How can plain gay people afford to live in Seattle? (Tacoma: apartment, rent)

[travisto]

Hello!

I am a single gay man in my late 20s, and I have mild aspergers. I currently live in sunny Jacksonville, Florida, and the city is bleeding population, and many neighborhoods appear to be in decline as well. I don't mind the city so much because I have lived here my whole life, and I can semi-afford a 1 bedroom apartment working where I work. Additionally, I was considering the purchase of a house in the area until I began to come to a realization that I am very alone due to a lack of peers/lack minded individual.

One big issue though, is it definitely appears that all the gays my age have made a mass exodus to more gay friendly areas, and many people who I have grown up with in high school have moved. This has made me reconsider the purchase of the house, as I have done more research, and it seems that the culture in an area like Seattle, Wa is more gay friendly/autism friendly.

One thing that is for sure, is I can not afford to buy a house in Seattle, Wa. I am fine with that. The big heartbreaker, is with my current wage as a retail specialist, I can not afford half of rent in a place like seattle either. What I always hear when I mention this is wages are somehow higher in bigger cities and areas like Seattle, WA and somehow the companies in these cities know what wage to pay someone so they can actually live there. Is this really true? I can't relate to many people in my current area, and I have worked in natural food stores for a decade, so I definitely wouldn't mind living in Seattle, where natural food stores are big thing.

TLDR: Are retail wages in seattle, Wa typically offered as a living wage, or do they often come in close to the minimum wage they can legally pay? Does anyone have any other advice for my situation?

[krieger00]

I would look into Tacoma it would be a lot cheaper then Seattle . I work retail in Seattle and I make 19 an hour and I have a hard time making it . Then again I am paying for community college out of pocket and have a 200 dollar car payment .

Truth be told if i was not going to college I would be working two jobs just so I can one day stop working when i am 65 years old or so.

I feel like $19 bucks an hour is right above the poverty line for Seattle living by your self . I is ok but your not going to be having much fun.

[amaiunmei]

I will note that there has been an exodus to places like Kent, WA for exactly this reason:

Seattle News and Events | There Goes the Gayborhood

[mkarch]

It really depends on what you expect for living standards. A lot of people in their late 20's (and older) get by on relatively lower paying jobs, retail - whatever - and manage. They have a roommate or significant other helping with the rent. The other thing the 'rent cost' threads don't cover is there are a lot of people that search out lower rent accomodations and find them, even in hot areas. An average 1 bedroom might cost $1400, but I know people paying $800-900 in Ballard and Capitol Hill for places way nicer than I ever aspired to as a poor college student. They're not luxurious or easy to find, but they do exist.

So if your primary objective is to get to a more er... liberal area, Seattle has options, but be prepared to sacrifice some standard of living while you navigate.

[Ruth4Truth]

Working in retail, you'd have to live outside the city and commute in, OP. Plenty of people, gay and straight, do that. No retail business is going to give you a big raise just because you want to live in Seattle. The companies that pay more are the tech companies and Boeing. After you live in WA State for 1 year, you'll be eligible for in-state tuition. I suggest you go to school so you can get a better job, if you're not on a promotional track in retail.

[Ira500]

The options that come to mind are:
Find a shared housing situation, or rent one one of those tiny apodments. They're nicely located in Seattle and cheap, but tiny.
Or commute in from a less expensive suburb. The less expensive suburbs may not have as high a gay population as many Seattle neighborhoods, but they're gay/autism friendly and have natural food stores.

[artistic22498]

You may want to consider the Tacoma area--it has a lot of terrific amenities and a much more liveable economy than Seattle--while being close enough to that great city that it's a relatively short drive to take advantage of the big shows and the like up there if that is something you are into. Tacoma also offers several nice museums, a strong arts community, healthy living, and scads of Universities, colleges and vocational schools. Live here for a year and you'd qualify as a resident. Numerous parks, camping nearby, a zoo (if you like that sort of thing), etc. etc. As far as being gay-friendly, my youngest daughter came out in late middle school and never felt uncomfortable. And you know how kids can be--I think that says a lot. If you want to know more, please let me know and I'll be happy to share.

[BellevueNative]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Working in retail, you'd have to live outside the city and commute in, OP. Plenty of people, gay and straight, do that. No retail business is going to give you a big raise just because you want to live in Seattle. The companies that pay more are the tech companies and Boeing. After you live in WA State for 1 year, you'll be eligible for in-state tuition. I suggest you go to school so you can get a better job, if you're not on a promotional track in retail.

Are you sure it's one year of residency? I thought it was two, and it had to be established before enrollment?

ETA: Looks like it is one year, but residency needs to be established for one year prior to enrollment in order to receive in-state tuition. In other words, before you've even been accepted. You must prove that you are here for purposes other than educational. http://www.washington.edu/students/reg/residency/

[Arushan]

"Current guidelines require that students enrolled for 7 credits or more a quarter must be employed at least 30 hours per week at a non-student job to overcome the presumption of educational purposes."

Ouch. This may effect me when I start up classes again in the future. What about those of us who earn our income in a different manner? I'll have to get a hold of somebody who knows...

[krieger00]

lol