Wanting to move to Washington State (Seattle, Bellevue: middle-class, best town, sales)

[Lucidness]

Title says it all, but I'm wondering how the jobs are there, common price of apartments / renting, good cities to move to near Seattle. And how different is it compared to Michigan?

[Sonnenwende]

Best place to look for more info on jobs and apartments in the area is to simply go to the Seattle's Craigslist and start browsing. Most of the ads on Seattle's CL jobs section are legit. Indeed is also a good source of info. How far out from Seattle do you want to look for things? 20 miles? 50?

What part of Michigan do you come from?

[Hemlock140]

We have good friends from Michigan, Detroit area, who say that it rains almost as much there but it's heavier rain less frequently, compared to our 9 months of almost constant drizzle. There's a big difference in housing. The Michigan $500 apartment would be $1,200 here, and the Michigan home for $175,000 will be $600,000 here (3,000 sf 5 BR 3 ba) though they say now there are homes for under $100,000 all over Detroit and there hasn't been such a thing in Seattle since the 1980s.

We don't have Tim Horton's or Olga's but we do have Goldberg's Deli in Bellevue, same people as the Stage in Michigan.

[Lucidness]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

We have good friends from Michigan, Detroit area, who say that it rains almost as much there but it's heavier rain less frequently, compared to our 9 months of almost constant drizzle. There's a big difference in housing. The Michigan $500 apartment would be $1,200 here, and the Michigan home for $175,000 will be $600,000 here (3,000 sf 5 BR 3 ba) though they say now there are homes for under $100,000 all over Detroit and there hasn't been such a thing in Seattle since the 1980s.

We don't have Tim Horton's or Olga's but we do have Goldberg's Deli in Bellevue, same people as the Stage in Michigan.

Hah, big increase in the amount you pay for in an apartment... And yeah, theres houses in the Detroit area you can buy for about 10,000 - 30,000. Although I'm sure the lower end of that spectrum the houses have bullet holes and chalk out-lines. (Kidding, Detroit isn't that bad )

The drizzle will not be a problem either, I prefer it over sunshine. Much more relaxing, easier on the eyes. And much more beautiful.

Originally Posted by Sonnenwende

Best place to look for more info on jobs and apartments in the area is to simply go to the Seattle's Craigslist and start browsing. Most of the ads on Seattle's CL jobs section are legit. Indeed is also a good source of info. How far out from Seattle do you want to look for things? 20 miles? 50?

What part of Michigan do you come from?

Well, I'm looking to move about 10 - 30 miles away. Where I could easily get to the city, commute back and forth from work and home and not spend a fortune on gas money. I'm going to be penny pinching the first few years I live there I think.

And I'm currently living in Iosco county Michigan, so Mid Michigan I guess you could say. What I really wanna know about the difference is two things, difference in the way people act. Because here there are a lot of nosy, rude neighbors. I understand you'll get that everywhere, but this is a pretty small town. If I ordered pizza I'm sure the whole town would know in thirty minutes or less. And the second thing, how are the winters there? Do you get much snow? I already know about the rain/cloudiness, which I absolutely love about Washington.

[Adrian71]

Hi there! I grew up in southwest Michigan and came to Seattle with my wife two years ago.

People are generally friendly and laid back here, and tend to mind their own business. It can be hard to get to know people here if you're a social butterfly -- but if you tend to be more introverted, you'll do just fine.

Winters: pretty mild, with temps in the high 30s-low 40s. We get maybe one or two light snowfalls a year, and it tends not to stick. Be warned, though, that people tend to completely freak out here at the first sign of snow, and they overcompensate when they're driving in it. But mostly,we get rain in the winter ... and the spring, and the fall. Summers are nice and sunny, though, with mild temps (mid-70s to low 80s) and low humidity.

Renting: Can't help you much here, because we bought a house here before moving. But do be prepared for some serious sticker shock. The cost of living here is a lot higher than in Michigan. The old 19th-century brick Italianate-style house I grew up in back in Michigan is selling for around $280K, and it has about 3,000 square feet and sits on a half-acre with a barn and detached garage. We paid the same amount out here for a 40-year-old split-level, 1,500 square feet or so, on a small lot. And we live about 20 miles out of Seattle. It's totally worth it to us (and the farther out you get from Seattle, in general, the more house you can get for your money), but you do pay up to live here. Gas is around $4 a gallon, and utilities and groceries are comparable to Michigan. On the upside, there's no state income tax -- although the sales tax is higher.

The south suburbs are generally cheaper than the north and east 'burbs. We live in Renton, south of the city, and it's a pretty good location. Small but quaint downtown area, with plenty of shopping and restaurants nearby. And we're right at the south end of Lake Washington, where I-5 and I-405 converge -- which makes it easy to hop on 405 to Bellevue and Redmond or I-5 to Seattle.

Job market is OK, but not great. Amazon and Microsoft seem to always be hiring, though a lot of what they offer is contract work.

Similar to Michigan? Not really, except for all the water surrounding us! But it's so pretty and green here, and the scenery is breathtaking. I heard one person say Seattle looks like someone took a major city and dropped it in the middle of a national park. I can't argue with that.

Good luck!

[Lucidness]

Thank you for this ^_^ everything I was looking for. I was also thinking about moving to Renton, saw some wonderful Apartments there. And not too far away from Seattle soooo, seems like my best bet. Although there are a few other cities near by I plan to look at. Whichever gives me the lowest price in Apartments and nicest amenities.

[rmkiefer07]

Iosco county? Wow! Are you near Oscoda or Tawas? I lived my teen years in Oscoda. That was the 70's though. From what you describe, not much has changed. People here tend to be more MYOB and less interested in what others are doing. For some this is a good thing, for others, not so much. However, my experience in Iosco county is very rural compared to the the greater Seattle area. I think when you get south of Olympia or east of the Cascades, the attitudes will be more similar.

Winters here in the Puget Sound, way more benign. It's really a grey drizzle with temps hovering 30's to 40's. Depending on where you're at snow is light and fleeting. But as a previous poster stated, many here freak out when flakes fall.From what I remember, summers are very similar but it tends to be dryer and cooler here. Where you could go swimming in Lake Huron on a warm summer day, you should think twice or three times before jumping into the Puget Sound (too cold). Due to the same geographic latitude, the summer days here are just as long and winter days are just as short.

I've been with the same employer for 14 years so can't speak personally for the job market but I hear from others it's challenging. Rents as I understand tend to be more affordable in the south end suburbs. Renton, Kent, or Burien would fall in that category though others could speak better to it than I.

[Lucidness]

I've lived in both Oscoda, and am currently living in Tawas =) my teenage years were spent in Oscoda as well. But much more recently, 2000's lol.

And it's great to hear about the temperatures, I dread winter each year here... Although this year it wasn't so bad, we saw snow maybe... Three times? None of it lasted longer than two weeks. With the temperatures you guys have described I could walk out in my boxers during winter easily. And the summer temps sound great there as well, we were getting triple digits a lot last summer D= something stable and cool (er) would be nice for a change.

The difference in swimming temperatures wont matter much for me, I don't go too often in lakes. More of a pool man.

Thank you for the information on renting though, very appreciated. I was looking at a couple towns to the East and did notice the rent was a bit higher. Renton is looking like the best town so far but I'll check Kent and Burien as well!

[Adrian71]

Originally Posted by Lucidness

Thank you for this ^_^ everything I was looking for.

Glad to help a fellow Michigan native!

Originally Posted by Lucidness

I was looking at a couple towns to the East and did notice the rent was a bit higher. Renton is looking like the best town so far but I'll check Kent and Burien as well!

Kent is a nice town. Burien has some good spots and some not so good -- but that being said, there are very few really bad areas around here. Sketchy neighborhoods here and there, but nothing like the worst parts of Detroit.

You might like Federal Way or Auburn, too, but that's getting even farther out from Seattle.

The east side will definitely be more expensive -- that's where the people with the big money live around here. This is admittedly an over-generalization, but you'll find that the east side (Bellevue, Redmond, Mercer Island, Issaquah) is pretty upscale, the north side is upper to mid- middle-class, and the south side is mid- to lower middle class. But we live in a nice, quiet, clean neighborhood southeast of Renton, and we've never worried about crime in this area.

[rmkiefer07]

Originally Posted by Lucidness

And it's great to hear about the temperatures, I dread winter each year here... Although this year it wasn't so bad, we saw snow maybe... Three times? None of it lasted longer than two weeks. With the temperatures you guys have described I could walk out in my boxers during winter easily. And the summer temps sound great there as well, we were getting triple digits a lot last summer D= something stable and cool (er) would be nice for a change.

LOL...check this out...specifically profile #45 and #1.

PEMCO Wally, We're a Lot Like You, a Little Different

I was struck that while it was warmer than usual this past year back east, we were actually colder and snowier. I had six inches in West Seattle where normally at most a dusting is all I get.

Good Luck on your decision.