tattooed degenerates (Seattle, Tacoma: fit in, apartments, houses)

[cbellep]

hello all!

my husband, myself, and our two beautiful young children are relocating to Seattle next month for my husband's work. we are originally from los angeles... yes, ew.

we are on the whole a very "normal", quiet, activity loving family, however my husband and i are both considerably tattooed. we are suburban by nature, but aesthetically speaking are more downtown.

i suppose my question to you all is this: where could a family like mine get comfortable? yes, schools are a consideration, as are things like proximity to parks, supermarkets, etc. my kids are not yet of school age so while they aren't super high on the "wants" list, i would like to start putting some roots down. we just want to live in a neighborhood where we feel accepted, where our lovely children will be able to play with other children in spite of their parents aesthetic choices, and where i may be able to make a friend or two.

my husband will be working in the queen anne area. we are looking for a 2+ bedroom single family home, ideally under $2600/mo.

having lived in la for most of my life i didn't realize how "different" i look to some people, however after spending 6 months with my family in rural england i am reminded that while tattoos have certainly become more accepted, they are still not the norm. do you guys think that there are some areas that may be better suited to us than others? any and all help is much appreciated.

all the best,

c

[eightbitguy]

You'll fit right in just about anywhere in Seattle. A good chunk of the tech workers are bearded, tattoo'd hipster types.

I live in Ballard and about half the people walking around the neighborhood (meaning: not on the main drag but up where all the single family homes are) are "young family age" (mid 20s-40ish) and half of those have at least a few tattoos.

[homesinseattle]

Funny, I'm just back from rural England. No big deal with tats, you will for sure fit in better on the Seattle side than the eastside. You might like Fremont, Ballard too.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by cbellep

hello all!

my husband, myself, and our two beautiful young children are relocating to Seattle next month for my husband's work. we are originally from los angeles... yes, ew.

we are on the whole a very "normal", quiet, activity loving family, however my husband and i are both considerably tattooed. we are suburban by nature, but aesthetically speaking are more downtown.

i suppose my question to you all is this: where could a family like mine get comfortable? yes, schools are a consideration, as are things like proximity to parks, supermarkets, etc. my kids are not yet of school age so while they aren't super high on the "wants" list, i would like to start putting some roots down. we just want to live in a neighborhood where we feel accepted, where our lovely children will be able to play with other children in spite of their parents aesthetic choices, and where i may be able to make a friend or two.

my husband will be working in the queen anne area. we are looking for a 2+ bedroom single family home, ideally under $2600/mo.

having lived in la for most of my life i didn't realize how "different" i look to some people, however after spending 6 months with my family in rural england i am reminded that while tattoos have certainly become more accepted, they are still not the norm. do you guys think that there are some areas that may be better suited to us than others? any and all help is much appreciated.

all the best,

c

Your tattoos are unlikely to cause you any problems in Seattle, except perhaps in the most conservative of workplaces or neighborhoods.

Given Queen Anne as a work location, if it were me, I might look at Queen Anne, Magnolia, possibly Interbay (not the most kid-filled area though), Fremont, or Wallingford. I don't see any reason one shouldn't avoid a longer commute than from those areas.

[seasallyttle]

You will fit in fine anywhere from Seattle to Tacoma and beyond. Maybe not the Eastside quite as much as it tends to be a little more conservative but honestly tattoos are practically required to live in Seattle. I don't have any but all the kool kids do.

[cbellep]

you guys are great, thank you!

[west seattle gal]

Tattoos and piercings are so commonplace, that I often don't even notice them when talking to someone. Lots of parents have them.

[lucy1965]

I'm the outlier amongst my group of friends: women tech professionals in their early 40s, with children, and I'm the only one who doesn't have ink.

[CrazyDonkey]

"2+ bedroom single family home, ideally under $2600/mo."

Apartment or house? Makes a big difference in availability/cost relative to different neighborhoods.

Zillow has about 60 2+ bedroom houses in Seattle for that money or less. Add more than one bathroom, that number drops to 32. Add a yard, it drops to 11. Increase your budget to $3,000, the number almost doubles to 22. Anyway, you get the idea.

Apartments? 219 2+ bedroom apts for $2,600 or less, including in Queen Anne.

[homesinseattle]

I love anyone who can seamlessly refer to themselves as a degenerate. Truly.