Any Conservatives living in Seattle or the Washington coast in general? (Bainbridge Island: how much, attorney)

[Oldtex29]

Hello everyone. I am scouting out cities where I may attend law school this fall. I'm wondering if there is anyone who reads these boards who would consider him or herself to be broadly "conservative" who has spent any amount of time in Seattle or the surrounding area. Would you recommend it from this perspective?

Let me go into further detail. There is a lot about Seattle that appeals to me. I love the ocean and would much rather live on a coast than inland. The weather is also attractive. I really don't mind rain at all and I think I would definitely enjoy Seattle's rainy, relatively mild winters more than the cold, snowy winters here in New England. I also really enjoy the natural beauty of the Pacific NW. Fourth, I know that Seattle is one of the safest major cities in the United States. Fifthly, Bainbridge Island seems like an awesome place to eventually settle down on.

Finally, I know that I won't find any "conservative" cities, especially not on a coast. And this isn't a huge deal for me. I'm not really a political person. I'm going to have to live in a liberal city somewhere, but I would like a little firsthand information on Seattle before I decide to take the plunge.

[carolinajack]

yes there are. . . go to Meetup conservatives and republicans online and see where and when they meet.

also check out conservative match sites and see who is in that area.

[Oldtex29]

Originally Posted by carolinajack

yes there are. . . go to Meetup conservatives and republicans online and see where and when they meet.

also check out conservative match sites and see who is in that area.

Thank you, but this is not exactly what I was looking for. I'm more interested in any first-hand accounts from people who have experienced Seattle.

[chris]

I wouldn't be too concerned about having a conservative background if moving anywhere in or around Seattle. On par with other places I've lived, liberal here would be considered conservative many places.

People in Washington, especially outside of Seattle proper, seem to be fairly financially conservative. Taxes here are high but people don't mind paying taxes for progressive ideas that benefit the general public. They tend to disagree about many of King County's wasteful projects like the monorail and proposed 8 billion dolllar tunnel through the city.

People are very into their family lives here too. You may have read threads about the difficulty in breaking into cliches here and that can be fairly accurate. I spend about 90% of my free time doing family activities and less than 10% with friends. I have very few friends here that are originally from the Seattle area, most of them are migrants to the area.

Having said that, people here are generally polite about political preferences and can discuss issues without having a seizure. It's rarely an issue unless you work at a non-profit/government agency.

If you have specific concerns, better to just outright ask them. I personallly would never let my political preferences keep me from living in an area that seemed desireable to me.

[dpf11970]

Have you considered Lewis and Clark in Portland?

I went to law school there and had a great experience! The school is very highly ranked (#54 or 55 last I checked) and the education was really good. The school is #1 in the Nation for Environmental Law and is also nationally recognized for its Victim's Rights Programs.

Politically, the school is pretty to very liberal, but there are a fair number of people with opposing views. You would certainly have people to debate (a major past-time at most law schools).

Good Luck!

[Oldtex29]

Thanks for the responses!

People in Washington, especially outside of Seattle proper, seem to be fairly financially conservative. Taxes here are high but people don't mind paying taxes for progressive ideas that benefit the general public.

Thanks, that was another question I had: the tax situation. I figured they would be high. Does anyone know how Seattle would compare to Boston in terms of tax burden?

If you have specific concerns, better to just outright ask them. I personallly would never let my political preferences keep me from living in an area that seemed desireable to me.

No specific concerns. Just a little voice in my head that said "Old Tex, reactionary that you are, would you be happy living in such a progressive area?" I do think I would enjoy living in Seattle and politics won't stop me. My clingy parents are probably the strongest obstacle to a cross-country move at this point.

Have you considered Lewis and Clark in Portland?

I went to law school there and had a great experience! The school is very highly ranked (#54 or 55 last I checked) and the education was really good. The school is #1 in the Nation for Environmental Law and is also nationally recognized for its Victim's Rights Programs.

Yes, as a matter of fact I just received my first decision from a law school (I applied late in the cycle), an acceptance from Lewis and Clark. I am very excited about it. I need to look in to L+C's placement statistics. I am looking to go corporate or to work for a large firm after graduation. I'm sure Lewis and Clark would do well as far as placement goes, as it is the premier law school in the state, so hopefully there would be some nice job opportunities in Portland.

Portland is very appealing to me as well. One of my best friends and college roommates was from outside of Portland. I called him a "west coast supremacist" as he was always talking about how much better the Pacific NW was than the east coast, where we went to school. I've also heard that there are something like 30 microbreweries in the Portland area, which is a very nice quality of life feature.

If you don't mind, would you PM me (or post it here if you'd like) what your experience at Lewis and Clark was like as far as finding jobs during the summer in between 1L and 2L and 2L and 3L and then after graduation?

[dpf11970]

Lewis and Clark is a highly respected school and I had no problems at all getting jobs after fist year and for the rest of my law school time. I worked for the King County District Attorney after first year and then for the Oregon DOJ for awhile in my second. Went on to work for medium sized firms after that and have continued to do so.

I would definatley recommend L&C.

[mlv311]

If you are a true conservative (or a person with traditional values), you may find yourself in the minority in Seattle. After living here for 4 years, I find that even the church isn't as conservative in Western WA as it was in Northern Virginia. For example, the church is vocal about socio-economic issues, but not so much about pro-life issues. What makes life here harder for a true conservative (besides finding people who share your views) is that those with different opinions are very vocal and intolerant of opposite views. I've lived in other cities where people respect those with opposite views, but here, I don't find the same degree of respect and tolerance for conservative values.

Washington is a beautiful state. Seattle is a vibrant, diverse, and beautiful city (despite the overcast/rainy days). You have great law schools here so depending on what you are looking for in a community, you may be able to get through law school and enjoy Seattle as a conservative...Just be prepared to be in the minority.

Good luck.

[nursebetty]

But I haven't been living here long; and I am Roman Catholic and what the previous poster said about the Church being concerned about socio-economic issues and not pro-life issues is correct.

And overt support for the War on Terror or the War in Iraq (they are one and the same if you ask me) is almost non-existent.

I have had people make disparaging remarks about my faith and my politics but they have been very few and I was able to shock and awe them quickly with my raptor-like verbage and steel-honed wit.

However, while it is good, fitting and proper to have a support group that reflects and affirms your values; real moral clarity comes from a true dialogue we engage in everyday with those who don't share a viewpoint, who force us to look at our morals/ethics/values, the experiences that shaped them and our reason for keeping; hopefully that process moves both ways and bears good fruit.

Having said that, let me close this getting-to-be-too-long post by saying two things:


1. I love Seattle, WA; and I hope to live here for a very long time.
2. Karl Rove is coming; yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

[magrack]

LOL

This is going to be an interesting rhread.

I'm a fiscal conservative, and somewhat of a social liberal.

Most of WA is fairly conservative, even most Democrats are conservative outside of King and Snohomish counties, but IMO, if there are "in your face, refuse to accept/discuss opposing viewpoints" liberals you'll find them in Seattle or at the "Everstrange Green College" in Oly.

There are "Conservatives" of the same stripe there too.

They tend to disagree about many of King County's wasteful projects like the monorail and proposed 8 billion dolllar tunnel through the city.

I'd suggest that the remainder of WA hates the way Seattle is willing to spend tax money to benefit the immediate Seattle area without regard to the needs of the remainder of the state.