Sadly, the slaughter that took place there is a drop in the bucket of what goes on around the world on a regular basis. Sandy Hook just hit close to home so to speak, so is more personal to us. I've read that our unmanned drones have killed many more Pakistani and Afghan kids several times over.
I'd say the 3 cities are also 3 of the most progressive liberal cities in the US, that are still small enough as cities go to be more livable. Boston is the 21st biggest, Seattle 22nd and Portland 29th. I have never been to Mass at all, but from what I know of Boston, I'd think if I could afford it, I'd be quite happy living there. I personally like Portland better than "Sealth" because IMO it is easier to navigate in the main downtown areas. I have not been to the latter in 20 years, but back then, they were really lacking in road direction signs. Portland has all kinds of signs telling you which way to go, such as getting onto I-5 north or southbound long before you ever actually see them. I remember being in downtown Seattle and trying to find the I-5 south entrance and the only sign was the one right at the entrance. Heck, by then I could see the damn freeway. You could drop anyone who reads English into the center of Portland and they could find their way out relatively easy IMO. Also, Portland has the distinction of having more titty bars per capita than any city in the USA, which is nice. That indicates a tolerant populous to me, but on the other hand, Washington is the only state, I think, that has legally all 3 of the following: Marriage Equality, Recreational Weed Use, and Death With Dignity. That to me, makes Washington the most progressive thinking liberal state in the union and Seattle is a major part of that. Now maybe they have improved their directional signage since I last was there.
