After 6 years I am ready to leave Seattle. (rent, house)

[olynative]

It seems like it's really common for people from the nw to want to move to the desert. I was born here and had to move to NV for 10 years of my life. I'm with mikec34, the desolation is depressing and the people tend to be quite WT with their walmart/go bush lifestyle(not everyone, I know a lot of cool people there too so don't hate, but its about a 70/30 split at least in nv). But hey, some people really dig it. If you like dirtbikes, horses, hot weather and cheap property with no lawns then go for it.

[seattlecard]

I am originally from AZ, have been in Seattle for the last 7 years. I can't wait to get the heck out of here. Sick of the rain, high mortgage payments, taxes, and the socialist mentality. Arizona is a much better place to be.

[obsidian97]

Originally Posted by _Charles_

I have finally had enough of the passive aggressive social tyranny that rules Seattle. I am working getting out. I am juggling preservation of my career with moving back to Phoenix, AZ a.s.a.p.

I look forward to being around live people again!

Why are you posting this in the Seattle forum instead of the Phoenix forum?

Seriously, if you hate the passive aggressive nature of the area isn't it extremely passive aggressive to post a "I hate Seattle" thread to a bunch of people that you've probably never met, very likely have nothing to do with why you are leaving, and hope to never see (unless they are in Phoenix)?

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by obsidian97

Why are you posting this in the Seattle forum instead of the Phoenix forum?

Seriously, if you hate the passive aggressive nature of the area isn't it extremely passive aggressive to post a "I hate Seattle" thread to a bunch of people that you've probably never met, very likely have nothing to do with why you are leaving, and hope to never see (unless they are in Phoenix)?

According to Wikepia : "Passive-aggressive behavior refers to passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to following authoritative instructions in interpersonal or occupational situations. It can manifest itself as learned helplessness, procrastination, stubbornness, resentment, sullenness, or deliberate/repeated failure to accomplish requested tasks for which one is (often explicitly) responsible. It is a defense mechanism, and (more often than not) only partly conscious. For example, suppose someone does not wish to attend a party. A passive-aggressive response in that situation might involve taking so long to get ready that the party is nearly over by the time they arrive."

So my question is how is posting to board like this passive aggressive? It is not a passive behavior. The original post is quite direct in its meaning and purpose.

[_Charles_]

Sounds like a solid #5, with a hint of #7

I don't understand these references to numbers. What do you mean?

[wsugrad03]

I have a unique perspective because I JUST turned down a job transfer to Phoenix from Seattle. We decided to stay because we have more career potential up here because of the strong software industry. My wife and I were constantly flip-flopping about moving to Phoenix. It was a really REALLY hard decision to make. We'll see if we can make it through another year in Seattle and then revisit relocating to Phoenix or Colorado.

I get the social awkwardness of Seattle. I think the weather turns people into introverts up here. It just takes more time and effort to make friends, but it's certainly doable. The two things that really drive me to flee Seattle is the cost of living and the weather.

First lets consider weather here. It's already been said that in the pit of the winter solstice, "you drive to work in the dark, come home in the dark and on the weekends it's raining." Very true. This naturally drives people indoors. This leads me to housing. Housing is a joke up here. If you follow the 3X rule of fiscal responsibility, if you make $150K per year, that means you should only borrow a $450K mortgage. Hmmm....$450K is about the median home in Seattle. I might also add that the median home is a crappy shack or fortress style town home in Seattle proper. Your only hope for a newer home is to move to the extreme north/south suburbs (Lynwood, Renton, Kent, Auburn). Then you're privileged enough to slog your way through a misery of traffic to get to work and back. The point here is if you have no equity, you're SCREWED.

My point is this....You can't change the weather, so in order to endure it, you need a very warm and comfortable home that invites you in as your sanctuary among perpetual darkness, gray skies, and dizzily weather. Because Seattle is so expensive, it's really hard to afford that nice comfortable home without carrying $200K in equity. Most decent east side homes go for $600K and up.

Now contrast this with the cost of living in Phoenix. $400K will buy you a monster of a home down there. Phoenix has the terrible summers, so you'll be locked indoors during the summer months. You hibernate in the summer months there as opposed to hibernating 8 months in Seattle. At least in Phoenix, you'll be able to afford that beautiful home to make your hibernation more comfortable.

[_Charles_]

I am originally from AZ, have been in Seattle for the last 7 years. I can't wait to get the heck out of here. Sick of the rain, high mortgage payments, taxes, and the socialist mentality. Arizona is a much better place to be.

Indeed I found the socialist metality to be the height of stupidity - that and the socially crippled milieu - it was just too much. AZ is OZ by comparison.

[seattlenextyear]

OZ as in, run by a narcissistic dictator and full of mindless sheep that follow him? That's quite a harsh description of a conservative state, but I guess it fits.

[ATXIronHorse]

Originally Posted by _Charles_

I have finally had enough of the passive aggressive social tyranny that rules Seattle. I am working getting out. I am juggling preservation of my career with moving back to Phoenix, AZ a.s.a.p.

I look forward to being around live people again!

Good move, man. You just did yourself a great favor. Seattle could be a wonderful place but the social disease just ruins the experience.

[olynative]

By sitting at home on the computer and spending countless amounts of time whining about the social problems that Seattle has, you people sure are making great strides to fix it. Do you really think that moving somewhere else is going to turn you into a social dynamo? More than likely you will be the same self-hating introvert surrounded by upbeat fake people. I personally could do without everyone constantly pretending to care about my well being. I much prefer the Seattle attitude of "I'll do my thing, you do yours and if we actually have some common interest, then we can be friends." It's a good way to weed out the fakes in my opinion.