Best affordable places to live in the Pacific NW?

I am a 24 year old college student from NY state. A couple years ago I went on vacation with my friend to southern Washington state on the Columbia river and I have never seen such natural beauty. We were in Portland OR, Longview WA, Seattle WA, and Vancouver BC. I love the Pac NW and I want to live there. My favorite place was Vancouver but it is in Canada and I dont know how difficult it is for an American to move there, get residency and a job. So I am thinking Oregon or Washington. I like Portland and Seattle but I was only there for a few days, what is it like for a college student? Where are the good universities? Is finding work and affordable housing possible? Thanks for any insight. I can't wait to go salmon fishing on the Columbia again!

Public Comments

1. University of Washington is right in Seattle - it's probably one of the top 10 most scenic campuses in the country. From the UW quad, Mt Rainer is framed between the buildings when it's visible and the football stadium is right on the shores of Lake Washington. UW is a PAC10 school as is Washington State University which is located in Pullman, near Spokane on the dry side of the Cascades. Seattle is kind of divided up into miniature "districts" - one of them is the University district. It's actually pretty cool that you have this enclave of university students right in the city. There is also the University of Seattle and Seattle Pacific University - that is about all I remember. Look up your options on princetonreview.com.