Thinking of Moving to the Seattle area (Tacoma, Everett: sales, crime)

[melzo36]

Hello
Came across this site on a search and has been very helpful. Sorry if I am just another person repeating what has already been said.

I have done some research, but no better answe than a few visits and chat with people who currently live in the Seattle Area.

I plan on visiting a few times before I make the ulimate decision to do a big move. I currently live in Phoenix,AZ. The summers here are brutal. I have lived here for 6 years and its not getting any better. Can you imagine 115 in the summers!!! I have moved here from Calif.

I have read that taxes are high, homes are over prices, Great cultural activities, great outdoor activities, traffic is hideous and so on. I have done some looking online in respect to the Lake Stevens area, very beautiful. I guess I am trying to see (ask) if the weather is really as bad as I read. I don't mind the rain, can be different from the extreme heat. The winters are what I am most curious about. I grew up in upstate NY and can well let just say live without 12ft. of snow. A dusting of snow I can tolerate. Is it really that bad?? Cold does not bother me so no worries there.

HOw is crime now in the Seattle area? With our economy crime has soared in certain areas. What are areas to stay away from in the Seattle area? Meaning gangs and so forth.

What people have to say from experience and what you read are two very different stories.....so how is the job market??? I plan on visiting for a week in October and again in March. Its a big decision to make a move.

Thank you all for your time and opinions !!!

[texastrigirl]

Taxes - no state income tax, sales tax ranging from 9-10% on avg, property tax is reasonable IMO as I pay less here for far more house value than I did in TX

Homes - for the West Coast - Seattle's prices did not rise as high as CA and have not fallen as much as CA but COL can be prohibitive for some people trying to move here. Lake Stevens area should be lower priced than the city and surrounding suburbs.

Weather - IMO not as bad as it was made out to be HOWEVER coming from a really sunny place like Phoenix, you will notice it is chilly much of the year. We have had an incredible run of weather lately though so I am feeling pretty good about it right now! You have to think that around 3M people plus live in the Seattle Tacoma corridor. If the weather was really that bad, would they all live here?

Outdoor activities are unbeatable in Seattle - so much to do and see and encounter that is exquisitely beautiful. Mountains and water everywhere. We got our fair share of snow this year in the city which is atypical though it does snow. I don't mind though as I grew up in the Midwest and I ski, so I prefer snow to rain which is the other winter option.

Crime in Seattle is on the rise is the inner city areas where there are gangs. I live in the suburbs so I can only regurgitate what I read in the news. Go to the Seattletimes.com website and you can search on it.

I think the job market can be okay depending on what sector you are in. Check out this article.

Which states will be early risers? - The Elkhart Project- msnbc.com

You are smart to visit to make your decision. Anyway that you can come in July/August when we have really beautiful weather and then again in March? It will give you the contrast more readily. My FIL just moved here in November and after the past few weeks of beautiful weather, he now gets why people put up with the rain. Good luck!

[melzo36]

Thank you for your post. AAugust visit is very possible, thank you for the suggestion and links. Trying to check out the season you could say. I would definelty want to live in the suburbs, not in the heart of of Seattle. I love that there is all the outdoor activities. Here in Phoenix, you well just fry. I am very fair skin and I just burn. So you basically plan life after 4 pm, and stay in most of the day. I love being outside and the cool weather for me is a plus.

Thank you again for your reply.

[observer]

Visiting from Phoenix to Seattle in August is a drastic change when it comes to the temperature, but a welcoming one. I recall about 11 years ago I traveled from Miami to Phoenix for about 4-5 days, then went to Seattle for the weekend for a family gathering. It went something like this.

Miami- It was consistently between 88-92 degrees with high humidity making the heat index something like 105 degrees.

Phoenix- I arrived in Phoenix around 11am and it was already 99! That day the high reached 107. During my stay in those 4-5 days the high was no less than 107 and reached up to 111.

Seattle- When I arrived to Seattle from Phoenix it was in the upper 50's, like 58 late in the morning. It did not go below 60 the rest of the weekend. It felt GREAT! Especially after being in 110 temperature in Phoenix.

I remember the last day in Seattle while at the hotel the meteoroligist in the news saying "It's going to be a hot day in the Seattle area today, it is going to be 80 degrees." I almost laughed when I heard that. I wished that was the high in Miami anyday in August.

In a week I went from 90- 110- 58. It was strange.
I have to state that from my experience, Seattle in the summer is beautiful; and I have been there a few times in the summer and hope to return this summer for a visit.

[Ira500]

Here's a few fun facts:

Seattle averages about 38 inches of rain per year, less than New York, or Washington DC, or Miami. In the three month period of November, December, and January, the average total for those three months per year is about 17. And during those three months, there are a lot of cloudy days, as opposed to partly cloudy or clear days. It doesn't often get horribly cold like North Dakota or anything, but between cold and damp and rainy and windy, it can feel pretty miserable for the uninitiated.
One wouldn't summer in Arizona and winter in Seattle.
But...during May, June, July, August, and September, Seattle averages a total of 8 inches of rain during that five month period, and only averages about one day per year over the 90 degree mark...I think we had maybe half a dozen last year.

[seattlenextyear]

The summers in Seattle are similar to upstate NY: mild temperatures and very tolerable humidity. The amount of cloudiness in Seattle is also similar to central NY cities like Syracuse, however, in Seattle, it's all concentrated in the winter instead of being spread out throughout the year. In the winter, the snow is usually just a dusting, with exceptions. And the temperatures are in the 40s, not the 20s.

[shoegal111]

I would say the cost of living in Seattle is getting up there. Almost on par with NYC.

[melzo36]

Thank you everyone for your remarks. All in all I am still excited about doing a couple visits and check out the job market. I for some reason or another find it a very beautiful place with alot to offer.

[TheRef]

Originally Posted by melzo36

Hello
Came across this site on a search and has been very helpful. Sorry if I am just another person repeating what has already been said.

I have done some research, but no better answe than a few visits and chat with people who currently live in the Seattle Area.

I plan on visiting a few times before I make the ulimate decision to do a big move. I currently live in Phoenix,AZ. The summers here are brutal. I have lived here for 6 years and its not getting any better. Can you imagine 115 in the summers!!! I have moved here from Calif.

I have read that taxes are high, homes are over prices, Great cultural activities, great outdoor activities, traffic is hideous and so on. I have done some looking online in respect to the Lake Stevens area, very beautiful. I guess I am trying to see (ask) if the weather is really as bad as I read. I don't mind the rain, can be different from the extreme heat. The winters are what I am most curious about. I grew up in upstate NY and can well let just say live without 12ft. of snow. A dusting of snow I can tolerate. Is it really that bad?? Cold does not bother me so no worries there.

HOw is crime now in the Seattle area? With our economy crime has soared in certain areas. What are areas to stay away from in the Seattle area? Meaning gangs and so forth.

What people have to say from experience and what you read are two very different stories.....so how is the job market??? I plan on visiting for a week in October and again in March. Its a big decision to make a move.

Thank you all for your time and opinions !!!

Lake Stevens:
Pros: lower home prices
More "rural" (subjective, depends on what you want)

Cons:
Pretty far out from the city (again subjective)
Very few local amenities

You'd be putting yourself closer to Everett than Seattle.

[texastrigirl]

Here is a COL index...unfortunately it does not list a number Phoenix but it does list Seattle as well as 18 other cities. Not even close to the COL in NYC BTW.

Cost of Living