Considering a move from Dallas to Seattle (salons, rent)

[JChristina]

Hi, my husband and I are considering a move from Dallas to Seattle. We just returned from our first trip there (we stayed downtown) and are in love with the city so far. We've been in Dallas for 15 years now and are sick of the heat (we are really, really sick of the heat), the constant sunshine, and the car culture. Our financial situation is decent, we'll have about 500K to spend on housing and a combined income of about 120K per year. We both work from home, so commuting is not necessary, and we don't have children. What we'd really like is to live in a downtown condo near the waterfront (we have a condo in Dallas right now also). Does anyone have any opinions about quality of life in downtown Seattle with this level of income? How do you like living there in general? We thought the people in Seattle were incredibly friendly and laidback. Is this common? (I'm originally from Mississippi and I thought the Seattle people were as friendly as anybody from MS.) Thanks for any input.

[AzDreamer]

One thing I read about living near Elliot Bay was that pollution from the port, cruise ships and the Alaskan Way Viaduct causes asthma in some people. Cancer rates are expected to be higher in that area. If you need to know more you can go to the Seattle Times site and search for the article.

[JChristina]

Thanks AZDreamer. My husband developed allergies when we moved to Dallas (combination of car exhaust pollution and pollen) so I will definately do some research.

[pwright1]

I know at least 15 people who live in dt Seattle from the financial district to the Olympic Sculpture Park and love it. Close to the water, great restaurants, coffee shops, salons, public transportation, the ferries, shopping, Pike Place Market, nightlife and just about everything else. If you live in dt Dallas and compare the two there is no comparison. Dt Seattle has 10x more residents, many more amenities like major shopping though dt Dallas is improving. Whether you'll rent or buy there are plenty of places in your price range all around dt Seattle.

[Ira500]

25 years ago very few people lived right in downtown. Now there's even a Whole Foods. Downtown Seattle has become much nicer in a lot of ways.

[AzDreamer]

Here's a map that shows cancer risk from air pollution by neighborhood. Downtown around the water is the worst.

The Seattle Times: Local news: Cancer risk from air pollution

If you go to the Seattle Times site and search for "port pollution" you'll see many articles on this problem.

The Seattle Times | Seattle Times Newspaper

[JDTD]

Hopefully you will love it. Everyone I have known from the south that has moved here, moves back. We had some friends from the DFW area move here about a year ago. They are already going back (but to Austin). I know several more people from the south that have moved here then went back. If you are work from home anyhow though, you could probably pretty much live anywhere i would assume???? If I had no kids and could work from home, I'd be living all over the place (until I found somewhere I really, really liked).

[toughguy]

I have two friends that have moved up from Texas, one from Richardson (DFW suburb) and one from Waco. They both love it up here and say they would never go back to Texas. I know its just a personal anecdote but not EVERYONE from the south moves back.

[Ira500]

Texans I've met don't consider themselves southerners, or even southwesterners. They're Texans, as if it were an independent republic.

[JChristina]

Thanks for all the responses. We are also going to check out Portland, but Seattle looks really good so far. I am not originally from Texas, so leaving here won't bother me. Can't wait to be a Northwesterner!