Half the people that move to Seattle hate it. (fit in, earthquake)

[josie13]

Originally Posted by Hacker1234

From what I see, WA has legalized pot, gay marriage, you can buy liquor on Sunday, no income tax and you can go to a casino.

Sounds very Libertarian to me.

Seattle consistently ranks as one of the most well-read cities in the country. It is also #1 for unchurched citizens. Both huge pluses in my book.

[tofur]

Originally Posted by UrbanObservor

Next time try visiting in the summer (July - September). It's sunny, warm, and stays light out until 10pm.

Why would you visit in the best time of the year when it's only a couple months long? The majority of the time it's overcast/drizzling/cold.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by josie13

I grew up in the Bay Area, and the traffic is a non-issue to me because I was dedicated to public transit in the Bay Area and I remain dedicated to it here. Zipping along in the HOV lane has a lot to be said for it.

As for climate, the weather in WA is far preferable to me than that of the Bay Area. I hate to be too hot, and for me it just gets too hot to cope in CA. I never had A/C in either location, so maybe I would have felt better about the weather on the Peninsula if I'd had A/C. There are very few days in Seattle that having A/C even crosses my mind.

If you hate to be hot, Seattle is the place to be.



I don't understand what you mean by lack of good nightlife options. On practically any given night, there are heaps of bands and other entertainment in the local clubs. As well as lots of plays, SF symphony, good choice of movies, events at Town Hall, and so on. How are these not good nightlife options?

Same here; I always used public transit in the Bay and Seattle, so traffic was a non-issue. Certainly not a reason to move.

The Bay Area is actually much cooler than Seattle in the summers. I wasn't able to tolerate Seattle summers, and would leave for the Bay during the peak heat in Seattle. The fog keeps most of the inner Bay cool and in the 70's all summer. When I wasn't able to do my summer migration to the Bay anymore, I did get A/C. There's about a 6-week period every summer when A/C is necessary. You must have been living in the wrong part of the Bay Area. Berkeley, Oakland, El Cerrito are ideal. I don't know about the Peninsula, except for the coast. SF stays cool, too cool for some people's liking.

The Bay Area gets much better bands and more variety. There's a LOT more jazz of all kinds happening all the time, more World music, and top national and international groups. Seattle rarely gets music of that caliber.

[NewbiePoster]

Originally Posted by Jalhop

I'll add mine, if only to let those wishing to move here know what they're getting into.

New condos everywhere, $400K condos for everyone. They and other new buildings are gobbling up my favorite restaurants and replacing them with pricey places or chains.

Some people seem to love all the growth and the light rail and the changing skyline. To me it's two steps backwards, one step forwards. Good for highly paid youth or high-end shoppers and not so much for the rest. To me, a better life can be had overall in a city more like Seattle was in the 1990s, a time when a basic job could afford a studio apartment.

I've been here 25 years and foresee that my kids would struggle to survive on their own here. Also I need a sunnier place. So in a few years I'll be moving. Until then I'll keep appreciating the best things about the Seattle area, which are still many.

Agree. Some of the neighborhoods have lost their "neighborhoody" feel, and have given way to condos or big box stores, like out at Northgate. Bigger isn't always better, and there's something to be said for preserving charm, not to mention personal service.

[josie13]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Same here; I always used public transit in the Bay and Seattle, so traffic was a non-issue. Certainly not a reason to move.

The Bay Area is actually much cooler than Seattle in the summers. I wasn't able to tolerate Seattle summers, and would leave for the Bay during the peak heat in Seattle. The fog keeps most of the inner Bay cool and in the 70's all summer. When I wasn't able to do my summer migration to the Bay anymore, I did get A/C. There's about a 6-week period every summer when A/C is necessary. You must have been living in the wrong part of the Bay Area. Berkeley, Oakland, El Cerrito are ideal. I don't know about the Peninsula, except for the coast. SF stays cool, too cool for some people's liking.

Ah, that explains it. It's the Peninsula that I'm most familiar with. When I was a little girl, it would be baking hot, and we'd get those rolling brownouts in the summertime. Nowadays, it gets hotter than ever down on the Peninsula in the summertime. In Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and so on, it gets so hot that you have to drive over the Santa Cruz Mts. to get some relief. It's much cooler here in Seattle.

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The Bay Area gets much better bands and more variety. There's a LOT more jazz of all kinds happening all the time, more World music, and top national and international groups. Seattle rarely gets music of that caliber.

I guess we must have totally different taste in music. I've been ecstatic over the choice of bands to see here in Seattle. All my favorites come around regularly, even obscure European bands that I remember from when I was living in the UK and Ireland. On top of that, the Bumbershoot, Northwest Folklife, and Sasquatch Festivals are all consistent highlights of my year.

Of course, Seattle doesn't have what London or New York City have to offer, but then neither does San Francisco.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by josie13

Ah, that explains it. It's the Peninsula that I'm most familiar with. When I was a little girl, it would be baking hot, and we'd get those rolling brownouts in the summertime. Nowadays, it gets hotter than ever down on the Peninsula in the summertime. In Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and so on, it gets so hot that you have to drive over the Santa Cruz Mts. to get some relief. It's much cooler here in Seattle.

Hey, thanks for finally getting to the bottom of it, lol! It must be a west Bay vs. East Bay thing. All you had to do is move to Berkeley, lol! (Just kidding.) And yeah, Santa Cruz is so nice!

OK, so different strokes for different folks, music-wise. Folklife is nice, but it doesn't carry over into the rest of the year enough. The thing about the Bay Area is that there's a HUGE African-American population, and that creates a demand for jazz, and high-end name jazz, at that. And in general, it's a very eclectic crowd, so it draws some of the best music from Africa and other parts of the developing world, two. There are 2 universities with ethnomusicology departments, and a much bigger East Asian and Tibetan community, too, that support a demand for music from parts of Asia. All that diversity makes a big difference in the music scene. And the higher population numbers means it's more profitable for music producers and venues, I guess.

[victorianpunk]

Originally Posted by josie13

Seattle consistently ranks as one of the most well-read cities in the country. It is also #1 for unchurched citizens. Both huge pluses in my book.

"Well read" yes, but the whole unchurched thing misses two important points:

First, we have fundies here who are even louder than the ones in the South. Why? Because they know they are in the minority and are in constant missionary mode. In the South, as long as you don't do anything too crazy it is possible to never be approached by a missionary. Why? They will just assume you're one of them.

Second, we have plenty of crazy Dawkin's Witnesses who take every available opportunity to mock religion, spirituality, and even things like believing that Gingsing is good for you (not enough sciennnnnccceee!)

The crazy militant variety of atheism is out here in force and it is every bit as annoying as religious fundamentalism.

[TrueTimbers]

Gingsing is good.for you.. Chinese proved that.with a thousand years of science.

Religion.. Go to 90% of the rest of the country for it. I find loud atheists rather refreshing, not annoying..

[crtyrdjester]

I have lived here for 6.5 years, although I love the people, I hate the constant gray and wet!!

[BobMane]

Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz

Unfortunately, the Seattle forum has become the target of a number of trolls who don't even live here but continually post groundless opinions. I'm hoping that they depart from here soon.

pardon me...seattle native here. not that many other places are that great but WA is a fraud in my humble opinion. folks think they are green / progressive but it is as toxic and redneck as TX in many ways...relying on hydro isnt enough to get the greeny badge. glaciers are melting...what then? jet fuel in Olympic mountain snow pack while delta expands flights to Asia, coal exports ...oil refineries..build a wider bridge? LOL!!! military is EVERYWHERE...unchecked polluters...drive down prop values + quality of life. airplanes out of control, idiots still burning wood....WTF??? get a clue ! i will laugh when the next earthquake comes - at least i will be sipping a vivace coffe on my way down