5 ms·

Uhh, Portland or Seattle? They're political similar, economically as similar as you'll get (silicon forest in Hillsboro and Seattle's whole tech scene rivals S

Uhh, Portland or Seattle? They're political similar, economically as similar as you'll get (silicon forest in Hillsboro and Seattle's whole tech scene rivals SF), and geographically similar in terms of climate to parts of the bay area.

Bud 5y ago
Neither Portland nor Seattle can match the Bay Area in terms of overall culture. Neither has a world-class orchestra or opera, to say nothing of the early-music scene in the Bay Area, which is easily the best in the US. Neither measures up to the Bay Area in the art scene, either. Or the restaurant scene. Or the wine scene. Neither comes very close in terms of climate, although that argument is muted lately due to California being on fire for 4 months out of each year now. But Portland and Seattle are already experiencing their own climate-change-related impacts. And no, neither measures up economically either. Comparing the tech industry in Portland or Seattle to the Bay Area (Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and basically all of the startup scene) is a joke. I could go on, but really, there is no competition.
- clairity 5y ago
  that sounds like the koolaid talking. while SF offers a lot of "culture", portland and seattle have great "scenes" too. restaurants in both cities easily rival those of SF, which tend to be long on cost and short on flavor. but in CA, LA outdoes SF for food, weather, art, music, entertainment, fashion, and shopping, with a more diverse (not tech-centric) economy to boot.
  - Bud 5y ago
    Los Angeles wasn't part of the comparison, however. The question was about housing values and why they'd be so much higher in SF than in Portland or Seattle. And speaking as an experienced professional musician who has performed a lot in both places, I'd take the Bay Area over LA, at least for classical music, overall.
- UpsilonAlpha 5y ago
  I've lived in Seattle so my viewpoint is biased. > Neither has a world-class orchestra or opera Seattle Symphony is fantastic and has multiple Grammy awards. The one that stands out to me is the 2014 premiere of John Luther Adams' work, Become Ocean. Not everyone's cup of team, but a phenomenal performance nonetheless. > to say nothing of the early-music scene in the Bay Area, which is easily the best in the US Grunge is very distinctly Seattle. I have a feeling you are incorrectly attributing certain bands with California because they moved there after they became famous. > And no, neither measures up economically either. Comparing the tech industry in Portland or Seattle to the Bay Area (Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and basically all of the startup scene) is a joke. Google is heavily in Seattle. You are ignoring the powerhouses of Microsoft and Amazon which are headquartered there. Additionally, the startup scene is thriving. Vulcan Ventures (Paul Allen's firm) has a major presence. > Neither measures up to the Bay Area in the art scene I can't speak to the art scene but the Seattle Art Museum was pretty cool, not sure how it ranks. I do know that Seattle attracts a lot of artsy types from personal experience. > Or the wine scene If you look at Seattle in a hyper-focused fashion, yes there is no wine, it's a city and Bay Area is an area. But wine in Washington state is also thriving (extended family operates a small vineyard for fun). The climate issues have ironically made Washington a better place for wine in the past years I could go on, but really, there is quite a bit of competition ;)
  - Bud 5y ago
    Grunge is not "early music". Bach is. ;) That said, yes, granted, Seattle deserves credit for grunge. But no, the Seattle Symphony is not a world-class orchestra. The SF Symphony is, though.
    - irrational 5y ago
      And yet, this is the first I’ve ever heard that SF has a symphony, despite the local classical music station being my standard station in the car. Maybe it’s not as world-class as you might think.
      - Bud 5y ago
- refurb 5y ago
  You just listed a bunch of things that seem pretty subjective measures of a city.

Bud 5y ago

Neither Portland nor Seattle can match the Bay Area in terms of overall culture. Neither has a world-class orchestra or opera, to say nothing of the early-music scene in the Bay Area, which is easily the best in the US. Neither measures up to the Bay Area in the art scene, either. Or the restaurant scene. Or the wine scene. Neither comes very close in terms of climate, although that argument is muted lately due to California being on fire for 4 months out of each year now. But Portland and Seattle are already experiencing their own climate-change-related impacts. And no, neither measures up economically either. Comparing the tech industry in Portland or Seattle to the Bay Area (Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and basically all of the startup scene) is a joke. I could go on, but really, there is no competition.

clairity 5y ago
that sounds like the koolaid talking. while SF offers a lot of "culture", portland and seattle have great "scenes" too. restaurants in both cities easily rival those of SF, which tend to be long on cost and short on flavor. but in CA, LA outdoes SF for food, weather, art, music, entertainment, fashion, and shopping, with a more diverse (not tech-centric) economy to boot.
- Bud 5y ago
  Los Angeles wasn't part of the comparison, however. The question was about housing values and why they'd be so much higher in SF than in Portland or Seattle. And speaking as an experienced professional musician who has performed a lot in both places, I'd take the Bay Area over LA, at least for classical music, overall.
UpsilonAlpha 5y ago
I've lived in Seattle so my viewpoint is biased. > Neither has a world-class orchestra or opera Seattle Symphony is fantastic and has multiple Grammy awards. The one that stands out to me is the 2014 premiere of John Luther Adams' work, Become Ocean. Not everyone's cup of team, but a phenomenal performance nonetheless. > to say nothing of the early-music scene in the Bay Area, which is easily the best in the US Grunge is very distinctly Seattle. I have a feeling you are incorrectly attributing certain bands with California because they moved there after they became famous. > And no, neither measures up economically either. Comparing the tech industry in Portland or Seattle to the Bay Area (Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and basically all of the startup scene) is a joke. Google is heavily in Seattle. You are ignoring the powerhouses of Microsoft and Amazon which are headquartered there. Additionally, the startup scene is thriving. Vulcan Ventures (Paul Allen's firm) has a major presence. > Neither measures up to the Bay Area in the art scene I can't speak to the art scene but the Seattle Art Museum was pretty cool, not sure how it ranks. I do know that Seattle attracts a lot of artsy types from personal experience. > Or the wine scene If you look at Seattle in a hyper-focused fashion, yes there is no wine, it's a city and Bay Area is an area. But wine in Washington state is also thriving (extended family operates a small vineyard for fun). The climate issues have ironically made Washington a better place for wine in the past years I could go on, but really, there is quite a bit of competition ;)
- Bud 5y ago
  Grunge is not "early music". Bach is. ;) That said, yes, granted, Seattle deserves credit for grunge. But no, the Seattle Symphony is not a world-class orchestra. The SF Symphony is, though.
  - irrational 5y ago
    And yet, this is the first I’ve ever heard that SF has a symphony, despite the local classical music station being my standard station in the car. Maybe it’s not as world-class as you might think.
    - Bud 5y ago
refurb 5y ago
You just listed a bunch of things that seem pretty subjective measures of a city.