I think It may be time to move. How about Bellingham?

After my latest job performance review in which I was told that I am doing a fantastic job, but they want more I decided I have hit my limit. So I started shopping for a new job and a new location (preferably near the mountains). I found a few jobs in Washington in which I am qualified. I also plan to look into other western states, but right now I am focusing my search around more metropolitan areas, partly because i am guessing the job market is better than a resort town and I've always lived in a city or a suburb so there is a comfort level there.

I am considering applying for a couple of jobs in the Bellingham and Seattle areas. From what I can find on the web Bellingham is closer to the size of the city where I live now (around 60k + suburbs). I've always liked bigger cities, but have never really lived in one longer than a few weeks. Well, not as big as Seattle anyway. I've tried the search function and could find some info. on Seattle, but I think I'm more interested in the job in Bellingham so I am hoping you guys could give me your take on the city such as proximity to skiing, nightlife, general attitudes (progressive versus reserved) and cost of living.

In case you were wondering I am an Environmental Biologist.

Bakerboo-boo is looking for an intern. If you help him out of the gutter on late night drinking binges, he'll teach you the ways of the party scene in Belly.

Bellingham is a cool place to live. I lived there for college...Mt. Baker is in close proximity.

One thing about Bellingham that I can see, maybe a few mags would disagree, but....Bellingham is a good place to maintain and coast along, but a bad place to get ahead.

If you want opportunity, don't go to Bellingham....Seattle would be your place.

I'm glad I left Bellingham. I have done better for myself in Seattle.

Just my opinion. Plus there are more mountain options from Seattle.

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Originally Posted by Duder

Bellingham is a cool place to live. I lived there for college...Mt. Baker is in close proximity.

One thing about Bellingham that I can see, maybe a few mags would disagree, but....Bellingham is a good place to maintain and coast along, but a bad place to get ahead.

If you want opportunity, don't go to Bellingham....Seattle would be your place.

I'm glad I left Bellingham. I have done better for myself in Seattle.

Just my opinion. Plus there are more mountain options from Seattle.

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How can anybody disagree with you? You lived here for a few years for college, you weren't making a living, so of COURSE you know whether or not you can maintain and coast along on minimum wage jobs.

What kind of opportunity? Like getting stuck in traffic?!

Sure, there are more mountain options. How many days was Snoqualmie open this year? Oh yeah, April 2nd opening day. How about Stevens? There went your options this year, and Whistler/Blackcomb is within a day trip from B'ham. My mountain is better than your mountains.

Bellingham is a college town on its way out of an industrial era. Baker is 56 miles away, so its not super close. College bars, college art, college fashion, college attitudes, which all disappear pretty frickin' quick outside of town.

seattle is pretty cool. (in just north of it). good music scene for sure,and stevens and crystal arent too far. if u work alot snocrummy is an option. heavy pow though, but fun.

I lived right here from 5-12:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=113+Ba...gham,+WA&hl=en



Hey Bakeyboy, got a digi? Or Grant? Or other Bham mags?

Get a pic of the house for me?

I had a good time playing in the woods behind that place (if the woods are still there).

just what we need another tree hugger ;)

Bellingham is a great place to live, but housing here is ridicously expensive! That and there is very few well paying jobs, so if you got some cash saved up its ok.

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Originally Posted by mtbakerskier

just what we need another tree hugger ;)

Bellingham is a great place to live, but housing here is ridicously expensive! That and there is very few well paying jobs, so if you got some cash saved up its ok.

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Housing, expensive, Bellingham????

I'm paying $360/month for a place that would cost $600/month in Boulder, CO or any big city.

As for jobs, I have heard and found that it is an extremely difficult job market.

No offense to those that live here, but I haven't found the town to be very friendly. And actually when my mom came to visit a couple weeks ago, she said the exact same thing. I kinda get a BLAH feeling about the town and the people.

On the positive side, it is close to Baker and Whistler. It is sorta close to Seattle but not close enough to regularly hang out there.

I worked at the Wild Garlic!

B-Ham is cool if you're into Vitamins and Herbs. Whistler and Hood are right in striking distance.
Vancouver for culture and Reggae :eek:

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Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

Housing, expensive, Bellingham????

I'm paying $360/month for a place that would cost $600/month in Boulder, CO or any big city.

As for jobs, I have heard and found that it is an extremely difficult job market.

No offense to those that live here, but I haven't found the town to be very friendly. And actually when my mom came to visit a couple weeks ago, she said the exact same thing. I kinda get a BLAH feeling about the town and the people.

On the positive side, it is close to Baker and Whistler. It is sorta close to Seattle but not close enough to regularly hang out there.

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You got lucky on finding a cheap place, but houses here are unfucking believably over priced. And yeah Bham aint all that when school is in sess, but it does get a lot better once the school gets our ofr the year and everyone moves back home.

Grant, I've never paid over $400 a month for nice places with fenced in yards, and typically cheaper than that. My bro was paying $325 for a place a few blocks away from your place on Xenia that had hardwood floors and a deck to rival natty's. You just need to look a little harder, and choose who you live with a little better. ;)

funken: Lots of people don't like tourists around these parts... which is ironic, and all.

Thanks for the info. This is the kind of information I am looking for. I was corresponding with the company in Bellingham earlier today and asked for a full job description. Unfortunately the job appears to be more of an entry level position, which means the pay can't be that good. I hope I have better luck with position in Seattle that is if my resume is even considered.

I'm not looking for a city where I can party every night. I did that all through college and if I tried to do that much drinking again i would either be in the morgue or in AA. I would prefer a city that has a nightlife that doesn't purely revolve around alcohol like most college towns. I would like to get a house, but judging from the prices of housing that I have seen I wouldn't be able to even come close to owning what I have now. I guess that's the trade off to living by the mountains.

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Originally Posted by BakerBoy

funken: Lots of people don't like tourists around these parts... which is ironic, and all.

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Typical bittersweet deal. Durango was that way when first got there but as the scope fo the tourist economy evolved so did the people.

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Originally Posted by truth

Typical bittersweet deal. Durango was that way when first got there but as the scope fo the tourist economy evolved so did the people.

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The biggest problem is that B'ham has finally made it on to the radar (and Washington, for a long time now) of yuppie California folks with their own ideas of how things should be... The good news is that the weather is extra gross here, so that gets rid of lots of them. It's not really a "mountain town", so at least we've got that going for us.

I live in Portland. Love the PNW. But if I could live in Bellingham and have a decent job that took care of bills/mortgage/hobbies like skiing and music then I'd move there. I'd be skiing all over the place. 'specially inner, eastern and coastal bc.

How's the teaching market up there right now?

In a year I'll have my ELL endorsement.

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Originally Posted by extreeski

I live in Portland. Love the PNW. But if I could live in Bellingham and have a decent job that took care of bills/mortgage/hobbies like skiing and music then I'd move there. I'd be skiing all over the place. 'specially inner, eastern and coastal bc.

How's the teaching market up there right now?

In a year I'll have my ELL endorsement.

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Very hard to get a teaching job. In my school there are very few ELL students.

If you want an instant ELL teaching job, move to Colorado.

B'ham=city of subdued excitement.

Chances of getting a good job in your field in Alaska should be increasing daily about now. The pay would be better than just about anywhere and I heard there was some skiing there.

[QUOTE=BakerBoy] My mountain is better than your mountains.

QUOTE]

my dad can beat up your dad. beaaaatch!

Doesn't really answer your question, but while Seattle is a
"big" city, it has a lot of nice neighborhoods that have sort of a small town feel with their own restaurants, bars, shops, etc. Seattle feels smaller than it is.

..With a garlic aroma that could level Tacoma.
Lots of crackhouses cheap, close to Crystal and White Pass, much, much cheaper than Seattle. Lots of potential, but admittedly skanky.

Seattle is ridiculous for housing: $300+k for a total dump/gutter in Ballard. And don't even think about the E. side.

I heart Ballard. But yes it is becoming ridiculously expensive, although most of the houses are not "dumps" imo.

Go away, it sucks here.

Further reading on the "nice but not social/friendly" thing.

The Seattle Freeze sound like a name for an icream treat to me. That's the way it seems to be around here as well.

what years were these?

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Originally Posted by Buzzworthy

I lived right here from 5-12:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=113+Ba...gham,+WA&hl=en



Hey Bakeyboy, got a digi? Or Grant? Or other Bham mags?

Get a pic of the house for me?

I had a good time playing in the woods behind that place (if the woods are still there).

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i have a head hunter in SLC calling and emailing me almost daily. some of the jobs sound appealing, but i wont leave bozeman for SLC. if you work in tech and want her email, let me know.

If he's still looking for work, he mustbe a pretty shitty environmental biologist.

Seattle doesn't feel like a big city to me at all and I consider Boston a big city (it's a small one to some)

Pros:
-Lots of intelligent people - interesting, worldly, accomplished
-Lots of outdoorsy people
-Smaller neighborhoods
-Doesn't have the aggression, and hectic feel of a huge city
-Isn't really image-conscious like a cosmopolitan city
-Its physical beauty surpasses any metropolis in the U.S. (imho)
-Doesn't have the crime of a big city
-work environment is ambitious without being "in-your-face" (just my single work experience here)

Cons:
-intelligent people certainly doesn't preclude elitism
-outdoorsy people certainly doesn't preclude elitism
-housing is expensive like a big city
-traffic can be bad like a big city (but you can work around it often)
-doesn't have the public transportation of a big city

edit: I just noticed this thread was started a year and a half ago

another con: will be washed into sea by mudflows resulting from an eruption of Rainier due any day now

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Originally Posted by RootSkier

another con: will be washed into sea by mudflows resulting from an eruption of Rainier due any day now

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the pro to that con is that it's hillsides are steep and when the ice caps melt, most of it won't be submerged when the ocean level rises

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Originally Posted by Pope Benedict XVI

If he's still looking for work, he mustbe a pretty shitty environmental biologist.

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Not me that bumped this thread. I will still send out an occasional resume and still get contacted by recruiters, but since I finally got a decent raise I'm not nearly as anxious to move. In fact I just got a unusual EA that reminded me why I took the job I've got. Because there is always something new coming down the pipeline

Weird that this thread was bumped because I recently filled out and application for WSDOT.

B'ham rocks yer fice!

I would move back there if I could find decent paying work, but I caint. So I'm stuck in Seatthole, land of the daily 2 hour stuck-in-traffic commute.