Confused in Seattle (Vancouver, Renton, Burien: rent, home, neighbourhoods)

[specificnorthwest]

Originally Posted by Ira500

There are probably more families living in downtown Seattle now than there were ten years ago, but it's still pretty rare.

interesting....why do you think that is?

I found this article, a couple of years old, that addresses the issue:

Parents want more family-friendly downtown living (http://www.seattlepi.com/local/288840_family16.html - broken link)

[ladygrace]

I am following your post closely because I too am venturing out to the great PNW but I cannot visit before moving because of the costs involved and lack of time, therefore I am going with my gut...so to speak.

[Patron of Wrath]

I'm in the same boat as some of the other wanna-be relocatees [yes I made that word up]. I grew up in far northern California, moving to Tampa Bay in my early teens. I hate the heat here and fondly remember being able to see mountains in my home town. As I said, I hate the heat, so was looking to relocate to a colder climate that has forests for hiking, rivers for canoeing, and a solid tech market for an IT security professional. Nothing quite matched Seattle, but now that I'm looking for houses I am starting to get worried. It seems that most communities are collections of single houses along thoroughfares [except in areas far too expensive for the average Joe to live].

[Ira500]

Patron of Wrath,
There are plenty of parts of the Seattle area which are not collections of single houses along thoroughfares and which are not too expensive for the average Joe to live in.
I'm not exactly sure what you want. Do you want a single family house not on a thoroughfare, or not a single family house at all?
For affordability, look south or north of Seattle. South of Seattle, Renton has the Cedar River, which has canoe and kayak rentals, and the Cedar river trail which is something like 17 miles long. Renton is far more affordable than most of Seattle and the east side, and is fairly close to both. It has a reputation of being full of illiterate slobs. I live in Renton. I may be a slob, but I'm not illiterate. renton has more cultural stuff going on than most people realize.
Another place to consider is Burien. A bit far from the eastside, but an easy trip into Seattle. Downtown "Old Burien" is several blocks long and includes art galleries, brew pubs, espresso shops, great restaurants, and is overlooked by many. Burien is also on Puget Sound, with great water and mountain views, and Seahurst park, which has nice uphill hiking and is on the water as well.
Also, keep in mind that rent costs are currently far less than mortgage payments here, not true in all places.

[nullgeo]

umm ... O.P. from "NYC" ??
NewYorkCity ... let's see ... isn't that a suburb of Philadelphia?
Ah, the garden spots of the enlightened and refreshing American east coast!

You're right about Seattle being a nothing place. I (and all the other dismally boring wet-sider webfoots who are so blind and ignorant as to make this place our home) wish more potential immigrants to our state would have your advance vision, save themselves the agony of NW entrapment, and stay away. We want to suffer our fates here alone. Very very alone. *sniff*

Only good place in Seattle really is the Aurora Bridge -- to jump off when our depression due to enduring life in our horrible neighborhoods just finally becomes too much ...

heh ... enjoy NYC, you lucky guy!

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

umm ... O.P. from "NYC" ??
NewYorkCity ... let's see ... isn't that a suburb of Philadelphia?
Ah, the garden spots of the enlightened and refreshing American east coast!

You're right about Seattle being a nothing place. I (and all the other dismally boring wet-sider webfoots who are so blind and ignorant as to make this place our home) wish more potential immigrants to our state would have your advance vision, save themselves the agony of NW entrapment, and stay away. We want to suffer our fates here alone. Very very alone. *sniff*

Only good place in Seattle really is the Aurora Bridge -- to jump off when our depression due to enduring life in our horrible neighborhoods just finally becomes too much ...

heh ... enjoy NYC, you lucky guy!

Thanks for your input and your time, Nullgeo. I appreciate it very much. I just increased your reputation. You know, I have heard the Aurora Bridge is reserved for locals only. I didn't even know this bridge was built for jumping.

Honestly, dude, after reading your useless post, I can only suggest you jump ASAP, as your mental condition can only get worse.

And they say New Yorkers are not polite!

[pw72]

Nah, you'll run into these types all over the place. They're distant cousins of the late local newspaper crumegon Emmitt Watson, who's main theme was to diss Seattle to keep others from moving there. These people actually love their area, just think it deserves to be their own and nobody elses. They think they are funny, but the best advice is to ignore them. (BTW, Nullgeo may indeed be the ghost of Emmitt Watson, his writing is eerily reminiscent of Watson!)

[JesseJB]

Originally Posted by specificnorthwest

interesting....why do you think that is?

I found this article, a couple of years old, that addresses the issue:

Parents want more family-friendly downtown living (http://www.seattlepi.com/local/288840_family16.html - broken link)

Heheh I totally hooked up with the mom in the photo the night before this article came out. And I'm not kidding.

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by expdxer

I think you may just need time to adjust to the Pacific NW and its more laid-back lifestyle. All I can say is that I can't wait to move back. Single family homes are just part of the make-up of cities there; if you're from the Northeast single-family homes are associated with the suburbs. You may just need an adjustment period.

Thanks, Expdxer. I know what you mean. Today, after spending a couple of hours in the downtown and Belltown, I think I started to understand why Seattleites love neigborhoods like Ballard, Fremont, Capitol Hill or West Seattle. There is so much soul and character in those neigborhoods. I think those neigborhoods is what makes Seattle so special. Not that I hate downtown Seattle. There are many interesting places in the downtown. However, I think it's Seattle's neigborhoods not the downtown that defines Seattle.

I realize some locals who post in this thread give me hard time just because they see I'm from NYC. You know, I didn't start this thread to compare and to complain. Although, maybe unconsiously, I did. This is human nature, I guess. However, please understand I flew here from New York because I have a genuine interest in your city. I'm considering Seattle as a place to live for me and my family. If one of you would consider a move to NYC, I'm sure you would question and find many things unusual, too. And those who don't intend to move, please understand that people who are moving do it for a reason. There is something they don't like where they currently live. If you guys live here and are totally happy with the place and cannot imagine to live somewhere else, I'm only jealous of you.

[seattlenextyear]

"However, I think it's Seattle's neigborhoods not the downtown that defines Seattle. "

Wouldn't you say this about any city? It seems like downtowns are mainly places for commerce, tourists, and the occasional night out. People live in the neighborhoods.