Raining in Seattle (Tacoma, Vancouver, Olympia: how much, construction, school)

[asianstudent]

Hi, I am a China student and is planning to study in college. Is it always raining in Seattle. What's the difference (temperature and education) between WA & CA. I am choosing the colleges in Seattle & Sacramento.

Anyone can help me. Thanks

[Mark S.]

Sacramento is drier and much hotter in the summer.

Seattle gets a lot of rain in the autumn and winter. Summers are actually quite dry.

[coltoncity]

Sacramento I was told was boring & would have a lot of governmental people working there. Seattle is fun and very open minded. Seattle is going to have long misty, drizzly rainy periods. That is the majority of the time either a rain front moving in or moving out. People go about there business as usual though and if the dreary clouds dont get to you Seattle is wonderful. A lot of people dont mind and the nature can usually make up for it. It is beautiful and just a drive to Canada to Vancouver BC and Victoria BC.
UW is a really good school also.

[faulkton]

Seattle has more rain than Sacramento, but it does not rain every day. When it does rain in Seattle, its usually a light drizzle, not a torrential downpour.

The summers in California are very hot. The summers in Seattle are warm, but not too hot.

Seattle has a large Asian population, I'm not sure about Sacramento.

I like Seattle better.

Have fun!

[AZ_singlemother]

Originally Posted by asianstudent

Hi, I am a China student and is planning to study in college. Is it always raining in Seattle. What's the difference (temperature and education) between WA & CA. I am choosing the colleges in Seattle & Sacramento.

Anyone can help me. Thanks

Sacramento is overpriced, there's too many people and a lot of problems. Seattle is pricey; however, it is better because it is not as crowded as major cities in California. Education is good in both states. I would suggest you visit both places to get an idea of where you want to stay.

[asianstudent]

Dear members,

Thanks for the information. I am checking both WA & CA. Thanks a lot

[KirbyJRT]

I've lived in both areas and would choose Sacramento hands down. I would do exactly as suggested though. Check them both out first if you can. It's March now. You really want to check out Seattle during the rainy season... Let's see that would be easy. Don't visit in the summer

I have to say my last visit to Seattle in October 2006 was very disappointing. Traffic and construction was nightmarish. For me anyway. It does have it's +++'s but just wasn't for me anymore. I moved from there in 1997 and boy have things changed. I was shocked to see a 2nd Tacoma Narrows bridge being built.

[nunusguy]

I spent a weekend once in Sacramento and it was amazing how much it
reminded me of the land-locked praire country of Central & North Texas !
That's not bad, I was just surprised to find a part of CA that reminded me
so much of a part of TX.
Regarding rain and Seattle and the NW in general. Being from Texas, I assure you it really doesn't rain up there. It's more of a gentle, almost delightful mist
that occurs a lot of the time. But it's not the precip that's the problem IMO, its the long, prolonged periods of overcast, "sun less" skys.
I worked 7 months back in '99 in Olympia (50-60 south of Seattle on the Pugent Sound), and we would go weeks at some stretchs without seeing sunshine !
That's was a big downside for me, but the upside is full of tremendous culture
and spectaular scenery throughout the NW country. Some of the best on this continent ! Almost as infinite variety of things to see and do !
Do they still have that "Bumper Pool" weekend in Seattle ? Maybe it was Labor
Day weekend ?

[faulkton]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

Do they still have that "Bumper Pool" weekend in Seattle ? Maybe it was Labor
Day weekend ?

www.bumbershoot.org/ ?

[KirbyJRT]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

But it's not the precip that's the problem IMO, its the long, prolonged periods of overcast, "sun less" skys.
I worked 7 months back in '99 in Olympia (50-60 south of Seattle on the Pugent Sound), and we would go weeks at some stretchs without seeing sunshine !
That's was a big downside for me, but the upside is full of tremendous culture
and spectaular scenery throughout the NW country. Some of the best on this continent ! Almost as infinite variety of things to see and do !

Agreed. My sister-in-law says another "Pineapple Express" is on it's way.