For anyone thinking of moving to Seattle.. (sales, lease)

[rikki_5]

Goodbye little town blue….
I have lived in Seattle since 1995 from the Midwest (Michigan). There are things that are great about this area but most of them have to do with the outdoors. The nature and wildnerness here is beyond compare. When it is nice enough (the summer) to get out and enjoy it that is

The worst part about this place is the people and the cost of living. Let’s face it, Seattle people are tribal. They stick to themselves and their immediate circle of friends. They like their autonomy. They are polite and cordial but not very engaging. They are earth conscious but not people conscious. This is a very difficult place to venture if you are single and don’t know anyone.

The price of living out here is extreme. I want to buy a house, not a piece of crap condominium. I can’t even buy a condo for less than 200k. Only have 100k? you might be able to buy a shack on some leased tribal land. I cannot buy a decent house here for less that 350k (and that is for a basic home). A nice home is between 400-500k. It’s ridiculous when “starter homes” start at 400,000. Did I mention the sales tax rate? It’s 8.9%. Did I mention that food, gas, rent, everything is expensive here! I might as well move to California. At least there is nicer weather there..which leads me to the weather...

Cold rain is the worst. I’d rather have snow. I hate going six months out of the year with only seeing brief glimpses of sunlight. I am getting depressed, help! The summers are nice here but the summers don’t seem to start until mid July and they wind up late August. Yet, there is always the cool chill wind in the air.

What is with people and their northface clothing? It’s like everyone here is walking around fresh from an L.L. Bean catalog..people here leave something to be desired regarding fashion sense.

The arts and theater in particular are a reason I moved here, yet many of the smaller theaters that were so vibrant and thriving in the late 90s have vanished. The capital hill area which used to be a vibrant art community is now a model of the have and have nots..high rise condominiums taking over shops and homeless people begging for change. The crime rate is going up. The music scene here is stagnant- seems like all the same stuff lately.

So why have I stayed for so long? Well, I like the trees and I fell in love with someone. But the love didn’t work out so the trees are not enough to keep me. Every place has it’s good and bad, it just seems for me the bad has started to outweigh the good in this area. It’s not what it was like here in 1995. I think it has really gone to the dogs. If you think you may want to live here, unless you are rich and have a family or great support system here you would be better off in my opinion to move someplace else and take a vacation here during the summertime.

[corona68]

Just a thought, and NO offence to anyone...What is it with all of California moving to Washington? The cost of living is astronomical there in CA, and a dilapidated shack fetches 6 figure 's ....California has had a HUGE impact on economics there in Washington. Scarey to think that it could be like that everywhere, and what are we to do?
My dream has been to live in Washington...BUT, I'm getting scared just by reading all the negative things about Washington State.

[Ultrarunner]

It's not for everyone... but for those that love it... there is no place else!

[mthomson]

Maybe if the OP spent more time getting to know the people and less time judging them by what clothes they wore he'd find that they were friendlier.
I moved here single and in my 20's, and am now happily married, with lots of friends, a great job, and a dog who loves running in the rain with me.
Wherever you go, there you are. Attitude is more important than weather.

[socal359]

L.L.Bean Catalog, thats funny I guess you could say the same thing about people in SoCal, there are a ton of unathletic overweight people that wear nothing but athletic clothing. The reason I want to move out of CA is the fact that desireable places to live are way expensive, I will never be able to save any money or think about retireing. Sure there are affordable cities but I don't want to raise my son there. I dont want to have an economic impact on any state I move to, is it because I think a $350K house is cheap when it is overpriced for the area? I stinks because no body told me when I was five that I would not make it as an adult in CA, this is where I was born and now feel like I have wasted half my working life here struggling, counting on lottery for retirement, I am just tired of the golden state butt kicking and am ready to go try my luck elsewhere and for some reason WA appeals to us, I guess when you mentally are ready to change it sounds better everywhere else. The grass is always greener and colder,and wetter, and dressed in North Face Clothing.

[cobolt]

I agree with and second the OP's assessment. I'll be midwest bound soon. It will be good to be back home.

[gary_30307]

Well, I'm the opposite here. I'm moving away from Seattle due to family issues, and I will miss the people and the place terribly. We've only lived here four years. But, we adore it.

[ElkHunter]

I feel it's a personal issue. I for one, don't mind cloud and rain. But for some, it's a real issue that can't be dealt with. But it's a personal choice. I love Seattle. Only visited, never lived there. But when I was there, the people were friendly, the town was nice, the weather sucked, but there's nothing you can do about that. haha

[MK1971]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

It's not for everyone... but for those that love it... there is no place else!

That is the most pithy statement I think I've ever read on this topic. Well said.

Washington state and Seattle weren't for me, either, and I intend to move (and I found the area very affordable compared to where I left; so that's not why; it's also not the rain). I don't fault those who enjoy living here, though.

[alok]

This January I completed 3 years in Seattle. After living in Wichita, KS for 13 years Seattle looked like heaven. Ofcourse it took me a while to start missing Kansas where I have zillions of friends. Seattle is tough on singles, not very easy to get in their clique. Takes a long time. My views are very similar to yours except I was married for a few years and now I am trying to get into singles scene again. I am enjoying the outdoors and sports here. Marine life is something new for me and I love rafting.