Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver (not to be confused with its Canadian counterpart) is less than a two-hour drive from every kind of nature most people look for: beaches, mountains, deserts, forests and more, with plenty of parks and trails within the city means you can get your outdoor fix any day you’d like.

On the downside, housing prices have been on the rise since 2019, and Covid caused a spike. Houses go quickly in Vancouver and for a lot more than you’ll likely think is reasonable. A lot of Portlandians (and SF’ers and Seattleites) escaped their city(s) for Vancouver during the heat of the great migration. This resulted in increased demand and higher prices and dragged along some of the other excesses from those places.

As noted the lifestyle of Vancouver for most involves getting outside and doing that healthy thing. Everyone’s into some kind of activity in the stunning natural setting (inside and outside the city limits). It is also considered a calm/chill and pretty safe city relative to its immediate neighbor and most of the Pacific seaboard majors. While there is a social scene, including farmer’s markets, bars, restaurants, and plenty of live music in Vancouver, the lifestyle for many involves staying local for quiet nights and heading across the bridge into Portland for bigger nights.

If you want to see what happens in Vancouver check out the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Vancouver and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

A substantial percentage of Vancouver residents make the thirty-minute commute to Portland for work. Known for its large tech industry, there are also plenty of job opportunities in manufacturing and athletic/outdoor gear companies. Consider that Nike, Columbia Sportswear, and Adidas North America are all in Portland. Within the city limits, healthcare and business management dominate hiring.