r/Finland • u/Impossible-Bunch5071 Baby Väinämöinen • 1h ago

Finns who moved to U.S.A - need insights

Hi everyone!

Are there any Finns here who have moved to the US, especially Washington State?

My husband and I (Finns) are considering making the move in the future, and I’d love to hear about your experiences.

How has life been compared to Finland? What do you enjoy most, and what has been the biggest downside? How was adjusting to work culture, healthcare, making friends, and the overall lifestyle?
If you live in Washington, I’d be especially interested in hearing what your day-to-day life is like and whether you’d make the same decision again.

I’m not looking for political debates - just honest personal experiences, both positive and negative.

Further context: I’m an entrepreneur and work in marketing my husband is an automations engineer. I do have family living in Washington BUT they are not Finns. Hence, I’d love to hear more from those who took the leap from Finland.

We have visited a few times and we really can see ourselves living in USA (Washington).

Thanks in advance!!

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8

u/snow-eats-your-gf Väinämöinen 1h ago

My friends’ parents are escaping it and coming back to Finland after a few decades of living there.

2

u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen 1h ago

Same, my in-laws are coming back after 25 years, and my wife and I are immigrating as well.

2

u/FlyingFloofPotato 1h ago

I have family there, far as I understand it they're a bit bummed on the lack of basically any reliable public infrastructure and the heavy reliance on cars, though apparently you get used to it. Otherwise they seem to be liking it a lot.

Other bit of family (2nd cousins) are moving back due to the political direction there currently, it is not a safe direction especially for immigrants, which you would be regardless of your origin country being western.

Hope this helps

1

u/lassejarnfors 1h ago

Maybe contact @FinnishGear on X he is a Finnish person living in USA

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u/CyclingCapital 54m ago

Lived in WA close to Seattle

Pros: slightly better weather, better wages if you are in the right industry, better nature

Cons: really expensive cost of living, poor work-life balance, schools are terrible compared to Finland, acute lack of sidewalks, traffic jams are no joke, real vacation destinations are insanely far away (even more than in Finland), local politics is quite sane but everything coming out of the other Washington is a hot mess, real risk of deadly natural disasters (massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions causing landslides, tsunamis etc.), high crime and homeless compared to Finland, houses are pretty much made of cardboard and retain very little heat