I dont recommend Seattle as your home (apartment, rental)

[wannabeaTexan]

Originally Posted by SeattlitefromNC

And at a time when condo conversions are converting BACK to apartments, renting is looking better than ever.

Where is this going on?

[SeattlitefromNC]

West Seattle Blog… » Mosaic cancels its other West Seattle condo conversion

It has already begun.

There are three slated condo conversions getting ready to start in Ballard, but all I see around here are For Sale signs with no buyers so far. The market is clearly stalled and condos are taking the fall hardest.

[MK1971]

The original poster seems to be fair in naming both positives and negatives about the area.

I think the OP's experience boils down to: if you want to live in a single family home in a good school district, then you're going to have to pay a higher market price and deal with the commute.

For that reason, the OP doesn't recommend Seattle -- the rest are either positives or subjective negatives.

On the people, however: I don't find the people here that "talkative" but I have notice that people will butt into others' conversations or offer unsolicited comments to strangers (usually on the nosey side).

A few people have mentioned the Seattle culture in this and other threads. From talking to people who were born here or have otherwise lived here 20-30+ years, I've gotten a few of the local perspectives:
Seattle wasn't always "polite" -- in fact, it used to have a reputation as a "speak your mind and be real" kind of city. The surface politeness and political correctness could be something imported from California (since that's where the bulk of the transplants came from). Makes sense, since local people aren't that formally polite (you don't hear "please, thanks, excuse me, etc" that much).
Ditto the driving: I've heard it said that, 20 years ago, putting on your turn signal in Seattle was basically a message to other drivers to not let you merge.

Passive-aggressiveness: term gets overused but, really, the definition is either saying one will do something and then just not doing it or behaving sluggishly or stubbornly when having to do something at another's request. If you look at the demographic, Seattle was a blue-collar town until the tech boom. Many of the transplants are wealthier than the natives; therefore, you have a locally driven service sector serving a non-locally originating clientele. I think some of the passive aggressiveness shown by locals stems from the social class disparities and the fact that they cannot really stop the influx of new money, which skews their own economic status.

"Seattle Smug" bragging up the city, citing stats, denigrating other cities, etc: I think people, especially from cities like San Francisco, who've made this their new home are often the culprits with the civic propaganda. They may be trying to prove that they've made a better choice than their counterparts who stayed in their hometowns and that they "turned Seattle into such an urbane city" over the years -- likewise, the more affluent locals may also be trying to keep up with the proverbial California Jones's.

Since many locals don't like the influx of new people, their traffic getting worse and property taxes going up, they may not be that inclined to welcome newcomers -- along with possibly some Scandinavian influenced cultural habits (stoicism, humility, etc) -- this might be why some people talk about experiencingn the infamous (and old topic) "Seattle Freeze."

I could be wrong, but that's some of what I hear -- so people who move in and complain about the "locals" "the Seattle Freeze" and other things to do with the social scene are actually complaining about a mixed bag of things that aren't necessarily ascribed to Seattle area natives.

In fact, looking through this forum (and I'm not trying to call out individuals) the people who go to the greatest lengths to defend Seattle against negative posts are not natives themselves. Many of the natives chime in with agreement, some counterpoints, or the old standby "good, now get out of here so we can have our city back!" in responses to the criticisms.

[Treefriend]

You are right, "Passive-Aggressive" is a term that gets overused.
My theory is that the people who use it are the people with an
undeserved sense of entitlement who can't get the rest of the world
to agree with them about their own self-importance.

Like some rageaholic who can't organise his or her day
very well so is in a hurry, blasting up behind me and tailgating
me to try to intimidate me into joining their frantic rush.

I make sure to plan my day specifically so I don't have to rush,
but the incompitent, aggressive one will no doubt tag me as
"passive-aggressive" because I do not meet their imperious demands.

[MK1971]

Originally Posted by Treefriend

You are right, "Passive-Aggressive" is a term that gets overused.
My theory is that the people who use it are the people with an
undeserved sense of entitlement who can't get the rest of the world
to agree with them about their own self-importance.

Like some rageaholic who can't organise his or her day
very well so is in a hurry, blasting up behind me and tailgating
me to try to intimidate me into joining their frantic rush.

I make sure to plan my day specifically so I don't have to rush,
but the incompitent, aggressive one will no doubt tag me as
"passive-aggressive" because I do not meet their imperious demands.

Exactly! The "passive-aggressive" tag is relative to the expectations of the person using it. Although, you're not as likely to hear an "in your face" comment here (unlike, say Newark, NJ, where "eff you" is used more than "hello")-- people will manifest their dissatisfaction in other, indirect, ways. Although, I meant overused as in people not using the correct definition and saying passive aggressive to describe other things they don't like about people.

Well, it's 10:06 -- I have "drink the rest of my coffee" on my planner from 10:07-10:15 and then I'll doodle on down to Pike Place from 10:16-noon, since I didn't tell myself I had to be there until 12:15, I can just take my time (smiley face -- was that comment also passive-aggressive or just "snarky" -- yet another term tagged with Seattle culture).

By the way, generally, passive aggressiveness and "snarkiness" (prone to sarcastic comments) are archetypical behaviors of people who are discontent but feel unable to change the situation. Extrapolating a little bit, but I don't find it surprising that a populace that's experienced changes that they don't like, yet are beyond their control, would exhibit this type of behavior.

[MK1971]

I guess to make a point of this (I had in my planner11:20-11:30 stop on street near coffee shop on way to Pike Place, connect wifi and post on City-data -- hey, these people behind me can wait): for people moving here from other areas, be cognizant of the fact that there's a local dislike of people coming in from other areas coming here -- so, you might get a different than expected reaction to identifying that you're from out of town or any references or comparisons to the place you're from.

[41Willys]

Originally Posted by MK1971

I guess to make a point of this (I had in my planner11:20-11:30 stop on street near coffee shop on way to Pike Place, connect wifi and post on City-data -- hey, these people behind me can wait): for people moving here from other areas, be cognizant of the fact that there's a local dislike of people coming in from other areas coming here -- so, you might get a different than expected reaction to identifying that you're from out of town or any references or comparisons to the place you're from.

I would deny I just moved there. But my accent will give me away.

[seahawksweetie]

ok, first off I am not a native of Seattle. I guess I'm lumped in with the "money-grubbing ingrates from CA". I just moved here. This was a planned move that I've had in the works for at least 3 years. I don't own a home, never have. I didn't not sell a home and take my equity to come up here and grab everyone's jobs and cheap homes. I came here because I love the beauty of the Northwest. I am currently renting a home in Bonney Lake and so far I love it-the area, the people and the weather.

It is not my intent to disrespect this area or the people whom are its natives. My family and I look forward to exploring the area and all of its wonders and during our time here I hope we "give back" to the area as much as we "take from it". After all, it's all about balance.

I know the OP was making a generalization, but I didn't want to be lumped together with those that don't think or act the way I was brought up, etc.

Good luck to the OP, I hope you find an area where you can be truly happy. Everyone deserves that.

[Treefriend]

Originally Posted by MK1971

I guess to make a point of this (I had in my planner11:20-11:30 stop on street near coffee shop on way to Pike Place, connect wifi and post on City-data -- hey, these people behind me can wait): for people moving here from other areas, be cognizant of the fact that there's a local dislike of people coming in from other areas coming here -- so, you might get a different than expected reaction to identifying that you're from out of town or any references or comparisons to the place you're from.

Passive-Aggressive!!!

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by MK1971

I guess to make a point of this (I had in my planner11:20-11:30 stop on street near coffee shop on way to Pike Place, connect wifi and post on City-data -- hey, these people behind me can wait): for people moving here from other areas, be cognizant of the fact that there's a local dislike of people coming in from other areas coming here -- so, you might get a different than expected reaction to identifying that you're from out of town or any references or comparisons to the place you're from.

It depends on how long those people have live in Seattle.

Most people that recently migrated to Seattle came from Pacific Islands, Japan, Russia, Canada, Mexico and neighboring states like Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana & Nevada. So those people tend to be more "receiving".

It just seems that its those that have lived in Seattle for like 20-30 years tend to have that "Dont come here and ruin my beautiful city attitude".

But for the most part, I would say 85% of people will accept you NO MATTER where you are from.