Help two Southerners escape!!! (Seattle, Vancouver: home, transfer, living)

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by Garethe

Thank you. Seattle is always desperate for international attention but does everything possible to stay provincial and the lengthy fight to get light rail to Bellevue was a good example, all because of the influence of one billionaire.

On politics: nimby liberalism is alive and well here, see previous paragraph, enough said.

.

That "NIMBY liberal" billionare is a Republican, FYI.

[victorianpunk]

Originally Posted by LindseyG2014

Very cool! We are looking to get out of the South and some of the judgmental, close-minded attitude that seems to reside here. Hope that doesn't offend but that has been our experience. We are both born and raised in the Charlotte area so we need a change! Seattle seems to be the complete polar opposite so we are very excited to move!!!

I have come to see the reality: Seattle is to the South what Stalin was to Hitler.

Seattle people can be just as judgmental and closed-minded as the biggest bible thumbing Alabamian, the only difference is what they are judgmental about. I was at a bar and heard two guys talking about some ribs they had and two woman on the other side snickered and said "ah, they're talking about eating meat."

If you're religious at all here or just believe in God or something, you can expect to be treated the way an atheist may be treated in the deep south. If you're not overly enthusiastic about recycling and mix the garbage with the compost, you can expect to hear it.

And if you dream about telling politically incorrect jokes, you may as well just leave why you still can. I make one joke about collard greens and I'm called a racist...and the little fact that I'm half black doesn't seem to account for anything.

And you better not disagree with the psychotic politics of this area, be it a 15 dollars and hour minimum wage or taxing non-parents to give every kid free preschool or banning plastic bags.


People here are just as bad as the Bible Belt, it's just that they're bad in the other direction.

[Garethe]

Originally Posted by BATCAT

That "NIMBY liberal" billionare is a Republican, FYI.

Nimby conservative then.

[tsmw47]

So banning plastic bags and recycling are bad things?

[ByeByeLW]

Seattle sounds like a good fit for me.

[LindseyG2014]

Originally Posted by ByeByeLW

Seattle sounds like a good fit for me.

Ditto!!!

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by victorianpunk

I have come to see the reality: Seattle is to the South what Stalin was to Hitler.

Seattle people can be just as judgmental and closed-minded as the biggest bible thumbing Alabamian, the only difference is what they are judgmental about.

People here are just as bad as the Bible Belt, it's just that they're bad in the other direction.

LOL: Seattle and Charlotte are Moscow and Berlin! "Ich bin ein Berliner" -JFK speech, 1963

Religion, yeah. But the Unitarian church is alive and well here, seems to me. A curiously Seattle way of looking at religion, in my opinion, but I'm Catholic (lapsed) and they're quite a bit more-structured. (Yes, I know the Unitarians are not a Seattle phenomena specifically.)

By all means, challenge the psychotic politics at every turn, and attend church/vote for candidates outside the mainstream. If the social scene is "frozen" here anyway, how can anyone be harmed worse?

This place is provincial as the day is long. Totally agree. It's a big joke, but the key is similar to the South: Put on a bit 'ol grin, and keep one hand on your wallet at all times. They'll think you're the village idiot, and why dissuade anyone otherwise? In contrast, mention you attended an Ivy or well-considered Midwest school (e.g. Northwestern, University of Michigan, Purdue), it's like you're from Mars.

So just...don't. One huge upside of this area is if you really, really want to be left alone to do your own thing, you will be.

[LindseyG2014]

It seems to me, a lot of you that post on this Seattle Forum should be posting on Forums for other cities, asking advice on moving there. Some of you (just some, not all) just do not seem to like Seattle at all! Why are you still living there? Move away and fix the housing crunch by opening up some homes for those of us who would give anything to be in such a beautiful, amazing city! Just saying...

[Kalex]

welcome!!! I'm happy to help you escape! I grew up in SC and lived in Charlotte for almost 9 years. TBH I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I thought I could stay and deal having lived in the South most of my life, but then realized life is short and you don't have to fund/support the prevailing viewpoints there if you don't want to.

Seattle is not the holy grail of all places, ever. There are negatives like anywhere else. But having left for the same reasons you mention, I'm happy every day to be here.

It sounds like you would be happiest in the neighborhoods you mentioned. They are all pretty central and interconnected. One thing to note is that people here are obsessed with where exactly everyone lives. Apparently what neighborhood you end up in tells them all sorts of things about you, and gives free license to pick on you for all of said neighborhood's traits. There's much...competition?? ribbing?? between neighborhoods that are right next to each other. Having grown up in the middle of nowhere with the only grocery store nearly 30 minutes away, I think this is endlessly entertaining. Some people find it annoying. Some take it personally. Imagine an old-school Southerner's perception of outsiders, but on someone pretty much level with you economically/age-wise/whatever, and only bc you live in X neighborhood. It's very, very easy to not be "green" enough. I've been the environmental overachiever my entire life and am a slacker here. The many, many trash bins still confuse me.

Everyone's going to try to terrify you about the TRAFFIC. I commuted from S Charlotte to Huntersville daily for years. The only time I've sat in traffic here anything like my daily Charlotte hell was when there was an accident or construction. I drive between Seattle, Kirkland, Issaquah and Bellevue on a daily basis..hence I'm not living in a bubble. If you live in Seattle and drive out for work - especially north - the traffic is hell. Otherwise it's whatever. Hubs was working in LA this weekend and referred to the traffic whining here as "cute".

[LindseyG2014]

Originally Posted by Kalex

welcome!!! I'm happy to help you escape! I grew up in SC and lived in Charlotte for almost 9 years. TBH I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I thought I could stay and deal having lived in the South most of my life, but then realized life is short and you don't have to fund/support the prevailing viewpoints there if you don't want to.

Seattle is not the holy grail of all places, ever. There are negatives like anywhere else. But having left for the same reasons you mention, I'm happy every day to be here.

It sounds like you would be happiest in the neighborhoods you mentioned. They are all pretty central and interconnected. One thing to note is that people here are obsessed with where exactly everyone lives. Apparently what neighborhood you end up in tells them all sorts of things about you, and gives free license to pick on you for all of said neighborhood's traits. There's much...competition?? ribbing?? between neighborhoods that are right next to each other. Having grown up in the middle of nowhere with the only grocery store nearly 30 minutes away, I think this is endlessly entertaining. Some people find it annoying. Some take it personally. Imagine an old-school Southerner's perception of outsiders, but on someone pretty much level with you economically/age-wise/whatever, and only bc you live in X neighborhood. It's very, very easy to not be "green" enough. I've been the environmental overachiever my entire life and am a slacker here. The many, many trash bins still confuse me.

Everyone's going to try to terrify you about the TRAFFIC. I commuted from S Charlotte to Huntersville daily for years. The only time I've sat in traffic here anything like my daily Charlotte hell was when there was an accident or construction. I drive between Seattle, Kirkland, Issaquah and Bellevue on a daily basis..hence I'm not living in a bubble. If you live in Seattle and drive out for work - especially north - the traffic is hell. Otherwise it's whatever. Hubs was working in LA this weekend and referred to the traffic whining here as "cute".

I am so excited to hear that your move and experience has been positive!!! We have been trying to move to Seattle for a while now and honestly some of these negative posts were making me nervous! I know things are not perfect there but it cannot possibly be worse than living here in the south!!! I'm just so looking forward to someone being nice to me just because they are nice and not because they want me to attend their church!

We may not end up staying downtown forever but we definitely want to start out there. We figure we can afford it so why not enjoy the views, convenience, lifestyle, etc for awhile then move to other neighborhoods later. I imagine that given our accents (we say slight, others will argue I suppose) we will be picked on or judged anyway.

I totally agree on the traffic. Granted I haven't experienced Seattle's traffic but I can't imagine it being worse than a rainy day on 485! Two miles=45 minutes or more!

I am curious as to how old you guys are? In what areas of NC/SC have you lived? Feel free to direct message if you prefer! Thanks for the advice!!!