Seattle metro vs NYC metro (live, best, state, better)
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Can someone with experience living in both regions discuss the pro and con of each? I currently live in suburban NY, contemplating a move to the Seattle area (probably not to Seattle itself, but to a decent suburb, as I dislike urban living).
Factors to consider include:
- living expense (including housing, tax, etc, Seattle suburbs seems to be cheaper)
- ease of commuting (prefer no more than 30-40 min commute, work will be in downtown Seattle)
- access to good food (I like seafood, assume Seattle has plenty since it's by the ocean?)
- access to good public school (wealthy NYC suburbs tend to have excellent schools, I have 3 kids so this is a must)
- natural beauty of the area
- access to outdoorsy activities (mountain biking, canoeing, hiking, camping, Seattle seems to win hands down in this category)
- weather (some folks don't like Seattle's winter, but NYC winter isn't so great either, all those snow can get annoying, it's sweltering in the subway in summer months, I think Seattle wins)
Factors I consider unimportant:
- music festivals, museums or other such "cultural" things
How important is public transit in Seattle? I take the train to work in Manhattan, but otherwise drive everywhere even in NYC (I actually almost never go into NYC other than for work). Is driving to work a realistic option in downtown Seattle or do people take public transit?
Can someone with experience living in both regions discuss the pro and con of each? I currently live in suburban NY, contemplating a move to the Seattle area (probably not to Seattle itself, but to a decent suburb, as I dislike urban living).
Factors to consider include:
- living expense (including housing, tax, etc, Seattle suburbs seems to be cheaper)
- ease of commuting (prefer no more than 30-40 min commute, work will be in downtown Seattle)
- access to good food (I like seafood, assume Seattle has plenty since it's by the ocean?)
- access to good public school (wealthy NYC suburbs tend to have excellent schools, I have 3 kids so this is a must)
- natural beauty of the area
- access to outdoorsy activities (mountain biking, canoeing, hiking, camping, Seattle seems to win hands down in this category)
- weather (some folks don't like Seattle's winter, but NYC winter isn't so great either, all those snow can get annoying, it's sweltering in the subway in summer months, I think Seattle wins)
Factors I consider unimportant:
- music festivals, museums or other such "cultural" things
How important is public transit in Seattle? I take the train to work in Manhattan, but otherwise drive everywhere even in NYC (I actually almost never go into NYC other than for work). Is driving to work a realistic option in downtown Seattle or do people take public transit?
Seattle has some of the best Seafood in the world! World class restaurants along the waterfront from Olympia to Everett so finding great Seafood be a breeze. Seems like you would be interested in living in the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Kirkland, Sammamish, Newcastle, Mercer Island and Renton), it's the most expensive area in the state but has excellent public schools. Bellevue was rated a top-10 US school district. Living in the Eastside would mean that driving is the only logical option getting downtown. Traffic can get bad but compared to New York then it should feel like a breeze. Bellevue's Downtown is quickly growing and provides great entertainment options with feeling too much like a big city. Natural Beauty is all around, The Olympics to the West, Mt Rainier to the South, Cascades to the East, Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Great Hiking trails, Many othe small lakes, Beautiful parks (Such as Golden gardens park), San juan islands, flower fields, etc. You shouldn't have any trouble finding natural beauty to enjoy. Winter is usually in the 30's and 40's. Depending on where you live you may see alittle (no more then 6-8 inches usually) snow but it really depends on the year. Seattle has some great Museums like S.A.M., The EMP, LeMay Car museum, the Museum of flight, etc, if you are interested.
Seattle has some of the best Seafood in the world! World class restaurants along the waterfront from Olympia to Everett so finding great Seafood be a breeze. Seems like you would be interested in living in the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Kirkland, Sammamish, Newcastle, Mercer Island and Renton), it's the most expensive area in the state but has excellent public schools. Bellevue was rated a top-10 US school district. Living in the Eastside would mean that driving is the only logical option getting downtown. Traffic can get bad but compared to New York then it should feel like a breeze. Bellevue's Downtown is quickly growing and provides great entertainment options with feeling too much like a big city. Natural Beauty is all around, The Olympics to the West, Mt Rainier to the South, Cascades to the East, Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Great Hiking trails, Many othe small lakes, Beautiful parks (Such as Golden gardens park), San juan islands, flower fields, etc. You shouldn't have any trouble finding natural beauty to enjoy. Winter is usually in the 30's and 40's. Depending on where you live you may see alittle (no more then 6-8 inches usually) snow but it really depends on the year. Seattle has some great Museums like S.A.M., The EMP, LeMay Car museum, the Museum of flight, etc, if you are interested.
This sounds good. I didn't mention that I drink espresso a lot, Seattle would better than NY for that. How is the Asian community in Seattle? Wife's Asian, we would like some good Asian grocery stores/restaurants, etc.
Apologies for the brevity of this response, but it's true.
It depends on what someone is looking for. If they want big city life with big city amenities, no doubt NYC > Seattle. But if they are looking more for the beautiful natural setting with the gorgeous scenery and hiking, kayaking, photography that goes along with that then Seattle > NYC.
Natural beauty is the only thing that Seattle has ove NYC.
Not even a fair comparison.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tor_Nado
NYC > Seattle
Apologies for the brevity of this response, but it's true.
How is it not a fair comparison? To me it seems like Seattle will fit him much better then New York. It's not like we are comparing Amount of entertainment, Skyscrapers, and notoriety. Simple things like food, transportation, natural scenery, activities to do, etc. Categories that You can easily make a case of while Seattle is on top. Categories that truly can reflect an area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yiplong
This sounds good. I didn't mention that I drink espresso a lot, Seattle would better than NY for that. How is the Asian community in Seattle? Wife's Asian, we would like some good Asian grocery stores/restaurants, etc.
The asian community is extremely strong, no doubt. The city of Bellevue (Which has a population around 140,000) is 30% Asian with large foreign born population across the board. Umajimaya Asian market is throughout the sound with many other asian groceries, businesses, churches, and culture spread through the area. She would definitely feel comfortable here. Not even to mention the almost extremely number of Teriyaki, korean bbq, and Pho restaurants here. Seems like there is atleast one of every block!
If you don't like urban living, I don't think you should even consider NYC. Even its suburbs are somewhat urban-feeling. Seattle would be a much better choice for you, I think. It's prettier with nicer weather, and is a wonderful and booming city.
How is it not a fair comparison? To me it seems like Seattle will fit him much better then New York. It's not like we are comparing Amount of entertainment, Skyscrapers, and notoriety. Simple things like food, transportation, natural scenery, activities to do, etc. Categories that You can easily make a case of while Seattle is on top. Categories that truly can reflect an area.
The asian community is extremely strong, no doubt. The city of Bellevue (Which has a population around 140,000) is 30% Asian with large foreign born population across the board. Umajimaya Asian market is throughout the sound with many other asian groceries, businesses, churches, and culture spread through the area. She would definitely feel comfortable here. Not even to mention the almost extremely number of Teriyaki, korean bbq, and Pho restaurants here. Seems like there is atleast one of every block!
lmao, food on top, for Seattle???
transportation, on top, for seattle???!!!?
bwahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahaha
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Homer post of the year nomination right here folks.
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