Thoughts from people who moved from Midwest area (IL, WI, MN)

[danumkc]

- What was your primary motivation to move to Seattle ? Recruited for job, mild climate, outdoor activities

- Did you consider any other places in the country ? Never thought of leaving Kansas City. The job offer came unexpectedly

- What did you like the most about Seattle ? I like being able to do outdoor activities with my children year around. We find that we are still able to hike and plays sports with 45-55 degree highs in the Winter. It doesn't rain as often as it sounds. When it does, it's typically a very light rain. Most people don't even use umbrellas. We also don't have to worry about ice/snow very often. We love the mostly green vegetation (lawns, some plants, trees) year around. It only takes a few hours to get to the ocean (if you don't count the Puget Sound) and only 1-2 hours to get to the mountains (great skiing, hiking, and fishing). The schools have been excellent.


- What is your perspective on the "long & gray" winters ? I'll take it over the bitterly cold, snowy, and icey Winters of the midwest. We also used to live in Michigan (similar to Chicago) and the Winters seemed long an gray. Taking a vitamin D supplement and taking a vacation or 2 (to a sunnier location) seems to help for a lot of my friends/co-workers. Only takes 2-3 hours to get to the other side of the Cascades where the climate is often sunny (but much colder).



** And, if you moved along with school age kids:
- Which school district did you choose ? Bainbridge Island. We have elementary school aged children and have been extremely pleased.

- How do the schools in Seattle area compare to the Midwest ? We also were in top rated school district (Liberty, Missouri). We found that in reading our 1st grader was slightly ahead here. He was one of only a few kids in his class that could read (chapter books). We have been very pleased with all of his other subjects however. Good parent involvement. Great teacher feedback.

I believe the schools (in no particular order) in the following other cities are equally as good. There are other highly rated schools in the area besides these.

1. Belleview
2. Mercer Island
3. Mill Creek
4. Maple Valley (Tahoma)
5. Issaquah
6. Gig Harbor
7. Kirkland
8. Redmond


- How are the local/community parks ? Outdoor activities for kids ? Countless parks and childrens activities. We go to many different parks/beaches (many withing a few miles, many more within 10 miles).

Good luck! We have lived here for only about 7 months, and although we miss our family in the midwest, it's been a great move.

[AceShopper]

So far, everyone who has moved from the Midwest has provided positive feedback about their move to the Seattle area. That gives us a positive feel that we will like the area as well. Can't wait till we make our trip in April.

From all the picture threads (Thanks PWright1!!!!!!!), the area certainly looks - well, bright! I am going to search from some pictures that show the "rainy/dull" weather as well. If you have some snaps like that, please post them here or on the picture thread.

[mrsincredible]

Thanks for making this thread - it has been insightful for me as well. We live in Madison, WI and hopefully will get a job offer next week. There is 3-4 feet of snow piled up on the perimeter of my driveway which is not going to be going anywhere anytime soon. =( If it snows again the mailman is not going to be able to see the mailbox under the snow, lol!

[AceShopper]

That was some crazy blizzard. In the past 10 yrs at least, I don't remember so much snow. We had drifts of 5 feet on our driveway - It took me 2 full hours to dig out. And just when you thought it was done, along comes the helpful snowplow and heaps another couple of feet at the end of the driveway - And you know, it's not the fluffy variety .. No siree! This heap is with big blocks of ice !!

MrsI: Have you made a trip to Seattle already ? Or plan to in the near future ? Please post your experiences if you can !

[mrsincredible]

Originally Posted by AceShopper

That was some crazy blizzard. In the past 10 yrs at least, I don't remember so much snow. We had drifts of 5 feet on our driveway - It took me 2 full hours to dig out. And just when you thought it was done, along comes the helpful snowplow and heaps another couple of feet at the end of the driveway - And you know, it's not the fluffy variety .. No siree! This heap is with big blocks of ice !!

MrsI: Have you made a trip to Seattle already ? Or plan to in the near future ? Please post your experiences if you can !

Yeah, the snow plow is the worst! You have to wait forever for them to come through, it's always invariably After you've plowed your own driveway (we have a 3 car garage so it's a lot of driveway!) and block you in with a nice wall of heavy, dirty snow.

My husband and I took our youngest for an extended 4th of July weekend to check the city out. We had thought that his potential office was going to be in Redmond. We did a few touristy things downtown, took a ferry for the views and experience, drove around a little bit between Redmond, Kirkland and Bellevue. We stayed at the Courtyard in Bellevue for the easy freeway access and central location so we could guage how the commutes were.

Now we know that the office has moved to Kirkland near the Kirkland Performance Center. We currently live only 5 minutes drive from his office which is a huge convenience. I'd love to be able to keep that same centralized lifestyle that we're accustomed to and he says that the area around the office seems like a very nice place. There is a montessori preschool and elementary school in close proximity as well (Lakeview) and a Charter/Choice school (Community) that looks very interesting.

I am not originally from the midwest and the lifestyle has really grown on me. I love our HUGE backyard - 10,000 sf fenced and level w/ a Rainbow play structure - easy walk to 3 different community playgrounds, 3 car garage, finished basement where I can banish the kids when they're driving me nuts , neighborhood pond, wide streets, tree lined sidewalks, ample space between neighbors and everything I need within a 7 minute drive: Target, Costco, Sam's Club, 3 different groceries, Post Office, Bank, hubby's office, elementary school etc. The only thing that is a bit farther away is our middle child's preschool but that's because we chose a Montessori school. I'll miss the summers here which are truly glorious. But I'm sure I'll come to find out the unique things that make Seattle a great place to live, too. I'm not too worried about the gloomy weather (putting up with much worse, lol!) but I may be singing a different tune when I have to live it day in and day out.

I can't wait to go back again and Really look at rentals. Hopefully we'll get the job offer next week and be able to set up a house hunting trip in the next month.

[AceShopper]

Originally Posted by mrsincredible

I am not originally from the midwest and the lifestyle has really grown on me. I love our HUGE backyard - 10,000 sf fenced and level w/ a Rainbow play structure - easy walk to 3 different community playgrounds, 3 car garage, finished basement where I can banish the kids when they're driving me nuts , neighborhood pond, wide streets, tree lined sidewalks, ample space between neighbors and everything I need within a 7 minute drive: Target, Costco, Sam's Club, 3 different groceries, Post Office, Bank, hubby's office, elementary school etc.

So, remind me again - why are you moving out ??

I am dealing with the "rent-or-buy" question. With low mortgage rates, it is very tempting to buy a home in Seattle area, but caution suggests that we rent for at least an year, get a feel of the place and then plunk down for a home. Plus, selling our current home will take a while as well. If we were renters, we would have moved sooner !

[mrsincredible]

Originally Posted by AceShopper

So, remind me again - why are you moving out ??

I am dealing with the "rent-or-buy" question. With low mortgage rates, it is very tempting to buy a home in Seattle area, but caution suggests that we rent for at least an year, get a feel of the place and then plunk down for a home. Plus, selling our current home will take a while as well. If we were renters, we would have moved sooner !

Oh sure, when you snip my quote out of context like that it sounds faaaabulous here. Nevermind that 6 months out of the year it's winter and negative 5 degrees last Thursday taking the kids to school, lol!

We rented an apartment here for 4 months before moving into this house but I don't think we'll be buying again in Seattle. We'd get a lot less house and have to pay way more money. Plus we're not sure how permanent this move will be. We may end up in North Carolina one day if hubby's career goes in that direction.

[AceShopper]

Originally Posted by mrsincredible

We rented an apartment here for 4 months before moving into this house but I don't think we'll be buying again in Seattle. We'd get a lot less house and have to pay way more money.

After reading these forums for a while, I am almost leaning in that direction as well. I realize that the salaries are higher in Seattle, but the home prices just seem so overpriced (I know! I am spoiled with what we have with our urban sprawl here :-) Factor in the water, heat, property taxes on top !!

There are lot of costs that are conveniently left out in all the "should I rent or buy?" articles out there. You come to know of them through your own personal experience

[Sonnenwende]

Originally Posted by AceShopper

There are lot of costs that are conveniently left out in all the "should I rent or buy?" articles out there. You come to know of them through your own personal experience

I've never owned a house, but I've come to the conclusion that buying a house is way overrated because of all the inconveniences of ownership and hidden costs I've heard from others. Not only that, I suppose if you want to get technical, you never really own a house anyway because you don't ever own the land it sits on. You simply pay rent forever to the government in property taxes.

Houses in Seattle are just way out of my price range. Good thing there are so many great rentals out there.