Written by: Kate Becker
Date:

There are many things to consider if you are moving from Portland to Seattle. These two northwest cities are pretty similar in a lot of things, yet vastly different in others. While both are northwest cities and have a similar climate, and while they also have a relatively same population, there are still a couple of differences between these two metropolitan cities. Making one more interesting than the other. However, as you are going to notice while reading this article, most of these differences can be summed up to personal taste. So learning how to move from Portland to Seattle isn’t so much as freighting experience as one might think. It’s simply learning how to adjust to the environment that Seattle has to over. And while that might seem complicated, don’t worry. You can always hire long distance moving companies Seattle that can help you with your move.

A closeup of the Public Market at Seattle

Seattle can be just as homely as Portland.

 

Moving from Portland to Seattle

So, overall what’s the biggest difference you are going to need to adjust to when moving from Portland to Seattle? Well, albeit a gross simplification, Portland is a bit “friendlier” than Seattle. Or so the story goes. The city of Portland prides itself on it’s more informal, homely, hipsterish vibe. While Seattle doesn’t really want to portray itself in such a way. What’s more, Seattle tries to ooze out a picture of a business conglomerate center, where people are hard at work and have little time for play.  This is exaggerated to such an extent that a term was coined just for the situation where you have difficulty making friends in Seattle, called the Seattle Freeze. However, that is just a portrayal. In reality, you can find as many quirky, hipsterish things as you can in Seattle as well. It’s just a matter of looking hard enough.

A brief guide on how to actually move.

There has been a lot of guides written on our website on how to actually go through the moving process. However, we will briefly go over it with you one more time. While doing this just keep in mind the goal of the move. We want to move from Portland to Seattle. Thankfully, the weather, traffic, and population count are more or less the same. So you won’t be relocating into something entirely unknown.  So in order to move there, we need to create a plan. We recommend that you outline on a weekly basis what needs to be done. After that, all you need to do is stick to the plan, and in no time everything will be packed and ready for the move.

Hiring professional movers

However, we would like to underline that this whole entire process can be much easier if you just hire a professional moving company. As they offer packing and moving services all by the price of one! Since they are movers who have been doing this for years, and they can use their experience and knowledge to help you pack everything that you need, twice as fast. So you can spend the rest of the day enjoying your time with your family.

Watch out for the crosstown traffic.

No, we don’t mean the Jimmi Hendrix song. Since Seattle is a bigger state than Portland and has a bigger population count, that means that the traffic is a huge deal. Especially downtown. Now there are a couple of things we would like to recommend in order to beat that traffic. Option number one is to buy a motorcycle in order to maneuver yourself more fluently. However, if you are afraid of motorcycles than there is always option number two. Public transportation. There are a lot of options to choose from – busses (Kings County Metro, Community Transit), rails (ie. monorail) or Ferries. So if you have hired long distance movers Portland, and experienced the city of roses, this will all sound familiar. Since Portland has much of the same ways of getting across the city, so this shouldn’t be much of a bore.

Nighttime crosstown traffic

While traffic can be a bore, there are many ways to get around in the city of Seattle.

When moving from Portland to Seattle always take weather into consideration

When making a moving checklist for Seattle don’t forget to take weather into the equation. However, if you are a Portland native this might not seems so abrasive and out of the ordinary. Since the weather in Portland and Seattle is pretty much the same. Meaning that you should expect a lot of rainy and cloudy days. So make sure you pack properly and give your movers a heads up to where you are actually moving. So that they can bring the proper packing/moving supplies.

When moving from Portland to Seattle you will find the weather very recognizable.

Because of its weather, Seattle is often called the City of Rain.

Moving from Portland to Seattle, the city to be.

While Seattle has a turmoil history, where Native Americans inhabited it for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent European settlers, it is a giant conglomerate of a city now. It has a population of 3.94 million, making it the largest city in North America. And it only seems to be getting bigger. So no wonder people are rushing out of the gates moving to Seattle. It is currently the place to be. Since it is the birthplace of Jimmi Hendrix, and the city which kickstarted Ray Charles and Quincy Jones’s career. And it has the highest minimum wages in the country at around 15-16$ per hour! It can be said that the industry is booming!  That’s why Seattle is the city to be living in, and you don’t want to miss your chance now. Take it. while you still can.

In conclusion

Moving from Portland to Seattle is not as hard as people make it out to be. There is no special things you need to take into consideration. The truth is boring, but it is factual. Moving to Seattle is the same as moving to Portland. These cities have similar climates, populations, and cultures. So there it won’t be a huge shock to you when you do decide to move in. The only thing that you might find a bit out of the ordinary is that Seattle is more of a business center and it doesn’t have that “homely” vibe Portland has. However, don’t worry, people are just as friendly, so you will fit right in!