Any Southern Californians regret your move to Seattle? (Bellevue, Redmond: homes, find a job)
Seattle areaSeattle and King County Suburbs
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From any reasonable height, Seattle doesn't look all that green either
Looking away from downtown.
However many places in the Bay Area look like this
Berkeley
And here's a sample of the vast undeveloped land I spoke of
As far as the eye can see just behind Berkeley.
You don't get a good feel from 36,000 feet. If it does look really green, there's a good bet it's not part of a metropolitan area.
Gentoo, I like the Bay Area. I don't want to debate which city is greener between the Seattle metro and the Bay Area. If you think the Bay Area is green, that's great and I don't want to discourage anyone from going there because the Bay Area is pretty great in a lot of ways. I could post beautiful pictures of the Bay Area too, you'd get no disagreement from me. I used flying over as an example because when your plane is leaving San Jose and flying over South San Francisco, it is wall to wall concrete and very industrial looking. It really takes away from the beauty IMO. Whereas, when you are leaving or landing in Seattle, it looks like 60% green or water, maybe more. Anyone that takes note during a two hour flight can't help but see the difference.
I think about that when I see the kind of growth we've had here recently. I admit I want some of the growth others despair of, like tech expanding from the Bay Area. I work with those people and they love Seattle (some complain of the rain but what's new). Yes, it's making Seattle more corporate and what will become of flying fish and the gum wall. I love Seattle's character and want to preserve it so I'm hoping for a strong local economy with lots of green, managed growth and flying fish and the gum wall.
But I don't promote Seattle for the masses so if someone compares the two and chooses the Bay Area, I say good choice and think to myself that's one less car in traffic.
I've been here a week now, I think it's safe to come back to this thread and say this
I LUUUURRRVVEE THIS PLACE
I'm over San Diego
Glad to hear it! Maybe you can keep us updated on here about if you still feel that way...maybe 6 months from now. I'm a former "San Diegan", so I understand why you are over SD.
Here's how you can tell what people want. Don't listen to what they say, look at what they do. All over the country, ac's are cooling temps that are too high, and sprinklers are soaking dry ground that couldn't sprout a plant for squat. Seattle doesn't need either.
One need only open Google Earth to tell that Seattle and the surrounding area are greener than San Francisco and the surrounding area. Nobody is denying western California has its veridian parts, and nobody is arguing that this is the difference between Seattle and Tuscon... but, seriously, Seattle is greener.
Yes it IS greener. However I was responding to the notion that the Bay Area has no green areas which is just crazy. Now the south Bay Area really is a sprawled urban area. However the other extreme is Marin County which is 70% undeveloped and covered in dense forest in places.
Gentoo, I like the Bay Area. I don't want to debate which city is greener between the Seattle metro and the Bay Area. If you think the Bay Area is green, that's great and I don't want to discourage anyone from going there because the Bay Area is pretty great in a lot of ways. I could post beautiful pictures of the Bay Area too, you'd get no disagreement from me. I used flying over as an example because when your plane is leaving San Jose and flying over South San Francisco, it is wall to wall concrete and very industrial looking. It really takes away from the beauty IMO. Whereas, when you are leaving or landing in Seattle, it looks like 60% green or water, maybe more. Anyone that takes note during a two hour flight can't help but see the difference.
I think about that when I see the kind of growth we've had here recently. I admit I want some of the growth others despair of, like tech expanding from the Bay Area. I work with those people and they love Seattle (some complain of the rain but what's new). Yes, it's making Seattle more corporate and what will become of flying fish and the gum wall. I love Seattle's character and want to preserve it so I'm hoping for a strong local economy with lots of green, managed growth and flying fish and the gum wall.
But I don't promote Seattle for the masses so if someone compares the two and chooses the Bay Area, I say good choice and think to myself that's one less car in traffic.
We agree. Perhaps I was just misunderstanding. I'm in no way promoting the Bay Area over Seattle. If anything, it would likely be the other way around. One day when I can completely get things straight, I hope to relocate to Seattle as I would actually prefer it to the Bay Area.
We agree. Perhaps I was just misunderstanding. I'm in no way promoting the Bay Area over Seattle. If anything, it would likely be the other way around. One day when I can completely get things straight, I hope to relocate to Seattle as I would actually prefer it to the Bay Area.
Oh and thanks for the compliments on my pics
I've repped you many times and totally understand. I would even defend South Bay as I quite like Palo Alto and Los Gatos. And you cannot stay at a place like Cavallo Point Lodge and not fall in love with the view of San Francisco and the Bay. San Francisco Luxury Resorts | Cavallo Point | Sausalito Hotels in California
I am also very concerned about this topic. We are possibly contemplating a move but we are very happy with our current lifestyle in SoCal. We live a block away from the beach so we are used to having a good amount of sun, jogging paths along the beach, easy walk to the pier, etc. We open up our french doors to the balcony and are greeted with ocean breezes and a nice view.
It would be a major pain to get over there, find out we are miserable, and have to move back after quitting our jobs, selling our house, etc.
We have discussed it more and I think it is more likely now that if we do move we will rent out our house here and rent up there in Seattle just to make sure we're happy there. If we really do like it, we'll consider buying after 1 year. Seems like the smart thing to do for anyone who moves up there from SoCal.
It sounds like some people love it up there and some really have problems adjusting. I think I'll be ok since I lived in various places like Michigan, Asia, and NorCal but I've been in SoCal for the past 14 years (gee, time flies like crazy huh?) so I may be more used to this area than I think.
I have lived in the Seattle area my whole life and I think that I have a very good feel of the whole area. I am not sure why you want to move to Seattle, you didn't say, but I think that you will be miserable here and regret the move. It is a total personally preference thing but from what you said I do not see you liking Seattle. Even if you live on the Puget Sound you will never once feel a warm ocean breeze coming off the water and that is not an exaggeration. If you like a cool breeze on a warm day then you could have that during July and August, other times of the year you would not open your french doors facing the water.
Let me say this before I start giving you my view of the area, first of all I did not read through the whole tread so I might be repeating some stuff. Secondly, I personally do not like living here and am planning a move to warmer and sunnier area, so I will try to not be too bias.
The biggest thing that gets me is the weather, according to Wikipedia, Seattle gets 71 days a year with clear skies, meaning that 294 days a year are at least partly cloudy. I would bet that 50 of those days are in July and August. It is the constant gray, drizzle, and lack of sun that I cannot stand about this area. The fall is gray, the winter is gray, and the spring is gray. With the gray it is the drizzle, there are not too many "downpour" rain storms put most days it is gray it is slightly raining. It gets really old really fast and encourages most to stay inside. During the months of July and August it is the most beautiful place I have ever been and you have ocean beaches, mountains, and the Puget Sound within a few hours from you. But for me only really being able to enjoy it two months out of the year makes it hard to truly think that it is worth it. Eastern Washington gets a lot more sun and every time I return from there as soon as I go over the pass a start to enter Western Washington the clouds and rain starts. From October until May, the high temp on an average ranges from 40-55 and it is cloudy and rainy almost every day, sprinkle in a few sunny days and a snow storm. I love to jog but it is tough most of the year, it gets dark very early and rains a lot for a lot of the year.
The traffic is horrible and houses are expensive (to buy or rent) similar prices to San Diego. If you are a sports fan, our city is cursed and I am sure nobody would argue that. On the crime side of things we have it all, gangs, serial killers, meth heads, mass murders going on shooting sprees, ect. I work in Kirkland on the east side of Lake Washington and on my way in today I saw six panhandlers on a four corner intersection. The other day I got asked for money three times in one trip to the grocery store.
On the bright side the city has a great culture there are plenty of jobs, outside of construction, for most people. I love the sound transit bus system, really helps the commute if you work downtown or in Bellevue. I think that Seattle has a ton of culture and is a very unique city. It seems to me that everybody is very accepting of other people no matter their sexual orientation, race, age, or sex, at least in my opinion. Space Needle and it's views are awesome, Pike Place Market is cool, I love riding a ferry across the sound very very beautiful. There are countless hike in the Cascades, great skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and the mountains are beautiful.
As I am sure that you have noticed from reading others replies, some people love it and others hate it. I would suggest before you invest time and money in moving and when you are doing your research trips, visit during different times of the year so you know what you are getting in to. Don't only visit during the summer.
I've repped you many times and totally understand. I would even defend South Bay as I quite like Palo Alto and Los Gatos. And you cannot stay at a place like Cavallo Point Lodge and not fall in love with the view of San Francisco and the Bay. San Francisco Luxury Resorts | Cavallo Point | Sausalito Hotels in California
Very true indeed. However I am ready for the view of the snow capped mountains in almost every direction. Those clear days when one can see "The Mountain". Lake Washington. I'll miss Lake Merritt but will love Green Lake too
Seattle sure has some nice vistas. If i had the money i would live in a suburb not far from the city but far enough where traffic is light.
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