Prospective transplant from New Mexico, what to expect? (Seattle: fit in, look for a job)

[gsilver]

First, some background:
I'm in my mid-20s, will soon be graduating from a Tech school with a Master's in Computer Science, wish to pursue a career in Software Engineering, and have lived in rural New Mexico for my entire life.

I recently had a job interview with Microsoft, but I didn't get the job. However, I did greatly enjoy the scenery, and decided that I wanted to live in the Seattle area.

I know a lot of people talk about how people in Seattle are anti-social nerds, but I kind of fit into that description (though I'd really like to make friends with other anti-social nerds). Would I be too out of place here? In grad school, I did encounter a lot of "too busy for you or anyone else" mentality, and I'm wondering if that's a problem here too.

Next, what kind of salary should I expect from an entry-level position? In a summer internship in New Mexico, I've been making $18 / hour, which I'm sure is well below what a job in Seattle pays, but I'd like a ballpark range. I don't have much real work experience, partially because of a lack of available internships in my undergraduate years.

For those who have gone from a rural to an urban area, what is the transition like? I would probably want to look for a job on the Eastside, and start out with an inexpensive room-for-rent situation.