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.
Actually I agree with you. I love Seattle and moved back here 7 years ago. But as much as I love the weather and scenery, etc., I am planning to head out of here when I can afford to retire. I too love the weather but it is the social situation and ridiculous government here that is causing my decision. Willl hate to leave super friends though!
It is almost hillarious how people gripe about Seattle weather. BCKettles, people don't come and visit you out here?
...'and there is LIFE other than working all the time simply to make your payment on an impossible mortgage, unlike here in Washington.' This could pertain to any major NA city.
Remember this is the pacific northwest. We don't want 90's and 100's. We barely want 80's. We don't mind turning on the heat in July and August. Who cares. We don't want a/c. We don't like oppressive heat and humidity. We like windows open in our homes with nice breezes coming through. We don't like blizzards, sleet and dull lifeless winter landscapes. We don't like flying roaches, cicadas or fire ants. I met and became friends with so many wonderful people, locals or otherwise who DO love it here. This passive aggressive stuff sounds so crazy. Passive agressive people are found in every city in America. People here might drive a little slower than most, but at least my car insurance is lower here than anywhere I ever lived, and I lived in a lot of cities. Seattle is not a perfect city but it is my home now and I do love living here. If you are unhappy here the best thing for you to do is to go somewhere else to find your happiness. If I were as unhappy as a lot of people I met on this forum I would make it my no. 1 priority to get out.
That's all.
Yeah,what this person said. Although I do like going to Cali. once a year to know that there is really such a place with lots of sun. I imagine Arizona is the same,its the heat that would bother me though.
The social scene in Seattle is terrible. I tried living there and working in Redmond for a little while and I had to get to a major city where people aren't so reserved and passive aggressive. I am the type of guy who enjoys a middle finger and horns on the road over people driving under the speed limit, though. I always thought Seattle was quite the beauty, but I don't know how aggressive males in their 20's can survive that place. I may retire out there someday, though. Hopefully they get a professional sports team that wins championships by then.
As long as they don't go up against the Pittsburgh Steelers (the greastest NFL team of ALL time) again, the Seahawks MAY have a chance.
The weather in Seattle is not perfect, but it's a better fit for me. I don't believe anywhere is 'perfect' - everyone will find something to complain about no matter where they are. I look at it this way, even if I was uber depressed here in Houston and had many problems, etc. I'd rather have the same things in Seattle than here. Why? Because at least I can do the things I enjoy up there in my free time. Personally, I prefer being able to have numerous options to get warmer, than having only a few ways to get cooler. Also, some artificial options (like AC) can mess up your sinuses, etc. I like fresh air. Period. Being stuck in AC for 6 months of the year is not fun to me. The aftermath of Hurricane Ike made me realise how dependent the Houston area is on AC... 40% of people STILL don't have power and it's upper 80's and humid outside!
mod cut:
Last edited by scirocco22; 09-27-2008 at 01:53 PM..
Reason: keep it the "freeze" thread, please
"The social scene in Seattle is terrible. I tried living there and working in Redmond for a little while and I had to get to a major city where people aren't so reserved and passive aggressive. I am the type of guy who enjoys a middle finger and horns on the road over people driving under the speed limit, though. I always thought Seattle was quite the beauty, but I don't know how aggressive males in their 20's can survive that place. I may retire out there someday, though. Hopefully they get a professional sports team that wins championships by then."
I wish I had a chance to talk to you before moving up here! I grew up in the Midwest, spent my college years in Florida & then moved out here on a whim following graduation. I am a successful, aggressive male in my early 20's, and Ill be the first to tell you this place is tough to live in. I am fortunate enough to have the individuality needed to be able to take it, but Im not sure for how long.
mod cut: cross posting removed
Last edited by scirocco22; 09-27-2008 at 01:51 PM..
Reason: pursuing an agenda
Location: Seattle, but buying a home in Las Cruces
3 posts, read 8,596 times
Reputation: 10
Moving back to Seattle
After living in Puget Sound for 37 years, (2 of them in Seattle, most recently), we moved to New Mexico for the sun and the blue skies. After a year there, we sold our new house at a great loss so that we could get back to Seattle.
Yes, the gray skies really got me down in Seattle sometimes...and the rain. But now that I've gotten to experience something different, I know that good weather doesn't make up for all we lost when we leave Seattle: friends, family, the beauty, the funky Seattle attitudes, the relaxed lifestyle, the intellectual crowd, the joy of having the big city at your front door along with thousands of things you could do on any given day. We'll never leave again.
I've heard, recently, of Vitamen D lightbulbs to help with the gray, rainy days, and of course the blue light for SAD is said to help immensely to deal with the issue of the "gray Ick".
I was surprised to meet many people in Albuquerque who had moved there from Seattle and just as many who were in the process of moving to Seattle. Two extremes I guess...attract.
I have finally had enough of the passive aggressive social tyranny that rules Seattle. I am working getting out. I am juggling preservation of my career with moving back to Phoenix, AZ a.s.a.p.
I look forward to being around live people again!
I hope it's not too late to stop you!!
I moved from Phoenix so Seattle/Bellevue last year and took a job back in AZ after only 8 months of living in Washington. I hated Phoenix in the first place so this is why I moved. Let me just say I've been crying myself to sleep every night since I left WA in January.
Arizona is the most god forsaken state (the Valley and Tucson anyways) in the whole country...excluding som near unlivable places (jobs, weather, etc) like LA state, West Virginia, etc.
My friend, come get your 106F weather in late September back if you like, but this mars-like state is really an unearthly place to live. Of course if you hate clean air, beautiful Spring-Autumn seasons, snow capped mountains, clean rivers, OCEAN, culture, GOOD food, etc etc, then indeed WA is a bad choice for you. If Wallmarting and urban sprawl is your deal, then I can tell you nothing has changed since you were last here 6 years ago.
I'm getting the hell out of this nasty place ASAP... good luck whatevver your choice is.
Anyone that tells me Phoenix/The Valley is nice deserves to be slapped in the face. Period.
When you get out of your AC cooled car nearly 10 months of the year (because even in February the highs in the day can be 80F+), you feel like you stepped intoa clothing dryer, or hair dryer. Skin cancer is like some state sport here, with everyone thinking those spots on your 20 something year old back are normal.
Food just plain sucks...unless you like greasy mexican food. Only a handful of authentic chinese places.
The drives are so damn long. I heard a joke once about when asking a Texan how far away a place is and they will respond in hours, not miles....AZ is no different. While Seattle (especially driving from westside to eastside) can be an epic journey, that's mainly due to traffic and not distance. The good news is that you are not blistering under the 105F sun while 65F AC is blowing on you. You can never get rid of the sun, even if the AC is cool...and this would drive most sane poeple insane.
I just flew back in from out of the country...landed in San Fran and flew into Phoenix and it is almost unreal I haven't killed myself yet. lol This place is perfectly flat, ugly as well, and so...umm, DEAD looking that it's depressing.
Like some 1/3rd of the sate's residents are transients (less than 3-5 years of residency here...californian earthquake 'refugees from the 90s', calli house flippers, desperate ohio contructions workers, etc).
Anyone ever heard of Valley Fever? LOok it up...it's like dead mold from no rain!
Wikiepedia lists Phoenix, some major city in India, and Riahdh, Saudi Arabia as the 3 hottest major metros in the world. Now if your city is on the same list as the latter 2, you know it's not a good place to...not live, but exist or survive!
The air is so thin i got nose bleeds when i got back from washington. Before I went i thought it was something normal, but the humidty in washington kept me from feeling like a lizard..and looking like one (see john mccain for example...my wife from washington always says he should drink some water lol).
Less than 250mm of rain all year. Seattle, I think, has around 1100mm...houston has some 30% more than seattle fyi. What's worse is the fact that there arne't any clouds - EVER! So bliding sun light all the time.
And let me tell you the biggest reason why to not come back. The job market sucks so bad here. I've got a really good job, but it took me 6 weeks to get it. I've literally gotten 5-10 times more jobs emailed to me from seattle (and i don't live there and my resumes reflect this) than I have in 8 months of being back in AZ. I'm an IT professional, and if you are, you ought to stay were you are...it's deflated here due to the construction bust (which was the growth driver of the state for the last 6+ years).
Okay, now I really hope you stay and hope i convinced you and anyone else thinking of moving to AZ to not move here. scary thought.
When I first moved to Washington I was annoyed with the grandma driving (no offence to grandmas). 35mph speed limits and only turn left on arrows. I thought you must be kidding me...i'm used to my calli style driving where I go 65 in a 45 zone and try to slice apart cars brave enough to dart out in the road whilst making a left hand turn!
I've seen so many more traffic accidents in AZ than WA it's hard to believe we are all part of the same country, as there's clearly no data sharing between the two states. AZ has a far worse fatalities due to traffic accidents than WA. I believe AZ was aabout 40th and WA was around 7th on the list I once researched.
It is a beautiful thing to be safe while driving to your destination and something I dearly miss.
and oh, since you were gone (and actually while I was gone), to combat the dangerous traffic conditions the commies in the AZ government decided that it would be easier to install soviet-style cameras everywhere instead of dropping streets signs to 35 from 45mph and freeways from 75mph to 55mph. love the retarded government here...and they can't finish a freeway broadening in tucscon in over 3 years!!
When I first moved to Washington I was annoyed with the grandma driving (no offence to grandmas). 35mph speed limits and only turn left on arrows. I thought you must be kidding me...i'm used to my calli style driving where I go 65 in a 45 zone and try to slice apart cars brave enough to dart out in the road whilst making a left hand turn!
I've seen so many more traffic accidents in AZ than WA it's hard to believe we are all part of the same country, as there's clearly no data sharing between the two states. AZ has a far worse fatalities due to traffic accidents than WA. I believe AZ was aabout 40th and WA was around 7th on the list I once researched.
It is a beautiful thing to be safe while driving to your destination and something I dearly miss.
and oh, since you were gone (and actually while I was gone), to combat the dangerous traffic conditions the commies in the AZ government decided that it would be easier to install soviet-style cameras everywhere instead of dropping streets signs to 35 from 45mph and freeways from 75mph to 55mph. love the retarded government here...and they can't finish a freeway broadening in tucscon in over 3 years!!
Yeah in Washington we have street cameras in alot of cities/towns too. I frickin hate it! Especially when someones on your ass and you slow down for the camera and they get all p.o'd!! Oh and theres this one camera down the road from my house that even if you are going 26 instead of 25 it flashes and they send a pic of your car and a ticket in the mail!! True story. Rediculous but true... lol
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.
Hit the nail right on the head!
