Is Seattle area good for relocating? (transplants, rent, house)

[MJU]

I'm looking for little insight about life in WA and Seattle region especially. We are young family with 8mths old and currently live in NJ/Metro area. Both me and my wife come from Europe and life in NJ just isn't what we look for for ourselves and our baby. We did lot of travelling and research - however we skipped a visit to WA so far. To those who live/moved there - would you rate it as a good transplant area? We look forward to buy a house and settle for at least 10 yrs. How are the people / jobs / schools / cost of living? NJ is very cosmopolitan; however it has other downfalls that are hard to deal with. Thank you for all potential hints!

[kagona]

We are transplants from Hawaii and we love it here! We also have an 8 month old. It has a very family feel, as well as having the opportunity to be in a big city in minutes.

I think it is a great place to move to. The only downside is the food. There is not as much ethnic food as I would like. But if you like to cook, there are wonderful ingredients to cook with.

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by kagona

We are transplants from Hawaii and we love it here! We also have an 8 month old. It has a very family feel, as well as having the opportunity to be in a big city in minutes.

I think it is a great place to move to. The only downside is the food. There is not as much ethnic food as I would like. But if you like to cook, there are wonderful ingredients to cook with.

Huh? There's (and this is just off the top of my head):

Hawaiian asian food, Moroccan, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, French, Italian, all sorts of American, Greek, eastern European, and Ethiopian food restaurants all in Seattle proper.

I agree with the other points.

I am a transplant from the Midwest and Seattle has a very unique feel. The summers are absolutely gorgeous, and the winters are mild (though eye-gougingly dull and depressing). Cost of food is reasonable, and there's many fresh ingredients and all the farmers' markets you could hope for.

There's a few downsides. Winters, poor road conditions, high housing costs, are a few.

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by MJU

NJ is very cosmopolitan; however it has other downfalls that are hard to deal with. Thank you for all potential hints!

What characteristics do you actually want in a new location?
Since you wrote "other downfalls", that seems to be saying you do not like a "cosmopolitan" atmosphere.
What are the "other" characteristics that you don't like?
Are you looking for the opposite of whatever they are?

If you were more specific and explained what you do want and what you don't want, perhaps we could understand what you're looking for.

[MJU]

Originally Posted by allforcats

What characteristics do you actually want in a new location?
Since you wrote "other downfalls", that seems to be saying you do not like a "cosmopolitan" atmosphere.
What are the "other" characteristics that you don't like?
Are you looking for the opposite of whatever they are?

If you were more specific and explained what you do want and what you don't want, perhaps we could understand what you're looking for.

Hi,
by downfalls I meant (few listed):
a) housing in NJ - high prices, wild property taxes (and taxes in general, comparing to other states)
b) lack of space
c) people missing "Hello" and "Thank you" in their vocabulary
d) strolling with baby is life-threatening activity due to driving habits of local residents

Also, however strange it may sound, I'm not comfortable with people throwing fits that I speak English. I work in mixed office/retail environment and I've experienced the rudest remarks from "clients". I live here for last 7yrs, I learned the language and graduated from school here. When I move to Madrid, Buenos Aires or Caracas I will learn THAT other language because it's official THERE.

I guess I'm not too demanding, any American-born person will probably desire for more when it comes to place of residence.

[h8n]

Originally Posted by MJU

Hi,
by downfalls I meant (few listed):
a) housing in NJ - high prices, wild property taxes (and taxes in general, comparing to other states)
b) lack of space
c) people missing "Hello" and "Thank you" in their vocabulary
d) strolling with baby is life-threatening activity due to driving habits of local residents

Also, however strange it may sound, I'm not comfortable with people throwing fits that I speak English. I work in mixed office/retail environment and I've experienced the rudest remarks from "clients". I live here for last 7yrs, I learned the language and graduated from school here. When I move to Madrid, Buenos Aires or Caracas I will learn THAT other language because it's official THERE.

I guess I'm not too demanding, any American-born person will probably desire for more when it comes to place of residence.

Well, I lived in Portland & went to Seattle on business quite often & I can tell you that C & D are more what you will find in Portland rather than Seattle.

I went to college in Chicago so I understand you point of C.... in Chicago every time I said hello to someone (I'm from Texas originally), they looked at me like I was going to kill them.

Anywhere you go in Oregon or Washington west of the mountains will be expensive property. If you are looking for more of a city vibe with a good job market, go for Seattle. If you are looking for more of a laid back vibe & a not so great a job market, check out Portland. We always said Seattle is a city & Portland is a big town.

[karensells]

Hi,
I am a Seattle native.
Seattle is made up of many small neighborhoods, each with it's own personality. There are also many suburbs and the home prices would be slightly lower in most of them.
I think you would find the people to be friendly and it would be a nice place for a family.
You can check out the average weather for each month on www.weather.com
Since Seattle has a lot of traffic you might wish to secure a job first and then rent a home close by so you can avoid spending a great deal of time commuting.
Some European countries have social halls in Seattle. You might enjoy belonging to one. And Ethnic food of every type is readily available throughout town.
Best Wishes.