Moving tips for potential Seattle University student? (Vancouver: apartment, leasing)

[rcee]

I am looking for advice on moving to Seattle. I am originally from Louisiana, and just finished my second year of law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville. I've always wanted to live (at least for a little while) in the Northwest, and I was recently accepted as a transfer student to Seattle University's School of Law. I figure if Seattle is somewhere I want to stay, the connections made during the last year of school could be beneficial.

Should I decide to take the opportunity, moving is going to be logistically difficult (Tennessee is pretty far from Washington state, obviously). Could anyone provide any advice on where and how I should look for a place to live? I'm looking for something reasonably close to Seattle U (which is in the Capitol Hill area if I recall), for leasing at under $1200/mo. Condo, decent apartment, etc.

Aside from advice on the actual apartment search, I've got totally open ears with regard to any thoughts or advice regarding anything else I should know about moving to Seattle, including comparisons of living in Louisiana and/or Tennessee vs. Seattle. I like colder weather, enjoy cool music, and found Seattle to be quite beautiful when last I visited (and I really loved Vancouver, which would be a nice bonus since it's only a few hours away). I did get the impression that some of the locals I met in bars, etc., had negative things to say, but I'm finding that's true just about anywhere you go.

Thanks for any advice,

Richard

[scirocco22]

Welcome, Richard!

Feel free to browse the forum for threads that might pertain to some of the questions you've asked while waiting for new responses here on this thread.

Seattle sounds like it would suit you just fine. Cool music and cool weather ...you're coming to the right place.

Looking forward to the responses from others.

[jabm67]

I'm afraid I don't know much about the area around Seattle U, other than the point that there's several major hospitals quite nearby. How it is as an area to live ... I don't know much more than hearsay. I'm embarrassed to admit that, because I'm adjunct faculty at SU. Capitol Hill, which runs north of SU, is a trendy area and pretty pricey.

Parking at the university is approximately impossible, so plan on walking, biking, or busing to/from. (I commute by bus.)

The last time I moved as a single was Indiana to Seattle ... almost 20 years ago. I had relatives in the area which was a major help help; I came up about 6 weeks before the move, spent 4 days looking for an apartment, doing the paperwork with the new employer, nailing down utility deposits, phone, etc. I used the newspapers as my source for looking for a place to live (20 years ago was pre-Internet). Having done that, the following month I did the U-Haul thing, and was able to hit down, unload the truck and drop it off at the U-Haul franchise in the afternoon and make it to a baseball game that evening.