8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Relocate to the Pacific Northwest

Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash

You’ve seen the breathtaking Instagram reels of snowcapped peaks reflected in alpine lakes, fire towers surrounded by red and gold foliage and dark forests shrouded in mist. You’ve watched the tiny house and off grid cabin girlies and double tapped their GRWM TikToks. And, just like that, you fell in love with a mountain town thousands of miles away. So now the question is: do you pack up your life and move cross-country to live the aesthetic of your dreams? There couldn’t possibly be any downsides, right? Right?

Before you relocate to a mostly white mountain town in the Pacific Northwest, here are a few reasons why you might want to reconsider 

Content warning: This is a deinfluencing article. If your ancestral land is currently populated by white liberals, bike shops and microbreweries, this doesn’t apply to you. It does apply to everyone else.

Photo by Peter Robbins on Unsplash

8. Pacific Northwest mountain towns are white-by-design

Your favorite Pacific Northwest cities are all over social media. Hashtags like #PNWAdventurers #PNWLife and #PNWHiking have millions of views, collectively. They are selling a very specific aesthetic: huskies playing in snow drifts, crackling firepits, mossy riverbanks and lots and lots of white people drinking IPAs while wearing expensive puffy jackets. Despite this one-note advertising, you are sold. What’s the harm in buying into a dream that could change your life for the better. 

Before you book your ticket, you should probably know how your favorite PNW town ended up so white in the first place. Hint: there’s nothing natural about it. Let’s look at Oregon (73.8% White), home to #PNWLife cities like Portland (67.9% White), Eugene (81.1% White) and Salem (75.3% White). You’ve heard of sundown towns in the Deep South, right? Well have you ever heard of a sundown state? The PNW was home to five of them.

In 1844, the Oregon Territory—present day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming—passed its first racial exclusionary law to ban free Blacks from entering. A similar law was passed in 1849 due to concerns that free Black and Native people would intermarry and overthrow the whites in power. In 1857, Oregon residents finally voted for U.S. statehood and wrote a new constitution banning Black people and anyone of Chinese descent from voting or owning land in Oregon. Eventually, Oregon became the only state with a Black exclusionary law to join the Union. White Oregonians hated Black people in a way that Southern slaveholders wouldn’t ever dream of. (After all, why hate property?)

“We can’t expect BIPOC community to support us when we need it if we’ve never invested in it. One day we may need to draw from a bank that we never deposited into.”

In 1866, with the Civil War in the rearview mirror, the U.S. Congress passed the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law to all born and naturalized citizens. Oregon ratified (co-signed) the 14th Amendment and immediately banned interracial marriage. Two years later, white Oregonians pulled an Uno Reverse and voted to overturn the ratification. No equal rights for Black Americans. Oregon didn’t re-ratify the 14th Amendment until 1973. So yeah, this beautiful PNW dreamscape has a long history of using the law to exclude and oppress Native, Black, and Chinese Oregonians. By 1973, they were using the same tools as most other states to suppress their small Black population. The fact that Oregon’s population has remained overwhelmingly white is no accident,” according to historian Cheryl Brooks. Instead it “reflects a past in which African Americans and other racial minorities were deliberately excluded and publicly hated as a matter of state policy […]” 

Photo by Toan Chu on Unsplash)

7. Pacific Northwest mountain towns have a racism problem

Get ready for a wave of microaggressions and outright aggression. Get ready to move over on the sidewalk to accommodate white liberals who take up space freely while expecting melanated folks to automatically step aside. Get ready to be pulled over for no reason. Get ready to have the police called on you while you simply exist in public. Get ready to be stared at on the trail, and at the overlook. Get ready for racists who say the quiet part out loud—“You don’t belong here” when you’re used to the Kidz Bop version—“No, where are you really from”, “Wow, your English is so good”, “What are you doing here?”, “This is for residents only”, “You must be new here?” Get ready for white and non-Black POC friends who swear your perfect mountain town isn’t really racist and that “you’re overreacting”.

Get ready to be fetishized by total strangers who are convinced that they control the narrative when it comes to your sexuality and gender expression—not you. Get ready for assumptions about who you’re attracted to. Get ready for white liberals to be confused if you don’t live up to media stereotypes: “dominant and hypermasculine”, “submissive and hyperfeminine”, “hypersexual, extroverted, sassy”, “spicy, loud, argumentative.” Basically, if you don’t behave like a badly written 90s television version of your race and gender, get ready to lose “friends.”

“So who gets the privilege of feeling safe in the Pacific Northwest? If you’re a Person of Color, we regret to inform you that it’s not you. ”

Get ready for random strangers to assume that you are there to serve them, whether you work in the service industry or not. And if you do, get ready to face higher levels of anger, harassment and entitlement than your white peers for fewer tips.

Get ready for white people who center themselves in spaces intended for BIPOC, queer/trans identities, autism and more. The focus will inevitably be on the least marginalized. Get ready for white women to be championed as a diversity solution whenever racist organizations face any sort of reckoning. Get ready for nonprofits that don’t reflect the communities they serve. Get ready for “allies” that turn on you the moment they no longer feel centered because their allyship was always conditional.

It’s not easy being POC—and that’s in your average white liberal mountain town. Things get a lot scarier outside the city limits.

iStock

6. Pacific Northwest mountain towns are unsafe for many People of Color (outside the city limit) 

Outside the city limits, it can feel downright unsafe to be a Person of Color in states that have actively resisted integration for centuries. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that much of the rural Pacific Northwest is a haven for white supremacists and Neo-Nazis. They feel at home. You won’t. White power dog whistles are everywhere from Make America Great Again billboards to Let’s Go Brandon bumper stickers. The Pacific Northwest is where white ethnonationalism dreams live on under the guise of states rights, gun rights and the religious right.

From 1974 to 2001, North Idaho was home to the Aryan Nations, a hate group that promoted the idea of an Aryan homeland in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Montana—a refuge for whites escaping coastal cities overrun by minorities. To this day, several white extremist groups are carrying the torch of building a white nationalist homeland.

Then there’s Greater Idaho, a proposed map change which would cut off eastern Oregon from the left-leaning Willamette Valley (home to Portland) to form a larger, ultra conservative state. Not to be outdone, in 2015, a former Washington state representative had the similar idea of carving off eastern WA to form Liberty State, a religious right stronghold that would rollback civil rights. He was later booted from office for domestic terrorism. But Liberty State ain’t even a new concept, it first surfaced in 1907 and got an alt-right rebranding in the 1980s. 

“Yes, racism occurs everywhere except not in your white liberal PNW mountain town because “you’re overreacting”.”

Here’s the thing: you might be a bonafide white person whisperer. You might be super comfortable in an all-white friend group or in an all-white town. I promise you, mostly white states are another thing altogether. Yes we’re looking at you Idaho with your 92.6% White population and 21 hate groups according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Or Wyoming which is 92.3% White with nine hate groups. Sparsely populated Montana is 88.7% White with 12 white extremist groups; leading the nation with the highest number of hate groups per capita. Oregon, which is 85.9% White, has 24 hate groups. Finally, there’s Washington—76.8% White with 22 different hate groups in Washington State—mostly Neo-Nazi, Skinhead and White Nationalist with a sprinkling of antigovernment militias, anti-queer and anti-Muslim hate groups.

And let’s not forget the epidemic of violence targeting Indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest. Across the U.S., 83% of Native adults experience violence in their lifetime. Ninety seven percent of Native American women and 90% of Native men report at least one act of violence by a non-Native perpetrator. That’s a lot of interracial violence and most of it is linked to cities. Half of all Native homicide victims lived or were killed in cities which is where 71% of Native people actually reside.

In Washington state, Indigenous people represent 5% of cold cases even though they make up less than 2% of the population. Washington state has the second highest number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People in the U.S. according to the Urban Indian Health Institute. And you shouldn’t be surprised that Seattle is ranked #1 in the nation for having the highest number of MMIP cases. Tacoma, WA is #7. And we shouldn’t forget Montana, where Native Americans make up 7% of the population and a staggering 26% of missing persons.

So who gets the privilege of feeling safe in the Pacific Northwest? If you’re a Person of Color, we regret to inform you that it’s not you. Law enforcement may or may not care if you go missing. Rural PNWers don’t like you. And you’re not getting an invite to join the state militia. You’re not a good ole boy. You saw a hashtag on social media and decided to curate the life you’ve always wanted. Okay. Maybe you’ll succeed. But should you? Are you really willing to give up community with other people of color for a Pinterest board made by a white woman thousands of miles away? 

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

5. Pacific Northwest mountain town liberals have mostly-white friend groups 

By now, you probably couldn’t be more excited to meet your new best friends—maybe on a local hike, or at a microbrewery or at a volunteering event. Everyone seems to be mingling and making new friends but no one asks for your number and people say they’re busy when you invite them to coffee. Maybe it’s the infamous Seattle freeze, you think. Or some folks just have a ‘no new friends’ policy. Being a Not-From-Around-Here is hard. So you redouble your efforts and you don’t give up. But you’re also wondering if there’s something wrong with you. Because other transplants with lighter skin, straighter hair, and smaller bodies don’t seem to have as much trouble making new friends, or dating. Queer meetups aren’t any better. Whiteness is the standard of attractiveness by which all are judged; which means there is a hierarchy, and competition. Your double septum piercing, stacked rings and cuffed jeans won’t save you when every event is a brown paper bag test.

It should come as no surprise that “White Americans are still overwhelmingly associating with mostly other white Americans” according to updated research from nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute. Their friendship networks are 90% white on average. According to the study, 67% of white respondents only have white friends, which is a decrease from 75% in 2013. Political affiliation has a modest impact: 73% of white Republicans have all white friends compared to 66% of white Democrats. So does religion: 71% of white evangelicals reported all white friend groups compared to 57% of white people with no religious ties.

It’s literally not you, it’s them. 

Black Americans have friendship networks that are 78% Black on average. And only 46% reported all Black friend groups. Hispanic/Latinos have friendship networks that are 63% Hispanic/Latino on average. And only 37% reported having only Latine friends. Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA) have friend groups that are 65% APIA on average while 31% are only friends with other Asian and Pacific Islanders. Do you see the difference? Even though BIPOC are on the receiving end of so much discrimination, we are still more likely to have a racially diverse friend group. 

You are a gem. Unfortunately, if you move to the Pacific Northwest your new home may not be. 

Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

4. Pacific Northwest mountain towns are not the racially diverse community you need to thrive

You can wake up in the morning, look out the window and see mountains. Wait, you can wake up in the morning, walk up several flights of stairs to the roof of your building, bust the lock, step out onto the roof and see a mountain—if it’s summertime and not too rainy. Totally worth leaving your diverse friend group behind to relocate thousands of miles away. 

Except is it? 

Are you sure this is the life you always wanted?

Because it is a lonely feeling when your sense of belonging is constantly undercut by unacknowledged racism and sexism and more. Yes, racism occurs everywhere except not in your white liberal PNW mountain town because “you’re overreacting”.

And even if you say you don’t mind, it is lonely and exhausting when strangers ask you the most inappropriate questions that they wouldn’t dare ask another white person.

Most of us function best in spaces where we are truly accepted, not merely tolerated or ignored.

That means being in community with other people who look like you and share your experiences at least part of the time. Yes, even if the shared experience is racism and marginalization. Imagine being able to talk freely about what you’re observing without being immediately invalidated

You need people who look like you at work and not just in entry level positions 

You need EMTs, police, doctors, nurses, mental health professionals who look like you so you can receive timely, equitable, culturally competent care.

You need outdoor leaders, teachers, nonprofit leaders, and guides, who look like you to help you skill build, and increase your confidence.

You need other people on the slopes, at the crag and put-in that look like you 

If this is available in a white liberal city in the Pacific Northwest, then you should definitely move there.

If not, maybe take a beat.  

You seem like a nice person. I have no doubt that you will do your best to thrive wherever you’re planted. I have no doubt you’ll attempt to create community and give back. 

But please consider that time and resources are finite. If you are investing in a mostly white community that is not investing in you, you’re setting yourself up for loneliness later on. We can’t expect BIPOC community to support us when we need it if we’ve never invested in it. One day we may need to withdraw from a bank that we never deposited into. 

If it don’t apply, let it fly. 

Getty Images

3. Pacific Northwest mountain towns will have you competing to be the ‘token friend’

Here’s a hard truth. There are some People of Color in your new city that still won’t want to be your friend, or even talk to you. And some of them are you. 

Mountain towns will have you competing against other POC to be the token friend and, frankly, you deserve better! You deserve friends who see your humanity, not fake friends who see you as “one of the good ones” or “not like the others” or as “exotic”. Choosing friends requires an ethical approach that minimizes the harm done to other People of Color—especially those with more marginalized identities than you. Are you doing that?

Or are you staying silent when Chad makes racist jokes because you want to be accepted? Of course it would be exhausting to gentle parent Madison through her constant microaggressions and we’re not saying you should. We are saying that being friends with Noah is a little weird since they are so clearly bigoted—even if they are ADHD/Autistic nonbinary with polycule drama. They might be the “face of diversity” in this PNW town but they are still racist as fuck. 

Even if you’ve never had friends who look like you; even if cultural trauma makes you avoid People of Color; even if internalized racism or respectability politics gave you a strong whites-only preference—you are not alone. Let’s double back because this is really important. Even if you think no other Latine climbers exist; even if you feel like you’re the only Wasian with an Asian dad, White mom combo; even if you prefer white friends because they don’t care that you’re a No Sabo kid—your experiences are still relatable to someone.

You may feel like you’re the only one, but you aren’t. Just open TikTok. We are all out here living copy-paste lives. It’s a little insulting even. There are so many people who share your exact life experience—it’s uncanny. Please find them. Because angling to be the token POC in Liam’s Thursday night bouldering meetup is not the gift you think it is. Liam thinks racism ended in 2008 when President Obama was elected. Liam would’ve voted for him a third time. 

“Your double septum piercing, stacked rings and cuffed jeans won’t save you when every event is a brown paper bag test.”

Being the token POC in an all-white friend group won't protect you from further pain. Moving cross country to hike is not going to heal whatever trauma you may have around your identity. Especially if your internal dialogue goes something like this: ‘Black people never liked me. Fuck em. I’m going to go climb mountains with River because they’re not racist at all. Neither is their all-white friend group.’ If this narrative is relatable, I’m sorry. However, I don’t know that you’re going to get the results you’re looking for though. I do recommend therapy if that option is available to you. Having trauma related to your gender, race, sexuality, disability, or heritage language etc is not uncommon. It might be time to unpack it. But I promise you River isn’t the solution. 

Your people are out there. Just maybe not in the mountain town of your dreams. Why not? Like you, some of them have tried this life, but were worn down by the racism, microaggressions, gaslighting and lack of connection. But some of them never moved there. Why? It’s not because they aren’t adventurous or don’t care about the Great Outdoors (although what even is that?—if not a marketing ploy). They’ve simply chosen to live in areas where they can more easily connect with other People of Color. It’s possible they’ve chosen community while you’re choosing adventure and hoping for community as an add-on. But this isn’t Chipotle. And no it’s not fair that it’s often an ‘either or’ scenario for People of Color while white people get both.

Getty Images

2. Pacific Northwest mountain towns lack affordable housing

Are you still determined to make the move? Let’s talk about the lack of affordable housing. 

Seattle

In Seattle, the median single-family home price is $952,328, a decrease from the year before. If you don’t have a $200,000 down payment ready—plus 3% closing costs and a 3% realtor fee—no worries! The median cost of a 1-bdr apartment in Seattle is $1,579 with 1,550 units available. You would need to earn at least $63,160 after taxes to afford rent. Seattle does offer relocation assistance to qualified tenants who receive a 10% or higher rent increase. The city also requires six months written notice for rent hikes. Seattle also froze evictions during the height of the pandemic but that’s over now. And rent is up 21% compared to 2021. It’s an expensive city with a cost of living 50% higher than the average U.S. city according to Payscale. Housing is 111% higher; groceries are 25% higher, healthcare is 30% higher and transportation is 23% higher. 

Everything in Seattle costs more from haircuts to McDonalds as a recent Seattle Times article pointed out. It should come as no surprise that homelessness across the state rose by 10% from 2020 to 2022, and 70% of that increase was driven by Seattle and King County, according to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development. King County calculated an even higher (31%) increase of Seattle’s houseless population between 2020 and 2022. In 2022, Seattle had the United States’ third largest population of people experiencing homelessness, after Los Angeles and New York City. Homelessness in King County also disproportionately impacts People of Color as Seattle continues to fail to provide adequate affordable housing for its working class residents. But that’s not a problem, because you have your eyes set on the Willamette Valley and the craft brewery capital of the world. 

Portland

In Portland, the median single-family home price is $729,577. Not ready to buy? Who could blame you in this market. The median cost of a 1-bdr apartment in Portland is $1,447 with 933 units available. You would need to earn at least $57,880 after taxes to afford rent. But you’ve done your homework. You know Oregon has statewide rent control and that rent increases are capped at 10% for 2024–but that’s only for buildings 15 years or older. Renters in new construction are on their own. According to Payscale, the cost of living in Portland is also 24% higher than the national average. Housing is 62% higher, groceries are 8% higher, healthcare is 6% higher and transportation is 22% higher. Maybe that’s why Oregon saw the fourth highest percentage increase in homelessness by state from 2020 to 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Portland also ranked fifth out of all major U.S. cities for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. But that’s not your problem, right? 

You’ve got your eye on a place off N. Albina Ave. So now you’re joining the influx of financially privileged newcomers buying up properties in Northeast Portland while longtime residents—Black and working class—are pushed “farther East, if not out of the city altogether.” But you’re excited about building a new life: brunching at Muscadine with new friends, putting in long hours on your MacBook Air at Albina Press and grabbing spicy chicken teriyaki after work at Du’s. This is the life you’ve always wanted. 

You’re not thinking about the thousands of residents forced out of this historically Black neighborhood over the past two decades. The destruction of what was once the bustling center of historically Black Portland doesn’t keep you up at night. You’re not thinking about gentrification. In fact, you don’t really think about Black people at all. You don’t know that discriminatory housing practices once trapped Black Portlanders on the Northeast side, where decades of government disinvestment cut them off from economic opportunity while racist lending and appraising tactics limited their property values. You have no memory of the Portland Development Commission declaring the neighborhood blighted in 1962, or of historic buildings being demolished to make way for highways I-5 and 99E. So it doesn’t occur to you to care. 

So now, newcomers like you are reaping the benefits of decades of racism as official government policy. Not your problem though. You just want to find a cute place to live that’s centrally located in the city of your dreams so you can live your best, sustainable, low waste life. You don’t even own a car. You ride your bike to the grocery store. You’re environmentally conscious. You’re not a bad person. Right? 

Boise

In Boise, the median home price is $566,347. The median cost of a 1-bdr apartment in Boise is $1,289 with 141 units available. You would need to earn $51,560 after taxes to afford rent. According to Payscale, the cost of living in Boise is 8% higher than the national average. Housing is 26% higher and transportation is 14% higher while groceries are 4% lower. According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NILHC), Idaho is currently dealing with an affordable housing shortage. It needs 24,710 additional units to be able to house Idaho residents who make just 30% or less of the state median income. The city of Boise needs an additional 2,770 units per year through 2023 to be able to house residents who make 80% or less than the area median income. But if you are set on moving to the Pacific Northwest, Boise is the most affordable option–if you can stomach the racism, microaggressions, conservative politics and religious right.

Bozeman

In Bozeman MT, the median home price is $729,577. The median cost of a 1-bdr apartment is $1,925 with 36 units available. You would need to earn at least $69,300 after taxes that afford rent. According to Payscale, the cost of living in Bozeman is 22% higher than the national average. Housing is 62% higher and groceries are 7% higher, while healthcare is 5% lower. Bozeman also suffers from an affordable housing crisis due to low inventory, wealthy out of state investors, luxury real estate catering to the super rich and an overbundance of short term rentals for the 3.3 million tourists that flock to Yellowstone and the 700,000 tourists that visit Big Sky ski resort each year. Or as a recent article put it, “How do you commodify an entire region into a playground for the rich and keep workers around to make the lattes and paint the houses?” The answer is you can’t.

Jackson Hole

In Jackson, Wyoming the median single-family home recently sold for $2,397,500. The median cost of a 1-bdr apartment in Jackson is $3,200 with only one unit available. You would need to earn $128,000 after taxes to afford rent and somehow beat out all of your competitors. This comes at no surprise to those who have watched investors buy up condos across the Teton Valley and turn them into pricey short term rentals while Jackson’s working class is forced to scramble for housing while making longer and longer commutes for minimum wage jobs. Is this the dreamy #PNWCollective life you envisioned for yourself? Meanwhile houses in Jackson rent for as high as $20,000/month. So where are you going to live? 

1. Not all of your new friends of color share your financial privilege

If you do find other friends of color, can they afford your interests and hobbies? Or are you another digital nomad gentrifying urban neighborhoods and pushing out longtime low-income residents. Will you have to choose between outdoorsy white friends who can afford your lifestyle and people of color who can’t? 

We talk about race so often while ignoring the impact of class. We shame other People of Color for not liking the outdoors or we declare our exceptionalism while pretending that anyone can get outside—“the outdoors is free!” Yes, some of us are part of the problem. The truth is this: Being outdoorsy can be quite expensive. Some of us spend thousands of dollars each year for lift tickets, ski and snowboard rentals, helmet, goggles, classes, season passes, day passes, gasoline, car maintenance and Airbnbs. And don’t forget campsite reservations, camping gear, AllTrails, hiking boots, base layers, mid layers, puffers, and shell jackets.

That’s just the winter season. 

So let’s be blunt here. Can you find middle class and wealthy People of Color in your new city? Because that’s who you’re really looking for. You don’t have low income friends of any race and you’re not particularly invested in building mixed income communities or friend groups.

Okay, let’s see.

Seattle

In Seattle, median household income is $115,409–the third highest in the U.S. It’s a city with a lot of wealth–28% of households made more than $200,000 last year compared to 23% of households which made less than $50,000. However, that wealth isn’t distributed evenly across races. Median household income is highest for Asian ($130,000) and White residents ($123,044). It’s lowest for Native American/Alaska Native residents ($35,800) who make 69% less than the overall median. Hispanic/Latino households ($80,358) and Black ($52,350) fare slightly better.

Seattle might be a great place to find outdoorsy friends who can afford your lifestyle if you are White or Asian. Or if you make over the median household income. Less so, if you are Native, Black or Latine. I’m not talking about cultural differences. I’m talking about income inequality. Outdoor activities cost money. Even if you skip the slopes and destination hikes to get outside in your local area, guess which neighborhoods have access to safe, green spaces and which don’t (hint: it’s not the low income ones). Do you get it now? They don’t build greenbelts in redlined neighborhoods. They don’t even build enough crosswalks. 

Please, please consider this before you move thousands of miles away for #PNWLife. Race and income both impact our access to the outdoors. Just because you can afford it as a digital nomad doesn’t mean everyone who looks like you can. 

Portland

 In Portland, median household income is $81,119. That’s well above the national average. But there are significant racial disparities. Median income is highest for White ($86,482) and Asian ($85,570) households. It’s lowest for Native Hawaiian ($33,694) and Native American ($42,544) households while Black ($46,784) and Hispanic/Latino ($68,829) households fall in between. Do what you will with this information. The fact remains; some of you will have an easier time finding an outdoor community that reflects your race, ethnicity and class. Some of you won’t. Yes you’ll find People of Color who have lived in Portland for generations. That doesn’t mean they have hundreds to drop on base layers, hiking boots, rain shells, and tiny house Airbnbs. So please don’t be surprised if you have a hard time finding people who look like you to adventure with. In this economy? With this income inequality? 

Boise

In Boise, the median household income is $81,425. Median income is highest for Asian ($120,137) and White ($82,577) households. The most significant income gap is for Native American ($36,745) households who face enormous income inequality. Don’t forget, you need an after-tax income of $51,560 to afford a 1-bdr here. And while cost of living is lower than other cities, it doesn’t mean it’s easy going for most Hispanic/Latino ($56,038) and Black ($56,277) families either.  

It’s worth considering whether or not you’ll be able to find outdoorsy friends who look like you. And if you can’t, will you accept that you moved to a city with a 86.4% white population or will you be irritated that Boise’s 8.8% Hispanic, 3.4% Asian and 1.7% Black residents aren’t into hunting and fishing or trail running the way you are? They might just be paying bills and enjoying the AC they paid for. Does income inequality mean nothing to you?

Bozeman

In Bozeman, median household income is $67,354. That’s about the only info we can say is accurate. The rest of this Census dataset has very high margins of error. But here goes. ‘Some Other Race’ ($121,814) and Hispanic/Latino ($78,281) households are top earners while White ($66,881) and Asian ($62,875) households fall below median. There’s less income inequality here than in Seattle, Portland and Boise but, once again, Native American/Alaska Native ($54,109) families are most impacted by it. No figures were available for Bozeman’s 31 Black families. 

If you enjoy being the only POC in your all White friend group, Bozeman might be a good fit for you. Just don’t flex your financial privilege on people who don’t have it. Some folks can afford to climb mountains, some folks can afford to look at them. That’s an economic reality.

Jackson Hole

In Teton County where Jackson Hole is located, median household income ($96,618) is less useful as a metric. But let’s talk about asset income inequality. In Teton County, the top 1% have an average income of $22.5M, which is 142.2 times more than the bottom 99%. Jackson Hole has the highest asset income inequality in the country. Jackson, WY is the most unequal metro area in the country and Teton County, WY is the most unequal county in the U.S. according to the Economic Policy Institute. You may as well be watching Downton Abbey except the “help” are living in campers and in vehicles. Or they are displaced to surrounding areas where they in turn displace others who can no longer afford rising housing costs. This is a nightmarish vision of where the entire country is headed. The rich are getting richer and the poor are barely scraping by—while still being expected to provide customer service with a smile. Why would you want to move here? 

Now can you find wealthy POC in Jackson Hole to help you live out your fantasy of living in an outdoor playground for the super rich? Sure. But you’re on your own. 

The fact that you’re considering relocating for mountains means you probably possess financial privilege that most Americans don’t. So please be mindful of that. Also, if you aren’t shocked by the income inequality that Native American/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Black families face in Pacific Northwest cities, you’ve missed the entire point. Whatever your decision, please carve out time in your life and resources to care about these issues. We can’t endorse a life that is solely based on ‘feeling good’ outdoors when so many people can’t feel good anywhere because of the severe discrimination they face in the U.S. Are you paying attention? 

“I’m still going to move. Where should I go?”

Seattle

Are you East Asian? Or do you and your partner have a combined income of $200,000 or higher? Then Seattle is a great city for you to relocate to. Yes, the income inequality is staggering. Yes the cost of living is soul crushing. But you’ll have one full day each week to enjoy transit-accessible trails in North Bend before you surrender your soul to pregaming work email and Slack messages. And the best part, you can curate the outdoorsy life and diverse friend group that other BIPOC can only dream of. Yes, we’re all jealous. 

Portland

Your idea of a fun time is trying out for someone else’s all-white friend group. You don’t mind the performative allyship or the fact that your new neighborhood has more BLM signs than actual Black people. Or you are deeply invested in community organizing against predatory investors who aggressive tactics with low-income homeowners. You didn’t move to the Willamette Valley for the craft breweries or for the mountains—although those are nice. You care about your new neighborhood and did your research.

Boise

We get it; you want craft beer without Portland prices. You want accessible wildlife and can’t wait to bike, fish and birdwatch all 25 miles of the Boise River Greenbelt that cuts through downtown. You own a car and can easily access the nearby Ridge to Rivers Trail System. Rent and groceries are much more affordable than Seattle and you’re saving up to buy a house one day. You’re a digital nomad and can work anywhere. Why not work here? You have resigned yourself to being stared at in public. You’re okay with living in a red state that is a hotbed for white nationalism and extremism because there’s really no reason to ever leave Boise. 

Bozeman

You’re Black and mysteriously related to the 31 other Black families in Bozeman.

Jackson Hole

You are Kanye and you already live here. There’s really no other reason.