People & Places
Western American states
All too often talk of Western America leads to discussions of California and California only. But, as David Fuller discovers, there are other options for would-be migrants
Think of emigrating to the western reaches of the United States and your thoughts will likely turn to California. From the laid-back sophistication of San Francisco to the thriving economic hub of San Jose, California has for many years been the number one destination for Brits seeking a new life in the US.
Last year 2,593 of the 19,800 Brits who entered the US as permanent residents settled in the Golden State, making it the most popular destination for British newcomers ahead of Florida (2,396), Texas (1,840) and New York (1,755).
However, with California becoming increasingly expensive – the average price of a home in the state rose by 6.2 per cent in the 12 months to June taking it to $575,800 – more and more Brits who have their hearts set on a new life in western America are finding the need to look at alternative states to Cali. In 2005 the US's two other West Coast states – Oregon and Washington – along with Arizona, California's southern neighbour, all enjoyed increases in the number of Brits settling there while California experienced a decline in the number of British arrivals it received, despite the fact the number of Brits emigrating to the US increased by 24.6 per cent between 2004 and 2005.
So what kind of life can those immigrants who do choose to settle away from the migrant mecca that is California expect to encounter?
Washington
According to recent US Department of Homeland Security statistics, a majority of the British immigrants who arrive to live in America's most northwestern mainland state, Washington, settle in Seattle. The figures show that of the 494 Brits that made Washington their home in 2005, 365 chose to live in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region. "What I like best about Seattle is the fantastic scenery – the beautiful Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges surround either side of the city – while there are great downtown shopping facilities, a good variety of theatres, and it's a great outdoor city in which to live," says Kate Harding* who lived in London and Washington DC before settling in Seattle. "While living in Seattle has been quite an adjustment for me after being in DC for a year – a place where I really enjoyed living – life here is better for us due to several reasons which include the fact my husband works for a company which has a work culture he enjoys.
"There is a lot of space within the city limits, plenty to do in the evenings and weekends and a gentler climate than in DC – it's never too hot or cold," Kate adds. Home to around 600,000 people and located almost 110 miles south of the Canadian border, Seattle is sometimes referred to as the 'rainy city' due to the commonly held perception that it rains a lot there. However, this is something of a myth as the city actually receives less annual rainfall than many other American cities, including Miami and New York – although it does have an average of 226 cloudy days a year, hence its reputation for high precipitation.
Seattle has a reputation for being a 'trendy' city and is heralded as the birthplace of both grunge music and Starbucks coffee. Needless to say, then, that the city enjoys a vast coffee culture as I'm sure anyone who has ever watched an episode of Frasier – based in the city, but not actually filmed there – will have already gathered from the character's frequent visits to the Café Nervosa.
According to the 2006 Mercer Consulting Quality of Life survey the Emerald City – Seattle's nickname due to the many evergreen trees located in and around it – offers its residents one of the best lifestyles in the US, finishing eighth out of the 23 American cities included in the poll. Moreover, recent cost of living data also released by Mercer suggests that the city has one of the cheapest costs of living in America, finishing in 102nd place out of 144 cities worldwide.
Of course, there are faults with the city. Kate says that some of the downtown areas are "pretty rundown" and that traffic can be quite heavy during the rush hour due to the city being "split over large islands and connected by bridges". Elsewhere in Washington, Olympia – the state's capital – may also interest potential immigrants. Like Seattle, Olympia benefits from the breathtaking mountainous scenery that Washington is renowned for. Located in the shadows of the rugged Olympic Mountains and the snow-capped Mount Rainier – the highest peak in the Cascade range – the city sits at the southern point of the picturesque Puget Sound fjord which is connected to the Pacific Ocean. Boasting an eclectic arts scene, a diverse mix of shops, eateries and businesses, and over 750 acres of parkland, Olympia was named the tenth best place in the US to live in 2005 by popular American magazine Men's Journal.
Oregon
Sandwiched between California to the south and Washington to the north, Oregon has a total population of just over 3.4 million people, around 16.2 per cent of whom live in the state's biggest city, Portland.
Just as Seattle attracts a majority of Washington-bound British migrants, so Portland is the overwhelming destination of choice for Brits who choose to head slightly further south. Although not as popular as the Emerald City in terms of the number of Brits who moved there last year – 172, a total of 202 moved to Oregon altogether – Portland is still a destination that has plenty to satisfy the Brits who do set up home there. Nestled between the Coastal mountain range to the west and the Cascade range to the east, Portland is a 90-minute drive from the coast and only a further half-hour away from Mount Hood, widely regarded as offering some of the best ski opportunities in the whole of the US. Due to the protection the city receives from the two mountain ranges which flank it, Portland enjoys a temperate year-round climate that can be looked upon as being similar to one that belongs to a Mediterranean country – winters are mild and fairly wet, while summers are warm and dry.
According to the Mercer Cost of Living survey, Portland is even more affordable to live in than Seattle, with Pittsburgh, Detroit and Winston-Salem the only US cities deemed to offer their residents a cheaper lifestyle. This low cost of living was one of the factors that led to Portland being named as the 'Best Place to Live' in the previously mentioned Men's Journal list. "Compared to West Coast cousins Seattle and San Francisco, Portland is an out-and-out bargain, offering affordable Victorian fixer-uppers in neighbourhoods such as the Lower Burnside," the magazine stated.
Portland is also known for its strict stance on land planning controls, and widely promotes environmentally friendly developments wherever possible. In recent years the city has also developed one of the country's best public transport systems as it tries to stop cars clogging up its roads. In fact, according to a recent edition of Newsnight over 62 million car trips a year have been eradicated, while public transport usage has grown by 65 per cent in the last ten years.
Arizona
Away from the West Coast states, south of California and bordering Mexico, Arizona attracted 359 Brits in 2005, almost 73 per cent of whom settled in the state's capital and biggest city, Phoenix. Located roughly in the middle of the state on the banks of the Salt River, Phoenix has the fifth-biggest population of any American city – 1.4 million, the most of any US state capital – and is the ninth-largest in the country in terms of land area.
The size of the city has increased massively in a short space of time. In 1950 Phoenix covered an area of just 17.1 square miles while today the city covers over 475 square miles. Like much of the state Phoenix is known for its desert landscape – it is situated in the heart of the Sonoran Desert – and for having exceptionally hot summers. Therefore, life in Phoenix, and Arizona in general, will not be to every migrants' liking. However, those who do manage to put up with the stifling heat and vast, empty surroundings may just find a lifestyle which offers more plus points than negatives. "We arrived in Phoenix on 8th July 2005 in record heat of 116oF," recalls British migrant Alan Jones. "I instantly wanted to call BA for a flight home. Last summer was pretty bad!"
"But this year, although it's still been hot, I've found it far more bearable." While Alan admits it has taken him a while to get used to his new life in Arizona he is also adamant that he in no way regrets moving to the state. "Everything here is so spread out and you can't really walk anywhere. My wife and I have both put 20,000 miles on our car's mileage," explains Alan. "Previous to coming here I lived in Puerto Rico for four months (my wife's home land) and going from a tropical island to the desert does make you miss the greenness even more. "However, there is plenty to do here. If you want to explore, Las Vegas and California aren't too far away, while northern Arizona is beautiful. There are countless lakes which are just unbelievably big (one is nine miles long!).
"The economy here allows you to enjoy a great standard of living [the gross state product was $187 billion in 2004, the 21st highest in the US], and providing you work hard you can definitely earn money. The people here are friendly while the material things I now own have certainly exceeded my expectations," adds Alan. Whilst it's unlikely that any of these trio of states will threaten California's position as the number one destination for British immigrants anytime soon, for those of you who find yourselves priced out of a move to the Golden State, Washington, Oregon and Arizona may just be worth looking at should you deem the west to be best.