So you may be more mature, but Portland's hipper!

Money shot from Bert Sperling, co-author of the book Cities Ranked and Rated in his interview on the Freakonomics Blog.

"Seattle is more mature than Portland, which has recently captured the crown of hip, affordable, West Coast city. I think Portland, being smaller, is more accessible than Seattle. It’s also somewhat more affordable, at least for a while.

Seattle is crippled by continually nasty traffic congestion because it’s confined by water on the east and west. But Seattle has a more diverse economy, which may be better able to weather the coming economic storm."

My brother lived in Seattle, and I have to say that as a visitor, Portland and Seattle have very similiar "city auras" for me. However, I think Portland also has a less...um....constipated vibe sometimes. Maybe because we're not crammed up agaisnt a sound? Maybe because we're a city defined by flowing rivers? Any Feng-shui comments here?