Big city to small city (Phoenix, AZ to Pullman, WA)? (Seattle: apartment, low crime)

[berbe01]

I've lived in Phoenix my entire life.
It's a big city. 1.6 million population vs 31k in Pullman.
I've never moved out of Phoenix. So my fear is would I have some kind of culture shock going from such a big area to a small one like Pullman?
That's really my only hesitation to move there. But I'm not sure because I mostly live in isolation anyways. It's not like I'm out every other day partying in the city though. I just hang out at a friends house once in a while or watch movies or play piano.
I'm getting all my perspectives just from googling "Pullman reviews" or "quality of life in Pullman"
So I don't know how accurate they are or how closely I would relate to them.
But from what I have read, the weather is great compared to Phoenix. Rainy, snowy, sunny, it has everything and "the weather is totally unpredictable (so it can rain, hail, snow and be clear and sunny all in one day). It snowed in June this past year!" (Posted in '09).
The quality of life search sounds positive too. "The people are mostly college students and really friendly"
Low crime rates. The cost of living sounds low too.
"I have a 1 bedroom apartment for $495/month and it's far enough away from the university to not have to be around partying college students all the time "
I'd be in that same situation since I plan on moving by myself. And I have very little needs. Just basic survival and Netflix and internet. Although I'd probably pass a lot of time going out on walks since it sounds like a much cleaner area than smoggy Phoenix.
Another concern of mine is how would job hunting be?
I feel like it can go either way. A small population means less people to compete against for a job, or a small population can mean fewer industries are established so there is higher competition to land a job. Which is it?
Any other input on whether or not I would like Pullman?
I originally wanted to move to Seattle for the rain, I heard the seafood in Seattle is astounding, the culture and the university. But there's no way I can afford that. So I stumbled across Pullman. Would I find the same thing? Or relatively close similarities?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

[duckieee]

How in the world did you stumble across Pullman? Pullman is a gem. As someone who spent 4 years in Pullman at WSU, and has actually recently moved to Phoenix, I would move back in a heartbeat. Pullman has this vibrant community that is a rough mash up of college students and the 'locals'. There is tons to do whether your interests be outdoors or something else. Now Pullman is a true college town. Sometimes it really seems like the University rules the town. During football season, caravans of motorhomes start coming in on Wednesdays and clear out on Sundays. They stay in the campus parking lots and everything is decorated in Crimson and Gray. It's really something special. I've wandered through the motorhomes and people invite you to tailgate with them and cheer on the Cougs.

After football season, things start to cool down and the snow settles in until about March. You will need a car with 4WD to get up and down the hills of Pullman. They do take pretty good care of the streets in the winter. I only had issues maybe once or twice and that was when my 4WD went out. The snow starts to melt around March and then you get a rainy spring with occasional snow. It is true that Pullman will sometimes get a snowy day in May or Jun. It also rains almost everyday until the middle/end of June, then it's pretty much sunny every day until September/October when you start to get some rain showers. The weather can definitely be sporadic and unpredictable. I remember there was one time I went to class at 10 and it was 80 degrees outside, left class and it was 50 and hailing, sat in the dining hall until my next class at 12:30, by that time it had warmed back up to 80 and the two inches of hail had started to melt. I went to my next two classes and got out around 5 and it was snowing. The cold is not much different to the heat... You just get used to it!

Jobs can always be obtained through the university - I know I had a few friends who took semesters off and worked at Beasley Colosseum before and after sporting events. There are also grocery stores that are looking to hire and other local businesses. As an added bonus you are also 8 miles away from another college town in Moscow, Idaho which has its own local businesses that are looking to hire.

You can definitely get by in a one bedroom apartment for 500. I had a two bedroom apartment for $530 about 3 years ago, which is pretty decent.

As far as culture shock, it will probably happen. There is no place in Arizona that I can relate to Pullman. If you are looking for a bigger area, I would recommend Spokane, or one of the smaller towns around Spokane but these are smaller than Pullman: Cheney, Medical Lake, etc. Although those you might have to commute into Spokane for work.

I think I hit most of your points! If not, remind me and I'll see what I can do about answering it!

[j_k_k]

Just, as you head out of town westward, do not ever speed in Colfax. It is a town that makes its entire living giving Cougs speeding tickets. Arguably the very worst speed trap town in the state of Washington, with speed limits carefully crafted so that people will assume they can speed up now, or slow down in a moment.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by berbe01

I originally wanted to move to Seattle for the rain, I heard the seafood in Seattle is astounding, the culture and the university. But there's no way I can afford that. So I stumbled across Pullman. Would I find the same thing? Or relatively close similarities?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

Seattle and Pullman are about as alike as Seattle and Phoenix, as in they are NOTHING alike! The only thing Seattle and Pullman have in common is that they are in the same state. Are Flagstaff and Yuma alike? How about Phoenix and Show Low?

Pullman doesn't get the rain/overcast like Seattle does, they are two different climates. Pullman is nowhere near the sea, and I'm sure you know that. Pullman's culture predominately involves WSU, as does Moscow's with U of I.

In short, if you are looking for something "like Seattle", Pullman isn't it. Try Bellingham or Olympia for watered down versions or smaller/cheaper Seattle's.

You might alternatively check Tacoma/Pierce County or Seattle's South King County suburbs.

As for Pullman, I am not a fan of it (just because I don't like the surrounding landscape AT ALL), but if cheap/smallish town is your primary motivation, then you can't go wrong with it or Moscow.

[PrincessoftheCape]

Originally Posted by berbe01

I originally wanted to move to Seattle for the rain, I heard the seafood in Seattle is astounding, the culture and the university.

The locals think the seafood is astounding, but it's one of the arenas where New England just demolishes this place. Crab from Alaska is still put on ice whether it's shipped to Seattle or South Carolina, and while the Salmon here is second to none (outside Alaska), it's just one fish. I'll still take a live Maine lobster for $4.00 a pound or deep fried steamers dug the day before in a heartbeat. I even think gulf coasters had a decent argument for having better seafood than Seattle (those giant shrimp are a meal unto themselves).

That's not to say that there aren't tons of other things that are just tops about Seattle. But myself and my husband just double over into giggles whenever someone starts to rave about the seafood here.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by PrincessoftheCape

The locals think the seafood is astounding, but it's one of the arenas where New England just demolishes this place. ..... giggles whenever someone starts to rave about the seafood here.

Awe... but if you think staying in town (seatlle) equals good seafood, then you must only eat east coast seafood in Boston (Some good, some bad). but... Excellent seafood is far closer to Seattle that it is from metro cities to most New England eateries of quality.

I do wish West Coast had the fishing co-ops and adjoining eateries that are prevalent in New England. Just that they are not close to civilization. (as the car / boat drives)

But... fresh edible seafood... hum... I get it wherever I can (usually from fishermen or self catch... not from a big city like Seattle or Boston. (Rural Thailand at the moment) +/-

[theoryofjack]

Originally Posted by PrincessoftheCape

The locals think the seafood is astounding, but it's one of the arenas where New England just demolishes this place. Crab from Alaska is still put on ice whether it's shipped to Seattle or South Carolina, and while the Salmon here is second to none (outside Alaska), it's just one fish. I'll still take a live Maine lobster for $4.00 a pound or deep fried steamers dug the day before in a heartbeat. I even think gulf coasters had a decent argument for having better seafood than Seattle (those giant shrimp are a meal unto themselves).

That's not to say that there aren't tons of other things that are just tops about Seattle. But myself and my husband just double over into giggles whenever someone starts to rave about the seafood here.

I guess you've not been to the real places and restaurants that have seafood on the Pacific coast. I've lived in Bellingham, Seattle and Boston and owned restaurants in Boston and currently in Bellingham. I think you two should probably explore a bit more.
It's difficult to find seafood as fresh as it is with the standards brought forth on the coast in Washington. Remember, before all you twits moved from somewhere else to ruin my beloved Seattle it was a logging and fishing community. Same with Bellingham. I still recall the old codgers sitting around at the dock waxing poetic about the boats coming in.
The laws circumventing how food is kept, caught, cleaned, surfaced and brought to market make New England laws seem archaic.
You two should dig a bit deeper while you're doubling over.