Thinking of moving to Seattle - Need Info!

[Dthraco]

I moved up here in 98, from Dallas. The cooler weather and overcast days were a welcome change. Easier on the eyes in the daytime, and it's easier to add clothes than to suffer the heat.

> 1. I know it rains lightly all the time (except for summer)....

The biggest change I noticed is that I can only wear shorts a couple months of the year. But you can definitely do outdoor activities year round. The summer is completely spectacular. Light from 5am till 10pm. TONS of places to explore and things to do. There are festivals about every weekend in the summer. You can go to the mountians, the olympic penninsula, the ocean, all on a day or weekend trip. In winter you can go to the ski resorts.

The hardest part about the winter is the reduced daylight and overcast days. It rarely gets down to freezing. But like Texas has 20-30 days of 100+ degree weather, we have 20+ days of no sunshine due to the overcast skies. The clouds come over the olypic mountians and get stuck, then more roll in, and what you are left with is a dim day during daylight hours of 8am to 5pm. It's rough until you learn that it passes and you prep yourself for it. You can still do stuff outside, but when you work from 8-5, you don't have any daylight to do outdoor activities. My wife and i go to Hawaii every year to get a break from it. Flights from here are CHEAP ($325 round trip each).

> 2. We have a 2.5 year old who is currently in a great daycare. Are there good daycares in the suburbs (specifically Issaquah)?

I do not know, but my mother lives in Issaquah. It's a cool little town.

> 3. What is the traffic like?

It's pretty congested, but it all depends on your frame of mind. The BIGGEST difference you will find between Texas and WA drivers is...that aggressive driving mentality is the exception, not the norm. We still have aggressive drivers, but there are way less angry people. Texas angry anyway. People still drive stupid, like they do anywhere, but I'm not worried about some hick pulling his gun on me for 'only' going 5 over in WA.

> 4. Cost of living. We can spend about 400K for a house. Is that enough to buy a nice home in the suburbs?

Really dpepends on where you want to live. 400K should get you a pretty decent place, 3-4 bedroom.

> 5. Allergies.

Ragweed KILLS me. Up here the allergies get kinda bad in the spring, but the rain gets rid of the pollen, grass, etc. Overall it's pretty nice when it comes to allergies. Mold can be a problem in older places to live, so be aware of that.

Overall, moving from Texas to WA was a good move. The winter months are rough to bear without sunshine. But, we make it through it, and the summer makes it all worthwhile.

Best of luck!

[AreWeThereYet??]

Thanks for all of the very helpful information everyone! I am really excited to get up to Seattle. I am planning on try to get there by Summer so we can enjoy the nice summer.

My only concern is that I will not be able to find a job while I am still in Texas. I have a good job now so I do not want to just quit and then move up to Seattle with no job. I would like to be able to find a job while I am still in Texas and then move up.

Anyone have any luck finding a job while living out of state? I am a Network engineer, so I believe that there should be a good job market for that there

[Dthraco]

There's a great market for Network Engineers here. The market is also flooded with them. It just depends on how good you are. My younger brother moved from Bellingham to Renton for a network engineer job, paying $75K. He was up against several other engineers, but knows his stuff. Certs and experience are key.

Remotely, you could hook up with some tech recruiters and go that route.

Best bet is to have 6 months of living expenses saved up before you move.

[Joe Doer]

Originally Posted by PollyGlott

Having just spent HOURS in traffic in Los Angeles yesterday, I can vouch for the fact that L.A. traffic is the WORST. Who are these people, and where are they going at all hours of the day and night???

Nobody lives where the jobs are in Los Angeles. Most everyone commutes at least two hours a day. The work is in downtown LA, Vernon, Commerce, City of Industry, Century City, El Segundo. Most of those areas do not even have housing available.