Is Everett Really Ghetto? (Seattle, Bellingham: 2014, crime, home)
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I left for college and family moved away. It's a nice place though, imo. Weird people..but nice.
Plus since we were next to the schools, we always had somewhere to do nothing...
Weird people are everywhere :-D I wonder how many times I have thought someone was weird who was thinking the same thing about me? I won't ponder that one too long....lol!
These are great posts.. I may have to take a look at the neighborhoods of Everett people mentioned.. Yeah, I know the homesick feeling. I sure miss the beautiful trees, rivers and mountains of Oregon. Seattle though, seems like it would have even more of what Oregon offers. I remember when I visited my folks living at Bellingham at the time how bewildered I was by the stunning beauty and greenery. Also, there was bald eagles everywhere. I never saw so many bald eagles in my life. I also felt that Mt Baker and Rainier were the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. This is coming from living in Hood River for a year, where I saw Mt Adams and Mt Hood every day. Those mountains are also beautiful.
I've yet to see the North Cascades in any detail and I am yearning. The last time I was in Seattle was about 12 years ago. So, I know I need to take another trip.
I guess I am not worried about being mugged or shot. Yes, these things can happen, but I know that it is not the most common problem. I'm worried about having my apartment/duplex/house broken into by drug addicts. I would like to be in a place where I don't got sketchy neighbors and I don't have to worry about constant break-ins. This is one reason I hated Eugene, OR. I had 3 burglaries living in that town. I didn't live in the best areas though. All my burglaries happened living in apartments.
Lancelot, you know what's driving me crazy? Looking at barren, brown hills. The lack of large evergreen trees. It's driving me mad. Yeah, I grew up around the rain and it almost seems weird when there is too much sun. I like the sun, but as I said earlier, I'd rather have grey skies and greenery, then constant sun and brown scenery. As I am writing this, we have had 3 solid days of rain in Boise and only one sunny day in the last week. For being a desert, Boise rains quite a bit, actually. Our Spring has been feeling a lot like an Oregon spring, short, but heavy bouts of pouring rain accompanied by days of grey. At least the greenbelt in Boise is finally looking green again. Everyone here just revels about how green and lush is the greenbelt here. They call Boise the city of trees. I ask these people with a confused look, have you ever been to Oregon? I had more trees on my sterile, suburban block in Beaverton then has the whole bloody town of Boise. And, I never saw such a brown, greenbelt in my whole life.
I do take Vitamin D and have a full-spectrum sun bulb. VItamin D supplementation is very important for those who live in Pacific NW , Nordic and Anglo countries. Places where the sun is hidden for a long time. I also have some nice rain gear. If you think Seattle is depressing, try the Oregon Coast. It rains much harder there and more often and you have long bouts of the thickest fog you ever seen that can last over a month.
Yeah Boise gets more sun, but I don't like it here. The place is not very nice looking and I'm not loving the Idaho vibe so much. Northern Idaho is probably the only part of the state I would live and that part gets a lot more clouds, rain and snow then the southern part of the state.
P.S. Lotr, I sure hope you can make it out of Kansas City in one piece.. I do know some good body armor manufacturers around that may be able to assist you if needed.
Last edited by MysticalDream; 03-30-2012 at 01:07 PM..
I've lived in Everett for about a year and 6 months. I'm moving to Capitol Hill in Seattle next week and it's not a moment too soon. I'm sick of this town. So many people here carry themselves like they are in a rap video, or never grew out of being high schoolers. As an educated professional I feel totally out of place here. Every night I get woken up by some idiot driving twice the speed limit down my street, blasting their music so loud I can hear the lyrics, or revving up their engine needlessly. This city pioneered the bikini barista concept. Earlier this year someone stole my rent check from my mailbox and used it to buy something from T-Mobile (the most ghetto of all carriers besides Boost Mobile of course). The main commercial corridors of Broadway, Evergreen Way and Everett Mall Way are hideous and depressing drags filled with pawn shops, smoke shops, tattoo parlors and vacant big-box storefronts. The only area that resembles an actual city is downtown, which is still somewhat barren despite the revitalization efforts (there are more bail bond vendors than coffee shops). The sad state of the city is a legacy of the city government's mismanagement and concessions to Boeing and the Navy. Then again, if it wasn't for those two entities, the city would resemble Detroit, so it's a complicated situation.
If you can't afford a better location (as I couldn't when I moved here) you can find some decent places to live for relatively cheap. As others have said, avoid Casino Road at all costs. There is a reason why it is so cheap. Also avoid the vicinity of North Broadway, and the area between 128th Street and Everett Mall Way. Your best bet is probably the central part of Everett between downtown and the Boeing freeway. That area is relatively decent and has reasonably priced rentals, but just make sure your neighbors aren't total screw-offs or you will be in for some sleepless nights.
Ive never seen any real ghetto places in WA like I did living in FL, but here in Everett there is definately alot of real shady people and high schoolers who think they are hard
and then you might have some mexican neighbors move in next door who constantly have vehicles coming and going and idling at all hours of the NIGHT.....
From reading these posts, I am definitely having second thoughts about Everett.. Thanks for everyone who has contributed with their opinions.
Things like, "Everett could never compare to ghettoes back east", doesn't exactly enthuse me. I mean, I know there is lot worse places to live then any place in Washington state, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't want to live in a better area. E.g., I use to live in some of the worst areas in Portland. I heard gun shots at night, had my car stolen, garbage was everywhere, and was plagued with the sounds of constant high speed police chases, etc. Yeah, this wasn't so bad compared to people living in Stockton, Ca or Camden, NJ, but do I really want to go out of my way to live in SE 82 and Flavel in Portland, even though it isn't as bad as some other slum? It sounds like Everett may be on par to SE 82/Flavel area of Portland back in the 90s. I'm not sure what that area is like today, although I doubt it is much better.
Maybe, if I decided against living in Bellingham (my first choice), I can also reconsider Mt Vernon. I like the proximity to the Mt Baker wilderness, yet I am not too far to go into Seattle a couple times a week. I will be working from home for the next year or so, so commuting isn't a top issue. Although, it would be nice to be closer to the city.
As far as Lake Stevens and the other areas, they look astronomically expensive. Could you realistically find a decent 1-2 bed apartment anywhere in a nice part of King county for $800-900/mo? I'm kind of doubting it. Even Northern Tacoma looks surprisingly expensive. I am told this is the nice part of Tacoma, I guess you have to pay to be where it is nice.
Other than Seattle and Wilderness, do you need to be close to anything else? There are plenty of cheaper areas but they are a bit out of the way and lack nightlife and stores.
Everybody likes things just a bit different. I used to got to Everett a lot as I had customers there to call on for the work I did. I also found out how much MORE I liked the area near Anacortes. I'm sure it would not likely be ideal from the work perspective, but for living it darned sure would beat Everett. Unless you're hung up on being real close to the urban thing (not me) than the further North the better IMHO
Exactly, dcisive. Anacortes is awesome, never lived there but I bought a couple of Kia's there, from Jerry Smith Kia in Anacortes, before he moved his Kia dealership down the hill to the east in Burlington. AAMOF Burlington isn't too bad to live in, my wife and I lived in Burlington and it was a good place, a very safe place, to live. Beautiful drive off to the east on Highway 20 that went over the North Cascades Pass...i.e. Sedro Wooley, Concrete, Rockport, Newhalem...it is a beautiful drive. One of the best places to watch bald-headed eagles is Skagit County in this area I'm describing here.
Then you have the vast, beautiful tulip and daffodil fields of Skagit County, too. It is a great place to live, Skagit County. And though I've never lived in Anacortes I would love to live there or anywhere on Whidbey Island, for that matter. I'm working on accomplishing just that right now.
You guys have given me some ideas.. I may check out Anacortes, Burlington and Mt Vernon. Skagit county really does look beautiful, but I fear it may be far from any urban amenities or social life. For a guy in his 30s, I find it hard to meet people my age in the more rural and small towns. Bellingham, being a college-town, I thought may have a bit of a younger element. However, maybe being in Skagit, I would still be in commutable distance to Seattle for social activities, although it would be a bit out of the way. Also, I would love being so close to the wilderness areas of the North Cascades. That area, IMO, is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
I assume Anacortes would be a bit far from all the mountain scenery and hiking I love so much. I don't own a boat and island life, unless you have 80F and sunny weather every day, may get a bit dull for a mountain man like me.
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