The good and the bad of living in Washington(Seattle area specifically)

[Hemlock140]

The Seattle area traffic "rush hour" is expanded by the staggered start times for workers at Microsoft, and with many of them living in Seattle/commuting to Redmond it's bad in both directions. I still find that it's rarely totally stopped for long periods of time like other cities,
at the worst stop and go, and only 2-3 lanes as compared to 6-8 lanes in the Bay Area. That means the alternative routes are not as packed when you get off the freeway and take the back roads. The problem has been the government, and lack of new roads or transit while approving many large housing developments.

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by darcsider

Hi my name is Jamie and I'm currently looking into the idea of moving out to Washington, and I'm just trying to find out what its like out there. Whats the weather really like, any issues with crime, and I have to ask only because somebody told me one time is there really a rat problem? I'm also looking at the Redmond area as well, so if anybody knows what its like there as well please let me know.

Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.

Washington State is no different then any other State. We have our problems with crime and drugs just like any other State. We are beginning to see more problems with traffic congestion, over population and all the mess that goes with it, plus an extreamly tax and spend government. The weather is bad, it usually rains or overcast all the time accept for two or three months in the summer. There is a rat problem and more rats are coming in all the time, specially from other States. The State is a very expensive state to live in. Make sure you have a very high paying job before even coming here or you will end up living on the street or under freeway overpasses. This is where most of the newbe's end up. Here is a website on my community in Seattle:Home | CHS Capitol Hill Seattle

[Flightoficarus87]

Hello there. Some of what I may say here may merely be adding to some opinions already stated, but IMHO..

Good stuff

- Some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the states. From the almost fjord like-scenery of the puget sound, to the forests and mountains, the natural eye candy never gets dull.
- Great Asian cuisine and seafood, and a nice variety of other things in the Seattle area too (And the variety of good things only continues to improve).
- Great coffee. LOTS of independent cafes & roasters.
- Great local craft beer scene. Not quite to the caliber of say, Portland, OR, or Denver IMO, but Seattle can hold it's own quite well.
- Plenty of outdoor activities are all available within an hour or so of the city. Everything from skiing and off-roading, to swimming and camping.
- People are generally pretty laid back and less uptight here.
- A diverse arts and music scene (Though many artists seem to either live in the south parts of town or elsewhere these days).
- Generally speaking, one of the safest major US cities as far as violent crime goes.

Bad stuff

- The "Seattle Freeze" is a real phenomenon IMO, which I can say living in the Seattle-Tacoma area my whole life. People tend to be a bit more introverted and stick to their own little cliques and interest groups here, which can make it harder to meet new people. On the flip side though, people tend to be nice and laid back for the most part - It's just that breaking the ice is a bit tougher. And I'd be a liar if I said I've never been guilty of this too (Not proud of it though! )

- The current job market here isn't so hot outside of the high-tech fields, so if your field of work is in something else, good jobs are a bit on the scarce side here right now, and it can take some time to find one.

- The traffic sucks. Many people around here work in Seattle, but don't live in Seattle. That, combined with an infrastructure that makes everyone hopelessly dependent on Interstate 5, is a classic recipe for long commutes. And as bad as I-5 gets, you want NOTHING to do with I-405 during rush hour times if you can avoid it! The best way to deal with this if you move here is to try and live close to where you work, or not commute during peak traffic times.

- The cost of living has gotten pretty high. Gentrification of many formerly affordable neighborhoods, combined w/demand for housing outpacing increases in supply as more people move here, has made houses within Seattle pretty expensive. And a weak economy where few people are buying houses isn't doing much to help rent rates. This is most likely partially responsible for our traffic problems too.

"It Depends" stuff

- The Weather. When you've lived here your whole life, the many months of gray skies and drizzle don't really bother you, or you may even lose your mind and end up liking it like me. If you're coming from somewhere sunny, be prepared for big changes. On the plus side, you don't have things like hurricanes or tornadoes to worry about.

- The politics. It tends to be politically left here. The general political mindset here tends to be a mix of "Lefties", and "Lefty-libertarian/Live and let live" types. If you're coming from somewhere like the south-east, it will be a very big change. Eastern WA and areas outside of the Puget Sound region on the west tend to be more conservative though.

That's my take on Seattle anyway. Like many cities, there's plenty of great things about it, but it's not without it's flaws. Ultimately, a visit would be the best way for you to decide how you feel here!

[mrman78]

Originally Posted by Seacove

Hmm, Boston, SF, Houston, what are your thoughts on Phoenix?

I still feel all of these cities have worse traffic than Seattle, but I've only LIVED in one of them, so I will comment on that city. You have to remember a few things about Houston:
1) It has no natural boundaries that might restrict traffic flow (like Seattle)
2) The highways have more lanes either side (unlike Seattle)
3) There are more than five major highways that run through the city (definitely unlike Seattle)

Yeah the population is much higher than Seattle, but hence more highways. If you can clog up a 14 lane highway from 3 to 7pm then you have issues. Here, the ONE interstate that runs through the city that has 6 lanes (or is it 8 at times?) are still not as clogged nor are they clogged for as long as many of the highways in Houston. I guess I'm ignoring I-90 as it's only really in Seattle proper for a couple of miles. Now road conditions are definitely worse here as far as the interstate goes. Other major roads and the streets? It's pretty equal.

[Twitch2]

The bad: It seems to take a while for things to get into action. The light rail has taken 20 years to be decided and move forward. The traffic is bad. Mositure causes mold in dark areas of the house.

The Good: How beautiful it is. The cool looking houses of Seattle. Recreation hiking, climbing, boating,etc. People are friendly (I don't believe in the Seattle Freeze)

[Pretzelogik]

More bad: now to be filled with ganja smokers.

[Blondebaerde]

Examine other threads, too: lots to learn. My op/ed, 14 years greater Seattle:

"Crime" is about like any other place: seldom heard-of in certain parts of town, unfortunately frequent in others. Crime blotters and statistics have a lot on that.

Rats: first one I ever saw was a couple years ago running on a fence behind my property. I'm lucky, probably. More worried about mold than rodents, personally: rots outstanding structures, given sufficient time. Not surprisingly. Half the place looks like it is ready to rot down, if you look closely. As a homeowner, worries me a bit but what can you do.

Does anyone know what Redmond area is like, LOL. The 88,569 who live there probably know plenty (I made up that number). Average income by zip code tells most of the story. It's a great place to live, all things considered, for most family-type people and non-dirtbags. I live next city over, Kirkland. The area is collectively called "Eastside." Different vibe than Seattle. Wikipedia calls Bellevue a "boomburg" or growing city in its own right, near the other city (Seattle).

The weather is "really": mostly cloudy and chilly (30s-40s) in the winter. Sometimes below freezing. Look at climate data for details. Occasional snow, rare nasty and city-closing blizzards. A real spring, summer, and fall. Summer to die for, in particular. November and December are subjectively the big months of rare violent weather, in my observation.

It's a place with ups and downs like any other American city. Many, many love it here, including me, for primarily: the work (great for tech), seasons (four of them), high levels of education on-average, outdoor opportunities, and ability to do your own thing without great hassle from others. I personally don't care about "socialization" outside my pals from work, so really can't answer to that whole scene. Someone else surely will: supposedly, it's trouble for outsiders. I would guess the reality is it's a function of how much work one chooses to put in to socialize. I don't remember anyone getting in my face in San Francisco, either: in fact, I moved West to get away from conventional people and BS. Mission accomplished.

Oh: the "natives" sure take the local Moo U and company seriously (University of Washington, Seattle University, Washington State, several others). Not surprising, perhaps, given the geographic isolation of WA State: provincial places throughout history have been like that, leery of outsiders. Get crossed up with that at your peril.