Anyone moved from cambridge/boston to seattle? (rent, how much)

[skraj011]

We may be moving. We love living in Cambridge and want to know whether anyone has made this move and how they like living in Seattle.

[Seacove]

We lived in Seattle a long time before moved to Boston for a couple of years and returned to Seattle several years ago. We missed everything about Seattle and found Boston to be a bit backward (surprising), the weather miserable and outside of the quaint New England style areas, a lot of it was old and beat up looking. In that short time, one son had three field trips to Plymouth Plantation. He did not want to go again. The Boston area can be beautiful and we went to coastal Maine on the weekends all the time but flying back to Seattle regularly was a constant reminder of how much nicer Seattle was in every way so we returned. We're from the West Coast so New Englanders might have a different opinion.

[civic94]

I was born and raised in boston, until i moved to seattle when I was 14. I will be 26 in a month, and I missed boston so much. I want to move back there all the time, but the cost of living there is just way too much. in terms of renting, boston is too expensive. in terms of buying, its about the same.

I missed the whole 4 seasons, miss new england, seeing the colonial buildings, riding the T, just the beauty of boston. its been 12 years, and i still cant get used to seattle's weather, and the slow pace of life. I know, seattle is a big city, but when I am here, it does feel like a small town. I think its because of the population density that makes it "feel" like boston has way more people.

the good things that i like about seattle is that the cost of living is very cheap compared to boston, and the quality of life is better. I rent a 2 bedroom place in beacon hill for 750 a month, which is a 5 min drive to downtown. if this was in boston, with the same driving times, i will be looking forward to paying 1800 or so a month. it is very cheap to live in seattle. also the car issue too. in boston, its very hard to find parking, and in seattle, its pretty easy, even in downtown seattle. Some people here might not agree with me on the "easy" parking in seattle, but i do know from experience. if you cant find a street parking spot in seattle, you can drive 10 blocks away and walk 20 mins back to the core (westlake). while in boston, good luck. you cant find a spot even if you walk a hour away. everywhere around boston has their zoned parking, etc.

it is safer all around here. the bad parts are rainier beach, and parts of white center, skyway, etc. it is nothing compared to roxbury, mattaphan, dorchester, etc. to the OP, it depends on what you want. I know Seattle is still a expensive city, but your quality of life will be better here, it all comes down to this: are you going to miss the Boston area? for myself i'm not happy with the rain but i can survive here without worrying about paying so much in rent.

[Ira500]

I lived in Jamaica Plain for a while. My sister lived in Cambridge and Somerville. My mother in law lives in Brookline. Civic 94 is right about the feel of the place. Boston feels like a much bigger city than Seattle. It's a lot older, and a lot dirtier. Because of the density, there really aren't any neighborhoods quite like Cambridge. Maybe a blend of Capitol Hill and the University District?

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by skraj011

We may be moving. We love living in Cambridge and want to know whether anyone has made this move and how they like living in Seattle.

If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would move to Cambridge. It must be an incredible place to live & raise a family. I think you will miss it greatly, though Seattle does have a more beautiful natural setting.