Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why do people want to move to a city based on TV shows or movies?
Frasier wasn't even filmed here, just as Twilight isn't filmed anywhere near Forks.
Cons: The truth is Seattle is going to be a culture shock to you if your from the South. The wacko liberal element runs wild there and your going to see lapses of common sense that boggle the mind. You'll get lots of social nannies there who are going to constantly remind you to recycle, not to smoke, drink, or eat red meat. The local news media have the bad habit of talking to the viewers as if they were five year olds in day care. The women aren't bad providing you stick to the old "hit it two times n quit it" approach. You all also have to deal with a lot of Prius driving, soccer watching metrosexual types who are all trying to get in touch with their feminine nature
Pros: The scenery is great, fishing is excellent, and once you get out of King County you start finding more common sense minded people and less nannies and ass clowns that you find in Seattle. Lots of microbrew too!
In my opinion, the areas surrounding King County seem a little more odd, though more similar to the rural South. But yes, there is an outrageous liberal element here, but it's the minority (ex. all organic, polyamory, anti-vaccine, attachment parenting w/ years of breastfeeding, accepting of only naturopathic or "alternative" medicine, somewhat passive aggressive). Most people are not like this, and in fact are fairly mainstream Democrats.
I totally disagree. I lived in NC until age 30, and then moved to Seattle. The PNW has friendly people like any other place. In fact, I found the friendliness more genuine out here when compared to the South.
To the OP -- you should move out here. You're 24, have lots of life ahead of you, and it's time for an adventure (ie. before you marry and have kids). Ron Reagan's son actually lives in Seattle, but he's a Democrat as you know. Your politics are inconsequential, for though most are liberal, people don't really discuss party affiliation or religion in Seattle. These are considered private issues.
Yes, there are dreary winters. The summers are gorgeous beyond belief. The mountains are snow capped today, the sky was sunny, and flowers and greenery are everywhere. People here love the outdoors, and on a good day you will see lots of bikes, kayaks, sailboats, and seaplanes. We are surrounded by wildlife, including seals, bald eagles and other birds, starfish, jellyfish...and sea lions or whales can be seen from the surrounding islands (& whales have even been spotted from West Seattle!). Summer nights find people of all kinds around bonfires on the beaches (ex. Golden Gardens, Alki Beach), cooking hotdogs, playing instruments, dancing, just hanging out. Lots of musicians found on downtown streets, farmers markets in every neighborhood on summer weekends (and selected neighborhoods all year round), parks/kids in most neighborhoods, several dog parks, coffee shops and independent stores everywhere, plenty to do. Freedom to be yourself, whoever that is.
I could go on, but it's late here & I need to get sleep.
Move out, you won't regret it. If you decide it's not for you after a year, nothing is lost while fun/exploration has been gained. It builds character to experience a different culture & new way of living/thinking for a while, in my opinion.
Well said. I like to say that when you are at that point in life, there really isn't such a thing as a bad move. All of your experiences at that age define who you will be later on in life.
ya but when someone is smiling and saying good morning at the check out line, i'm not looking to make a like long buddy; it's just the simple politness that makes coexistance more enjoyable. and you don't get those type of pleasentries or manners from many people in the pnw. maybe you say well it's "real", then give me the artifical niceties of the old days and old south ways any time. and honestly are you telling me that people in seattle/tacoma/bremerton or any of the big cities on the west coast are approchable and hosipitable????? through all my travels you'll only find these types of people in the flyover parts of the us.
I've lived in the south my entire 32 years, and I experienced more politeness in my four days in Seattle than I would in four weeks here. I don't know if my experience there was just a fluke, or if they were nice to me because I was nice to them, or what. But I kept reading that people in Seattle aren't friendly or polite, and so when I visited I expected that. But I actually experienced almost none of it. I was quite shocked at how nice most people there seemed compared to what I was used to here in TN. Honestly.
To the OP, I visited the Seattle area just once (in November, not summer), and immediately knew I had to move there some day (more specifically Bellingham). As soon as my house sells, I'll be gone from the south, hopefully forever. I won't recommend that you move, because only you can decide that. But I'm one southerner who intends to move as soon as possible, and the only thing in the south I can think of that I'll miss are my parents.
Cons: The truth is Seattle is going to be a culture shock to you if your from the South. The wacko liberal element runs wild there and your going to see lapses of common sense that boggle the mind.
When I've visited the South, I've witnessed lapses in general knowledge that boggled MY mind - the young lady who had no idea that there was a state named Maryland (I lived there at the time), the man who told me he'd always wanted to go to Florida to see the Fountain of Youth, as if it were some kind of amusement park or something, etc. I was also dismissed as weird for being a woman with a graduate degree in the mid-70s when I spent some time in Arkansas, and a friend whose band was touring in North Carolina nearly got beaten up in a convenience store when he went in with the band's singer, who happened to be a black woman they mistook for his girlfriend - and this was in the mid 1990s. That's all pretty darn "wacko" if you ask me. However, I don't paint all southerners with that brush because there are idiots, ignorant and poorly educated people, and prejudiced people everywhere, and other people I've interacted with there were NOT like that. People notice more what's unfamiliar to them and peg an entire regions' residents the same way because the novelty sticks out more than the generality.
WELCOME TO SEATTLE !!!!. Politically it's way too liberal, in fact it's a San Francisco annex. We need more Reaganites in this state. If you are libertarian or conservative, don't you dare express your political viewpoint or you will really get the 'freeze' if not just plain insults and intimadations. Never put a Republican sign on you front yard or on your car bumper if you don't want vandelization. I know all this because I'm a native here. Bellevue and suburban areas are much more realistic and not nearly the liberal extreamists you will find in town.
As for the weather, I can't help you here. You'll either love it or hate it. Just remember, your NORTHWEST not Southeast. Expect lots of rain all the way up the coast from Oregon all the way up through Canada and Alaska. Just remember we don't get but very few hot sultry days in the summer and very seldom a hurricane or torrendo. But, be very afraid of earthquakes.
I lived in NC until age 30, and then moved to Seattle. The PNW has friendly people like any other place. In fact, I found the friendliness more genuine out here when compared to the South.
To the OP -- you should move out here. You're 24, have lots of life ahead of you, and it's time for an adventure (ie. before you marry and have kids). Ron Reagan's son actually lives in Seattle, but he's a Democrat as you know. Your politics are inconsequential, for though most are liberal, people don't really discuss party affiliation or religion in Seattle. These are considered private issues.
Move out, you won't regret it. If you decide it's not for you after a year, nothing is lost while fun/exploration has been gained. It builds character to experience a different culture & new way of living/thinking for a while, in my opinion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarawayDJ
Well said. I like to say that when you are at that point in life, there really isn't such a thing as a bad move. All of your experiences at that age define who you will be later on in life.
You all are right, this would not (hopefully) be a bad move. This would be an adventure gained. While I am generally conservative, I am friends with and have dated liberal gals, so that wouldn't be an issue for me (as long as they're not craaaaaazy far left).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamplight
I've lived in the south my entire 32 years, and I experienced more politeness in my four days in Seattle than I would in four weeks here. I don't know if my experience there was just a fluke, or if they were nice to me because I was nice to them, or what. But I kept reading that people in Seattle aren't friendly or polite, and so when I visited I expected that. But I actually experienced almost none of it. I was quite shocked at how nice most people there seemed compared to what I was used to here in TN. Honestly.
I used to think that the only things I would miss about Kentucky are my parents, our mutton BBQ and a soft drink called Ale-8-1 (found mostly in the Lexington area). Now, I can just say that I'd miss my parents.
I can always eat mutton when I come home. I can always have Ale-8-1 shipped to me, although it's expensive to have shipped.
I've been to Middle Tennessee. It's a nice place with a lot of things to offer. If I were to leave and come back to the Ohio Valley, Nashville would be one of my top picks. HOWEVER...it has never captivated me with its peoples' friendliness and its cultural offerings, so the only reason I'd live there would be because of the relatively strong job market.
To its credit, though, most of the people I've met from there have been just unfriendly rather than outright mean. Now, when I lived in Louisville, those people just sucked. Where I am now, near Cincinnati, while I like that city itself much better, the general interpersonal situation and aura aren't much better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ukiyo-e
However, I don't paint all southerners with that brush because there are idiots, ignorant and poorly educated people, and prejudiced people everywhere, and other people I've interacted with there were NOT like that. People notice more what's unfamiliar to them and peg an entire regions' residents the same way because the novelty sticks out more than the generality.
There are a lot of ignorant Southerners, yes. The most ignorant people I've ever met, though, have been people from lower-income and overall less educated neighborhoods in Cincinnati which isn't really a Southern city.
When I did work in retail in my hometown (in Central KY), I did have TWO men in their late 20s/30s ask me if we sold, get this...8-TRACKS!!!! I'm not making this crap up. One guy actually was unhappy with me after I told him, "We haven't sold those in 20 years." LOL!
But, generally speaking, you're right. The ignorant and closed-minded exist everywhere, in blue and red states, large cities and small towns.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinylly
WELCOME TO SEATTLE !!!!. Politically it's way too liberal, in fact it's a San Francisco annex. We need more Reaganites in this state. If you are libertarian or conservative, don't you dare express your political viewpoint or you will really get the 'freeze' if not just plain insults and intimadations.
Expect lots of rain all the way up the coast from Oregon all the way up through Canada and Alaska. Just remember we don't get but very few hot sultry days in the summer and very seldom a hurricane or torrendo. But, be very afraid of earthquakes.
I'll just keep my politics to myself until I reeeeeeally get to know somebody.
I can handle the cold, dreary, gloomy winters. We have those aplenty in the Ohio Valley. And I mean aplenty. At least out there it is consistently in the upper 30s-upper 50s during the winter months. Here, it fluctuates between flurries, rain, snow showers, rain, freezing rain, snow, back to just rain, then freezing fog, then just rain. Oh, 6" of snow two weeks later before 2.5" of rain over the course of three days. Yuck! Since we have practically no evergreens, it's not green at all during this time, just brown with slushy conditions.
Methinks the West Coast is at least worth a shot. Nothing gained unless I try, nothing lost at my age.
Oh my goodness. My boyfriend and I live in Northern KY as well. We've been here for 6 months and we definitely know what you mean about the cliques, rudeness/snobbyness of the people here. And we moved here from upstate NY. When people hear that we have a northern accent they give us the DIRTIEST looks. We, well mostly I, want to move to Seattle as well. But it will be awhile, my boyfriend has to get a government job there first. Not many are popping up :/ Good luck to you. Seattle is definitely my first pick.
Oh my goodness. My boyfriend and I live in Northern KY as well. We've been here for 6 months and we definitely know what you mean about the cliques, rudeness/snobbyness of the people here. And we moved here from upstate NY. When people hear that we have a northern accent they give us the DIRTIEST looks. We, well mostly I, want to move to Seattle as well. But it will be awhile, my boyfriend has to get a government job there first. Not many are popping up :/ Good luck to you. Seattle is definitely my first pick.
It could be worse: you cold be in Louisville. I had people--Louisville natives, mind you--MOCK my slight Southern accent when I lived and went to college there. WTF? My thought was, "I hope YA'LL realize that you are the largest city in Kentucky." At least the only teasing I get here in Greater Cincy is from a couple of nice co-workers with whom the "ribbing" and teasing is mutual. Louisvillians are cliquish AND make it a point to make you feel like an "outsider"; in Cincinnati, I feel like that they just simply don't consider "outsiders" in their interactions. Both attitudes stink, but Cincinnati is the lesser of evils here.
And for anyone here who's ever been to Louisville, you can find plenty of people there who speak with Southern accents. They are generally relegated to the south and southwest sides and exurban cities, though. A large chunk of people from Louisville are very Midwestern in dialect and Louisville is, like Cincinnati, a Midwestern city with Southern influences. Still...I haven't actually lived in Louisville for six years but drove down there from Cincinnati this week for business. A few hours was all it took for me to re-realize why I hated it in the first place. #RantEndsHere
If you all stay in this region, maybe try a smaller city in Kentucky: Owensboro, Danville, London, Frankfort, Elizabethtown, Henderson, Murray, etc. Kentucky has plenty of nice small cities with good, overall friendly people, even if they are a little cliquish and "a few years back in time."
Honestly, my first pick is Southern California because of the weather and overall career potential in the field I've been interviewing for jobs in. I like the ambiance, diversity (of so many things) and its general defiance of that which might be "traditional" in urban planning. However, Western Washington is in my top five picks for relocation; at least WW is a modern metropolis with a low crime rate and winters that aren't so bitterly cold.
Nonetheless, as the kind posters here have stated, I need to visit Seattle (and will) before deciding to "jump on it." It's probably not a good idea to move to an area unless you get some feel for it first, even if it's for two days. Example: I did that when I traveled to Raleigh-Durham for an interview a few months back; I really, really liked the area but (FORtunately, for a long list of reasons) didn't get the job.
I hope you and your bf can find what you're looking for!
Last edited by EclecticEars; 05-07-2011 at 05:20 PM..
Definitely visit Seattle as soon as you can. Since we come from somewhat similar backgrounds, I predict it will be quite a culture shock for you. In a good way!
Thanks! I know we won't get to Seattle anytime soon. I just hope we can get out of this state soon, it's awful. And I cannot find anything to do. Photography is my hobby and this area is just not good for that. You'd think that an area with all pretty hills and open spaces would take advantage of that. But there are no parks here, it's ridiculous. That's why Seattle is my first pick. I'd love to be that close to the water and mountains. The Olympic peninsula is just gorgeous. Endless opportunities for a person like me
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
