What don't you like about Seattle? (for sale, house prices, unemployment)

[Humanoid]

Me and my wife have been shopping around for somewhere new to move in 1-2 years and Seattle is high on our list. Anyhow, I'm curious what people don't like about the city (No need to mention the weather, I know how that is in Seattle).

[tobester]

Actually the weather is the reason I live here. It is never oppressively hot (no need for air conditioning), never bone numbing cold (you can be active outdoors year round). And then there's July, August, September - no prettier place on the planet for those three months - it's the reward for living with gray skies.

[MichaelinWA]

Weather (along with scenery) was actually an attraction for me, as well, in part because I endured too many seemingly endless 100+ degree summers in Arizona in my youth. Winter is too long and too gray, but it's quite mild overall.

Cost of living, especially housing, is clearly a downside. Although it is cheaper than the SF Bay Area, where I migrated from.

[CityGirl72]

Mine is mostly weather - that and I'm far from my family and I miss being closer to them, especially as they age.

I think Seattle is wonderful - it's just not my cup of tea

Oh and I'm from Calif too, and the house prices and cost of living are not shocking to me. Feels just like home - HA! I have no problems there

[WANative]

If you eliminate the weather and cost of housing then the only real downside left is TRAFFIC--some of the worst in the nation. Other than those 3 things you have one of the most scenic areas in the country to live and an economy that is very strong (3.7% unemployment if Im not mistaken). If you love the outdoors then this is the place to live.

[Deep_Vee]

As a native, here's my take:

1. Weather - you said you don't want to hear it...but for me, it gets harder and harder every year to deal with it. This month we had rain and cold for 2 weeks, then we had amazing sunny and 65-70 for 2.5 days, and today it's dark, dreary, about 50 degrees, and raining again. It's depressing!

2. Traffic/Infrastructure. Our traffic is aweful. I don't care how it compares to other cities based on studies...the fact is, between the hours of 7AM and 7PM on any freeway in this city you have to plan for a major slowdown. You may get lucky and get a drive that isn't backed up, but you still have to plan for it. Recently my wife and I had to come downtown during the day for Dr. Appointments twice a week. I would leave my office 2 hours before the appointment to drive home to pick her up...most of the time it took only about 25 minutes (it's 16 miles door to door) to get home, but a couple of times, I hit a jam going north and it took twice that long. Then, on the way back downtown, several appointments we arrived 30 minutes early...but quite a few we also barely made it on time. My point is, you HAVE to plan on the worst case to get anywhere around here during the day. Our commutes are aweful too. But from what I've seen, probably not much worse than most other "car-oriented" cities...but aweful still. Don't let the Sound Transit Marketing department fool you into believing we have this wonderful transit system. Sure, we have an extensive bus system, and light and heavy rail have just started coming online...but NONE of them will save you TIME. Why don't I just move closer in...see point #3

3. Cost of Living. It is EXPENSIVE to live here, period. The biggest issue is the cost of housing, most of us HAVE to move away from the city in order to purchase a home - and then spend huge amounts of time in our traffic trying to get anywhere. Food, Gas, and other infrastructure items also seem to be quite a bit more expensive than the rest of the country. Just do your research thoroughly...

[fjtee]

I ditto the traffic and cost of living. I've been stuck in traffic on Sunday afternoons. The cost of living now seems reasonable, but that's only in comparison to where I am - the Bay area. Aside from those (and the weather), I've no complaints. Some people claim that it's difficult to make friends there (there is a 7-million page long thread on that), but I never had issues there. If I could tolerate the weather, I'd move back in a heartbeat. If the weather doesn't bother you, it's one of the greatest places to live.

[Jennibc]

Cost of living, inept local government, weather, traffic,lack of dynamic and innovative people in the nonprofit sector, and see Official Seattle Freeze thread.

[Ira500]

I like Seattle more than I don't like it, but one of the things I don't like is this "holier than thou" political correctness, where you'll get ostracized and fined for mixing recycling with the garbage, or how the Mayor of Seattle makes a big show of having the city of Seattle sign on to the Kyoto Protocols where at the same time allows developers to destroy perfectly nice single family homes and erect dastardly, cheaply made townhomes.

[CityGirl72]

OH and since I'm orginally from Los Angeles - I don't mind the traffic here. I drive like a californian, so I'm a bit forceful

But I just thought: I need to add about Cost of Living. It just hit me that one reason we are leaving is that house prices in Sac are dropping like flies, so now we can afford a bigger house in the NICE areas with the good schools.

Right now with our house about to go up for sale: $600K for a 3 bed, 1 bath, 1350 sqft

In Sac: $450K, 2400sqft 4 bed 3 bath (and a backyard I will actually utilize because I won't be freezing my ass off)