Seattle metro as California North - thoughts? (Bellevue, Pacific: construction, live)

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by jakebarnes

A set of good friends just moved back to Seattle (city proper) after a 10 year stint on the Eastern Seaboard. One of them said to me, "I'm so happy to be back. I wasn't ready for the traffic and crowds though! It's California North up here now."

I'm not sure I agree, but wondered if any California natives on this board have thoughts?

I'm not a "native" but did spend seven years in the Bay Area in the 1990s. I lived in LA less than a year, start of the 1990s. I travel to both occasionally, that being every few years or so.

SF-SJ metro is bigger than ever. Every time I go I wish I had a bike (motorcycle) available like in the 1990s, to put every car in the rear-view and go between them, the latter of which is legal in CA and only CA TTBOMK. I call it lane splitting. It never makes it too far here in WA when proposed by legislature, but one day it will when we have similar volumes and no one is going anywhere (semi-gridlock).

Bottom line is I've watched the Seattle metro grow for just about twenty years and need to be rather strategic about when, and how (method) I go anywhere during work days. That's typical of a big metro area. I also specifically chose a place to live with three main ways out to the arterials (north, south, east routes), and numerous lesser roads, to avoid some of that suburban traffic hell in areas with one way in/out. That, too, is a sign of lots of people and planning for high density.

So while not quite Bay Area north, it's well on the way at (I'm guessing) half-scale and growing.

[IcomeInPeaceDolphLundgren]

Seattle has changed so much since the 1990's. It's crazy.

[homesinseattle]

Dolph, I laugh out loud every time I read your screen name, love it.

[pnwguy2]

I've posted this before, but I do not mind Californians moving to Washington. I think they bring many positives. However, these positives are only good if they can accept that they are in a different state. It isn't who can get down "The 5" the fastest, or who drives the fanciest car. In other words, become one with the natives. That doesn't mean you have to become a "native", but one would expect you would be able to blend in. This is not hard for most, but for some it is difficult and that is where it goes bad. Please don't misunderstand me, I welcome outsiders, but outsiders should have some tolerance for the local culture, however backward it may seem to them.

[homesinseattle]

icarus, Bay area people who relocate here are still saying that homes are half price to buy in Seattle compared to there, i hear it all the time.

[Flightoficarus87]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

icarus, Bay area people who relocate here are still saying that homes are half price to buy in Seattle compared to there, i hear it all the time.

Half price versus the Bay Area, absolutely. I meant that the COL gap is closing between Seattle and the SoCal metros (It can still be considerably more in the most desirable parts of LA/SD, but the overall difference has definitely shrunk).

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

icarus, Bay area people who relocate here are still saying that homes are half price to buy in Seattle compared to there, i hear it all the time.

When we moved from CA in 1993, our home there was 1,400 sf, 5,000 sf lot, 50 years old, 3BR 1 BA. We sold it for $190,000, and spend exactly the same on our new home in Sammamish, 3,000 sf, 12,000 sf lot, 15 years old, 5BR 2.5 BA.That house we sold in CA is now valued at almost exactly the same as our home in Sammamish at just under $700k. My sister in Walnut Creek CA has a home older and smaller than ours, valued at 1.4 million, so yes, almost exactly twice the price.

[Hacker1234]

I was born and raised in San Jose, went to Texas for about 12 years when I was in my 20s. Wanted to head back to the west coast and found that the Seattle area was very much like the California I left behind just cheaper.

In the Seattle area its much easier to buy a good home and live comfortably, in California it would be harder.

[Finance2Tech]

Seattle is basically a cheaper version of SF: tech geeks everywhere, way more guys than girls, ugly women, obnoxious liberals.

[homesinseattle]

Wow Finance. I'm a pretty decent looking committed heterosexual and I've always felt like the women in Seattle are natural looking, intelligent and beautiful. Maybe you need to get back to Texas or Miami where the clothes are flashier, the jewelry blingy and the face paint caked on heavier. Good luck finding your bliss. We like our town and we like our women.