Getting from the North Bay onto I-5
Vallejo is not on Interstate 5, so the first leg is a drive east on I-80, which meets I-5 in Sacramento. From there the freeway runs north through the Sacramento Valley, past Redding and into the mountains at the Oregon line. I-5 is 1,381 miles end to end, and 796.77 of those are inside California, so you spend most of the state on the same road.
Once in Oregon, I-5 runs 308 miles to the Washington line at Portland. A mover quoting the trip will usually price it as a long-distance job, so ask whether the estimate is built on weight and mileage or on a flat rate, and what happens if the truck is delayed.
The mountain pass in the middle
The section just north of the California line crosses Siskiyou Summit at 4,310 feet, the highest point anywhere on I-5. The freeway there is steep and winding, carries heavy truck traffic, and has chain-up areas and runaway truck ramps because of fog and snow in winter.
If your move falls between late autumn and early spring, ask your mover how they handle chain requirements and a closed pass, and leave a spare day in the schedule. A June or September move rarely meets the problem, which is one more reason those months book up early.
Oregon or Washington: the tax difference
Oregon has no sales tax, which is a real saving when you are buying furniture to fill a new home. The trade-off is that the state relies heavily on income taxes. Washington is the reverse: it does not tax personal income, but it does collect sales tax.
Which side suits you depends on where you work and what you buy. Someone commuting from Vancouver into Portland needs to read the state rules on where earnings are taxed before signing a lease, and a tax adviser is the right person to ask. We can only point you to the direction of the difference, not tell you the number.
Crossing the Columbia and choosing a side
Vancouver, Washington had 190,915 residents at the 2020 census and sits just north of the Columbia River. The Interstate Bridge connects it to Portland: the northbound span opened in 1917 and the southbound one in 1958, and the crossing has a lift span for river traffic.
Bridge traffic is the thing to plan around on moving day. Aim to cross outside the weekday commute, and if you have a choice of address, think about which side of the river puts the bridge on your daily route.
Rules for your new state
Washington gives new residents 30 days after moving to get a driver license, and you need that license before you can register a vehicle there. Oregon has its own rules, so check the state transportation website for the current deadline before you cancel your California registration.
Rain is part of life in this region, so plan to keep cardboard dry. Ask the crew to bring floor protection and covers for the door, and bring waterproof totes for the last things you pack.
Who handles the Portland and Vancouver end
When the truck from the Bay Area arrives, you still have a second set of tasks on the ground: a short hop from a rental into a house, a delivery from storage, or help with a large item up a flight of stairs. For that part of the job, our suggestion is to look at ancmovers.com, where the company says it has worked the Portland area since 1998 and offers packing, unpacking and custom moving packages.
Ask any mover you hire to confirm in writing which parts of the move they are licensed to do, and keep that paper with your lease.