Planning to move from LA to Seattle area... (Bellevue, Everett: 2010, rentals)

[Avlany]

Hello guys,

Me and my fiancée was thinking to relocate from Los Angeles to Seattle area at the first quarter of the 2010, so I wanted to ask a few things about it. A little about us: We both Russian-born but US citizens, I am 30, working as an IT Specialist at small local company for a few years (don't have BA but got some experience) and my girl is 23 and has bunch of EXP with Administrative work (last job was for none-profit organization with payroll and HR). Neither of us care about how religious the environment is (referring to several post on this boards about overly Christian communities), because we are not into Christianity so it doesn't really bother us. We are planning to get married at some point and have kids, and with that in mind we looking for place to have a family and raise children in safe and friendly as possible atmosphere. Anyways, with above said, I have a few questions if someone here would be so kind to answer for me.

1. Since we are moving to absolutely unfamiliar place we gonna need to find jobs (both of us), even if its going to be temp for first couple of month till we find something permanent. So i was wondering how is it there with the job market and where are the jobs in mentioned fields would be most likely located? The reason I am asking is because we have to keep in mind the commuting to the job place.

2. I am not sure about the rent-market in that area, but from what I've seen its cheaper than we have it here in LA, I am paying almost $1200 for 1 bedroom. With this number in mind, which areas we should be looking for rent-properties? I know this is tough question, so please bare with me. Of course money are big factor for us at the moment, but with perspective of family and kids we are looking for area that is "safe" in a sense of crime (sick and tired of this crap), have good school system, not and hour drive from basic things and if possible as close to nature (we really miss snow and rain and forest, even if it sounds naive).

3. As I already mention we don't know anyone there so I think obvious question would be about people's mindset in there. One of the reasons we are leaving LA is because the last thing i want is to have a family in such "fake" place. People here are not friendly at all, and most of the time you get is stupid-looking fake smile at almost anything you say; freaking Hollywood. So i would appreciate if you guys could give me some insides on the matter.

4. Now about the seasons. Is it 4 distinct seasons out there? Meaning winter has snow, and summer has sun, while spring and fall not vanishing in between.

5. What about the living expanses there? I know its a pretty broad and generic question, but I just want to make a rough picture of what we are going to face there.


There probably going to be more of those to ask in the future, so ill just start with those. There is no bad or good information, so we would honestly appreciate any input you guys can provide.


Thank you in advance.

-Deny.

[Twitch2]

It's a great area to live and raise a family. THere is always something to do wheather it be hiking, boating, mtn biking, or just cruising the city. Since its a great area the cost of living is pretty high, but not quite as high as LA from what you have said about rent. Its nice in the summer not to hot about 70's or 80's. Winter you can expect alot of rain which gives washington sometimes a bad rap. During winter the passes are not far away from Seattle which allows snowboarding, cross country sking, etc. People out here are really pretty nice also. My wife and I are trying to move back so we can raise a family. Marysville use to be a nice area north of Seattle, but it's now become a crime area. Lake stevens in a nice community with good schools just East of Everett.

[iskray917]

Coming from Southern California myself I can assure you that fall/winter/spring all exist here unlike down there. Summer is usually quite sunny (people normally ignore this when describing Seattle as gray and rainy all the time). The sun does disappear for a while in the winter however and we do get a fair amount of rain so prepare to be a lot wetter than you were in LA.

[Avlany]

Thank you much for replying guys, please keep it coming.

[edbisquera]

Hi Avlany,

Well, there are at least 3 distinct seasons here in the Seatte/Puget Sound area. Contrary to popular belief, it's not ALWAYS raining here, but it is often cold and cloudy. We're in fall mode now, so it's often cold, but we can get many sunny days. Yeah, it might be sunny, but it's still cold. :-)

Jobs are not easy to come by, but they are out there. Check Twitter for job postings in the area of experience you're looking for as well as LinkedIn, to connect with folks that might know of inside openings. Sometimes (often many times) it's not WHAT you know...it's WHO you know.

Rents can be in the $1000-$1500 range, just depends on where you want to live and what you need. If it's just the two of you, you may be able to find a small 2 br for $1200 or less. Again, there's so many areas to consider, that you'll have to narrow down your options. Of course, that will depend upon your jobs and where they are located, if you can locate your housing near your work locations.

Did you check Auburn or Federal Way or Puyallup area? That's considered South King County/Pierce County and could be some areas of opportunity. Of course there's West Seattle, North Seattle area, East Seattle, like Bellevue, Kent or Redmond too. But I think East may be a bit more pricey to live in. I could be wrong; perhaps folks on the East side can offer up an opinion on housing costs there?

Overall, I think you'll find the people and the area great. I have to warn you though, you won't be leaving the traffic behind in LA. There is traffic up here, depending on where you are going and when. In the area around where I work (Auburn, Federal Way, Puyallup) it doesn't seem to be too bad, but often I'm heading in the opposite direction of the main traffic.

Good luck and hope you make a safe trek up here to Seattle area. Take care!

Ed

Originally Posted by Avlany

Hello guys,

Me and my fiancée was thinking to relocate from Los Angeles to Seattle area at the first quarter of the 2010, so I wanted to ask a few things about it. A little about us: We both Russian-born but US citizens, I am 30, working as an IT Specialist at small local company for a few years (don't have BA but got some experience) and my girl is 23 and has bunch of EXP with Administrative work (last job was for none-profit organization with payroll and HR). Neither of us care about how religious the environment is (referring to several post on this boards about overly Christian communities), because we are not into Christianity so it doesn't really bother us. We are planning to get married at some point and have kids, and with that in mind we looking for place to have a family and raise children in safe and friendly as possible atmosphere. Anyways, with above said, I have a few questions if someone here would be so kind to answer for me.

1. Since we are moving to absolutely unfamiliar place we gonna need to find jobs (both of us), even if its going to be temp for first couple of month till we find something permanent. So i was wondering how is it there with the job market and where are the jobs in mentioned fields would be most likely located? The reason I am asking is because we have to keep in mind the commuting to the job place.

2. I am not sure about the rent-market in that area, but from what I've seen its cheaper than we have it here in LA, I am paying almost $1200 for 1 bedroom. With this number in mind, which areas we should be looking for rent-properties? I know this is tough question, so please bare with me. Of course money are big factor for us at the moment, but with perspective of family and kids we are looking for area that is "safe" in a sense of crime (sick and tired of this crap), have good school system, not and hour drive from basic things and if possible as close to nature (we really miss snow and rain and forest, even if it sounds naive).

3. As I already mention we don't know anyone there so I think obvious question would be about people's mindset in there. One of the reasons we are leaving LA is because the last thing i want is to have a family in such "fake" place. People here are not friendly at all, and most of the time you get is stupid-looking fake smile at almost anything you say; freaking Hollywood. So i would appreciate if you guys could give me some insides on the matter.

4. Now about the seasons. Is it 4 distinct seasons out there? Meaning winter has snow, and summer has sun, while spring and fall not vanishing in between.

5. What about the living expanses there? I know its a pretty broad and generic question, but I just want to make a rough picture of what we are going to face there.


There probably going to be more of those to ask in the future, so ill just start with those. There is no bad or good information, so we would honestly appreciate any input you guys can provide.


Thank you in advance.

-Deny.

[Avlany]

Thank you for the reply, good piece of information there. What is the population of those neighborhoods? And on this note, what about Issaquah?

[nfdsouza2001]

Issaquah is southeast of Bellevue. It is a good stopping point if you are in IT. The Transit station is new and closeby. I found new townhomes and rentals within walking distance of the transit center. You will still have to contend with traffic during other times. Though LA traffic can be bad we have to contend with a lot of gapers' delays which can snarl traffic in all directions. You may want to consider the south sound which is not as crowded but the transit system is improving with more trains going to downtown.

[shanmerc]

hi,

can i ask you a couple questions about the sun-factor in seattle? i'm from L.A. too and am considering moving to seattle (since my boyfriend thinks it is the best place on earth and wants to go back) but i'm concerned not seeing the sun will get to me. what has it been like for you? i have found some graphs online about average temp/rain (shows for each month) but i don't know how the sun factors into all of that.... like if there is not rain does that mean there is sun? or does that mean there is clouds?

my questions are: winter, summer, fall, spring averages - how many days of clouds before the sun comes out? how many days does the sun stay before the clouds return? how many days are half sun/half clouds?

also, what does half sun/half clouds actually mean? L.A. is prob sunny 340 days per year (just a guess). and i don't recall too many days where it is half/half. it is either cloudy and going to rain or tons of sun. (well, i live in santa monica and before that in valencia, so that's been my experience). so i'm not sure what half and half is like.

any part of your experience as it relates to weather would be really helpful to me. thank you so much!!

[shanmerc]

Originally Posted by iskray917

Coming from Southern California myself I can assure you that fall/winter/spring all exist here unlike down there. Summer is usually quite sunny (people normally ignore this when describing Seattle as gray and rainy all the time). The sun does disappear for a while in the winter however and we do get a fair amount of rain so prepare to be a lot wetter than you were in LA.

hi,

can i ask you a couple questions about the sun-factor in seattle? i'm from L.A. too and am considering moving to seattle (since my boyfriend thinks it is the best place on earth and wants to go back) but i'm concerned not seeing the sun will get to me. what has it been like for you? i have found some graphs online about average temp/rain (shows for each month) but i don't know how the sun factors into all of that.... like if there is not rain does that mean there is sun? or does that mean there is clouds?

my questions are: winter, summer, fall, spring averages - how many days of clouds before the sun comes out? how many days does the sun stay before the clouds return? how many days are half sun/half clouds?

also, what does half sun/half clouds actually mean? L.A. is prob sunny 340 days per year (just a guess). and i don't recall too many days where it is half/half. it is either cloudy and going to rain or tons of sun. (well, i live in santa monica and before that in valencia, so that's been my experience). so i'm not sure what half and half is like.

any part of your experience as it relates to weather would be really helpful to me. thank you so much!!