20-something looking for moving/renting advice (Seattle, Bellevue: rental, how much, tech jobs)

[DriftingProfessional]

I'm looking to rent a place and while I still can, I'd like to try a downtown area. I'm looking at downtown Seattle (Capitol Hill, perhaps, or "true" downtown) or downtown Bel/Red. Since I've just moved here from out-of-state, ideally I'm looking for somewhere that I can make a lot of my friends around my age.

I'd be looking to rent, and am strongly considering a roommate. My work is technically in Bellevue. But I can work odd hours to avoid the worst of the traffic, if need be. I do appreciate warnings about traffic regardless.

I'm a pretty big nerd, so being close to things like game stores and the EMP museum appeals to me. But I also am looking for regular gym access and to go snowboarding more once the season comes around. This concerned me, as I didn't see any of these driving downtown (I'm sure they exist, but I'm not sure I want to drive an hour+ several times a week to get a workout).

Thanks in advance.

[Robt Evans]

There are certainly gyms in downtown Seattle and I recall seeing a game stores such as Game Stop at Pac Place and the Broadway Building (downtown). Rush hour always lends itself to heavier traffic, especially on 520 and I90 which bridges Seattle / the eastside. If you can adjust your schedule between Seattle and Bellevue for non-peak times and also handle the added expense of parking downtown...that may be a great place! It seems as though Bellevue has a fairly good social scene for guys your age, and I hope others will respond with more input and information which should be helpful.

[DriftingProfessional]

My concern with living in Bellevue is two-fold:

1. My friends that do live there say there's not nearly as much going on there as downtown Seattle.

2. That the people in my age group there are going to be mostly men, thanks to the high concentration of tech jobs in the area.

[SusanInSeattle]

If I were a younger woman, I'd want to live in Belltown or Capitol Hill. If you have a car in either area, you'd want secure parking - when I lived in Belltown cars parked on the street on my block were broken into every weekend night and some weeknights. (I lived at Site17 where there was secure parking.)

How much do you want to spend? If you were living alone, how much room would you need? Do you have pets?

Belltown is walking distance to Game Stop at Pacific Place and, if you're into comics, two comic stores. There's a Game Stop across from Seattle Central Community College on Capitol Hill.

Your friends are right - Belltown just doesn't have as much going for young people as Seattle. I'm not young and I wouldn't want to live there. There just isn't enough character.

[Robt Evans]

Have you visited and spent some time in the various areas? Maybe a short-term rental would be a good option for you vs. a longer term 1 year commitment. Just an idea. : )

[DriftingProfessional]

I do have a car, so secure parking seems like a good idea. Though I don't have a habit of leaving anything valuable in there anyways.

I don't really need much space. I'm pretty light on furniture since I just moved cross-country. I'd like to spend around $1000 or less, but I don't mind having a roommate to do that. I can spend more for the right place, however.

When you say Belltown, do you mean Bellingham?

I do have a cat. I'd like to get a dog, but that can wait too.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by DriftingProfessional

I do have a car, so secure parking seems like a good idea. Though I don't have a habit of leaving anything valuable in there anyways.

I don't really need much space. I'm pretty light on furniture since I just moved cross-country. I'd like to spend around $1000 or less, but I don't mind having a roommate to do that. I can spend more for the right place, however.

When you say Belltown, do you mean Bellingham?

I do have a cat. I'd like to get a dog, but that can wait too.

Belltown is a neighborhood adjacent to/ part of downtown Seattle.

[DriftingProfessional]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Belltown is a neighborhood adjacent to/ part of downtown Seattle.

Thanks for the clarification. I was referring to Bellevue anyways, not sure how I got that mixed up.

[amaiunmei]

Originally Posted by DriftingProfessional

I'm looking to rent a place and while I still can, I'd like to try a downtown area. I'm looking at downtown Seattle (Capitol Hill, perhaps, or "true" downtown) or downtown Bel/Red. Since I've just moved here from out-of-state, ideally I'm looking for somewhere that I can make a lot of my friends around my age.

I'd be looking to rent, and am strongly considering a roommate. My work is technically in Bellevue. But I can work odd hours to avoid the worst of the traffic, if need be. I do appreciate warnings about traffic regardless.

I'm a pretty big nerd, so being close to things like game stores and the EMP museum appeals to me. But I also am looking for regular gym access and to go snowboarding more once the season comes around. This concerned me, as I didn't see any of these driving downtown (I'm sure they exist, but I'm not sure I want to drive an hour+ several times a week to get a workout).

Thanks in advance.

What kind of gaming do you mean? Videogames? MMORPG? Tabletop? In this part of the world, you have to be specific. Different groups have different hangouts.

Capitol Hill is going to be more convenient to Bellevue as far as public transit and traffic are concerned. The Amazonians and other techies are changing the neighborhood a bit, but it is still a very strongly hipster neighborhood with a lot of younger people.

Again, because of the proximity to Amazon and the upward pressure that puts on rent prices, you may want to consider getting a roommate to keep costs down.

[DriftingProfessional]

Originally Posted by amaiunmei

What kind of gaming do you mean? Videogames? MMORPG? Tabletop? In this part of the world, you have to be specific. Different groups have different hangouts.

Capitol Hill is going to be more convenient to Bellevue as far as public transit and traffic are concerned. The Amazonians and other techies are changing the neighborhood a bit, but it is still a very strongly hipster neighborhood with a lot of younger people.

Again, because of the proximity to Amazon and the upward pressure that puts on rent prices, you may want to consider getting a roommate to keep costs down.

Yes, yes, and yes I didn't specify because the list of gaming that I'm not into is smaller.

It sounds like Capitol Hill is a better neighborhood in terms of age-group and transit. I'm strongly considering a roommate anyways, so that doesn't really change my plans.

Thanks for the input.