Are we delusional? (Q's about moving) (Seattle, Federal Way: affordable apartments, rental, violent crime)

[bansley]

You guys have been so encouraging! Thank you!

Spotless - That is a very valid question. One I'm not quite sure I know the answer to. Scrounge and hope for the best? Sell plasma or other bodily fluids? I hear I could catch a pretty penny for my eggs.. ha! But really, it's a risk we are going to have to take in order to live in the environment we know we need in order to thrive. Say we do save 20k, what happens when that runs out? We don't know.

Catras - Thank you for your insight and the link! I will look into that. I know the rain scares a lot of people off and causes many to suffer from SAD. Unfortunately, there's really no way for me to say for sure whether it will affect me negatively or not until I have lived in it for several months on end, but from where we are now the weather is a huge reason we are moving.

I don't know if you've ever experienced an Oklahoma summer, but count yourself lucky if not. This isn't happy-go-lucky sun rays that children prance around under. No, this heat will destroy you. It will rob you of any joy, happiness and energy you may have. It is late May and already 94 degrees outside. It makes you want to cry, but you can't! If you cry, you only become hotter. I will be grateful to escape the sun - even if it is a dreary escape - for a couple of years! I hope you find peace wherever you end up - hopefully back in Seattle!

Apathizer - Thanks so much for typing out all that information. I really appreciate it. Coming from OK, I've never used public transportation. We don't really have any. What we do have (public buses) are so poorly scheduled that I could never use them to get back and forth to work. Traffic here is not an issue so it's always been a very pro-car city.

Until your post I had never heard of a park-and-ride lot, but going by the name I can assume what it is. So long as there is one closer to me than the actual commute to work would be, this sounds like a very reasonable alternative to driving.

I would personally be fine selling the car. We will only be taking one up there, and if we truly can live and work there without needing one, then I would no longer have any attachment to it - especially if we could get more money out of selling it. My boyfriend, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be for selling the car. Again, coming from where we are at, life without a car is pretty unfathomable. It becomes an extension of yourself.

And no, I definitely am not looking for that American "Dream" lifestyle. I have no interest in buying a home or settling down - not now, at least. A-Okay with renting! The cheaper, the better

Kayela - Your post actually inspired me to check out Craislist for Queen Anne/Capital Hill listings and there seem to be PLENTY of listings for under $800 even! This is great!! The closer to the heart of the city we can live, the better! This has given me even more hope. I just hope that if it comes down to renting a room, someone is willing to rent out to a couple. Like you, I would rather sacrifice space for location. And the more vintage, the better!

Another question..

I understand jobs are hard to find everywhere there, but are there more job opportunities in the city since, obviously, its more populated, or in the suburbs since most people go to the city to work?

Thanks again all!

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by bansley

Another question..

I understand jobs are hard to find everywhere there, but are there more job opportunities in the city since, obviously, its more populated, or in the suburbs since most people go to the city to work?

Thanks again all!

Seattle doesn't have that complete traditional city setting where all the work is centered in the city. Just as you have people commuting to the city from the suburbs for work, you have people commuting to the suburbs from the city for work (for example, Microsoft is based in the Eastside, Boeing have plants up in Everett, Renton, Auburn, et. c). You're basically asking where your odds of getting a job is better-- it depends on what exactly is the job.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by bansley

David - that is more reassuring than you know! Id love to hear more about how you guys made it work, if you wouldn't mind. Whick city did you move to? How long before you landed jobs? What industries?

We moved to Denver, and we had to live on that $6K to start, so there was no fun to be had initially (keep in mind, we also had stupidly large car payments ). We both had jobs within a month, both in food service (lol). My wife was let go from her job not long after that (probably a month or two), and I found a second job about 4 months later (more $$$, industry: transportation), and was able to drop the first job, and am still at the second almost 5 years later. We both work there now, are both in management, and have been stable financially.

You just have to scrimp, and do anything (extra jobs etc) to make it work. It might seem like a nightmare at times, but once you get through and get firmly on your feet it will all be worth it.

[Apathizer]

Originally Posted by bansley

I would personally be fine selling the car. We will only be taking one up there, and if we truly can live and work there without needing one, then I would no longer have any attachment to it - especially if we could get more money out of selling it. My boyfriend, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be for selling the car. Again, coming from where we are at, life without a car is pretty unfathomable. It becomes an extension of yourself.

Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but for me, once you get used to not having something, it's becomes a non-issue. Now that's I've been car-free for about a decade the idea of getting one seems like more expense than it's worth: fuel, maintenance, insurance, parking, traffic-related stress - I just don't miss that shiznit at all.

When I want to go hiking or do something else way outside the city it's much cheaper for me to rent a car (esp since I need it so infrequently).

Getting around during rush-hour is pretty insufferable, regardless of whether you drive or take public transit. The only methods of transportation I really enjoy are walking (if you have time) or bicycling (since I have a free transit pass, it's no longer cost-effective).

If/when you two move here, you might try to convince your bf to pretend he doesn't have a car, for, say, a month. That will get him to at least see if it's doable. Once some people are used to having a car, they unfortunately refuse to even consider the possibility of living without one.

Originally Posted by bansley

I understand jobs are hard to find everywhere there, but are there more job opportunities in the city since, obviously, its more populated, or in the suburbs since most people go to the city to work?

As 'Inkpoe' said, it really depends on the job and what you're looking for. It's been awhile since I've been job-hunting, but if you aren't picky I think you can almost certainly find something - it just might not be very desireable: retail, fast food, janitorial, etc.

Once again, the Seattle economy, like so much of the country has become hour-glass shaped: There are relatively high-paying jobs for educated/skilled workers (IT, etc) and low-paying jobs for unskilled workers (retail, food service, office support, etc). There are a few skilled-labor type jobs that fall between these two extremes (construction trades, mechanics, etc), but there aren't that many left.

I think you'll be able to find something decent eventually, but it might take a bit of time. Good luck

[Kayela]

I would personally be fine selling the car. We will only be taking one up there, and if we truly can live and work there without needing one, then I would no longer have any attachment to it - especially if we could get more money out of selling it. My boyfriend, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be for selling the car. Again, coming from where we are at, life without a car is pretty unfathomable. It becomes an extension of yourself.

I'm also originally from a car-dependant part of the country so I can definitely sympathize with your BF. I'd actually say keep it for awhile, but try to find a place to park it and see how well you can do your day-to-day errands and commuting without it. However at first it'll be really nice to be able to explore the area, get out into the mountains, and run some of those bigger errands that are a PITA using the bus. Once you've gotten more comfortable with the city and using transit (and having to deal with parking it, and learn what the car-related expense are like here) then you'll have a better basis for whether you want to keep it or not in the long run.

I once moved to a city with just a carful of stuff and some cash. I cannot recommend temp services highly enough. They can have you working right away. You can make enough to stay afloat while you get a feel for different places and make contacts for possible long-term possibilities.

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by bansley

So, that said, are we being absolutely delusional in thinking we could live off two minimum wage incomes in Seattle?

Yes because it is very expensive cost of living there and HIGH crime. At least save up for a gun (or two).

[Apathizer]

Originally Posted by Negotiator75

Yes because it is very expensive cost of living there and HIGH crime. At least save up for a gun (or two).

I smell a malodorous, nasty troll!

While Seattle has a high property crime rate, we have one of the lowest violent crime rates of any major city.

So if you don't have much stuff (like me), crime isn't something to worry much about.

[bansley]

Originally Posted by Negotiator75

Yes because it is very expensive cost of living there and HIGH crime. At least save up for a gun (or two).

I'm much more concerned about the financial aspect of Seattle than the crime.

As you can see, Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed Oklahoma City's crime rates far exceed Seattle's, with the exception of robbery and auto theft. I live on the Eastside of OKC , one if the roughest areas of the city. I'm not really concerned with the crime rates there.

Apathizer - that's what we were hoping for. We certainly won't have much stuff! We will be taking only what will fit in the car, and hopefully can narrow it down even more.

David, your story is outstanding! Very inspiring, I am glad everything worked out for you guys! Did you move from Seattle? Or, if you don't mind, what is your connection to Seattle?

[kimbercutes824]

So much good info in this thread!! Thanks so much to all!


I am hoping to be moving to the Seattle area in about a year as well from Boise. I can transfer my job but my husband would need to find a job there. I don't want to go unless he has a job and we don't really care what it is. Here in Boise there are a lot of call centers which are pretty good jobs and a lot better than a retail or food service job I think. I just don't know if Seattle is a place that has a lot of call centers.
We visited Seattle and stayed in the Queen Anne area but if we moved we know that we would have to live in the suburbs preferably near Kent since that is where my place of work will be.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by bansley

David, your story is outstanding! Very inspiring, I am glad everything worked out for you guys! Did you move from Seattle? Or, if you don't mind, what is your connection to Seattle?

Thanks!

We moved here from a small desert town in Southern California. My connection to Seattle: I spent my summers in Seattle & Everett while growing up, I am a Seattle Mariners fan, and I still have family in the area.