3 ms·

WA has no personal income tax. Also a bit of a libertarian flair overall, why MSFT is openly defense friendly, which means local government has allowed for buil

WA has no personal income tax. Also a bit of a libertarian flair overall, why MSFT is openly defense friendly, which means local government has allowed for building housing everywhere.

m463 6y ago
A friend of mine moved from california to washington. "with the cut in my taxes, I get a free house!" (meaning ca taxes = washington mortgage payment)
- subsubzero 6y ago
  I'd totally make that move any day of the week but can't deal with the perpetually gloomy weather. Overall though Washington seems great.
  - carabiner 6y ago
    Yes, it's perpetually gloomy. No sunshine at all, it's raining right now. Terrible quality of life. You made the right decision.
    - johnward 6y ago
      Seattle seems about like Pittsburgh with less snow and more job opportunities. It was beautiful the times I've worked out there. I could probably live there. https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/pittsburgh_pa/seattle_wa/climate https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/pittsburgh_pa/seat...
    - huac 6y ago
      Seattle in the summer is extraordinary (and currently "74F and mostly sunny") but undeniably pretty gloomy for a large chunk of the year
  - volkadav 6y ago
    To be honest, speaking as a transplant, it is really great up here. We moved from Austin and haven't regretted it for a second (and the whole family loved Austin too). Instead of having a miserable summer that lasts from April to October, we have a miserable winter that lasts from November to March. Taxes are about par, government is (imho) quite a bit more sane, the job market is broader and deeper, public schools are better, and the scenery is gorgeous when not hidden by clouds.
- dmode 6y ago
  Can you explain the math here ? If you make $500k, at 9% progressive, it will be like 6% flat with all deductions. So tax will be $30k. Then you take a 10% pay cut. So you are losing $50k. So you lose $50k, and gain $30k. That’s negative $20k. Even if you keep your salary same, your mortgage has to be roughly $2.5k/month. That’s a 1 bedroom condo.
  - m463 6y ago
    He didn't live in a city in washington
rconti 6y ago
I can't really parse the second half of your statement. There's definitely a lot more land to build housing on in the PNW, despite also having some of the geographic constraints that the Bay does, although it hasn't exactly kept housing costs in check. Maybe "a bit" of a libertarian flair, but also in many ways the urban areas are arguably MORE progressive than the "old conservative NIMBY liberals" in the bay.

WA has no personal income tax. Also a bit of a libertarian flair overall, why MSFT is openly defense friendly, which means local government has allowed for building housing everywhere.

m463 6y ago

A friend of mine moved from california to washington. "with the cut in my taxes, I get a free house!" (meaning ca taxes = washington mortgage payment)

subsubzero 6y ago
I'd totally make that move any day of the week but can't deal with the perpetually gloomy weather. Overall though Washington seems great.
- carabiner 6y ago
  Yes, it's perpetually gloomy. No sunshine at all, it's raining right now. Terrible quality of life. You made the right decision.
  - johnward 6y ago
    Seattle seems about like Pittsburgh with less snow and more job opportunities. It was beautiful the times I've worked out there. I could probably live there. https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/pittsburgh_pa/seattle_wa/climate https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/pittsburgh_pa/seat...
  - huac 6y ago
    Seattle in the summer is extraordinary (and currently "74F and mostly sunny") but undeniably pretty gloomy for a large chunk of the year
- volkadav 6y ago
  To be honest, speaking as a transplant, it is really great up here. We moved from Austin and haven't regretted it for a second (and the whole family loved Austin too). Instead of having a miserable summer that lasts from April to October, we have a miserable winter that lasts from November to March. Taxes are about par, government is (imho) quite a bit more sane, the job market is broader and deeper, public schools are better, and the scenery is gorgeous when not hidden by clouds.
dmode 6y ago
Can you explain the math here ? If you make $500k, at 9% progressive, it will be like 6% flat with all deductions. So tax will be $30k. Then you take a 10% pay cut. So you are losing $50k. So you lose $50k, and gain $30k. That’s negative $20k. Even if you keep your salary same, your mortgage has to be roughly $2.5k/month. That’s a 1 bedroom condo.
- m463 6y ago
  He didn't live in a city in washington

rconti 6y ago

I can't really parse the second half of your statement. There's definitely a lot more land to build housing on in the PNW, despite also having some of the geographic constraints that the Bay does, although it hasn't exactly kept housing costs in check. Maybe "a bit" of a libertarian flair, but also in many ways the urban areas are arguably MORE progressive than the "old conservative NIMBY liberals" in the bay.