35 yr old guy from gulf coast considering move to Washington (Seattle: apartment, rent)

[Josh_1974]

Hey guys, well I was hoping to get a few thoughts

I'm 35, single, no children, never married, little family (2 aunts only). I am from a city in gulf coastal Alabama called Mobile. I have come to realize over the years that I don't really like the fact that it's so hot here for so many months out of the year, and I loathe the high humidity. Also, can I say with brevity in mind, that I just don't care for the south....

Now I didn't know my parents growing up, and this lead to me having a fairly rough time coming up, with further reaching repercussions than I may have at once realized that have affected my life and my personality even into my 30s. I have quite my share of bad memories associated with this place,maybe to the point that I feel a bit of weight on my shoulders here.

The fact that I don't care for the south for general reasons, combined with the memories I have here of unpleasant occurrences in my life, have lead me to decided that it may behoove me to pick up,and move - and get a fresh start. I am not seeking a geographic fix, a cure all, nor am I trying to run from my problems or past - it's just that I want a new start, and i'm sure that's understandable.

I've got maybe 600 bucks, I figure I need a few thousand saved before I zoom off across the country in search of new diggs - I figure a car tune up, new tires, gas money/food for the drive, first and last months rent for a place i'll get, and general money for expenses till I'd find some work. Anyone have anything to add to this, is there something i'm forgetting to consider?

I've heard about the rain, but Mobile is one of the rainiest cities in the u.s., so this i'm used to. Also, it regularly gets cold enough here during winter (teens, 20s) to make me more than a stranger to cool temps. I was thinking Washington because I like greenery, the ocean (being from a coastal area) has a mild climate - and it's far away from here

A couple years back I did live in the bay area of California (8 miles north of San Francisco) for about 8 months and loved it - I was basically forced to return to the gulf coast due to circumstances beyond my control, and since, have never seen things the same, and nor have I been particularly happy since my return....

So, any thoughts relating to any points I may have touched on, are appreciated. This is not some whimsical post - trust me, i'm a survivor, and I aint scared to strike off - it's not as hard as some think, anyway. You just need a good bit of MONEY, something, unfortunately, i've never had alot of - funny how it's so hard to have insufficient funds, as this affects most all other areas of your life and really handicaps one in many ways.

I see it a bit like so: drive there, hit craigslist to find an apartment or a room, sleep in a cheap hotel or maybe in the car a night or two till one's found. Grab a job of some sort, and there you have it, you've moved.

Was wondering, maybe what would be a good area for a guy of my standing? I think maybe it would be nice to have access to a larger city such as Seattle, but not live in it, maybe one of the nearby smaller towns would be fine, Tacoma? Any suggestions appreciated, as once I get this forged properly in my mind, bringing it to reality will be easy. The fact that I will be in a new area where I don't know my way around, neither intimidates nor scares me - in fact I look forward to giving my jaded brain new air to breath and a new place to learn about.....

[j_k_k]

Depends if you have the ability to earn a living, and if so, doing what. If you have to live on minimum wage (good news: ours is about the highest anywhere), Tri-Cities is easiest to get by. If you have real job skills, depends what they are, but you might be able to pay the bigger rents in the larger cities without taking more than 1.5 jobs.

Anywhere you go you'll find some culture shock relative to Mobile, but sounds like culture shock is what you would like. Spokane probably the least and Seattle the most. But the short version is that except in very small towns, where it takes years for locals to accept a newcomer and they may never really do so, your reception is more about how you conduct yourself than what your accent or politics or religion or race or other factors are. This is the West.

[Josh_1974]

jkk, thanks for your thoughts, really. I got a degree in psychology back in the day, but unfortunately, i've no profession nor a concentrated skill area - I do have a computer certification though, i've made the odd buck doing various sorts of work on them here and there. In my life, i've worked various sorts of different jobs, nothing in one area, but just all over the board. You'd think though, that i'd have little trouble feeding myself, as I am healthy and strong, communicate well and have some measure of intelligence. Down this way the new thyssenkrupp steel mill is being built, a couple months back I got on with one of the subcontractors as a laborer, it payed me about $1000 a week, but, I hated the dangerous work, I didn't really like who I was workin with either, so I worked one more week, got my pay and spent it basically all on food and supplies, to tide me over till I found another gig.... that's kinda how I do things. I was thinkin about it the other day, that if you don't make a focused effort towards a particular job field, you wind up...just anywhere, and that's not always a good thing. I'd really like to get into a field that I don't despise and stick with it developing advanced skills, rather than just taking whatever job I find in the paper, as 35s no spring chicken, but I guess that's another story.

As regards the culture shock thing, I doubt it'll be an issue, if I didn't really experience it in the bay area, I doubt I would there? I don't give a damn about politics, I never developed much of a southern accent, and I'm not too concerned with religion either way, so these things mean little to me... I mean with a zillion religions out there, who's to say which is right? Again though, that's another topic lol.

Thanks again

[sean98125]

The area around Seattle isn't the kindest environment for folks who don't have steady work, and since this is the boom-and-bust West and we are currently in a bust cycle you aren't going to have a lot of luck finding work. You'd fare better in a boom, but then housing prices are so outrageous that it is still difficult to make ends meet. The job market here is highly competitive, and you'll be competing against people who have held down jobs for a significant amount of time and that come with references and referrals from former employers and co-workers.

[Josh_1974]

Sean, thanks for your thoughts. I mean would it be as though I couldn't find some sort of work, laborer, warehouse, general or whatnot? If I could pay my rent and eat, i'd be in the game I figure. Also, could I not leave, if I just couldn't make it? I'm just looking to strike out a bit, take in a new place, and take a little risk - i've no dependents, so i'd not be risking any others' well being/security, only my own. I mean if a 35 year old guy can't make a plan, bring it to fruition and survive, then I wonder who can? Unless of course, I should remain here, live, and die within a 20 mile radius of where I was born... no thanks

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by Josh_1974

Sean, thanks for your thoughts. I mean would it be as though I couldn't find some sort of work, laborer, warehouse, general or whatnot? If I could pay my rent and eat, i'd be in the game I figure. Also, could I not leave, if I just couldn't make it? I'm just looking to strike out a bit, take in a new place, and take a little risk - i've no dependents, so i'd not be risking any others' well being/security, only my own. I mean if a 35 year old guy can't make a plan, bring it to fruition and survive, then I wonder who can? Unless of course, I should remain here, live, and die within a 20 mile radius of where I was born... no thanks

Sean's making a valid point. Of course you could leave if you just couldn't make it. When you see the rents, gas prices, and other costs in the Puget Sound area, you will see why some people cannot make it (a surf through Seattle CL will give you an idea of those). The idea is that people are hoping for your chances of making it to be 'reasonably good' rather than 'likely to crater.' He's telling you it can be difficult to break in. He's right--it's a good thing for you to know. What you choose to do with what you know is your call.

[M3 Mitch]

Honestly I think you might do better to stay put for a few weeks to a few months, and save up something on the order of $3000-$5000 before you relocate. I'm assuming you can find about as good a job there as around here.

The Tri-City area is a good bit warmer and dryer in summer than Seattle, and it's cost of living is cheaper.

The economy around here is probably as good or better, fair amount of stuff going on at Hanford, even if you don't work at Hanford you can work in some service industry that caters to the Hanford crowd.

Seattle certainly has a different vibe than here though, if that's what you want, alrighty then, but it will cost you a good bit more to live over there.

[Josh_1974]

mitch - thanks for the thoughts. i've been doing a bit of peeping around and i've gotta say, you guys have some lovely women down there

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by Josh_1974

mitch - thanks for the thoughts. i've been doing a bit of peeping around and i've gotta say, you guys have some lovely women down there

In the Tri-City area? Actually this is one of the downsides, it's essentially an engineering town, as such you have *a lot* more single men than women, single guys around here are constantly driving over to Seattle to meet girls.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

In the Tri-City area? Actually this is one of the downsides, it's essentially an engineering town, as such you have *a lot* more single men than women, single guys around here are constantly driving over to Seattle to meet girls.

Yeah, it's a standing joke between my wife and I:

She: "Where are you going?"
Me: "Going out to sample the fleshpots of Kennewick, dear."

She knows that the closest thing we have to that around here would be an LDS singles ward, and I kind of don't have the qualifications to hit one of those. For one thing, I look terrible in a white shirt and black slacks riding a bike.