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We are a mixed race couple (I am Indian and my husband is American) living in NH with 2 kids (6 and 3 years old). NH doesn't offer us much culturally and schools are average in the Seacoast area where we live. We have to move out of our current town (schools are bad) next year.
We have the option of keeping our current jobs by moving either to Boston suburbs or Seattle suburbs.
We have some friends in Seattle suburbs and narrowed down to Bothell or Issaquah. It looks like that will be affordable compared to Andover or Westborough in MA.
Commute wise: Seattle suburbs to Seattle downtown seems better than Boston suburbs to Boston.
Weather wise: Seattle may not be bitter cold and we dont have to deal with snow.
Anybody interested in poking holes in our thought process?
I think your thought process is good. I think you will find Seattle a much more diverse and dynamic place than New Hampshire. I grew up in New England (Boston and VT). I think I would choose Seattle over Boston at this point in my life, but I never lived in Boston as an adult, but have gone back a lot. I would prefer to retire back in NE in summers/fall mostly (probably VT or Portsmouth NH), and then get away for a few months (Jan-late April) somewhere warm.
Here are some random points:
-MUCH nicer historic architecture in NE. And many, many more quaint downtowns in the small towns of NE. It's one of the things I miss the most. Other then a few properties right around the city core, the Seattle metro doesn't have many beautiful historic houses. And WA State does not have many pretty quaint small towns like NE. Bothell and Issaquah are pretty bland architecturally and have your standard newer American cookie cutter type subdivisions with little character & lots of chains. Issaquah is pretty, safe, close to great nature.
-I love the distinct seasons in NE, but the winters are milder out here. Yet you do get more winter sun in NE. Seattle has a very grey, drizzily winter but not nearly as bitter cold as NE. I actually think the winter snow in NE is pretty after it falls. Seattle has nice summers as they are dry, low humidity and mostly sunny. One thing I miss about NE summers are the summer rains that keep it so green & lush. The grass gets brown in WA in July & Aug as there is almost no rain.
-I love all the close diverse trips you can do in NE (NYC, Montreal/Quebec, Maine Coast, Vermont, Maine lakes, Cape Cod, White Mnts NH). Seattle has nice trips too though, although more nature oriented and less quaint and historical (Vancouver, Portland, Cascades, OR Coast, etc...)
-Seattle has awesome access to hiking & skiing close by. Boston the skiing & mountains are a bit further. Cape Cod, Maine, etc... have MUCH nicer summer beaches than WA or OR. Most of even the summer the WA & OR Coast is inhospitable, windy & cool (but pretty). Not a place you want to hang out with your beach umbrella and shorts and chill.
-The city of Seattle seems more integrated with nature than Boston with all the trees & lakes. Feels less like a concrete jungle. But Boston has some really gorgeous suburban towns full of beautiful older homes, old down towns, and tree lined streets.
I've never been to Boston... but you would probably really appreciate Issaquah, specifically the neighborhood where I live (Issaquah Highlands).. we have a huge Indian population here. We had nearly as many homes decorated for Diwali as were decorated for Halloween. Okay, that's probably a little exaggerated... but Indian culture has a substantial influence in my community. There are faceebook postings of all sorts related to the country.. comedians visiting... dance... movies... festivals.. women post their little businesses selling traditional clothing and jewelry and food...
Some things I would consider. Do you have family on the East Coast? I feel badly that my kids see their cousins very infrequently. Flights are pricey and it is just such an ordeal flying my crew across the country.
How old are your kids? Mine are approaching the age where college becomes a consideration. I am fairly certain at least one of mine will chose an East Coast school. This may not matter to you but I did not think about that before we took the plunge and came West.
Quality of life is better here (I am very familiar with the parts of MA you would consider....If you do chose MA I'd go with Andover BTW). The areas here you re looking at in the Seattle area are very suburban with very little walkability. Lots of people like this but be sure to come and check it out before you decide.
I don't think the weather will bother you too much. I did almost 4 winters in MA and it was enough to last me a lifetime. People who gripe about the weather here have never spent a January when it rarely gets above 10 degrees. Plus if you miss the snow or want to ski you can hop in the car and drive 45 minutes for a day of skiing. The summers here are awesome.
We have the option of keeping our current jobs by moving either to Boston suburbs or Seattle suburbs... We have some friends in Seattle suburbs and narrowed down to Bothell or Issaquah.
Commute wise: Seattle suburbs to Seattle downtown seems better than Boston suburbs to Boston.
Just to confirm, your jobs would be in downtown Seattle and you're contemplating moving to the outer suburbs?
Certainly not a huge problem, but the complexity/hassle of commuting in this area is very much a devil-in-the-details sort of thing.
Lake Washington complicates things. From Bothell you can travel overland, but via some serious traffic choke points, to get to downtown Seattle. The geography of Seattle - an isthmus between Lake Washington and Puget Sound, focuses traffic into narrow corridors, including a number of bridges that can really get jammed. The northern bridge across Lake Washington, SR 520, is heavily tolled and dumps you onto I-5 north of the downtown core. From Bothell it's a pretty long commute, and often annoying.
Issaquah is located along I-90 which uses a newer, bigger, and untolled bridge (really two) that goes right into downtown Seattle. It traverses Mercer Island en route, and if it were me I'd add Mercer Island to your list of possible locations to investigate. Good schools and a good sense of community, a range of housing choices (from billionaire waterfront estates to decent single family ramblers) and extremely convenient to Seattle and to the suburbs as well as the mountains. Housing might be a bit more expensive, but you'd recoup it in resale and in reduced commuting costs.
If you're both working downtown, you could also use the HOV and "express" lanes on the various freeways, further reducing your commute time and nuisance.
Just to confirm, your jobs would be in downtown Seattle and you're contemplating moving to the outer suburbs?
Certainly not a huge problem, but the complexity/hassle of commuting in this area is very much a devil-in-the-details sort of thing.
Lake Washington complicates things. From Bothell you can travel overland, but via some serious traffic choke points, to get to downtown Seattle. The geography of Seattle - an isthmus between Lake Washington and Puget Sound, focuses traffic into narrow corridors, including a number of bridges that can really get jammed. The northern bridge across Lake Washington, SR 520, is heavily tolled and dumps you onto I-5 north of the downtown core. From Bothell it's a pretty long commute, and often annoying.
Issaquah is located along I-90 which uses a newer, bigger, and untolled bridge (really two) that goes right into downtown Seattle. It traverses Mercer Island en route, and if it were me I'd add Mercer Island to your list of possible locations to investigate. Good schools and a good sense of community, a range of housing choices (from billionaire waterfront estates to decent single family ramblers) and extremely convenient to Seattle and to the suburbs as well as the mountains. Housing might be a bit more expensive, but you'd recoup it in resale and in reduced commuting costs.
If you're both working downtown, you could also use the HOV and "express" lanes on the various freeways, further reducing your commute time and nuisance.
Thank you for responding. Yes, we are contemplating living in the suburbs for schools and commuting to Seattle 2 or 3 times a week (working from home the remaining days). From what you say, Issaquah seems to be better than Bothell for us.
I will be working East coast timings and will be going in/leaving early. What is parking situation like near Safeco Center in downtown? How much does parking typically cost per day? Thank you!!
Some things I would consider. Do you have family on the East Coast? I feel badly that my kids see their cousins very infrequently. Flights are pricey and it is just such an ordeal flying my crew across the country.
How old are your kids? Mine are approaching the age where college becomes a consideration. I am fairly certain at least one of mine will chose an East Coast school. This may not matter to you but I did not think about that before we took the plunge and came West.
Quality of life is better here (I am very familiar with the parts of MA you would consider....If you do chose MA I'd go with Andover BTW). The areas here you re looking at in the Seattle area are very suburban with very little walkability. Lots of people like this but be sure to come and check it out before you decide.
I don't think the weather will bother you too much. I did almost 4 winters in MA and it was enough to last me a lifetime. People who gripe about the weather here have never spent a January when it rarely gets above 10 degrees. Plus if you miss the snow or want to ski you can hop in the car and drive 45 minutes for a day of skiing. The summers here are awesome.
Hi Kaday - We don't have family where we live and it is really our jobs that tied us down here. Now that we have the option of moving to Seattle we are taking it given that the suburbs there seem affordable than Boston suburbs and hoping for a milder weather than the brutal weathere here. Thanks for responding.
I've never been to Boston... but you would probably really appreciate Issaquah, specifically the neighborhood where I live (Issaquah Highlands).. we have a huge Indian population here. We had nearly as many homes decorated for Diwali as were decorated for Halloween. Okay, that's probably a little exaggerated... but Indian culture has a substantial influence in my community. There are faceebook postings of all sorts related to the country.. comedians visiting... dance... movies... festivals.. women post their little businesses selling traditional clothing and jewelry and food...
Thank you, Flyingsaucermom! We drove through IH when we came to visit Seattle early this year and we loved it! Who knows, some day we might call it our home
I think your thought process is good. I think you will find Seattle a much more diverse and dynamic place than New Hampshire. I grew up in New England (Boston and VT). I think I would choose Seattle over Boston at this point in my life, but I never lived in Boston as an adult, but have gone back a lot. I would prefer to retire back in NE in summers/fall mostly (probably VT or Portsmouth NH), and then get away for a few months (Jan-late April) somewhere warm.
Here are some random points:
-MUCH nicer historic architecture in NE. And many, many more quaint downtowns in the small towns of NE. It's one of the things I miss the most. Other then a few properties right around the city core, the Seattle metro doesn't have many beautiful historic houses. And WA State does not have many pretty quaint small towns like NE. Bothell and Issaquah are pretty bland architecturally and have your standard newer American cookie cutter type subdivisions with little character & lots of chains. Issaquah is pretty, safe, close to great nature.
-I love the distinct seasons in NE, but the winters are milder out here. Yet you do get more winter sun in NE. Seattle has a very grey, drizzily winter but not nearly as bitter cold as NE. I actually think the winter snow in NE is pretty after it falls. Seattle has nice summers as they are dry, low humidity and mostly sunny. One thing I miss about NE summers are the summer rains that keep it so green & lush. The grass gets brown in WA in July & Aug as there is almost no rain.
-I love all the close diverse trips you can do in NE (NYC, Montreal/Quebec, Maine Coast, Vermont, Maine lakes, Cape Cod, White Mnts NH). Seattle has nice trips too though, although more nature oriented and less quaint and historical (Vancouver, Portland, Cascades, OR Coast, etc...)
-Seattle has awesome access to hiking & skiing close by. Boston the skiing & mountains are a bit further. Cape Cod, Maine, etc... have MUCH nicer summer beaches than WA or OR. Most of even the summer the WA & OR Coast is inhospitable, windy & cool (but pretty). Not a place you want to hang out with your beach umbrella and shorts and chill.
-The city of Seattle seems more integrated with nature than Boston with all the trees & lakes. Feels less like a concrete jungle. But Boston has some really gorgeous suburban towns full of beautiful older homes, old down towns, and tree lined streets.
Hi Kaday - We don't have family where we live and it is really our jobs that tied us down here. Now that we have the option of moving to Seattle we are taking it given that the suburbs there seem affordable than Boston suburbs and hoping for a milder weather than the brutal weathere here. Thanks for responding.
Well then you will really love the weather here. We came here 3 years ago still young enough for an adventure. We do love it here despite our families being so far away. Best of luck!
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Okay, that's probably a little exaggerated... but Indian culture has a substantial influence in my community. There are faceebook postings of all sorts related to the country.. comedians visiting... dance... movies... festivals.. women post their little businesses selling traditional clothing and jewelry and food...
