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Old 11-08-2016, 02:48 PM
 
511 posts, read 618,736 times
Reputation: 933

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I’ve been reading recent threads with interest as I recognize what native Seattlites are talking about. I moved to the PNW almost 14 years ago, and I see dramatic changes, and I don’t even know what Seattle looked like before that! It’s hard, so hard, when your beloved city becomes so attractive that people flock to it and change it into something different. It wouldn’t be so bad if life didn’t get more difficult with traffic and skyrocketing home prices, but that is what happens, unfortunately.

Take my situation, for example. I grew up in San Diego, coming of age in the late 70s, early 80s. I lived close to the beach, and we had such innocent fun – we had bonfires and hung out on the boardwalk till all hours. It was safe, no gangs, just the usual harmless beach bums and the tourists. Then as I got older, things got “tighter.” No more fires allowed on the beach, no bottles, no, no, no – all due to density, too many people. More and more restrictions. Rents started to increase, and when I moved out of my parents’ house, I couldn’t afford to pay beach rents, so I had to move to another neighborhood.

You know where this is going, I’m sure. Eventually, my husband and I bought a starter home in 1991 for $170K. It was in a very working class neighborhood, safe, but, well, just OK. It was all we could afford even though we both had good jobs. We lived there until 2003 when we moved to Washington, which I’d long wanted. When I was growing up, my father would take 6 weeks off every summer, and we’d go on road trips all over the US, so by the time I was 12, I knew what was out there, and I knew I loved wet, green, cool, ferns, trees, and fallen logs in dense forests. I never forgot that, and everything lined up in 2003, and we made the move onto acreage, in our own little forest about an hour north of Seattle. All our family and friends thought we were nuts, their being all native Californians. They visited once, twice and never returned. They thought we’d be back in a few years, but no, we loved the PNW.

Anyway… It’s hard when so many people seem to invade. The people who bought our house were from Bremerton. The wife said she’d always wanted to live in San Diego. We found it amusing that we were, in essence, exchanging locations. They bought our house for $340K. In 12 years the price had doubled. 16 months later a friend called and told me our house was up for sale. I was surprised as I thought the young couple had liked the house. When I went looking online, I saw it was selling for $520K. OMG! Half a million dollars for that poorly constructed starter home built in 1950-something?! Well, in a few weeks it sold for an exact half a million dollars - $500,000. I wondered what that Bremerton/Seattle couple did with their $160,000. Did they buy up? Did they move back to Seattle and buy up there? I never found out.

In San Diego, my husband had a coworker from Seattle. He still calls us a few times a year and rages about the hideous hell of San Diego – the traffic, the rude people, the heat, the crowds, the hell of this place… He says when he went to graduate school in San Diego in the early 80s, it was nothing like this. He said there was never any traffic, people were laid back and friendly, and the weather out of this world. He loved San Diego so much he decided to stay. He runs marathons and does long-distance street biking, and he said it was a joy in San Diego then, loving what it had to offer. I tell him I know, I was there, too, I was born there… But now it’s a hell hole, he says. He can’t wait to get back to Seattle, and when we ask why he doesn’t just come back now, he says he’ll never find a job in his specialty in Seatlle like he’s got now in San Diego, so he’s waiting until he retires. He’s been making a six-figure salary for at least 20 years, probably longer, so he’s going to return to Seattle with one heck of a retirement nest egg. He’s single with no children. Wow! Lucky guy.

Our current next door neighbors spent some time in San Diego, too. They’re also native Seattlites, but they attended college in San Diego, where they met. They said they really enjoyed their time there, especially since they would never have been able to get away with some of the stuff they did as young adults in Seattle, like living together and partying. They said they could never have done this stuff with their parents around. Then they told us, with a slight nose sniff, that they moved back home because they wanted to start a family, and they wanted to raise their children in a more wholesome environment.

So yes, I totally understand the dismay Seattle natives feel when they see their home overrun with too many people who take the bounty that Seattle has to offer and then either stay to further impact density or move away with the spoils after they’ve directly contributed to negatively impacting the environment for the people who grew up there. It’s hard when growing populations flock to the more attractive cities and change them so dramatically. I understand because it happened in my native San Diego, and these five people I know from Seattle are just a raindrop in the ocean of all who have contributed to San Diego’s overcrowding and “hell-hole” status, according to my husband’s old coworker who remains to continue cashing in on his 6-figure income and job that he won’t be able to get in his native Seattle. But he’ll be bringing it home when he returns to Seattle after 30+ years in California.

I’m genuinely sorry to see the same thing happening to Seattle that happened in San Diego. Sigh...how does that go again?

What kin ye dew?
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Old 11-08-2016, 04:14 PM
 
Location: Portal to the Pacific
8,736 posts, read 8,625,494 times
Reputation: 13006
You know, it's happening in many cities. My sister went to college in Austin, TX in the very early 90's and I followed about 5 years later. Dell computers was the new "golden boy" on the business block in the same (though diminished) way as Amazon is for Seattle today. I do remember Austin before the 90's, during the 90's and after.. until 2006 when we moved away for good. I've only returned once and it's completely different from how I remember it... the "gangsta" Eastside??? Completely yuppified!.. astounding how quickly that turned around...

I guess I'm one of the "new comers" even though I've been here for five years. Even in that short time I've also seen differences... mostly in congestion and traffic...

I can't fault people for wanting to come here. My only concern is that I'd like to be able to buy a few investment properties, but the price increase in stock is outpacing ability to save downpayments.
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Old 11-09-2016, 12:14 AM
 
8,791 posts, read 6,719,707 times
Reputation: 8532
I can handle density but not sprawl. We're at least attempting to grow that way mostly. And is looks like Sound Transit 3 is passing.
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Old 11-09-2016, 07:36 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,210 posts, read 80,386,269 times
Reputation: 57095
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhays25 View Post
I can handle density but not sprawl. We're at least attempting to grow that way mostly. And is looks like Sound Transit 3 is passing.
Not around here, another development of 100+ homes, about the 3rd under construction in Sammamish.

Work begins on new 121-home Sammamish subdivision - Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter
Attached Thumbnails
The growing pains of an ever-expanding Seattle-5756034e6d845.image.jpg   The growing pains of an ever-expanding Seattle-228.png  
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Old 11-09-2016, 09:15 AM
 
Location: Independent Republic of Ballard
8,062 posts, read 8,303,293 times
Reputation: 6218
A "hot" market can create its own scarcity, in that few want to sell 1) due to an expectation of further gains or 2) from fear that purchasing another home would cost even more.
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Old 11-09-2016, 07:02 PM
 
8,791 posts, read 6,719,707 times
Reputation: 8532
Our growth management reduces sprawl and makes it more orderly, but yes, some still gets through. It's a middle ground.
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Old 11-09-2016, 09:04 PM
 
Location: No Man's Land
153 posts, read 195,768 times
Reputation: 178
That's kind of sad I hate change, but change is inevitable in this world. I have longed to move to Seattle. The region has a pioneer-like culture that I'm drawn to.
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Old 11-10-2016, 09:58 AM
 
Location: Bend OR
811 posts, read 1,053,800 times
Reputation: 1733
Quote:
Originally Posted by floridaboy92 View Post
That's kind of sad I hate change, but change is inevitable in this world. I have longed to move to Seattle. The region has a pioneer-like culture that I'm drawn to.
The ship has sailed on the "pioneer-like" culture in the Seattle area. That is now once-upon-a-time.

If that is what you are looking for, you missed that window of opportunity.

Just sayin', as a long time resident of that area that moved to a more pioneer-like area recently.

You now move to the Seattle area for a Metropolitan Experience.
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Old 11-10-2016, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Haiku
7,132 posts, read 4,736,829 times
Reputation: 10327
We lived in Seattle for almost 35 years. Loved the place back in the late 70's. More bohemian and a little bit kooky. It was rare to see a BMW or Mercedes Benz and unheard of to see a Ferrari. Now the place is full of young, well paid professionals showing off their wealth with expensive cars. Seattle has become a big city, much like San Francisco. When we retired in 2012 we decided it was really a great place for young high tech career climbers and not so great for someone retiring on a fixed income. Traffic has become a nightmare, yards are minuscule so no room to garden, sunshine is rare in the winter. We sold our house in Seattle on a postage stamp sized lot and moved to Maui where we have 2 acres and an ocean view, paid for with our Seattle house sale. Ironically, it is only a little more expensive living in Maui than Seattle, but a whole lot more laid back. We have lots of friends in Seattle so go back to visit which is great fun, but I don't miss living there at all.
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Old 11-10-2016, 10:23 AM
 
117 posts, read 142,644 times
Reputation: 203
You should have been here in the 1840s before all the grumpy people showed up, it was heaven (except for the awful weather).
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