Are you thinking about moving to Vancouver, Washington?
Welcome to my hometown! I’ve lived here for 20 years and created a quick list of the pros and cons of living in Vancouver to help anyone considering moving here.
Vancouver has seen a massive influx of new residents in recent years and went from being known as Portland’s neighbor to a desirable city in its own right and it’s not hard to see why.
Surrounded by beauty in every direction, home to kind people and exuding an irresistible small town charm, there’s a reason 180,000 people call “the other” Vancouver home. 😉
Hopefully this list of honest pros and cons of living in Vancouver, Washington answers some of your questions about daily life here, if not, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to help!
As you read this, keep in mind that these pros and cons are based on my personal experience, not everyone feels the same way.
With that said, let’s jump right in.
Pros & Cons of Living in Vancouver, Washington
Pros of Living in Vancouver Washington
#1. Proximity to nature
There’s no denying that proximity to nature is a huge draw for most folks interested in moving to Vancouver, Washington.
The Pacific Northwest is known for being one of the prettiest regions in the country thanks to the drastic Cascade Mountain Range and numerous healthy evergreen forests.
Living in Vancouver means you’re a mere 2-hour drive from the beach, desert, forests and mountains. You name it, we got it!
You can easily take an overnight trip to one of the three breathtaking national parks in Washington State, not to mention the plethora of hiking trails just a stone’s throw from the city’s limit!
All this to say, Vancouver residents take outdoor recreation seriously, and thankfully, there’s plenty of outdoor activities to choose from.
#2. Vancouver is a green city
I mean this two ways: The city is surrounded by greenery and there’s plenty of public parks to picnic in (in fact, Esther Short Park is the oldest public square in the west.
What’s more, respect for the environment is a big deal in Vancouver. Recycling and composting are taken seriously and littering is strongly frowned upon.
#3. There’s no state income tax
Living in Vancouver, Washington means you’re living in a state without income tax, which is a big deal.
An identical salary in the neighboring state of Oregon would automatically reduce your take-home pay by an arresting 10%.
For example, if you earn $50,000 annually you can expect to keep approximately $5,000 more a year and that adds up quickly.
What’s more, there’s only 9 states in America without state income tax — and Washington just happens to be one of them (lucky us!).
That’s why so many folks from Portland, Oregon choose to move to Vancouver, Washington for retirement.
Worth noting: Even though Washington doesn’t have a state income tax, there is a sales tax of 8.5%. Since Oregon doesn’t have a sales tax, it’s not uncommon for Vancouver residents to drive across the border for larger purchases like equipment and appliances.
P.S. If you live in Vancouver but work in Portland (a lot of folks do that) you will be subject to Oregon’s state income taxes. Heads up!
#4. Vancouver is a calm and safe city
As of November 2020, Vancouver, Washington is considered the 14th safest city in the country.
It’s a great place to raise a family because nothing too crazy happens here. A lot of people move to Vancouver Washington for a slower way of life for a reason.
#5. The people are kind
One of my favorite things about living in Vancouver Washington is the kindness of the people. It’s easy to strike up conversations.
I don’t know what it is, but the people in Vancouver seem more considerate and respectful than most other cities I’ve lived in.
#6. Access to the Portland International Airport
For many folks, one of the easiest things about living in Vancouver is the quick access to the Portland International Airport (PDX), which is often rated as one of the best airports in the country!
In fact, it was rated the most efficient airport in America in 2017.
This is a big deal for our family because my husband flies about two times per week.
Based on his travels, he believes Portland’s airport to be the easiest to manage. Everything from departing to arriving is a pleasant experience and, coming from someone that averages 100,000 miles a year, that’s saying something!
Also worth mentioning is how many direct flights are offered through PDX. We scored a phenomenal deal flying direct to Tokyo, Japan for $520 round trip. Read: Kyoto in the Fall (Top 10 Places to See)
#7. There’s no need for air conditioning
Seriously, apart from maybe two weeks a year, there’s no need for AC when living in Vancouver.
In fact, our bigger northern sister Seattle is the least air conditioned city (with only 33% of homes equipped with ACs) in the US and our neighbor Portland doesn’t trail too far behind, either.
Need I say more? 😉
#8. The summer weather is perfect
Summer in Vancouver is a real dream. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 90s and you can count on sunshine from mid-May through mid-September.
Believe me, the summer weather definitely makes up for the winter blues.
In fact, many of our friends refuse to move from Vancouver because summer here is better than most other cities.
They’d sooner rent/purchase a home to escape the winter, but couldn’t fathom moving out of Vancouver altogether because of the blissful summer season. It’s never humid or muggy so you can enjoy time outside.
Another big perk of living in Vancouver? The two biggest surrounding cities (Portland and Seattle) both rank as the least challenging cities in the country for folks with allergies!
I’m guessing that classification extends to Vancouver as well since the air quality is similar in the region.
Cons of Living in Vancouver
#1. The housing market
The median housing price in Vancouver, Washington currently clocks in at a hefty $430,000 (a 17% increase from last year!).
The housing market has really blown up in the past five years and COVID only exacerbated the problem when city-dwellers began moving to Vancouver in droves.
A lot of our friends ended up moving to Vancouver from Portland and found the housing market to be incredibly stressful and competitive in the spring and summer of 2021.
Homes were getting 20+ offers and selling within 2-3 days above asking. Hopefully the market cools down soon!
If helpful, the chart below shows the sharp increase in housing prices since 2012. The median home price in 2012 was $179,000 and has risen by 140% to $431,000 in 2021.
#2. It rains a lot
Averaging 163 days of rainfall a year, it’s safe to say that rain becomes a serious factor in determining if moving to Vancouver, Washington is right for you.
But the rain isn’t the worst part! It’s the constant gray clouds taking permanent residents above the city from fall through spring.
Which in turn makes winters feel long. It’s no wonder Vancouver residents are desperate to take advantage of the quickly-fleeting summer months. All the trails and city parks are packed during summer for a reason.
#3. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
This goes hand-in-hand with the rain and grayness mentioned a minute ago. The grayness is real and it’s the reason so many people are hesitant about moving to Vancouver.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a disorder that makes folks prone to getting bummed out due to lack of sunshine (this is obviously not a medical definition).
Honestly, between January – March, the gray weather has me clawing at the wall! However, there are ways around SAD while living in Vancouver Washington — invest in a Happy Light – here’s the one I use daily.
A Happy Light, you say? Yes, it’s a bright lamp that emulates sunlight and provides benefits similar to sunshine. We use ours every single day, plus it helps our plants grow like crazy, too.
My husband likes to joke that Vancouver weather has two settings: rain and bliss.
#4. The constant traffic
Since a decent majority of Vancouver residents work in Portland, the nightmare traffic you’ll experience on a daily basis should be taken into account when considering moving to Vancouver.
Before I relocated to Portland for my job, my 15-mile commute from Vancouver, Washington took one hour each way. It was absolutely brutal.
Because of the mass influx of folks moving to Vancouver and finding jobs in Portland, the highways simply cannot keep up with the unexpected demand. So traffic has become a complete nightmare.
You’ll never mistake Vancouver’s traffic for L.A. but it’s pretty bad.
In fact, Portland’s nightmare traffic has officially clocked in as the 6th worst in the country, with an estimated 89 hours a year spent in traffic for the average commuter.
#5. Lack of public transportation
When you live in Vancouver, Washington you quickly learn that it’s a very car-centric city. The small downtown core is far removed from the suburbs and since most folks work in Portland, Oregon, a car is practically required.
There are a handful of bus lines that service the downtown core and provide direct routes from Vancouver to Portland but they normally increase commute time by 50-60%, at least they did for me.
Lack of decent public transportation is a big con of living in Vancouver Washington and a huge contributor to the terrible traffic.
#6. Lack of diversity
After moving to Vancouver, Washington you’ll notice that it’s not a very diverse city. 72% of the population identifies as white, but the demographics are slowly shifting with the influx of new residents.
However, which Vancouver most definitely lacks in ethnic diversity, one thing it doesn’t lack is being considered an LGBTQ+ friendly city.
In fact, with more than 5.4% of residents identifying as gay, lesbian, trans or bisexual, the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro region has the second highest LGBTQ+ community in the country!
#7. Homelessness is on the rise
As with most cities, growing pains are part of daily like. Homelessness is on the rise and can be especially felt in the downtown core.
Homelessness is a tough humanitarian issue to solve and the city is working on it, but I have no idea what the solution is and doubt it’s an easy fix.
Pros & Cons of moving to Vancouver Washington (Post Summary)
In short, here are the honest pros and cons of living in Vancouver, Washington:
- Proximity to nature
- Vancouver is green
- No state income tax
- Vancouver is a safe city
- The people are kind
- Access to the airport
- No need for A/C
- The summer weather
- It rains a lot
- SAD
- Lack of public transportation
- Nightmare traffic
- The housing market
- Lack of diversity
- Homelessness
Until next time!
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In 40+ yrs living in Vancouver and often commuting to Portland (sometimes 4x/ day), I have been able to avoid traffic snarls except during a few weather events (you can usually plan route and hours around traffic).
Airport offers great sun escapes. For a few years, direct flights to San Diego were $19.90, down at 5am, return at midnight. No rental car or hotel required. AC is a must for some (not for me), I flew to SF today since it was hot in Vancouver.
Might add community events and support (farmers market, colleges, variety of public schools and one of the largest home schooling support resources in USA + Free college instead of HS!!! (WA Running Start, since 1991)
How about the new constructions coming up at Vancouver ? Are they affordable ?
The rental market is insane! A 1 bedroom is from $1200 to $1700. How about the retirees living on social security? Drive around Vancouver and see all the homeless people. Maybe these property owners need to live on a little less. These places are 20 years old and rent on them has trippled. Yes, food is going up along with utilities but rent is never considered. People living in the homeless camps have no way to live, except rob and steal. Let’s get affordable housing and make it a safe place to live. Get people off the streets!!!
Sadly the rent hike seems to be country-wide. I agree though that rent needs to get under control
I don’t doubt rent hikes aren’t country wide but our city has always usually found itself on the lists for places with high average rent cost.
Thus was awesome… we have family that lives in Vancouver. We are planning to visit but I want to find out about Vancouver, and you really put things in perspective. We live in Georgia so I’m not sure if I can handle the gloomy weather, the housing is similar. Thank you so much for the information.
We live in a very nice neighborhood but there is a quite a lot of front porch theft and car / truck catalytic convertors’ being ripped off in the darkness of night. Wood piles ripped off that sort thing. Major crime, violent crime does not occur often here. The grey skies around 6 – 7 mos of the year create a very dreary environment indeed, but their are beautiful days in the Spring, Fall and Winter.
I disagree strongly regarding this writer’s opinion of Summer weather though. Truly, it is lovely in general during the Summer, but the last 4 years we have had heat waves in the high 90s and sometimes into the 100s. Last year was one of the worst heat waves in the country, many days in the 100s. So you do need air conditioning especially as global warming continues. Also fires aren’t mentioned but are actually a real concern.
For our family we have been surprised at the number of far right wing ‘conservatives’ when we moved here in 2017. That has been very alarming as we moved from a more middle-of-the-road democrat leaning community in California. Kaiser is packed to the gills but overall healthcare is adequate.
Born and raised here. There is a lot people. Continuing growth. There are also a lot of crowding on the streets here, we do welcome but we also help. We are very friendly people, but we also have a backbone. If you do choose to live here, please don’t be mean. It’s ok to smile here.
As I read the article I said all of what you said! Spot on!
To mention having a National Park within the City along with Officers Row is definitely a plus. It has a lot to offer via public activities besides a tour of the historical site including Officers Row. Until recent years, it was also an active Military Army base with stationed military personnel. Pearson Airport is an advantage within City Limits for private planes. Shopping is a plus. Having Vancouver Mall is centrally located.
We just moved to Vancouver from outside of the region last year and I found this to be very accurate.
I think traffic is bad if you’re a 9-5 Portland commuter, but rarely even slow outside of rush hour. I recommend living in Vancouver for almost everyone, except those who aim to commute to Portland, primarily for that reason.
This sounds lovely!
Are the volcanoes or fires a concern?
I’ve heard that Portland has a big drug problem, which leads to homelessness and crime … if that is true, does that affect Vancouver in any way?
Our family is considering making a move away from SoCal and Vancouver was brought up, it sounded so magical until a handful of people brought up the proximity to Portland and the issues mentioned above … which is exactly what I’m trying to escape from in San Diego
Did you ever make the move? I’m in the same exact position but from NorCal!
I’m thinking of doing same. Left SoCal after 40 years, now want to leave Marin for Vancouver
Hey guys,
I plan on living in Vancouver but my company is located in Portland. Will I really be liable for state income tax if I live in Vancouver but work in Portland? I see the P.S note stating a person is subject to Oregon state income tax if they live in Vancouver WA.
Hi there,
Yes, this is true. I lived in Vancouver for a few years while working in Portland and was subject to Oregon taxes. But it’s worth noting that if you telework from home you won’t be subject to Oregon taxes because you’re not technically working in Oregon those days. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense or if you have any more questions!
Yes Very true , no way around it !
You pay tax for the days you are physically working in OR. Even if your company is based solely in OR. Ex. You commute to Portland 2 days out of the week and work from home the other 3, 40% of your income will be subject to OR state income tax.
#5:is debatable.
Hi there, I loved reading this. I’ve been in Vancouver my whole life and I can say I’ve learned to love the rain. During the warmer months my family always drives out to the beach or hiking or something of that nature. I think its worth mentioning the photo from above is Washington state university vancouver. On a clear day you can see 2 mountains and on an even clearer day a 3rd hiding behind the trees. Nature and the amazing summer weather has made me fall in love with vancouver and I dont think I’ll ever want to leave.
I have been here 25 years
Yes, the summers are great but you have to water your yard in the summer as we get virtually no rain in the summer. Homelessness has become major and tents are set up all over the city. Thefts are on the rise. 20 cars a day per our local police officer. Medical care is available for emergencies but you have to wait to get an appointment with a doctor. I personally do not find people friendly here…actually quite the opposite. Just waiting for the husband to retire so we can leave here.
Hello, where are you planning to move to?
Not sure
Looking for less rain and crime for sure
I’m a WA native and have lived in Vancouver & Camas for over 30 years.
We moved to Vancouver from SD last May (2021). The homelessness is concentrated in downtown, so if that’s a concern, avoid that area. We’re in the east close to Camas. Coming from the southern climates of FL/SD, I’d say your biggest challenge will be the oppressive clouds and gray weather during winter. The rain is fine, but not seeing sunshine for over a month really got to me. Having said that, the change of seasons keeps things feeling like they’re moving along. We’re actually getting snow right now – second week of April – so this feels off. 😉 It’s far sleepier than Portland and SD. If you’re looking for quiet and calm, this could be your place. I agree with all of the follow up comments and find them to accurately depict current life in Vancouver.
After moving there from NYC, and living in Vancouver Washington for over 40 years, I’ve watched it turn from a small city that was awesome into a cesspool. The police, bless their hearts, try to do a good job but are sabotaged and neutered every step of the way. I was a hardcore environmental activist and liberal progressive and I’m telling you, that what has taken over is not liberal or progressive, it’s something else entirely. No one with any sanity would move to Vancouver or any where in Washington, Oregon except in the very rural areas (even those are getting bad) . I lived downtown in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Vancouver for 20 years. It was great until the last few years as the gang violence from portland to california was in Vancouver to the point I wouldn’t walk my belgian sheperd dogs at night anymore. Then the corrupt politicians started effectively started defunding the police and guess who owns the prosecuters that let murderers, drug dealers, rapists and child molesters out if they even arrest them at all? Portland and Vancouver make Gotham look nice by comparison. Some parts of Portland/vancouver look like a war zone.
I got out the state, and I miss the beauty of the mountains, oceans and the gorge, but I don’t think I’d go back there in this lifetime.
Housing costs are making our community an elitist enclave. There is no room for seniors, families and single parent families to live here, crime and homelessness are rapidly increasing. What used to be a “little paradise” for our diversity has disappeared. Senior Sue
I live in Sunny Florida but would love a new adventure. I work with Special Education and it sounds like a wonderful change of pace for a few years
I was born and grew up here. Currently I live 3 blocks from the hospital I was born in. While I and others who grew up here think crime, homelessness, traffic, and prices have skyrocketed here; I guess this must seem like paradise to a S. Californian. I feel that this city and county is a victim of its own success. The small town feel is gone, and more people are moving here all the time. If not for family and my job, I would have moved ten years ago. It won’t be long until the whole West Coast is like S. California; over taxed, excessively regulated, crime ridden, and over run with homeless. And don’t be surprised if the new people help vote in a income tax to go with the sales tax.
Born and raised here, with the exception of 20 years in the Navy/Army. I will retire in 5 years, and I hope to find someplace that will remind me of how Vancouver used to be prior to 2000. For now I will be nice to the new people, but inside I resent the overcrowding, higher spike of crime, and over price standard of living it has caused.
The take on summers not being too bad is generic/outdated. For years now we are breaking records for days over 90 F and days without rain. Summers are projected to get longer, hotter, drier, and smokier.
I think what you say has truth to it, but I have to tell you — I still find summers in the Pacific Northwest to be some of the best in the country. I currently have the option to telework and still find myself flying back to Portland/Vancouver for 3 months every summer. It’s hard to beat, but the smoke is bear!
with all the rain and dreary weather – are mosquitoes a problem if you try to be or need to be outside?
In the summer months, yes. But it’s pretty bug-free the rest of the year. 🙂
The safety situation in Vancouver, WA has rapidly declined and reached a point of terminal apex. Violent crime (assault, burglary, vandalism, arson, murder, and destruction of public property), homelessness, and illegal hard drugs has reached untennable levels. Coupled with high cost of living, no available housing (which is improving), and traffic problems consider revising your review. Presently, Vancouver is rank in the worst 10% of American cities to live for good reason, not the best. We having been receiving major fallout from Portland inability to deal with their problems for over 4 years and the changes over the last 20 years is substantial.
Hi Christopher, I live in Vancouver, WA and can’t understand where your fear-drenched comment is coming from.
The Vancouver you describe sounds like a very dangerous place, I’ll make sure to mention it to my neighbors when we grab brews in my front yard later tonight. Thanks for passing that along, we didn’t know we were unsafe and may need to reconsider our daily walks.
As for Portland, I love that place. My partner and I just had a date night in the city and I’m heading back this afternoon to catch up with a girlfriend at a wine bar. I’ll ask her if we should reschedule because of the issues you raise. Maybe there’s something I’m missing? I don’t know, feels like my life is moving on and I’m still very much enjoying Vancouver and Portland (but would hate to live in your version of our city).