New State

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Angelalex242
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New State

Post by Angelalex242 »

When next I log on this board...I fear I shall no longer be living in the Golden State. Nevermore will the Governator be my Governor.

Nevermore will I be a resident of the most populated state in the Union.

Where am I going instead?

Washington State. Up there at the northwestern corner of this great country, I shall reside. And watch it rain. All day long. Every day. For the rest of eternity.

I pack Sunday, drive 14 hours Monday, move in, and I'll be back around Tuesday. Yay.
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phyco126
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Post by phyco126 »

Why are you moving? By the way, I probably wouldn't mind living in Washington or Oregon :)
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Angelalex242
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Post by Angelalex242 »

Too expensive to live down here in the Golden State.

I can get a 1 bedroom apartment for $450 up there.

I'd be lucky to get a studio for $700 down here.

So...hey, if one wants to save money and buy cool stuff...well, best to watch it rain.
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phyco126
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Post by phyco126 »

Well, I love rain. But it sounds just as expensive to live there as it is to live here. Sure, it's far cheaper than the California, but to me, it's still awefully expensive. Then again, people around here don't make much, and those who do, live in $200,000 plus houses. (Huge gap in money here...)
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Kizyr
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Post by Kizyr »

A studio for $700 where I am is a steal. That's the kind of price you'd pay if you found a roommate or two for a 1BR.

Washington can be overpriced, though, depending on the city. Overpriced in the sense that, when you compare wages for most professions with the cost of living, the ratio might be more unfavorable than where you're currently living. KF
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GhaleonOne
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Post by GhaleonOne »

Heh, you can get a 1-bedroom around here for in the $200's. The one good thing about living in the middle of nowhere. :P

Good luck on the move though Alex!
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Post by drumlord »

Washington is easily > Cali in terms of scenery
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GhaleonOne
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Post by GhaleonOne »

Depends. Some of the mountainous area's of Cali are gorgeous, but so are those area's in Washington State. Pretty much all of the mountain and west coast states from Colorado all the way to the Pacific have gorgeous scenery.
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Post by Alunissage »

California varies a bit in the housing costs too; when I lived in not quite the middle of nowhere I had a 2-bedroom apartment for roughly $600/month. Then I returned to the Bay Area. :P And yeah, there are scenic bits. If I had to live near big cities, I'd much rather be where I am than the LA area, other than my folks being 400 miles away. ;_;

I-Gene and I have once or twice talked about moving to Washington, as we each have friends in the Seattle region and would be closer to his family in Vancouver, BC; also, of course, the living costs, and I like rain. But we're closer to my family here, and of course our jobs are here.

Angelalex, where in California are you moving from? I don't remember you saying.

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lnrSaxon
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Post by lnrSaxon »

I just came up to Oregon from California. I'm here for school, though, and it's easy to see that the cost of living is so low compared to California. I was thinking of moving my mom up here for that reason, but I dunno. I also tend to live in NE Portland which is kinda the rough part. -__-;; it's all good. =)

best of luck with the move!

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Post by SilverOcean »

Oh. Wow. Washington's really nice (even though it's expensive). The areas along the coast and the mountains have a lot of pretty scenery too. I envy you I wish I could live in Washington instead of this sauna of a state.
Last edited by SilverOcean on Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Scorpioeyez
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Post by Scorpioeyez »

Hey welcome to Washington! If you need a tour guide or anything drop me a line. I'm right outside Tacoma.
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phyco126
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Post by phyco126 »

Well, I believe (I could be mistaken) that Seattle was actually on a list of the most overpriced cities to live in on MSN. I don't mind the rain though. I'll probably die because I'll break down and play in it (like the time I played in the rain and hail :P)

Edit: Scorpio, since your so close to Tacoma, what do you think of the events at the mall?
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Angelalex242
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Post by Angelalex242 »

On from a laptop...

Moving from Grover Beach/Arroyo Grande/Central California. You've never heard of those cities before, so call it...San Luis Obispo, for nearest mission.
Don't blame me, Lucia promised me lots of snuggles and cuddles if I would be her PR guy.

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Dragonmaster Lou
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Post by Dragonmaster Lou »

$700 for a studio is still cheaper than what you'd pay in Boston -- it's about $900-$1000 for a studio there.

Down here in RI, I rent a 2 bedroom (yes, I'm a landlord) for $700, but RI tends to be a lot cheaper than Boston itself. It's amazing how much cheaper things get once you get about an hour outside the city.
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PrettyGirlJean
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Post by PrettyGirlJean »

Wow, $700 for a studio! Did that happen to include any utilities? Back when I lived in Pittsburgh, PA one of my places was $750 a month, but it was 4 stories, which included a carpeted basement (with half a bath), the 1st level with the livingroom, diningroom, kitchen ect, the 2nd lvl with two bedrooms and a bath, then the attic which was also carpeted with two rooms. I can't imagine getting just a studio for that amount O,O

In Buffalo, NY things are a bit cheaper. I'm currently paying $500/mo for a two bedroom duplex. It weird how most apartment complexes charge higher rent than landlords who're renting houses, that seems so backwards.

Anyhow though, good luck with the move! I've never been to Washington or Oregon but maybe someday :) Though I'd probably not like to live there since I don't like rain much.

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Dragonmaster Lou
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Post by Dragonmaster Lou »

PrettyGirlJean wrote:Wow, $700 for a studio! Did that happen to include any utilities? Back when I lived in Pittsburgh, PA one of my places was $750 a month, but it was 4 stories, which included a carpeted basement (with half a bath), the 1st level with the livingroom, diningroom, kitchen ect, the 2nd lvl with two bedrooms and a bath, then the attic which was also carpeted with two rooms. I can't imagine getting just a studio for that amount O,O

In Buffalo, NY things are a bit cheaper. I'm currently paying $500/mo for a two bedroom duplex. It weird how most apartment complexes charge higher rent than landlords who're renting houses, that seems so backwards.

Anyhow though, good luck with the move! I've never been to Washington or Oregon but maybe someday :) Though I'd probably not like to live there since I don't like rain much.


Well, the excuse for apartment complexes are all the various "amenities" they give you, like a pool, "24 hour" repair support (yeah right, I could never get help with broken pipes at odd times of day), etc. Needless to say, I am not a fan, especially since if you're smart, you may be able to buy a house for not much more than you're paying in rent for one of those places anyway.
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Kizyr
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Post by Kizyr »

...why are you all so surprised? Land value determines rent first. The "amenities" are put in there to make up for two things, a) quoting a lower rent to appear more competitive, and b) rent controls. Amenities aren't the reason for rent values, they're just one method of quoting them.

Big, condensed cities and greater metropolitan areas have higher land values per square foot. So, if you're around the good areas of NYC, DC, Boston, or Chicago, you're going to be paying a higher rent. If you're willing to live further out, where relatively less people want to live, you'll pay a lower rent. (This is all holding size of room constant.)

Land value itself is determined by a lot of things, depending on which city. Quality of the neighborhood (including crime rate, police/fire coverage), proximity to mass transit, proximity to major highways, proximity to commercial areas like shopping centers, those all factor in. Then comes the quality of the apartment complex itself. And, that in turn is determined by land value--you won't have a shabby apartment in a valuable neighborhood, for instance. It's a waste of investment. So, it comes around full circle to how the presence of amenities depends on the value of the land the apartment is on. KF
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Scorpioeyez
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Post by Scorpioeyez »

phyco126 wrote:
Edit: Scorpio, since your so close to Tacoma, what do you think of the events at the mall?


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Angelalex242
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Post by Angelalex242 »

I have arrived!

After a 14 hour drive on sleep dep.

Pity me. But I'm not dead, so don't overdo it.
Don't blame me, Lucia promised me lots of snuggles and cuddles if I would be her PR guy.

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