Where are the hippie towns? (Seattle, Bellingham: appointed, fit in, real estate)

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Olympia is about the only real hippy town I can find in Washington.. More of the "real" hippy towns are in Oregon, where I grew up, along with Northern California. Washington is a much more reserved state and tends to be a bit more hipstery/grungy/blue-collar/redneck or just plain Scandanavian Liberalish. It doesn't have that free-spirited, open-minded, cross-cultural, free-your-soul, let your hair/dreadlocks down type of vibe that you would see in many Oregon towns.

I lived in a town called Eugene, Oregon that is probably, along with Eureka, California, the hippy capitol of the USA. It was one of the most common places for the Grateful Dead to do their tours and many Deadheads settled in that town. Sadly, I believe Oregon is changing a bit due to the influx of people from the East Coast and around the country who are trying to transform Portland and other Oregon towns into places like where they came from.

I was just in Portland last week and was amazed though at how much more laid-back and hippyish the vibe is compared to Seattle, which is more mainstream and much more formal and less funky (if we can use that term). Even being away from Oregon for 2 years, has made me forget the differences from where I am now. Actually, Seattle is one of the least hip and least culturally diverse/enlightened/funky places I have been. People seem very serious, professional and mainstream and tend to fear or, at least, lack understanding of people who are a bit exotic and outside the cultural norms of the city and behavior of people in the state of Washington.

Agree. Seattle is not a laid-back, hippy town. Maybe pockets live in Bellingham and Olympia. It's not like NC towns, and I really do miss that vibe. Seattle and surrounding areas are very liberal and educated, relaxed and somewhat hipster in attire, non-religious, debate averse, bureaucratic, uptight in pc correctness and somewhat idealistic, into organic foods and buying local, reserved, tech savvy, fans of nature and outdoors activities, physically fit and generally healthy, slightly humorless and passive-aggressive, hard-working, generally kind but sometimes self-centered. Neighbors do not reach out to one another or make exceptions to the rules because someone is having a bad day, but I think this is partly a function of being a crowded city. It's much cooler and urban than Carrboro, Pittsboro, or Asheville, but less peaceful. Seattle is a densely populated city of neighborhoods, but every one of those neighborhoods has funky independent shops in abundance -- far more than in any NC town. Every neighborhood is self-contained with their own farmer's market, library, grocery stores, schools, restaurants, parks, community center, etc...I think you will like it here even though the vibe is less crunchy. It is very family-oriented, a great place to raise kids and stay active.

And just as an aside, when I went to Weaver St. Market in Carrboro a few months ago, the people looked just like Seattlites. Everyone on a laptop, women without makeup, natural fiber yet expensive clothes and shoes (REI style), some engaged in conversation. Seattle has more of the hipster element due to all of the young techies, and you won't see anyone in overalls or walking barefoot with dreds, but in general the people are similar.

[evaofnc]

Originally Posted by seattlenextyear

It's a tough comparison, the other towns you mentioned are extremely rural compared with the Seattle area. I don't remember Pittsboro having much besides the General Store cafe and a bunch of tiny vintage shops. Not exactly "vibrant" or "hippie" at all.

Oh man you'd be surprised now. Pittsboro and Saxapahaw are where the progressives and hippies go when they can't afford housing in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. They've become funky little places.

Thanks everyone for the tips! We're going exploratory wandering next month and wanted to hone in on a couple spots

[Ira500]

Langley, Whidbey Island. Eastsound, Orcas Island. Port Townsend.

[skidamarink]

Hippies can't afford to live in Seattle anymore. They probably all left for Oregon. Seattle is becoming more and more yuppie as the days go by. Capitol Hill will likely be like Lower Queen Anne soon due to Amazon moving to South Lake Union. Now all these naive suburbanites who come here to work for Amazon or Microsoft, dressed in North Face jackets, wanna be "cool" so they move to Capitol Hill which drives up the rent. The smelly funky rastafarians, eclectic starving artists, and broke hipsters are moving out of Capitol Hill because they can't afford it anymore. Lots of people had their rent raised by $100 or more this summer. I'm not necessarily against that, as I'm kinda yuppie myself. Although I'm starting to outgrow it, as that culture feels really drained of character. Sometimes you just want to be able to wear glittery leggings, 6 inch heels, and a Wrestlemania t-shirt without being judged, yanno.

Fremont is not hippie at all and not that hipster. Just because you wear crochet dresses and shop at PCC does not mean you are a hippie or boho.

Portland is closer to the hippie vibe, although it goes beyond that. "Keep Portland weird." You won't labeled "weird" just because you don't act like everyone else. This is Portland: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-3...pened-in-portl

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by skidamarink

Hippies can't afford to live in Seattle anymore. They probably all left for Oregon. Seattle is becoming more and more yuppie as the days go by. Capitol Hill will likely be like Lower Queen Anne soon due to Amazon moving to South Lake Union. Now all these naive suburbanites who come here to work for Amazon or Microsoft, dressed in North Face jackets, wanna be "cool" so they move to Capitol Hill which drives up the rent. The smelly funky rastafarians, eclectic starving artists, and broke hipsters are moving out of Capitol Hill because they can't afford it anymore. Lots of people had their rent raised by $100 or more this summer. I'm not necessarily against that, as I'm kinda yuppie myself . But at times, that culture feels really drained of character.

City-Data Forums: come for the cost-of-living questions, stay for the ceaseless bandying about of regional stereotypes!

[skidamarink]

Originally Posted by BATCAT

City-Data Forums: come for the cost-of-living questions, stay for the ceaseless bandying about of regional stereotypes!

Here we go again with the whining and labeling this and that a stereotype and generalization. When someone asks a question about the social culture of X city, they are basically calling for such answers. Granted, yes, it does get carried away and too overanalyzed at times, but the point is to get a general idea from other people's perspectives. If I was required to be completely devoid of stereotypes when moving and I was only concerned about cost of living, I'd move to Kentucky or North Dakota. Who knows, perhaps all the "stereotypes" I hear others say about those places are completely wrong and they may be very eclectic cities with the culture I like, but I'm not taking the risk by moving out there.

If that's all this forum is to you and you don't like it, then don't participate.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by skidamarink

Here we go again with the whining and labeling this and that a stereotype and generalization. When someone asks a question about the social culture of X city, they are basically calling for such answers. Granted, yes, it does get carried away and too overanalyzed at times, but the point is to get a general idea from other people's perspectives. If I was required to be completely devoid of stereotypes when moving and I was only concerned about cost of living, I'd move to Kentucky or North Dakota. Who knows, perhaps all the "stereotypes" I hear others say about those places are completely wrong and they may be very eclectic cities with the culture I like, but I'm not taking the risk by moving out there.

If that's all this forum is to you and you don't like it, then don't participate.

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by skidamarink

Here we go again with the whining and labeling this and that a stereotype and generalization. When someone asks a question about the social culture of X city, they are basically calling for such answers. Granted, yes, it does get carried away and too overanalyzed at times, but the point is to get a general idea from other people's perspectives. If I was required to be completely devoid of stereotypes when moving and I was only concerned about cost of living, I'd move to Kentucky or North Dakota. Who knows, perhaps all the "stereotypes" I hear others say about those places are completely wrong and they may be very eclectic cities with the culture I like, but I'm not taking the risk by moving out there.

If that's all this forum is to you and you don't like it, then don't participate.

Agree. Our intention is not to perpetuate stereotypes, but rather describe the flavor of the people and culture. I appreciate this info when contemplating a move. "Hippy" is a (neutral) stereotype, but we all know what info she is seeking -- not cost of living comparisons. And I've just observed that your uptight response to this post reflects another Seattle stereotype. : )

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

Agree. Our intention is not to perpetuate stereotypes, but rather describe the flavor of the people and culture.

The flavor of the people ... hippies .... *cringe* I certainly wouldn't want to eat many of the hippies I've ever met!

One thing is for sure though, they'd be "organic"! Would have to bathe and trim the body hair first too.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by skidamarink

Hippies can't afford to live in Seattle anymore. They probably all left for Oregon. Seattle is becoming more and more yuppie as the days go by. Capitol Hill will likely be like Lower Queen Anne soon due to Amazon moving to South Lake Union. Now all these naive suburbanites who come here to work for Amazon or Microsoft, dressed in North Face jackets, wanna be "cool" so they move to Capitol Hill which drives up the rent. The smelly funky rastafarians, eclectic starving artists, and broke hipsters are moving out of Capitol Hill because they can't afford it anymore. Lots of people had their rent raised by $100 or more this summer. I'm not necessarily against that, as I'm kinda yuppie myself. Although I'm starting to outgrow it, as that culture feels really drained of character. Sometimes you just want to be able to wear glittery leggings, 6 inch heels, and a Wrestlemania t-shirt without being judged, yanno.

Fremont is not hippie at all and not that hipster. Just because you wear crochet dresses and shop at PCC does not mean you are a hippie or boho.

Portland is closer to the hippie vibe, although it goes beyond that. "Keep Portland weird." You won't labeled "weird" just because you don't act like everyone else. This is Portland: The 30 Most Portland Things That Have Ever Happened In Portland

Strangely enough San Francisco is much more expensive than Seattle, but has a much larger hippy population than Seattle. So, cost alone, isn't probably the issue, as many hippies are communal and share housing, making expenses not as much of an issue as it would for a nuclear style family that has one or two wage earners supporting 2 or 3 kids.