
It's kind of interesting that Seattle was 7th on our list but we moved there anyway. However, we looked at each city individually to see if there was anything that might be significant enough to rule it out. For example, while San Francisco rated very well in transportation, climate, and city size/density, its high cost of living and secular culture (while not weighted heavily by us) were undesirable enough to make us want to look down the list. Boston might have been nice, too, but the cold winters ruled it out.
All of these other highly-ranked cities had significant flaws. We looked at the lowest-rated categories of each city, and it turned out that Seattle was rated well in every category. Whereas San Francisco's cost of living earned a 25% in our arcane rating system and Pittsburgh's economy/crime earned a 16%, for example, the lowest rated thing in Seattle was 52%, which was for the cost of living. So, there wasn't really anything to push us away from Seattle. It's size and density weren't as high as I would've liked and the percentage of people using public transportation was second lowest in our top 10, but our statistics combined with the details we'd read about online, including the many things to do outdoors and the scenery made Seattle sound like a good fit. When we visited in Seattle, we both liked it in a way that we hadn't liked any other city. Since Portland also appeared somewhat high on our list (it was hurt mostly by its small size), we visited there too, since it was near Seattle, and really liked it as well. After this, we had made up our minds to move to one or the other.
While there may have been some flaws in our analysis, we think looking at the details first really helped us to find a livable home city that we really enjoy. So far what our research told us has been true, and thinking about the other options that appeared, I don't think there's anywhere I'd rather be right now.
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32 comments:
Hard to believe that that cities in the Northeast where in the top ten. At lot of companies have moved to Dallas as world headquarters. What methodology did they use?
1. Cheap land
2. Close to a major airport
Hi Troy,
I enjoyed the run-down of how you picked your new hometown. It was especially interesting to me because I work on BestPlaces.net. We're humbled that we were such a big part of your move and thank you for sharing your story.
Some of cities (NE) in the top ten list are even more polluted than DFW. Also the weather is bad on both apexes. Cost of living is higher.
Only public transportation may be better but that is temporary.
A very flawed and biased data base.
As with anything, data can be massaged to comfort advertisers as well as to reflect personal opinions of the researching authority.
Common sense is the rule.
We considered pollution, cost of living, and a number of other factors. I believe we exercised common sense by reviewing each city individually and not just automatically picking the #1 city.
what's with all the unwarranted NE bashing?
i think this was an interesting technique. and i love san francisco, but yes it is prohibitively expensive and aggressively anti-christian. i am glad you considered things like that, as they seem important to you and les.
seattle seems a good fit. i hope you continue to enjoy life there.
Not really bashing the NE, it is just that those cities should not be in the top ten. The thought process that put them up there is flawed.
These cities being older means that they were developed more densely and have better public transportation. That might have been weighted too heavily in our criteria, which is how so many cities from the northeast ended up high on our list, that's why we looked at them all individually.
religion should not have factored in at all
Texas has the best weather anywhere
and all your other reasons are somewhat valid
-DCW
It wasn't just religion that we looked at, but we felt we would've had a harder time fitting in somewhere like SF.
even in San Fran, people who are outside of the comfortable mainstream are certainly in a minority, and just because they EXIST there in an environment of relative tolerance is no reason to look down on San Fran.
Good thing, then, that the cost of living was the main thing that deterred us from SF.
all well and good, but the fact that this other thing was considered and worded this way is offensive and disappointing.
Hey,
I just stumbled upon your blog and feel like I am reading my thoughts! My boyfriend and I have been considering a move to Seattle for the past month. We're hoping to move at the end of May 2011. It was so refreshing to read through your earlier blogs and hear how you made the move. We'll be moving from the Atlanta area and we want to move for all the same reasons that you did. Thanks so much for creating this blog.
-Jessica
We plan to move in May. Thanks for a well articulated write-up!
SF's not anti-Christian, Christianity is only just a part of the city's greater diversity of thought. Neither do I presuppose any of your beliefs on religion, the LGBT community, or otherwise. Your blog is very informative, though! I want to move to Seattle because I love the rain and I need a change. Does the rain (or the city) get old after a while? And is it LGBT friendly? Thank you!
Yes, SF would have been a fine place to live, it's one of my favorite cities, and our earlier thoughts on it and description of those thoughts in this post aren't as nuanced as our thoughts today.
Seattle is very LGBT friendly, though probably not as much as SF, and Washington seems on the cusp of passing a law to legalize gay marriage.
The cloudy grey winters do get old, and different people have different ways of coping with it, but the amazing summers usually make up for the winters. There's a drawback to the weather most places and how well you can handle the winters here varies from person to person.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with moving. My husband is eligible for an early retirement and will be taking it within the next 12 to 18 months. We have decided to move to the Seattle/Tacoma area and did a lot of what you did - talked about several areas of the country that appealed to us and then looked at the pros and cons. We have talked about a big move before and just always come back to Sea/Tac. We've been to the area and just love it. So our plan is to move from Detroit, MI to Seattle within the next year to year and a half dependent on employment opportunities for my husband. Reading your blog (which is now bookmarked for future reference) has really helped. I knew we'd made the correct destination decision and your blog is helping me with other planning issues. So thank you! We hope to be your "neighbors" very soon! Oh, and interestingly, you had many of the same cities on your Top 10 list as we did (DC, Chicago, San Francisco, etc).
Texas has the best weather anywhere
Spoken like a Texan who's never left the state.
You make us proud.
Am seriously looking to move to Seattle next year from Chicago. Would like to get Troy's opinion about renting a place to live and finding work in information technology field. thanks
Jonatan
Hi Jonathan, If you're looking for technology jobs, Amazon is hiring and there are lots of local start-ups as well as Microsoft, so you should be able to find a job. As for renting, there are lots of options as well, it might depend on where you'll be working and whether you want to live a more urban or suburban lifestyle.
Awesome blog. I'm reading everything I can. I too am moving from Texas, and Seattle is on the top of my list of places to live. Nice knowing past Texans can handle a place like Seattle. Thanks for all of the info ya'll have gathered and provided. I'm a young professional with a business shipping degree so now it's just down to finding a place to live that's safe, yet close to the port.
Thanks for this blog, Troy. Very helpful. What parts of town do you recommend living in?
I would like to be close to "culture", not necessarily downtown, although that's fine. I would like to be able to walk (or close to it) coffee shops, bars, etc. Close proximity to parks would be great too. What parts of town are best for this?
Thanks os much for you help.
Paul, pretty much every neighborhood in Seattle meets those criteria. Neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Ballard have exploded in recent years. Finding these amenities in an area that's affordable is becoming an increasing challenge but Columbia City and Greenwood might fit the bill. Good luck!
Hi Troy! I love your blog! I have a few questions for you.
I am graduating with my undergrad in a year and a half and am planning on moving to Seattle right after graduation. I'm planning on settling in Washington and would like to attend the University of Washington for grad school, so my line of thinking is if I establish residency I can get in-state tuition. So I am starting the apartment-hunting process and trying to look for general potential options. I am planning on saving up 6-8 months rent, move, and then look for a job in my field when I get there. Can you give me advice about renting from across the country? I am planning on visiting spring break before I graduate, but I'm assuming even if I found a place I loved in my price range there's a huge potential the apartment could get taken by someone else by the time I want to move. If I find something when I get there should I put down a payment and pay for it for a month or two before I move? Also how long did it take for you/your wife to find a job? Do you know of any medical device companies in the area? The best I can hope for is an internship coming right out of college but researching companies would be a good start right now. Also, I am planning on driving there like you and your wife did, did you have problems with parking? I am also worried about leaving my car on the streets/getting stolen. What was the switching insurance policy/switching plates process like? Did you keep your Texas car insurance until you got there? I'm sorry for all the questions but I could really use some advice from someone who has already been through the process, I will be moving across the country all on my own!
What's so crazy about this is that I went through a search process to see where I wanted to live, and two of the cities near the top of my list were Seattle and Portland. I chose Seattle. I am planning the move.
I also considered Lake Tahoe.
It's been a fun and interesting read.... I grew up in the DFW area, still here, and SERIOUSLY considering moving to Seattle. Some might call it mid-life crisis, I call it time for a change!
The one daunting aspect is that I will be making the move alone, a and have read so many things about Seattlites being a bit "aloof." And maybe a bit tough for an outsider to meet people.
What do y'all think?
There is some truth to the Seattle freeze, but Seattle is growing significantly due to the arrival of outsiders who are looking to meet other people. There are more single people here in many parts of the country and many social groups to get plugged into. It may take some effort on your part to get out and meet people, but it can be done.
I am thinking about moving to seattle may 1st. I live in denison texas and need a change
I live in Massachusetts right now and my husband and I are aching for a change. I am hoping in the next couple of years we can make this happen!
I recently did my own analysis and came up with very similar results. Every region of the country has very substantial quality of life issues with the exception of the PNW. Our top 5 is as follows:
1) Seattle (perfect balance of strong economy, moderate climate, cost-of-living and unique physical beauty.
2) San Fran (strong economy and great weather outweighed by cost-of-living, crime, and segregation)
3) Washington, DC (strong economy outweighed by cost-of-living, horrible weather, serious crime and segregation issues)
4) Portland (amazing physical beauty and quality of life outweighed by small economy and cost of living)
5) Boston, MA (strong economy outweighed by cost of living and terrible weather).
We currently live in Washington, DC and are satisfied but don't want to move to the Upper Northwest or super expensive suburbs to raise a family. Seattle's economy is equally strong for college grads and there is way more outdoorsy things to do year-round. Spring and Fall are beautiful but there is absolutely nothing to do on the East Coast but sit on a patio at an overpriced restaurant.
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