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I left Seattle when I was 22, and then lived 10 years in Japan, and 7 years in San Diego. I moved back to Seattle a year ago, and I love Seattle and I am thrilled to be living here again. Japan was very interesting and I really enjoyed my life there, and San Diego had nice things about it (the weather was lovely) but it just wasn't for me, and I was very excited to move back here. I like seasonal change, and I don't mind rain, clouds, snow, etc. I much prefer variable weather to very consistent weather.
Things I love about Seattle:
The beauty - I love seeing mountains, water, trees etc everywhere I go.
The neighborhoods - there are so many great walkable neighborhoods that are all very unique. I enjoy going to the farmers market in the U-district, buying tea on Queen Anne, visiting Theo chocolates in Fremont, walking or paddling through the Arboretum, going to a coffee shop on Capitol Hill, making a trip to Pike Place market, etc. So many places to go!
The cool temperatures - I really dislike heat and humidity, so Seattle is very comfortable for me most of the time.
The architecture - I love driving through the neighborhoods and seeing all of the cute Tudor, Craftsman, Victorian, etc. houses.
The food - there are so many restaurants that we really enjoy and visit again and again, and it is also fun to keep trying new ones. I like that there are so many independent restaurants and bakeries. I have a long list of places that I am looking forward to trying! I feel that there is an amazing variety here. The farmers markets are also amazing, and I have been in heaven this summer with all of the berries and stone fruits.
All of the interesting places nearby - I love that there are so many options for weekend getaways - Vancouver BC (and all of the great places near Vancouver), Portland, Leavenworth, camping destinations, the Oregon Coast, etc.
Relatively affordable housing - even though prices in San Diego have dropped about 40% from their peak, there really are still no decent houses in the area we lived for less than about 650,000. Yet within a couple of miles of University of Washington there are many, many really nice houses in the 400-500,000 range. That makes a huge difference in our quality of life.
The people - I like how natural people are here. I rarely see surgically-altered women with lots of makeup and designer clothes here, and it is refreshing. I see people biking, hiking, kayaking, etc all the time. I love that.
Outdoor recreation opportunities - there are so many great hikes and walks and places for boating near by - it really is amazing. I feel like we will never run out of places to explore!
The city itself - I really like downtown Seattle. Whether we are walking through Pike Place market or shopping for books in Pioneer Square, or going out for dinner or to listen to music, it just seems like a very vibrant, cosmopolitan city. And I used to live in Tokyo, so I have definitely experienced other major cities.
To me, this is the perfect place. However, my brother who has lived here his entire life is looking forward to retiring and moving to the other side of Washington to get away from the rainy winters. And my husband thought San Diego was perfect, mostly because he loved the weather. It really is an incredibly individual response I think. So good luck with your decision!
I just posted a rant in another forum about Seattle. I have to disagree with you having lived here for 20 years. I am originally from San Diego and will be moving back down there as soon as I am finished with my Masters degree. Here is what I had for reasons not to live in Seattle. It may sound a little brash but I way beyond ready to be gone. Best of luck to you if you move here. We're all different and there is a place for everyone.
10 Reasons I think Seattle sucks:
1. Passive-aggressive, ultra-leftist hippies with more "causes" than friends
2. Constant rain and clouds resulting in massive amounts of SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
3. Nothing to do here, and even if you find something to do the rain will probably spoil it for you
4. Lack of diversity--nearly everyone is a left-wing hippy who incessantly apologizes for being white while at the same time talking about how respectful of diversity they are (these are sad people with very guilty consciences)
5. For being one of the most educated cities in the nation, it is also statistically one of the least charitable (in terms of volunteering and parting with individual wealth for charitable causes)--if you move here you will be surrounded by people who pretend to care about others but won't lift a single finger to help their neighbor unless it means preaching your ear off about some self-righteous cause of theirs that always involves government redistribution of the wealth. They are hypocrites to the core.
6. We live on the coast but the beaches are missing fine sand and sun (what's the point?!)
7. Again NO real diversity which equals few exceptional places to eat
8. Even the fast food sucks here (Although I can't say I blame in-in-out burger for not wanting to be here)
9. Traffic (when I-5 is bad where else are you going to go? And I-5 is going to be bad)
10. Not family friendly at all (again, statistically there are more dogs than children in Seattle)
I'll keep it all in mind. Oddly those are some of the exact reasons I want to leave where I live now. Boulder is either all hippies, college students or mid 30s professionals. It's not a place for budding young professionals.
Thanks for the post. Rants are just as helpful as gleeful comments.
I left Seattle when I was 22, and then lived 10 years in Japan, and 7 years in San Diego. I moved back to Seattle a year ago, and I love Seattle and I am thrilled to be living here again. Japan was very interesting and I really enjoyed my life there, and San Diego had nice things about it (the weather was lovely) but it just wasn't for me, and I was very excited to move back here. I like seasonal change, and I don't mind rain, clouds, snow, etc. I much prefer variable weather to very consistent weather.
Things I love about Seattle:
The beauty - I love seeing mountains, water, trees etc everywhere I go.
The neighborhoods - there are so many great walkable neighborhoods that are all very unique. I enjoy going to the farmers market in the U-district, buying tea on Queen Anne, visiting Theo chocolates in Fremont, walking or paddling through the Arboretum, going to a coffee shop on Capitol Hill, making a trip to Pike Place market, etc. So many places to go!
The cool temperatures - I really dislike heat and humidity, so Seattle is very comfortable for me most of the time.
The architecture - I love driving through the neighborhoods and seeing all of the cute Tudor, Craftsman, Victorian, etc. houses.
The food - there are so many restaurants that we really enjoy and visit again and again, and it is also fun to keep trying new ones. I like that there are so many independent restaurants and bakeries. I have a long list of places that I am looking forward to trying! I feel that there is an amazing variety here. The farmers markets are also amazing, and I have been in heaven this summer with all of the berries and stone fruits.
All of the interesting places nearby - I love that there are so many options for weekend getaways - Vancouver BC (and all of the great places near Vancouver), Portland, Leavenworth, camping destinations, the Oregon Coast, etc.
Relatively affordable housing - even though prices in San Diego have dropped about 40% from their peak, there really are still no decent houses in the area we lived for less than about 650,000. Yet within a couple of miles of University of Washington there are many, many really nice houses in the 400-500,000 range. That makes a huge difference in our quality of life.
The people - I like how natural people are here. I rarely see surgically-altered women with lots of makeup and designer clothes here, and it is refreshing. I see people biking, hiking, kayaking, etc all the time. I love that.
Outdoor recreation opportunities - there are so many great hikes and walks and places for boating near by - it really is amazing. I feel like we will never run out of places to explore!
The city itself - I really like downtown Seattle. Whether we are walking through Pike Place market or shopping for books in Pioneer Square, or going out for dinner or to listen to music, it just seems like a very vibrant, cosmopolitan city. And I used to live in Tokyo, so I have definitely experienced other major cities.
To me, this is the perfect place. However, my brother who has lived here his entire life is looking forward to retiring and moving to the other side of Washington to get away from the rainy winters. And my husband thought San Diego was perfect, mostly because he loved the weather. It really is an incredibly individual response I think. So good luck with your decision!
Thank you so much! It sounds like your thoughts are exactly the same as mine.
I'll keep it all in mind. Oddly those are some of the exact reasons I want to leave where I live now. Boulder is either all hippies, college students or mid 30s professionals. It's not a place for budding young professionals.
Thanks for the post. Rants are just as helpful as gleeful comments.
-Philip
Ha ha glad I could help. Seriously though, if you think you will like something you probably will. I hope you enjoy it. Funny cause I always thought Colorado was nice but I only visited once.
1. Outdoor activities galore! Hiking, biking, snowboarding, etc.
2. I'm an artist, designer, developer. Boyfriend is IT. Opportunities galore with decent pay to match.
3. A city, state, area of the country to explore and crossing the border too.
4. Beautiful surroundings. The kind of beautiful I like to look at.
5. The dewpoint. Where I live it's mid 70's mostly.
6. Dog friendly.
7. Lots of water everywhere.
8. As a gardener and former floral designer, the chance to grow something other than hibiscus and azaleas is thrilling. And tulips grow within driving distance? OMG! The wonderful lavender in the summer. $60 bouquets that only cost $10 at the market? Colorful foliage on the trees.
9. Why not? It's scary and fun and a massive change of pace. We can leave if we don't like it. The highway runs both ways.
10. The PNW doesn't contain the negatives that I'm leaving behind. Moving isn't a "grass is greener" proposition - every place has problems (volcanos? frightening) - it's the fact that we have the right to change our residence as we see fit.
10. The PNW doesn't contain the negatives that I'm leaving behind. Moving isn't a "grass is greener" proposition - every place has problems (volcanos? frightening) - it's the fact that we have the right to change our residence as we see fit.
Very true. I just smile and nod when people mention the rain here in Seattle, thinking back to living in Orlando where it didn't just rain, it poured. Frequently.
Oh, and the lightning isn't as scary out here in Seattle.
Honestly, we moved here for the money. The job offer my hubby got was to wonderful to pass up on. Now we are leaving in a month and never looking back. However, I will miss........the beautiful scenery I see every time I drive anywhere, that there is a Starbucks or coffee shop everywhere I go, and the great friends I made.
Us, too. We moved here for a great job offer for my husband. After 2 1/2 years, we've learned that money isn't everything.
Oh, and the lightning isn't as scary out here in Seattle.
That's relieving to hear. I scream everytime the bolts hit nearby. I've caused my poor dog to become very nervous when he hears rumbling outside. The two of us were driving and got caught in a violent storm - rapid flashes of lightning, visibility reduced to five feet - and he was quivering, with his cute ears slicked back and tail tucked under. Poor thing.
Us, too. We moved here for a great job offer for my husband. After 2 1/2 years, we've learned that money isn't everything.
Us too V~ Being around family is more important to us than money......frankly he doesn't make enough to make us even want to stay here anymore. We are tired of the weather and the crappy food. Cannot wait to get back into our east coast delights!
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