Do you like the Seattle metro area better than where you grew up? (Sultan: crime, homes)

[thatguy950]

No, TBH I am looking forward to the day I don't really have to come back to Seattle at all... For now, I do enjoy the summer in Seattle, but that's about it anymore.

When you go out to a restaurant in Honolulu or buy groceries in LA and think "wow, that's pretty cheap compared to ____ in Seattle..." you know it's probably time to vacate.

[Polymorphist]

I'm from a pretty small town in Michigan along the Lake Michigan shoreline, people back there are pretty conservative. It's cheap and I miss that, however it's also cold in winter and waaay too humid in summer. I don't think i'll ever live there again, hell I barely even visit anymore.

That being said, I've enjoyed Seattle however i'm getting very tired of the housing and traffic/transit situation. I honestly don't think i'll be able to retire here so i'm already starting to eye other regions such as the Southwest or even places like Australia.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by Thom52

I grew up in Mid Pennisula, Bay Area, Redwood city/Palo Alto/Woodside.
I liked the area, but was priced out when it came time to raise a family, and started to feel like the impoverished class as the area went upscale.

I moved to Seattle area in1985 with absolutely no regrets, and no urge to move back to the Bay Area. I love the nearby mountains and all related mountain sport activities. Housing was basic but affordable back then, and cruising around in an old toyota fit into the crowd.

Now..... You need to have your Lexus or Tesla and a shiny new McMansion.

It has become the Bay Area. Those moving from the Bay Area should feel right at home now.

Time to move on, and leave it to the people that aspire to shiny new, fancy things.

Don't get me started about Seattle in 1985! Loved it back then when it was cheap, innocent and little traffic.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by Plenus

I was raised, for the most part, in the Seattle area. I am over 50 years old.

Do I like it better now? No way.

Hear ya, way too many Californians/eastcoasters here jacking up the prices, crowding the streets, killing the old vibe of Seattle and making it fast pace. It was very Seattle back in the days, and now, it's California all the way to B.C.. Canada.

[MountainDewRock]

Unequivocally, yes.

I grew up in the outskirts of the Salt Lake City area, left about 20 years ago, and after moving around the country (Virginia, Maryland, NYC, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago), I arrived in Seattle earlier this year.
Seattle is better than where I grew up in literally every way I can think of - climate, people, scenery, cultural amenities, bars, restaurants, parks, the list goes on.

As a recent arrival, it is interesting to see comments from long-time residents comparing how things “used to be” to how they are now. FWIW, the Seattle I’m rapidly falling in love with sounds more like what the old timers love about it. Maybe it’s my neighborhood (Greenlake/Wallingford), apart from being far more expensive than anywhere I’ve lived and public transit not quite up to par with what I’m used to in other places (yet), it feels neighborhood-y, friendly, and largely unpretentious. The restaurants and bars are great. The easy access to nature (excellent parks by foot or bike, nearly endless options a short drive away by car) is far superior to anywhere I’ve ever lived. Hopefully the “new Seattle” and the negative connotations I keep hearing about (and have somewhat observed first-hand in other areas like South Lake Union) won’t ever completely take over the entire city.

Don’t forget that not all of us newcomers are brogrammers here to overrun Seattle and turn it into high rise condos, fancy cars, and ruin its unique character…we WANT to enjoy Seattle for what it is (was?), join in the community and hopefully make things better, not turn it into the bay area, east coast, or anywhere else.

I did go native and buy a Subaru recently…I guess next I need to go buy some flannel

[homesinseattle]

Things change, MountainDew, sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. It is more expensive and more crowded than it used to be, but the same can be said for many places. Some great things that have happened: restaurant choices are much better, culture/arts are much expanded. Seattle has "grown up", change is tough but not all bad. Glad you are finding joy around here, I still love it. One thing is true: just like when I moved here 26 years ago, I can turn my car toward the mountains during the week, about an hour later be at a great trailhead and just about the only one on the trail.

[Thom52]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Things change,..........I still love it. One thing is true: just like when I moved here 26 years ago, I can turn my car toward the mountains during the week, about an hour later be at a great trailhead and just about the only one on the trail.

The only one on the trail, an hour out of town? Oh wait....I see... You don't hike on the weekends.
For those with "classic" type jobs that have to follow the schedule of the masses, you need to hit the trailhead by 7am to find reasonable parking and be on the first wave, and heading back to the trailhead feels like you are a salmon swimming downstream in spawning season. Welcome to weekend hiking.

The problem with weekday hiking is getting out of the Seattle area through rush hour traffic to get to the mountains. I question you hour drive time, especially if you try to time it for low traffic both directions.

But, it is true. The world in general is getting more crowded. ZPG sized families are no longer in vogue. and all those people have to go somewhere.

Even the hikes I used to escape to a couple hours away, at the end of potholed dirt roads have lines of cars parking along the roads now.

But even my escape plan location is getting more crowded, and the people there complain about how it is changing and trails are crowded now, even though it feels more like the Seattle area 30 or more years ago.

[homesinseattle]

Thom, I'll prove it to you. I'm a realtor, I work hard all weekend, Mondays are often my "weekend". I leave early from my house near Greenlake, before traffic about 6:15AM, I pop over 520 unmolested, up 405, out 522. Just shy of Index is one of my favorite trailheads, I get there in an hour from my house, the one with Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Serene. Often in the early hours, I'm alone or just one or two others on the trail. I'm gonna do it June 1st, my 50th bday. Come wish me happy bday

On the weekends, when I go skiing or in the summer hiking, I leave 6AM too, sail through just fine. Just get to bed early knowing that the next morning will be great. I have been known to have a coffee and doughnut in the excellent Sultan bakery.

[Prince Mongo]

Yes.

[Kayela]

Overwhelmingly, unequivocally yes.