Top 5 Pros & Cons of Seattle (Vancouver, Bellevue: condos, homes, construction)

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by evergraystate

Well whether your remedial thinking likes it or not, the California coast sees summer weather more than 6 months a year. But I'm sure you enjoy being stuck indoors most of the year so its no skin off your back.


You heard it here first folks. A Seattle fan is complaining that the NorCal is too chilly and overcast.

Yes, clearly that's why when I was there in July, and again in August, I had to wear a windbreaker every day. That 6 months of "summer" sure felt...summer-y :P.

I won't argue that, on balance, places like San Francisco don't have nicer weather over the course of a year. But during the summer? No, not even close. And again, you're claiming that there are "6 months of Summer" in Northern California. There's not. There's 3 months of winter, 3 months of Spring, 3 months of Summer, and 3 months of Autumn. Although it feels more like 4.5 months of Autumn and Spring, with 1.5 months of Summer and Winter.

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

I know. It's just that I've got about 50 minutes of dead time while I wait for something at work to run its pre-checks, and I've nothing else to do. At least I'm getting paid to be here atm :P.

Hehe, I am too. Taking a short break to let my mind reset.

Back on topic!

Top 5 Reasons why I like Seattle:

1) Absolutely beautiful scenery. Coming from the Midwest, flat as a pancake land, and where 2,000 ft hills are considered "mountains" complete with artificial snow makers, I like the scenery here. Mountains are awesome. Forests are awesome. The ecological diversity that that brings with it is astounding. If I had any more of a love for the outdoors I'd change careers and put up with the measly pay for exploring the area.

2) Cute girls. Yes I said it. I find girls here more attractive than the vaunted California girls because girls here tend to be less materialistic and more content driven. That is a general truism for the people. People here honestly like what they do, at least outside of work. They don't put up with the BS of dealing with people they don't like or have nothing in common with. That's why, I think, a lot of people complain about the "freeze" ... they just can't adapt to looking for groups of people who enjoy what they do and stick with a single subject, and don't know how to approach people here.

Exterior of course they don't compare but quite honestly, I don't care. I met more beautiful girls here than anywhere else in the country, and in some parts of the world, combined. The only other place where I had similar experiences was Japan, and all the rage there for "handbag boyfriends" are black guys, so it's not for my skin being en-vougue either.

3) Beautiful summers. 70-80 every day, sunny, dry, and just the right amount of UV light for my pale skin. Similarly the cloudiness and rain don't get to me so I'm doing pretty well here as a result. I don't let a few drizzle drops get in the way of me doing stuff.

4) The farmers markets and other unique quirks of each neighborhood took me completely by surprise here. Others have complained about the mono-culture. Mono-culture my ass. Every neighborhood is quite unique. Even within a neighborhood has pockets of uniqueness. As evidence, I dare those people who claim we live in a mono-culture to take a drive, starting in Ballard, go to Fremont, then Queen Anne, then Capitol Hill, then Beacon Hill, then Georgetown and then back north to SoDo and the International District.

In the words of Mark Twain, "Travel is lethal to bigotry" and other foolish preconceptions of areas.

5) Diversity. Yes yes yes, Seattle is quite white-washed in general, but did you know that Seattle has the most diverse zip code in the nation? Demographers have been astounded how in some areas of Beacon Hill and the Rainier Valley business owners total need to collectively know around 15 languages to cater ot the locals.

And diversity isn't limited to skin color and language. There's so many different perspectives here it is quite a shock to this old Midwesterner who is used to having wide swathes of people have the same opinion, the same political outlook, the same desires of sports and activities, etc.

I could also mention lack of sports enthusiasm except soccer as being a plus. I think being overly sports-centric is a culture killer in general. See St. Louis and Cincinnati as examples. Soccer is a unique aberration in this regard, probably because the players (typically) don't get paid millions of dollars a year.

Least favorite 5:

1) Road conditions. Oh. My. Word. Haven't local governments learned that there's a price to pay for civilization? That includes roads. I've had more nails and other detritus, more off kilter tires, and more rock chips in the windscreen than anywhere else combined. Including California.

If there's one thing I enjoyed about Phoenix (a city so culture starved and mono-cultured and in general a horrible place to live I usually sneer and speak it with contempt), it was the smooth as silk roads. And that's saying something. I have a sports car with really tight suspension. Normal cars glide over roads, mine finds valleys and mountains to bump over on normal roads.

2) Ultra-left activism. Diversity has its limits. Driving up property taxes, consumption taxes, and other ways of squeezing the populace to, of all things, delay construction at the behest of environmentalists where no real environmental threat exists is ludicrous. So is installing bike lanes with no other protections, delaying the replacement of an eyesore and structurally unsound highway for 10 freaking years, and in general delaying the right decisions because of a weird need to consider all the alternatives is simply a waste of time and money. One reason why I'll never live in Seattle city proper but visit on the weekends.

Put that money to good use, see point 1.

3) Having the heart in the right place, screwing up the follow-up action. See the misguided tolling of 520 without dramatically and substantively increasing bus service to accommodate the tens of thousands who commute during peak times from houses they could afford on the east side. Talk about an unfair tax on the middle class. I'd rather see a much smaller and flat rate toll, with huge improvement to the bus service.

There are other examples but that is one of the worst ones in my opinion. And this is in general how America operates and is one of many reasons why this country is going to hell so quickly I think.

4) Zoning laws and ridiculous taxes on property. This is one of the reasons why property prices are so inflated in Seattle. Why not make it more lax so more meaningful higher density living can be had? I'd like to be able to live in the city, I really would, but I simply cannot fathom how anyone with a family would choose to live in Seattle what with the $600k for a shack prices, or $300k for a demolish job, when for $350k on the east side they can get much better housing in general.

5) Family un-friendly. Terrible schools, the rat-pack mentality amongst transient kids, and with the diversity comes the extreme whackos who I'm sure are ready to pollute kids' minds, and just the shabby state of housing for wayyyyyyyyy too pricey terms in Seattle means I will likely never live in Seattle with a family. Not to mention the richer folks tend to not mind paying an arm and a leg for ineffective measures means their property tax rates will skyrocket in the coming years.

[Freebird2007]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

Hehe, I am too. Taking a short break to let my mind reset.

Back on topic!

Top 5 Reasons why I like Seattle:



2) Cute girls. Yes I said it. I find girls here more attractive than the vaunted California girls because girls here tend to be less materialistic and more content driven. That is a general truism for the people. People here honestly like what they do, at least outside of work. They don't put up with the BS of dealing with people they don't like or have nothing in common with. That's why, I think, a lot of people complain about the "freeze" ... they just can't adapt to looking for groups of people who enjoy what they do and stick with a single subject, and don't know how to approach people here.

Exterior of course they don't compare but quite honestly, I don't care. I met more beautiful girls here than anywhere else in the country, and in some parts of the world, combined. The only other place where I had similar experiences was Japan, and all the rage there for "handbag boyfriends" are black guys, so it's not for my skin being en-vougue either.

whaaaaaat?

Definitely cannot agree with this one. Out of maybe 100 girls I see a day, 3 of them are pretty, a dozen of them are worthwhile, and the rest need beauty and weight loss tips. In my last job (office) we had 8 women of which 5 were pushing 300lbs.

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by chris

Pros:

Safe
Good night life (plenty of things to do & good food)
Reasonable distance to outdoor activities
Quality health care (arguably the best in the NW)
Generally kind, well mannered people.


Cons:

Traffic
Overcast weather
Property Crime
High taxes (sales tax near 9% and high property taxes)
Politics/govt disorganization

I pretty much have to agree on most of what you said. I would add on the pro side, reasonably good summer weather for the one or two months when we have it, hardly ever over 90 degrees F. Close by beaches, lakes and waterfront.
I would add on the Con side: Can't predict the weather if you are planning a picnic. Very poor mayor and very poor Governor, bad schools caused by bad school board and bad Superintendent. Good people don't seem to want to get into politics. Whenever we have a local election we should have an option of [] 'None of the above'. But then again I guess Chicago isn't any better.

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by CUDavidBanner

I thought it would be informative if those familiar with Seattle, would list their top 5 positives and 5 negatives about the Seattle Metro area. Thanks in advance.

PROS:
Views & access to nature
Educated, liberal culture
Multiple large vibrant neighborhoods that are family centered
Safe and fun place to raise children (lots to offer in parks/arts/education)
Thousands of small independent businesses

CONS:
Poorly organized public transportation. Need better light rail! Buses suck.
Traffic can be horrendous during rush hour (230-630pm M-F)
Expensive housing and of lower quality (old)
Public schools system has lots of issues, private schools very expensive
Bureaucracy at every level of government, change happens slowly

[Firstchair]

Best:

1)Outdoors. If you get into mountaineering or skiing, the adventures to be had nearby are endless. I skied down a volcano last weekend. All kinds of crazy stuff you can do.
2) Weather. Mild climate. As much as people complain about rain, I walk to work every day and it is rare it is raining.
3) Economy. I've always thought the Seattle area is one of the most influential per capita in the world. Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, when you think about the influence of these companies in relation to how many people live here, it is actually quite impressive. I wouldn't want to work for any of them, but there is a lot of money flowing through the city.
4) Neighborhoods. Seattle is not a city of strip malls and Walmarts. A good choice of neighborhoods with character, great walkability, you can live 10 miles from downtown and still file like you're 'in the city.'
5) Local businesses / organizations. KEXP, BECU for example. A lot of great local organizations that a lot of cities don’t have an equivalent. I think this comes with a general sense of public entrepreneurship, that is starting organizations for the good of the public.

Worst:
1)Housing/rental prices. In the entire state of Washington, you probably couldn’t have picked a worse spot to build a city. The narrowest point, pinned between Lake Washington and the sound. Makes for great scenery but you aren’t going to own a house and be near work.
2)The whirlpool of undesirables to the downtown area. Walking down 3rd Ave you’re surrounded by just plain weird human beings. Social services should be more evenly spread through the city.
3)Transportation. It takes more than a half hour to get to downtown from most Seattle neighborhoods. The first light rail that was built winds itself all around mediocre parts of town before ending 1000 ft from the Seatac airport terminal. I’m super excited about the new construction underway that will build a viable light rail system, it will be a huge improvement for the city.
4) Politics. Our mayor is consistently terrible. Statewide we’re always under the threat of a Tim Eyman initiative passing. I do think the red state (eastern WA) blue state (King County) balance statewide is nice, it keeps either side from going too far into the deep end.
5) Overcast.

[dub dub II]

Pros.
1. Nice environment (very green etc)
2. Decent living standards (no real ghettos)
3. People don't tend to get in your business.
4. Major city..and all the comforts that comes with that.
5. Largely laid back attitude.

Cons.
1. People keep to themselves.
2. People are fake nice.
3. It's always raining..so no one ever goes outside.
4. Sometimes it doesn't snow when its supposed to.
5. When it does snow the city shuts down.

[thatguy950]

Pro:
1. generally fresh air, unless we get a long-standing high-pressure system which tends to drag air quality down some
2. good Asian food with plenty of great places to choose from.
3. pretty close to Hawaii, generally speaking (at least much closer than the east cost is to Hawaii).
4. Washington is a "shall issue" state and Seattle is powerless to change that, so we are genreally free to carry concealed pistols here regardless of what a good portion of those in the Seattle area may believe. The rest of the state is pretty 2a friendly, so by default (begrudgingly it would appear) Seattle is as well.
5. easy access to the desert SW to break the endless gray and rainy days (is that really a plus, or a negative? A wolf in sheep's clothing? )


Cons:
1. absolute left-winged, asinine politics with a complete lack of common sense (come on, a plastic bag ban? Seriously? How about incentives to choose reusable as opposed to the liberal "ban hammer.." Personal freedom and freedom of choice aren't widely embraced here if you're on the "other side")
2. the "greenies" (see above)
3. bad, bad, bad, BAD weather from September-middle July (most years). It's very hard to handle if you're not from here, and quite tiring as the winter drags on.
4. traffic is terrible and the drivers here seem to have a complete and utter lack of skill. I think most of Seattle's traffic problems stem from the inability to operate a motor vehicle; something that seems to bewilder the average Seattleite. Use a little common sense behind the wheel, and get that Prius out of the left lane if you're going to go 49mph with a three mile backup.
5. genreally ugly, "earthy" women, who follow the unfriendly stereotype associated with Seattle. (The freeze is real, as is the snoody, snobby smugness and elitism.). Where I am from, women take more pride in their apperance, here you see, more often than not, women with little or no makeup and wearing clothes that look like they came from a moth-infested thrift store.

[Calif01]

Here is my list from someone who wants to move to Seattle (and is looking at real estate as we speak). Have lived in L.A, Omaha and So Oregon. Have thoroughly researched and visited countless cities. Travel weekly for my job. Narrowed down to Seattle.

Pro's: in no order 1) Great Corp presence and innovation, professionals 2) beauty or the geography. Gorgeous green and amazing colors due to the wet and rain 3) housing costs that arent insane, especially if you rent & decide to forget the stupid home buying idea which is no longer some great investment and just a great way to get you stuck in an upside home that you will be later forced to rent because you cant sell it for what you owe- but if you do buy, Property taxes reasonable and less than Omaha or Chicago 4) water everywhere, which carries all the associated perks, seafood, water activities etc 5) no earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, humidity or blizzards. Asthma rates are better for kids, being close to the water

Con's: 1) Not as much sun as would be ideal. 2)Traffic, but I work from home so not too concerned about that 3) dont love being in PST seems like the world revolves around EST, so i will have to start working earlier 4) dont like being so close to volcanoes like MtStHelens, that is a little scary. Watched too many Discovery Channel doomsday scenarios that involve Seattle, Volcanos and Tsunamis. 5) Long commute to get to East coast

[mrman78]

Agree with your comments on renting/buying. Buying a house in the Seattle area just doesn't seem like a smart idea, but yeah property taxes are less than many places (especially Texas) even though many seem to think they are high in Washington. Rents are actually not bad at all - you mostly get a little smaller space for your money, but you can get a decent apartment in a great area in Seattle for what you would pay for an amazing apartment in a much less desirable area in Houston. I chose the former in a heartbeat!!