Any Southern Californians regret your move to Seattle? (Pacific: rent, home)

[angelenogirl]

My husband and I are considering a move to Seattle, but I worry about making such a huge move and then regretting it. I know there is far more calculus involved, and it's all fairly subjective and specific to each family, but I feel native Californians have enough of a shared experience to give me a rough idea of what the move was like, and if there are regrets overall.

Some of my hesitance comes from relocating to San Diego last year from Los Angeles (where I was raised) and not loving it like I thought I would. I am launching a startup, and the tech scene in San Diego seems almost non-existent. I am also one of those odd birds who is bored with these near-constant "sunny and 70" days. I like rain. Like, really like it. So, for a number of reasons, Seattle has become a now daily topic of conversation. (Though I fear I may be idealizing/romanticizing it a bit.)

I welcome any and all thoughts. I also would love to find that perfect balance between urban and family-friendly. I love quaint and walkable street-level charm, but I also want a really safe and strong community vibe for the kids. Right now I'm trapped in a master-planned community and it's killing me. Way too Stepford!

Sorry to be so longwinded. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your help!

[spotlesseden]

I went to USC, but I'm from NorCal. I'm going to move the Seattle. I'm pretty sure Seattle is more safer than LA. lol

No State income tax and no or very low corporate income tax should help you family alot, too. If you make 100k a year, you will have atleast 11k more to spent.


The big decision that you have to make is do you really want the Sunshine or not.

[PollyGlott]

Not a native Californian, but I lived in So Cal (San Diego) for over 30 years. Moved here nine months ago, and couldn't be happier. I don't miss the constant sunshine at all, although I do appreciate the sunny days we get here (like today, for instance!)
Oh, and by the way, not a single person has ever shown any of the "anti-Californian" mentality I read about on C-D. What I've gotten instead is "why would you ever want to move here from sunny San Diego?", "don't you mind our grey weather?", and "welcome to the Pacific Northwest"

[hgsummerville]

I grew up on the Kitsap Penninsula (a ferry ride from Seattle) lived there, in fact until I was 25. I spent the next ten years in Oklahoma (like Wa, but with sun) and in the desert of W. Texas.

I returned to WA in Nov of 2010 and left April of 2011.

It wasn't the rain that got me, it was never seeing the sun. I LOVED the rain.... when I wasn't in Washington.

If you are seriously considering a move, block out the windows and stay there for a month. This is the only real way for a desert dweller to fully understand the implicatiions.

Something else to consider: in winter the sun goes down by 5. When it storms it can get dark and stay that way.

That being said: when the sun comes out, it is the most beautiful place on the planet.

Good luck to you, I hope it works out well

[PollyGlott]

Originally Posted by hgsummerville

I grew up on the Kitsap Penninsula (a ferry ride from Seattle) lived there, in fact until I was 25. I spent the next ten years in Oklahoma (like Wa, but with sun) and in the desert of W. Texas.
I returned to WA in Nov of 2010 and left April of 2011.
It wasn't the rain that got me, it was never seeing the sun. I LOVED the rain.... when I wasn't in Washington.
If you are seriously considering a move, block out the windows and stay there for a month. This is the only real way for a desert dweller to fully understand the implicatiions.
Something else to consider: in winter the sun goes down by 5. When it storms it can get dark and stay that way.
That being said: when the sun comes out, it is the most beautiful place on the planet.
Good luck to you, I hope it works out well

I disagree with your suggestion that "no sun" equates to blocking out windows! For one thing, even sunless days have light - they aren't pitch black like in a tornado. It's an overcast, not a darkness. For another, because our climate is mild (no extreme heat or cold), overcast days - even rainy ones - don't prevent folks from being active outside.
I do think, however, that folks who crave the sun will have a tough time adjusting.

[texastrigirl]

I don't know...it was 70 and sunny today and was sunny yesterday and the day before and now the rest of the week looks sunny too. Better check the zip code...maybe we live in So Cal??

[VeronikaW]

I grew up in Irvine. We moved to the Seattle area in June 2007. We thought we hated it and moved back to CA in May 2010. Once we were back in CA we realized all of the reasons we left CA in the first place, and came back here as soon as we could. We bought a house, and we're planning on staying a long, long time. And we couldn't be happier to be back here in WA.

V. =)

[lovingthegreen]

Originally Posted by hgsummerville

Oklahoma (like Wa, but with sun)

I honestly could not think of two places that are more different in terms of climate, culture, etc.

[evergraystate]

Originally Posted by hgsummerville

It wasn't the rain that got me, it was never seeing the sun. I LOVED the rain.... when I wasn't in Washington.

If you are seriously considering a move, block out the windows and stay there for a month. This is the only real way for a desert dweller to fully understand the implicatiions.

BINGO! Theres no real way to know how you're going to cope with the lack of sunlight until you live through the fall, winter, spring here.

Don't regret moving to WA from CA, it was necessary at the time, but we aren't staying a day longer than we absolutely have to. Half our stuff is already back in California. Its only a matter of days now.

Good luck with your move.

[xcalgal]

I am a native So. Cal. girl and like you did not care for the sun. That said, come Feb. or March I love leaving Seattle for a trip some place with a little sunshine, people out in sidewalk cafes, warmth, etc. It is more the darkness that gets to us (which for us living in the woods happens about 3:30pm in the winter). Many people head to work in the darkness and head home at night in the darkness. I think the most important thing you can do is rent until you decide if Seattle is for you (two years minimum) and the neighborhood that suits you best. Meeting people is challenging for some people moving here but we love the city.