Best City in the Country? (Seattle, Vancouver: tornadoes, camping, income)

[tickyul]

Crummy weather....snotty Yuplibs.....insane housing prices.......terrible traffic.

I grew up in Seattle.....no thanks!

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by tickyul

Crummy weather....snotty Yuplibs.....insane housing prices.......terrible traffic.

I grew up in Seattle.....no thanks!

I think you meant Mild Weather but great summers, Educated liberals, Higher housing prices but no where near as bad California, and Moderate traffic but can get bad during rush hour. I took the liberty to edit for you.

[xboxmas]

I think the people who complain about the Seattle weather don't realize how good they have it. Have we already forgotten about Super Storm Sandy? How about the tornadoes that have been happening in the Midwest? The mid-west also can get brutal winters in some parts with the single digit highs not being uncommon. We complain about the drizzle and gray skies in the winter, but how about those who have to battle the snow and ice every winter? And those who have to deal with the tornadoes in the Spring or the humidity in the Summer or the hurricanes in the late Summer/early Fall? The weather isn't perfect in Seattle, but sometimes I don't think people realize how fortunate they are with Seattle weather.

I will admit I am a sun worshiper, so its weird for me to stand up for the Seattle weather, but sometimes I think people exaggerate on how bad the weather is. I personally prefer warmer climates, but Seattle weather isn't horrible.

[CarawayDJ]

Originally Posted by DevanXL

I think you meant Mild Weather but great summers, Educated liberals, Higher housing prices but no where near as bad California, and Moderate traffic but can get bad during rush hour. I took the liberty to edit for you.

Oh well, no place is perfect.

[seattlefanatic]

Originally Posted by TwoByFour

Well, lessee here....

Rapid transit and public transportation: Fail
Affordable housing: Fail
Weather: This is very subjective but I give it a C.
Schools: B
Social scene: According to many other threads here Seattle is aloof, so I give this a C/D. I personally don't see that but I cannot argue with what newcomers experience.
Traffic: Fail (one of the worst ranked in the US)
Roads: Fail (pot holes everywhere)
Gay rights: A
Marijuana rights: A+
Economy and jobs: A if you are in high tech. C+ if you are not.
Suitability for retirement: AARP does not rank Seattle very high: I give it a C/D
Access to outdoor activities: A+
Sports: Seahawks are hot, Mariners stink as usual, Cannot get the NBA back. I give this a B-
Crime: Seattle is ranked in the lower third or so for violent crime, same for property. Give it a B-
Arts scene: Seattle used to be trend setting musically but has fallen back. Visual and performing arts are not all that renowned. The SAM is a travesty for a museum. I would give this a C+
Ambiance: Even if you're not hot on the misty, drippy, brooding PNW you have to admit its unique position sandwiched between Mt Rainier, the Cascades and Puget Sound gives it high marks. I give it a A.
Politics and government: We have our local crackpots like Tim Eyman, the idiots who riot on May 1 and sometimes animal rights activists breaking into the UW labs to free the rats, but at least we don't have neo-Nazis. The mayor of Seattle is a joke but state politics is effective. The blight here is the Seattle Police, who cannot seem to stay out of trouble and are continually being sued or investigated for abuse of power. So I give this a C.

Overall, Seattle has a lot to love if you can get over the many problems it has.

I take issue with most of this, but what really caught my eye is that you say that Seattle has a not-so-great arts scene. Most everybody would disagree. Visual and performing arts not all that renowned? Pioneer Square is known everywhere for its galleries and gallery crawls. Seattle is second only to NYC for number of equity theaters, and two of the country's best theater companies reside here, the 5th Avenue, and the Intiman. Plus, the Paramount is used as a gauge for Broadway productions to determine the success of touring. PNB is known all over for being great, plus the school there is considered one of the top ballet training institutions, along with the Joffrey in Chicago, and the ABT in NYC. Seattle Opera is world known for its Wagner stagings, and for being the only company in the western hemisphere to regularly stage the entire Ring cycle. People come from all over the world for that by the way. Lastly, Seattle Symphony is a top orchestra currently, and is only getting better. It's the world's most recorded orchestra, and boasts the highest amount of season ticket holders of any other American orchestra.
I feel like you kind of said Seattle has a C+ arts scene without any real understanding or knowledge of the actual arts scene here and figured it a convenient criticism.

[kaday]

I think Seattle has a lot of really positive things going for it. FYI I am a glass half full kind of girl . I have lived in most of the big US cities.

1. Downtown is nice. Not overwhelming but definitely cosmopolitian.

2. Incredible mountains, water, green etc. Ski, hike, sail, bike etc.

3. Interesting unique neighborhoods.

4. Reasonable traffic (seriously the bad traffic is a joke here compared to many big cities).

5. The arts! I agree with previous poster. Fabuous array of choices. One of my all time favorite things about this city. If you are into classical music this is a great place.

6. Lack of extreme heat or cold. One winter in Boston or one summer in Atlanta and you'll take the mist and drizzle anyday. Summer is a joy.

7. Access to amazing healthcare.

8. Cost of living...yes high but compared to LA, NY, Boston....not so bad and for all the area offers it is not such a bad deal.

9. Education...In the city itself UW, Seattle U, Seattle Pacific, good community colleges just to name a few. Great private schools in the city, In Seattle public schools music programs are incredible and have won many awards, IB programs, APP programs, K-8 schools, alternative schools (NOVA,). The city schools definaitely have their issues but there are many gems to be found. Suburbs have nationally ranked public schools.

10. Walkable...a lot of the city neighborhoods are walkable for many amenities.

11. People care about the environment.

[RunTheDistance476]

Bottom line is, Seattle is one of the best cities in the country. Sure there is an innovate San Francisco or a sunny Orlando, FL. But overall, Seattle provides a clean/fresh environment with beautiful scenery if you can stomach the rain. But it is all subjective. Everyone is different. I have been to many places in my short life and Seattle is by far my favorite so far. But I don't represent everyone (PS, no one does).

[TwoByFour]

Originally Posted by seattlefanatic

I take issue with most of this, but ....
I feel like you kind of said Seattle has a C+ arts scene without any real understanding or knowledge of the actual arts scene here and figured it a convenient criticism.

I agree on many of your points, that there are some great things about the arts in Seattle, but the grade reflects how it scores relative to other places. The point here is to not just to know the arts scene in Seattle but in many other US cities also, and then how Seattle compares.

But of course your handle says just how biased or unbiased you are for grading out Seattle on anything.

[Ghaukne]

This whole question while interesting, really ends in a relative answer doesn't it?

We all value different things. Some personalities will gravitate toward certain cities because of the things they offer at a certain price. I would say if you are a person that values nature, water, scenic views, a liberal mindset, an educated population, tolerable prices, and consistent weather, then it sounds like Seattle is a great city.

For me being 4 hours away from the best skiing in the WORLD will be worth it alone.

[west seattle gal]

I don't think any city truly can be named "the best". There are great things about Seattle, but different great things about D.C., Boston, NYC, etc...