Relocating to Seattle (Spokane, Tacoma, Bellevue: middle-class, real estate market, crime)

[Poncho]

My family and I are planning to relocate to Seattle within the year. My profession is in mortgage and escrow and my husband is in Auto dealerships and accounting. I plan to secure a job before moving. How is the job market in our field? Housing? Schools? Crime? etc. Any info. would be most appreciated.

[RodFarlee]

As I'm sure you're far more aware than I, rising short term interest rates are rapidly killing the refi market nationwide, so there are some layoffs and I'd expect it'll be tough to find openings in your field. Things should get busier next year, when all those sub-primes begin to default.
On all the other aspects in your note, things are better here than there!

[Poncho]

Thanks for the info. I've been reading some of your postings and they have been informative. We have families who moved to Washington and they like it out there. We are also looking into Spokane. My husband mentioned the overcast in Washington maybe difficult for me. We live in the tropical island of Guam, USA. Weather here is hot, humid, and half the year wet during the rainy season. We receive about annual average rainfall of 90 to 110 inches (mainly during the rainy season). But we also have the blue skies and white sandy beaches. So this will be a big transition for me if we move. Are the skies really gloomy and gray in Washington? How different is it compared to the monsoon season in the tropics?

[Mark S.]

As for crime and safety, just be VERY careful where you live. Take the time to check out your neighbors, talk to the police about crime in the area, etc.

If you've got a family, I certainly wouldn't recommend any of the communities south of Seattle along the I-5 corridor --- places like Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Burien, Auburn, Renton. The gangs moved in with a force back in the '90s, and the police seem powerless to deal with it. I certainly wouldn't send my kids to any of the public schools in those area. Tacoma is even worse.

If you can afford to live in some of the more affluent communities, it might not be so bad. But if you're hoping to get by on a middle-class income, I honestly would urge you to stay out of the Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area. We've been here almost 10 years, and we are desperate to get out.

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by Poncho

Are the skies really gloomy and gray in Washington? How different is it compared to the monsoon season in the tropics?

Here's a good narrative summary of Washington's climate:
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/WASHINGTON.htm

Washington is really different east and west of the Cascade mountains. Here's a rainfall map:
http://www.ocs.orst.edu/pub/maps/Pre...ates/WA/wa.gif
The average winds are from the west-southwest, so eastern Washington is in a rain shadow. Note the Olympic mountains also produce a rainshadow that encompasses Whitbey and the San Juan islands, Port Townsend and Sequim.

Heavy rain is rare in Washington, compared to the US averages, or compared to any monsoon climate. For example, in Seattle:
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/hr...tml#WASHINGTON
the heaviest single rain in the last 50 years dropped 0.63" in an hour. That's light compared to a typical midwest thunderstorm.

More typical, in winter, is overcast with intermittant drizzle averaging 0.2" per day. Here's the average number of cloudy days per month:
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/we...tml#WASHINGTON
From November to March, western WA is usually overcast, and the days are short, but it isn't really cold (about 40F in January, vs 54F annual average).

Spokane is in northeastern WA and quite different than, say, Seattle. As you can gather in the above links, it has hotter drier summers, gets snow in winter and does also have cloudy winters, just not as cloudy. Spokane has a local peculiarity: it gets icy frozen fog in winter for about a week, two at most.

I don't know if this useful, or is what you wanted? Relative to Guam, Washington is cold, that might be the biggest change.

[mdoebke]

I am a Seattle native - born and raised in the area - not a transplant. As far as cities Seattle has a lot to offer. It is a very diverse city with lots to do. If you can tolerate gray skies you will be fine. As with any city you have your good areas and bad. I am not sure who Mark S is or how long he has even lived in the Washington area.....but many of the communities he mentioned are NOT crime riden as he protray's.
Do research on the website's.......that will give you the facts when it comes to crime and schooling.
As with any community there is always some bad that comes with the good. Even in your affulent neighborhood such as Woodinville, Mercer Island, Redmond/Bellevue, University Place, etc. there will be a certain amount of crime. Seattle is no longer a small town and with that comes big town problems.

If you love nature and the outdoors Seattle is the place to be. A walk in the woods during a rainstrom is exclerating and memorable!

Good luck!

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by mdoebke

I am not sure who Mark S is or how long he has even lived in the Washington area.....but many of the communities he mentioned are NOT crime riden as he protray's.
Do research on the website's.......that will give you the facts when it comes to crime and schooling.

I've been in here almost ten years, and even in those years I've seen a rapid decline in neighborhoods. Gang activity that used to be restricted to the poorer parts of town is now filling the middle-class neighborhoods. All of the junior high and high schools in our area are having gang problems.

Talk to any of the police in places like Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, and Tacoma. Look at the crime stats on City Data's site. No, this is certainly not Detroit or even L.A. Not yet anyway. But I have witnessed a rapid decline in the quality of life in this area, and it seems to be getting worse every day.

If you're fairly well off and can afford some of the more affluent neighborhoods (even in the south end towns), you can probably get away from the worst of it. But if you're hoping to survive on a lower to middle-income, I'd stay away from the Seattle/Tacoma area altogether. Especially if you have kids.

[Poncho]

Thanks to everyone who has given their input on Washington's weather and neighborhoods. I guess the only way for me to know is to go out and visit.

Yes, the big adjustment for me will be the cold weather. But for my family, it will be a delight to have a change of climate and to go through the four seasons. Here in Guam, we have only wet and dry season. Hot and Humid all year long. For sure, I will have to purchase add'l clothing to handle the cold.

When you do have the gray skies? How long of a period do you have them? Days or weeks at time? Also, how is it driving on the snow and wet roads? And how are the private schools? How is real estate market for buyers?

[MegAsh]

I live north of Seattle about 20 minutes in Everett. The skies in the Pudget sound area are completely grey the majority of the year. I arrived here in early December and the grey skies have been constant up until recently towards the end of June. July has been half and half. The temperatures have been mild and comfortable and there have been a few sunny days and a few partly cloudy, but still quite a few overcast with no rain. The sunny months are July through to the beginning of Sept and then the constant overcast begins. Colder temperatures will then arrive.
Those are my observations of the weather in the Seattle, Everett, Bellevue, Redmond, Port Angeles, Edmonds, Olympia, Whidbey Island areas.

[Poncho]

Thanks for your observations.