Anyone moved to greater Seattle from South (Atlanta) (Olympia: neighborhood, buying)

[musman]

how do you like it? Does it get depressing for you with no SUN? I heard cost of living is twice as high in Seattle. How did you feel about that?

[NWarty]

I grew up in Roswell/Alpharetta and have lived here for the last 16 years. Nah, the lack of sun doesn't bother me in the winter since it was "The Goonies" that made me want to move up here in the first place. The summers here can't be beaten though as it doesn't rain for three months with temps around 80. If you do move up here, you have to expect gray skies for six-eight months out of the year. It's a little grayer and rainier here in Olympia since Seattle falls a bit in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. Keep in mind that ATL gets more rain on average than SEA, but we get the gray/misty stuff a lot.

And yes, the cost of living is extremely high compared with ATL.

[HuskyDawg]

I too grew up in Roswell/Alpharetta. Moved to Seattle in 1999. Great city, but best to move for a career or job that is comparable to the cost of living. Rather than a romantic notion of Seattle being some magical place. Cost of living is high as property and rents are expensive. Darkness in winter is the biggest negative to me being from the South, but the lack of humidity and heat is a positive. Seen a lot of people come & go, some love it up here, some not so much. Good sense of community and neighborhood pride up here that you don't have in Atlanta. Like most large cities, we struggle with traffic and density.

[burgerbun]

I moved here from Jacksonville, FL.

The weather doesn't bother me. I prefer it, actually. I like the mild climate. You're basically trading like 8 months of unbearable heat and humidity for 8 months of chilly, damp weather. Pick your poison.

I IS more expensive to live here, but I also make more money than I did in Jacksonville, for the same job.

[musman]

Thanks for input guys.

[musman]

Is there any number percentage someone can throw like how expensive it gets in Seattle. Based upon my initial research I got range from 10%-30% expensive as compared to south.

[PrincessoftheCape]

Originally Posted by musman

Is there any number percentage someone can throw like how expensive it gets in Seattle. Based upon my initial research I got range from 10%-30% expensive as compared to south.

I'd say more like 20% to 40% more expensive (not as expensive), depending on what it is you're buying. One of the weird things I noticed initially on moving here from across country was the price of beef. Unless something changed the week I moved, the price of a 16 oz steak in the Midwest at Outback was like 19.00. The same steak here at the same restaurant costs 25.00. Maybe that's just the local ownership or something, but it feels as if all food here is way more costly than it was elsewhere.

[Iconographer]

My daughter moved to Seattle from Atlanta last November. She loves it and wasn't at all bothered by the winter. She avails herself of public transportation and gives Seattle high marks on this.
She lived in Midtown Atlanta before she moved. She thinks Belltown is probably the best comparison to her old neighborhood.
Seattle is definitely the pricier of the two cities (I was horrified by the liquor prices), but my daughter thinks what Seattle brings to the table makes it worthwhile.

[branh0913]

Yes moved to Seattle from Atlanta, and lived there a year. Could have stayed in Seattle, but opted to move. I actually loved the weather. When I moved to Seattle 2 years ago, Atlanta was in a heat wave. It was 115 degrees outside one day. When I came to Seattle, I loved the weather. Best summer of anywhere hands down. Seattle doesn't rain as much as it's just cloudy all the time. It doesn't rain anymore than Atlanta. For me, I always hated Atlanta's extreme heat.

In terms of winter, Atlanta is colder than Seattle on average. Atlanta can creep below 30 degrees, where this is almost unheard of in Seattle. Atlanta is more likely to get to 20 degrees than Seattle is. Seattle winters are more than bearable, and pretty mild if you ask me. You probably won't get anomalous things like sunny in the middle of January like you will in Atlanta on occasion. But on average it's bearable.

Atlanta has better nightlife and social scene than Seattle. Atlanta is also a lot more diverse, and the people in Atlanta are more like "normal" people. Much more down to earth. I would say while in Seattle, that is what I missed the most about Atlanta. People in Seattle are almost unrelatetable.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by branh0913

Yes moved to Seattle from Atlanta, and lived there a year. Could have stayed in Seattle, but opted to move. I actually loved the weather. When I moved to Seattle 2 years ago, Atlanta was in a heat wave. It was 115 degrees outside one day. When I came to Seattle, I loved the weather. Best summer of anywhere hands down. Seattle doesn't rain as much as it's just cloudy all the time. It doesn't rain anymore than Atlanta. For me, I always hated Atlanta's extreme heat.

In terms of winter, Atlanta is colder than Seattle on average. Atlanta can creep below 30 degrees, where this is almost unheard of in Seattle. Atlanta is more likely to get to 20 degrees than Seattle is. Seattle winters are more than bearable, and pretty mild if you ask me. You probably won't get anomalous things like sunny in the middle of January like you will in Atlanta on occasion. But on average it's bearable.

Atlanta has better nightlife and social scene than Seattle. Atlanta is also a lot more diverse, and the people in Atlanta are more like "normal" people. Much more down to earth. I would say while in Seattle, that is what I missed the most about Atlanta. People in Seattle are almost unrelatetable.

The highest recorded temperature in Atlanta's history was 106°. Don't know where you came up with this 115° business.