Social Tension? (Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma: living, moving to, authority)

[Ryan]

West WA IMO is quite liberal and tolerant.
If we're being honest here, I think the only "Social Tension" most people feel around here is with the Native Am. beaurocracy. They've got their hands in everything that goes on up here and the difference of opinion between they and local governments and their constituents with regards to various issues causes quite a bit of frustration at times. IMO (having recently moved from CA a year ago) it's quite profound. I've also observed that much of the local native population does seem to have a "chip" on their shoulders, but other than that, the area's fine and the overall "social tension" is very mild.

[mywayorthehighway]

I am from eastern Washington, a small town called Wilbur, west of Spokane. I have lived many places and never seen so many racist people in one place!

[Ryan]

I agree; E. Wa and W. Wa. are like night and day.

[Roebuckm]

Once again, thanks for all of the response. Luckily I had no plans to move to Eastern Washington, so I think all will be okay. I was looking at the Seattle/Tacoma area. Someone said Tacoma was ghetto. Would anyone mind giving me a little more feedback about that? Thanks.

[Ryan]

Parts of Tac definitely are ghetto, but not most of it. It's just a very industrialized large city w/ lots of business and commerce. That tends to make it look less nice. I wouldn't live there, but it's a nice large city to have nearby for shopping, medical etc. I prefer the country areas and small towns myslef, but if you like the larger cities, the nicest ones are Olympia and Vancouver (one of the largest). Bellevue, while not as nice as Oly. or Vanc., isn't bad either and closer to Seattle.

[Quantum]

Ya, think of the Tac and Federal Way areas as more industrial/blue collar, not urban ghetto.

I'm from Dallas, and what surprised me the most here is blacks in Seattle do not have any of the 'black accent' they all do in the South. Just a regular white accent. Surprising as a Brit accent with a black.

Just sayin' the truth.

Seattle is mostly progressive, politically, and that's why I moved here. Accepting, and in fact welcoming of diversity, and with substantial sincerity. So don't worry.

[meejmom]

Originally Posted by jgw1283

it depends on the area in WA you go. Seattle area is very diverse and you wont have any problems there. Most of WA is white, but most are cool about it. However, eastern WA is more racist. When in Spokane for a couple days, I saw one asian guy and thats it, Ewash isnt diverse at all, except for the Mexican farm workers. Stay away from Tacoma, its ghetto and the people are idiots. Seattles your place

Okay you're a fool. Your story is anecdotal at best. "I saw one asian guy?" I lived in EW for 20 years and never experienced any actual racism. Stupid jokes, yes, but no hatred whatsoever. I guess it's just that we have agriculture in EW, so we must be a bunch of hayseed hicks with white hoods. Don't be a moron! For the most part, racism is a dinosaur, an old relic that has been taken into an open field and disemboweled. Spend some time somewhere before you jump to conclusions. Thank you and good day.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Roebuckm

I'm from super segregated Michigan, and plan on moving to Washington next year. I see that there are a lot of different races there, which I love. But, I was wondering how everyone gets along. I've learned the hard way that just because a place is diverse, it doesn't mean that it's friendly. Considering the fact that I'm a minority, I need to be extra careful where I decide to plop down. So any input?

The cultural diversity here is great. I'm whiter than the love child of John Tesh and Barry Manilow, but I have friends who are African American, Filipino, Mexican, and Chinese.

There is some tension, sure, but I've found that most of it has more to do with social status than race.

The one exception I run into a lot up here is the Russian population. I've met some very nice Russian immigrants, but it seems that a great many of them prefer to keep to themselves are rather mistrustful of non-Russians. It doesn't help that some of the worst organized crime in the region is Russian-run.

But yeah, for the most part people in the northwest get along great. If you look hard enough you can find racial tension, and gangs are certainly a growing problem (which the gangs seem to be winning), but for the most part, people get along fine.

[gmmhastings]

I agree with you about Michigan. I moved back here after 25 years in the Bay Area of California. I work with a fella from Washington State, who also says that Washington is a great place to live. I'm trying to rap things up here, so that I can move out there. I am very frustrated and annoyed with the people in Michigan, with some exceptions. Good luck and enjoy Washington when you get out there.

[chiroptera]

Originally Posted by gmmhastings

I agree with you about Michigan. I moved back here after 25 years in the Bay Area of California. I work with a fella from Washington State, who also says that Washington is a great place to live. I'm trying to rap things up here, so that I can move out there. I am very frustrated and annoyed with the people in Michigan, with some exceptions. Good luck and enjoy Washington when you get out there.

I moved to SE Michigan 4 1/2 years ago from Colorado, and find the racial tension & divisiveness pretty bad. I don't like it. I've lived in several western states and overseas - MI is the worst I've seen.
I'm also contemplating a move to the PNW at some point, I love it there.