Interested in moving to Washington, looking for the right place. (Seattle: new home, job market)

[ShadowXOR]

Well good news for me. My friends brother just moved to Mountlake Terrace which is maybe fifteen miles from Seattle. He should be able to give me some really good impressions over the phone!

[ShadowXOR]

I just found out he actually moved to Lynnwood, does anyone have any info on that place? I think he wants me to move there. I can't find much info on it. Thanks.

[washinton native]

Originally Posted by Kathleenh54

So, will my little girl (19) be safe living in the Lynwood section of Everett? Also, what's the word on Sequim? It's referred to as 'Sunny Sequim' which caught my eye.

Kathleen - Unlike other areas of the country, there are very, very, very few places in Washington where you will die (get shot) simply for taking a wrong turn. Matter of fact, that aspect of life doesn't even cross my mind when traveling in Washington.

[Kathleenh54]

WN, thanks for the reassurance. I will worry about her no matter where she winds up, lol. I am glad to know she will be reasonably safe.

Shadow, we just rented an apartment for our daughter in Lynnwood. It is central to a lot of shopping and activies; very convenient. There is a town-wide bus system so if your car is in the shop there's an alternative unlike in SoCal where if your car is in the shop, you are in the soup. Will keep you posted if you are still interested, once she gets up there in January.

[ShadowXOR]

Originally Posted by Kathleenh54

WN, thanks for the reassurance. I will worry about her no matter where she winds up, lol. I am glad to know she will be reasonably safe.

Shadow, we just rented an apartment for our daughter in Lynnwood. It is central to a lot of shopping and activies; very convenient. There is a town-wide bus system so if your car is in the shop there's an alternative unlike in SoCal where if your car is in the shop, you are in the soup. Will keep you posted if you are still interested, once she gets up there in January.

Awesome, thanks! How big is her place and how much does it cost? Cost is one of my primary concerns!

[Woof]

Here's a place I'm using to search for apartments in the Seattle area, it's associated with the Seattle Times. You can filter it by rental cost, for example I have it search the entire area for rentals in the $300 - $600 range, then it emails me with any new ones (which doesn't happen much, since there are few of them in that price range).

[url]

[lantzn]

I'm 47 and moved from San Diego to Olympia WA when I was 20. I married and had a couple of children. A divorce kept me here with my children. My children have grown and left home. I am SO ready to move to a dryer warmer climate. We get about 60 in. avg. rain a year here in Olympia. It is mostly grey and damp throughout the year. We just had an exceptional summer and then the wetest Nov. on record, no kidding. My daughter and son-in-law who were raised here are both ready for the sunshine and want to relocate with us to southern OR or nothern CA. We are thinking of Medford OR because I want to grow wine grapes. My daughter is pusing me towards Chico CA because of the warmer winters. Both cities have similar summers.
If you don't mind the wet weather then Olympia is a nice area. I didn't mind it at first either but I now do NOT want to grow old here. How gloomy. Anti-depressants are VERY big sellers here, that's fact.

[lantzn]

Originally Posted by ShadowXOR

I hate driving long distances. Olympia sounded nice on paper but from how you guys explain it, it almost sounds too empty for me. Maybe I'm just getting the wrong impression?

I mentioned being tired of the wet and cold weather here in Olympia after living here for some 26 years. If this kind of weather doesn't bother you then Olympia IS the area to move to. I lived in San Diego until I was 20 and was sick of the traffic and long commutes to work (30-60 minutes 1 way). I also like trees and mountains. My uncle lived in Olympia and talked me into moving up. He was from so. cal also. Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater is a small tri-cities. I work for the state (20 years now) and am currently in Tumwater. I commute from Shelton, about 25 minutes to work. It's an easy commute without any real traffic. The traffic has significantly increased over the years but nothing like jam packed freeways. Mason County (Shelton) is next to Thurston County (Olympia) and the housing is still fairly reasonable. Housing has gone up in the past 5 years in Olympia. Still there are a lot of reasonable deals.

[dogonabone]

Be prepared to be disappointed; I spent my entire previous life in CA (Los Angeles area) but, I really wanted to move to WA. I moved here 1 1/2years ago and now feel I made a huge mistake. My pros and cons list for you if you're interested.

+The weather here is fantastic, the rain is not a problem. It is cold on some days, but you only need a coat and maybe a hat to keep warm on the coldest days. The summers are like beach weather. Perfect.
+It's BEAUTIFUL! Mountains, water and a great city.
+It is a very safe city. I've left my car door wide open in down town Seattle ALL day and the car, and everything inside, was still there when I returned. That would have never happened in LA.
-It's really HARD to make friends if you're not a local. People here are very polite, but they don't have time to share a friendship. The locals are like cats, even after you've know them for a while they still can be alouf.
-There is absolutely NO CITY INFRASTRUCTURE, or if there is some it's poorly organized and seriously unprepared. The power went out here for 6 days! 6 days because of a wind storm! People died! And, todays newspaper stated that the local city officials review of the power fiasco was the the residents need to be better prepared and more self-reliant. wtf??! And, although the fall colors are very nice, the leaves fall on the roads and never get swept up, they stay there until they turn to mold, and thus ....
-The rain smells bad. It can really get stinky for a few months because of the shear volume of molding leaves. btw; The rain in California smells like heaven

I can already hear the locals screaming for me to go back to CA! Yes, that's actually how I came across this site; looking for a better place to live.
Good luck to you!

[washinton native]

as far as it stinking when it rains, i'm guessing you live in the city and are smelling cat urine that blankets your's and your neighbors' lawns.

i lived in washington for 32 years and never once spelled what you're describing.

as far as you having a difficult time fitting in, i'll also guess you proudly proclaimed you were from california to every person who'd listen when you moved to washington.