Native Seattelites- How do you like Seattle? (Puyallup, Woodland: best neighborhood, transplants)

[boogex]

I'm considering a job offer in Seattle, but I'm reluctant to move over the apparently high cost of living and weather. It seems like A LOT of people are moving to Seattle, and that native-born Seattlites are hard to come by, but if you are one, I'd love to hear what you think of the place. I suspect that transplants might be a little biased, since they chose to move there for some reason, which may or may not be accurate, so I'm not particularly interested in hearing from transplants, since you obviously must have liked it enough to move there. So what do you native-born Seattlers think? Is it worth the move? Are the people friendly? Is the weather as awful as it seems? Is the cost of living too punishing to enjoy life?

Thank you!

[CrazyDonkey]

That's "Seattleites"...

What I miss most when I go somewhere else is the trees.

[GatsbyGatz]

Natives still live here? I thought California-transplants like myself already displaced all of them!

[angelenogirl]

You can tell they're still here. They're the first ones to correct names, spelling and pronunciation (Pike Place is a favorite; they go nuts when you say Pike's Market or somesuch).

[tifoso]

Originally Posted by angelenogirl

You can tell they're still here. They're the first ones to correct names, spelling and pronunciation (Pike Place is a favorite; they go nuts when you say Pike's Market or somesuch).

Although hearing self-confessed non-natives butcher names like Puyallup is a guilty pleasure amongst us natives, I must admit that I've not heard anyone get too riled up about it. But then again, I haven't been on the receiving end either.

If you really want to upset the locals, head to SF and drop a bunch of "Frisco"s and "San Fran"s around and watch the fur fly.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz

Natives still live here? I thought California-transplants like myself already displaced all of them!

We bought a house 2 blocks from the one my wife was born in. However yes, most of the other 'new' residents in our area are not originally from here.

OP - we liked it enough to move back here after living on the East Coast for a few years. The weather isn't THAT bad because it's always mild, but the long stretches of short gray days days during the winter are not a major selling point for most people. The lower cost of living here was a minor reason we moved back, although with house prices up 40% in 3 years I'd say a that advantage is gone now. Also, the traffic is almost as bad as the DC area with all of the population growth. If it weren't for the self contained neighborhoods - we rarely have to venture further than Ballard or Greenwood - that would be a major issue.

[CrazyDonkey]

I had a couple from New Zealand stop me just outside the Seattle Center, asking where "Pack Marecat" was. I had to have her repeat it three times before I grok'd she was saying "Pike Market". I had to redirect them to go back on one of the bus routes they likely just got off - hopefully, they didn't end up in "Panner Squire".

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

I had a couple from New Zealand stop me just outside the Seattle Center, asking where "Pack Marecat" was. I had to have her repeat it three times before I grok'd she was saying "Pike Market". I had to redirect them to go back on one of the bus routes they likely just got off - hopefully, they didn't end up in "Panner Squire".

I probably would have directed them to Woodland Park for the pack of meerkats.

[RustinginSeattle]

Wellllll, third generation native here. I am not in love with my city, but that may be age related. When I was in my 20's I wanted to move somewhere bigger and busier. In my 30's I was content. In my 40's I want to move somewhere slower, cheaper, and sunnier. Kids may have contributed to that feeling too.

Until this last spring, I was crawling out of my skin because I wanted to leave so badly (married to someone who doesn't feel that way). However, we had just went through 3 years of some of the worst weather I've ever experienced here (cold, cold, cold and no sun - I mean not hitting the 70's until mid-July!) and I couldn't take it anymore. The good news is that the weather this year has been exceptional and it seems to have helped my mood, so I don't feel so desperate to leave. That being said, I would love to have a new adventure and explore other areas of the country that are hard to reach from here.

I feel like what used to make Seattle a nice place to be is being washed away by the hoards of newcomers. I'm not trying to say "go home", but I do feel like it's more of a younger person's place now and I don't belong here as much anymore. I Love the outdoors, but the traffic is so bad that I can't get to it anymore. I grew up when "going for a drive" was a fun activity and now I can't stand the idea of driving on our roads. I really miss driving. I love road trips, but not driving around here.

I also feel like the area has gotten much more snobby and lost it's sense of humor a little. But maybe that's just me. :-)

The cost of living issue is getting out of hand. Thank goodness I don't have to rent a place anymore, because I'm not sure what I'd do. And thank goodness I already own a home, because I know I wouldn't be able to buy one in my own neighborhood anymore. I do think it's a bummer that it's becoming a city that you can either afford to live in or not. That really limits the people that I'm exposed to, for better or for worse.

Sorry, this probably isn't what you're looking for. I do know tons of natives that love the cool rainy weather (I've always preferred hot) and are perfectly happy here (especially if they bought a house before property values skyrocketed). But I also know some natives that are being forced out of their long time neighborhood by construction and the cost of buying a new house. I'm watching so many of my kids friend's families sell their homes to contractors and move away (up north more or out of state).

[AndyR196]

Hi,
weather aside - we are looking to move from east coast (CT) to retire in several years in either Seattle or suburbs. I'd like to know the best neighborhood to rent a place for 2 weeks to have access to most parts of city fairly easily to check out the vibe. I have been once, many years ago, and I don't remember a lot of what we saw/did except the usual tourist stuff. We are both very into food, dogs, photography. We had lived in Manhattan many years so not too worried about crime, although I wouldn't want to be next to a gang's hangout either. Anyone who lives in a city for any length of time knows the places not to go. Shopping in a mall is not what we crave, but independent markets, shops & restaurants we are all over.
Thanks for any help!
Andy