vancouver, wa

lived in vancouver wa my whole life and escaped to a bigger more diverse city as soon as possible. depressing and gloomy and mental health is terrible due to seasonal depression (duh. it rains for like 10/12 months out of the year). the waterfront is the only saving grace. downtown is kinda cool only because it's now a Portland Lite. too many people are on extremes of the political divide. you'll end up encountering right-wing conspiracy theorists and extreme left-wingers alike. schools are terrible unless you are in Mountain View, Union, or Camas (if you're in Camas you're probably rich). houses cost too much now; the middle class can give up on ever owning a house. everyone is super cold and distant. despite its problems Californians keep moving here or coming for vacation. i guess if you like hiking and trees and non-polluted air it's a decent place to live. everyone outside of vancouver does not know what it is.