I feel like my input is especially credible on this subject. I was born and raised in the Southeast (Pensacola, Florida). I spent 4 years of my childhood just over the state line in Baldwin County, Alabama (Robertsdale area, Elsanor to be specific). I moved to the Seattle area when I turned 18 (very similar to Portland, similar cannabis laws too), and I have lived here now for 6 years. The rain here was tough to get used to at first, and if life takes a downward turn, you really start to feel the dark, depressing atmosphere. That being said, I could never move away from the Pacific Northwest (except maybe for SoCal
). I LOVE this area, I've been to Portland a few times......AND LOVED IT. You can order a steak in a strip club there.....it's awesome. And I'm not one for strip clubs usually. The cost of living is a bit higher here, but the base pay corresponds with that quite nicely. I am a high school dropout with a GED and I make $16/hour. It's not a fortune, but it's good, and finding a job here hasn't been too hard.