First, you should apply to more than 2 programs.  I'd start with a handful.

I did the M.Arch. elsewhere, but know these 2 schools.  I think UT Austin is the slightly better school, with a better curriculum and on semesters, but I think UW Seattle might be a more stimulating experience for its setting.  I have known people to graduate from UW Seattle who were not stellar and who said it was just ok.  However, if you're a Sunbelt person, I'd go UT Austin.  UW Seattle, although a beautiful campus, is gray most of the academic year (September to June).

I'm at UW in my first quarter in the 2 year M.Arch program. I got into some other higher ranked schools, but I chose the school both for the location and the program, and I'm happy with both so far. UW is really focused on the building as part of the city with a big focus on planning and urban design concerns. It's also huge on tectonics and the typical understated structural expressionism of pacific coast modernism. The school is also very connected to the professional community in Seattle and based on what I've heard there's an impressively high placement rate at firms after graduation. That said, it is a program that is firmly rooted in "real" architecture and the realities of construction/materials/etc., so if you're looking for a highly conceptual or theory driven program its probably not the best bet. Let me know if you want to know anything else about the program.

I got into some other higher ranked schools, but I chose the school both for the location and the program, and I'm happy with both so far.

The school is also very connected to the professional community in Seattle and based on what I've heard there's an impressively high placement rate at firms after graduation.

If deciding between Penn, Columbia, and UW, for example, and you're talented to begin with and know you want to work in Seattle, UW is an easy choice.  As for the placement rate in firms downtown, they get first pick.  The students from there I know were BA grads who either were just drafting jocks or went to M.Arch. and did so elsewhere because they couldn't get in, so they had to be dismissive of their undergraduate alma mater.  UW is way better than U of O, up in that corner, because it's both urban and can be made to be practical (design-build, professional type electives) whereas U of O can't shut up about sustainability and takes a palpably more granola approach to architecture.  You make some good points, because you can swing UW's current curriculum to what you want it to be.

Wow some strong words for someone who didn't get accepted by either UW or UO , must be some bitterness reaction  . I honestly would try to talk to some grads from each program to get an honest opinion, ask them what their strengths and weaknesses are . 

Thanks for the input. Yeah thats the sense I had about UW. I can get down with that vibe. With all the digital emphasis and theory heavy programs nowadays it's good to see a program that is still rooted in craft. The West coast and Seattle in particular have a great design culture, lots of small firms doing high quality work. I could see it being a great place to be right out of school... I'll probably keep in in the running. 

Wow some strong words for someone who didn't get accepted by either UW or UO , must be some bitterness reaction. I honestly would try to talk to some grads from each program to get an honest opinion, ask them what their strengths and weaknesses are.

You're half right, sir.  That half being U of O.  Eugene is a hell hole of a town, unless you're cut from a certain cloth, with a redneck twin in Springfield.  Also, the program thinks it's better than it really is.  And half its graduates head down to California because of the "not hiring" signs. 

If you have to be in the Pac NW, it might as well be in Seattle.  I spoke positively of UW.  It's THEIR BA grads, and  coworkers and acquaintances in that area, who could not continue in that M.Arch. who speak of it derisively.  In my first post, I only cautioned the OP about the weather, if the long gray, but over 38 F, winter would get to them.  But it's good "coffee weather" in which to work on your design projects.

An architect can read a curriculum.  The technical aspect of the curriculum is slightly more solid at UT-Austin, especially with the classes on semesters, and it is probably slightly more highly ranked in rankings I've seen.  When I went to check out UT-Austin and my dashboard looked like a mirage that was going to warp, I said forget it.  It's a toss and I talked about minor gradations.  Do you want to swim and boat in Lake Travis and check out a recent music scene in your free time, or do you want to do coffee and galleries and savor a nice skyline?  That's what it comes down to, sort of.