Seattle?

[afropuff]

I'm thinking of moving in the next year (I hope), and I would appreciate any opinions/rants/musings on Seattle. I've never been to the Pacific NW before, so I have no clue any of the area to the north of San Franscisco. I'm still trying to decide if I want to move there or try somewhere else.

Thank you for all your help!

[murasaki]

If you're light sensitive, don't go! Seattle is very rainy and dark most of the year, even in the summertime.

I spent six weeks of one summer there in college. The weather was very depressing most of the time (I am light sensitive and could never live there). However, what I saw of the city was lots of fun.

--naomi

[kuuleimomi]

Seattle? *grin* Oh boy, that should be fun... Sorry, not a big helper here, I've never been there, though I know couple of people there, mostly in Everett however. From what I've heard it should be hell of fun <-------- just wanted to share, you asked for "anything", it's not like I'm writing a review here, isn't it?

Finn

[cristina1]

There is a lot to do and see in and near Seattle. We had a lot of fun out there for the almost three years I lived there. I also miss all of the drive through coffee shops that were found just about on every street corner (I was South of Seattle - on the Fort Lewis army post. So Tacoma would be closer.)

BUT, when people tell you to take an umbrella, they mean it! It rains. A lot. Summers are quite cool, low humidity. I spent three summers out there and I can count on one hand how many times the temps got into the 90's or higher. With low humidity, once the sun goes down it gets chilly. We didnt even own a fan out there - there were only a small number of nights we actually needed one. Although it doesnt quite rain every day, it does rain a lot - in the winter probably four days a week or more. Even now, watching the weather channel last night, the high for today is supposed to be 69. It does seem like almost every day the sun peaked its little head out though - usually around 5 or 6pm......lol.

On clear days, Mt. Rainier is visible from all over and is an absolutely incredible site.

Seattle has a lot to offer, but getting past the weather is hard. You have to learn to take a jacket with you everywhere, and not let lack of sun and rain bother you.

[Yani365]

My wife lived there for 3 years and I have visited it once or twice. It really is a wonderful city.

The views of Rainier and the Olympic mountain range.

The proximity to so MUCH natural beauty including rainforest, glaciers, mountains, rivers, ocean, wildlife. . .

The lifestyle is, or at least was 5 years ago, very laid back. My wife tells stories of cars stopping in the middle of the street to talk to people in cars going the other way. . .and no one blowing their horns. They just wait. That kind of thing. (Being in NY, this is hard to believe. It has been corroborated.)

Yes, it rains. But it is a soft rain. Yes, it rains A LOT. But, that has a beauty too.

I would go if I could.

Yani

[nicholmere]

Seattle = COFFEE Which you'll need to combat the dreary weather.

I have relatives who go to BC several times a year and they often make a trip to Seattle. They enjoy the small book stores there.

Isn't Seattle know as the birth place for several grunge bands?

Some of my relatives who have lived in the Vancouver area for over twenty years have decided to move East, they've finally decided they want to see more sun.

[hadassahchana[$]]

Good choice!

Seattle is, IMO, one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the U.S. I love it, and would move there in a hot minute!

Yes, the lifestyle is very laid back. People are really friendly, and for the most part, are less judgmental than most other places I've lived. I happen to love the weather, even the rain. It beats the heck out of winter, and the winter there is wet, as opposed to freezing, snowy, ice-stormed horror that it is around here.

Summer there is amazing, as it is usually very warm to downright hot, but not usually humid. If it is raining, it is cool, unlike the Midwest and east coast, where the muggy weather in summer makes it nearly impossible to do outdoor stuff.

There are many cultural amenities. The Seattle Symphony is great. There are 24 hour used bookstores, the university there is one of the best in the U.S. - in other words, it has almost anything anyone could want. (Except cheap housing, which is why we're here instead of there. )

Cindy

[KateTPZ]

If I were to move from North Carolina I would head to the Pacific Northwest in a heartbeat! I love Seattle (but I'm not bothered by lack of sunshine!) and I absolutely love all the natural beauty that is nearby. The mountains are spectacular, the islands are beautiful, British Columbia is gorgeous, ...

The only negative is the weather - if you're sensitive to lack of sunshine, or can't stand a lot of light rain, you'd be miserable. On the other hand, the weather is great - mild temperatures beat the extreme cold and extreme heat of other places.

If you go, can I use you as an excuse to visit Seattle again?!

[Lisa_J]

Having lived in Washington all my life, perhaps I am biased....

We reside in Marysville - a city that is usually 35 min North of Seattle.

There are many positive attributes to Seattle and the surrounding communities. Whatever your interest... there is something for you!

We are huge Mariner baseball fans, and feel blessed with Safeco Field. There is also many other sport opportunities.

I like the cultural diversity, the numerous ammenities and even -for the most part- the weather.
small bands in coffee shops, concerts, sporting events, shopping, museums, plays, comedy, recreation... just to name a few

We really do receive sunny days! Yes rain happens, but it doesn't slow us down. Our summers have mostly mid 70's to low 80's weather. We actually have air conditioning (and use it).

I especially like the green landscapes, cascading mountain views, and ocean splendor! Extracurricular activities are abundant, just depends on what you want to do. As a family we participate in mountain bike riding, riding bike trails - there are plenty opportunities for that.

There has been a tremendous increase in population in the last 9 years, especialy in neighboring cities. We have watched the growth crawl up the freeway. Some say housing/rent is expensive - I don't have anything to compare it to.

[conradd]

What are you looking for in a residential destination? Seattle is a wonderful place to live, but so is Portland - a big city with a small town feel. Oregon has no sales tax, and the automobile licensing fees are cheaper; however property taxes are higher.

You could always come out for a visit.

Deb

[Mrsfitts]

Originally posted by conradd
What are you looking for in a residential destination? Seattle is a wonderful place to live, but so is Portland - a big city with a small town feel. Oregon has no sales tax, and the automobile licensing fees are cheaper; however property taxes are higher.

You could always come out for a visit.

Deb

Both Seattle and Portand take anyone that's not from California!


everyone's got to have someone to dislike

[jkkelley]

Originally posted by afropuff
I'm thinking of moving in the next year (I hope), and I would appreciate any opinions/rants/musings on Seattle. I've never been to the Pacific NW before, so I have no clue any of the area to the north of San Franscisco. I'm still trying to decide if I want to move there or try somewhere else.

I guess I'm the contrarian here. I can't stand it in Seattle. I lived there sixteen years, and now even though it's only three hours away and it's a shopping paradise compared to the deprived Tri-Cities, I do anything I can to get out of straying near the entire Seattle-Tacoma-Everett-Olympia corridor.

It's not the weather, though the weather is truly miserable seven months a year.

It's the cost of living, the incredible traffic, the way skateboarders and bike messengers terrorize the sidewalks of certain parts of town, the pretentious assumption that Seattle is Washington, and the bums (not transients, not homeless people--goddamn bums, I said).

It's the nearness of Microsoft, the very existence of Safeco, the inadequacy of its mass transit, the air pollution you get any time it doesn't rain for a week, the ill-manneredness of so many of it's people, the ethic that one must always smile and never complain in a restaurant, the Seahawks, the Sonics, the dangerously rough police, the city leadership, the political correctness, and the idiotically low bridges (Fremont is the lowest and therefore worst).

It's the way bullies get away with being bullies, the dangerous lunacy of Seattle drivers attempting to drive on icy roads, the squawling panic anytime it snows a couple of inches, the silliness of insisting that downtown is the only place for professional sports facilities, the terror of the Counterbalance, and Bellevue Square.

All that is a hell of a price to pay, in my view, for great ethnic food, tons of exciting cultural and entertainment events that are completely impractical to attend, and the privilege of being spiked in the face with damaged umbrellas and of trying to get the salt stains out of your dress shoes.

Don't get me wrong; I met some of the greatest people I'll ever know in Seattle, and some of Epinions' most interesting and delightful folks hail from or live there.

As for me, I'd take Pueblo, Colorado, Lander, Wyoming or Beanblossom, Indiana any day of the week. For me, the only thing worse than Seattle would be any city that was larger except Vancouver--which I think I could stand to live in.

jk

[sarahgutch]

My mom was born there, graduated from West Seattle high, and I have a bunch of 2nd cousins, etc. there. Ten years ago I took my two boys for a visit and to meet family and we loved it.

We visited Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helens, spent a day on my uncle's boat in Puget Sound, went on the Boeing tour, and Bumbershoot the day before we came home.

If I were to want to uproot my family (it's not happening) I would choose the Seattle area.

Good luck.

Abbie