I'm considering moving to Seattle..I have a few questions. (Bellevue: apartments, rent)

[*Sweetkisses*]

Hi everyone, I currently live in the Philadelphia area and while I think its a great city, I am ready for a drastic change. A change of scenery, a change of people and their attitudes about life,a change in general.
I'm 27 years old with an Associates degree. I am a black woman who is coming alone so I would like to know a few things.
One average, how much is a one bedroom apartment or studio in Seattle or even the surrounding areas?
I love diversity so what areas are diverse or atleast accepting towards someone like me?
Whats the weather really like? Lol
What's the job situation like out there? Its tough to find something here in Philly. All comments (except rude) are welcome. Thx!!!!!

[GatsbyGatz]

Rent will vary drastically depending on how close you want to be to the city center. Give us your price range.

Racial intolerance isn't a problem here. I think you will be surprised, however, to see that most people living in the Seattle metro area are Caucasian.

The weather is enjoyable for my tastes. Winters are cold and grey, but not unbearably cold. Springs are wet and chilly, but only a light sweater chill with mists. Summers are dry and warm, and generally perfect. Autumn is gorgeous.

Jobs? That's pretty vague. Can you describe your work history?

[*Sweetkisses*]

Sorry im not the greatest with details!! I dont have to be close to the city center...something around 800-1000 a month is in my price range. I have about 3 grand saved up so far...if that means anything.
I have experience in customer service representative / retail industry but im thinking of going into administrative/ business field. I can't say that I started my career as of yet, Im late in the game on that aspect. But better late than never!
The weather sounds great...Im ready for a change.

[*Sweetkisses*]

So I realize a typical 1 bedroom apartment in Seattle is over 1000 a month. Looks like I have to save more!!

[CrazyDonkey]

The more "diverse" areas are generally south or east of downtown. Some of these areas are also poorer and more prone to drugs and crime (Rainier Beach and White Center, for instance).

[Ruth4Truth]

There are parts of north Seattle that are diverse without the crime of the south end. Look around Northgate and just east of there: Pinehurst and Victory Heights, and further north. Rents are a little lower out there, too. You should be able to find something under $1000.

edit: I just checked, and there are 10 apts. listed around Northgate that are under $1000. There's good transportation from that area to downtown, too. There are express buses that take the freeway directly from the Northgate mall to downtown.

[mkarch]

One of the things to watch out for when pricing apartments is that the lower rent areas tend to not be near jobs, and there's a higher likelihood that the people living there don't work. This is one of the unfortunate aspects of the more diverse areas of Seattle, which is the more diverse areas tend to have more people living on public assistance. It's not necessarily what you'd expect in an area that is racially tolerant, but it is what developed over time. There are some areas with concentrations of wealthier non white people, but there is no real "wealthier black" area so to speak. This poses certain problems and affects peoples perceptions to a degree you could find unsettling- meaning it's not easy to find a place to live that is truly diverse and desirable. Bottom line is that if you compare Seattle to most east coast cities, it simply isn't very diverse, and doesn't have large established neighborhoods of middle class diversity like you find around DC, Philly, NY, etc... Which could be disappointing if it's something you value.

I'm not saying this to be discouraging, but I've lived on the east coast in much more diverse neighborhoods and it's just something that doesn't really exist in Seattle currently. The longer I lived away from here the more apparent it became how odd this area is in that regard. It's not necessarily a bad thing- very little of it is based on people deciding they want to live in segregated areas, but that's sort of how it looks when you try to compare it to the suburbs of DC for instance. So yeah, don't be too surprised at how white it is, that's just how it is for now. That is changing as this area becomes more attractive to a wider range of people looking to relocate, but it's still in the early stages.

[Ira500]

If you're from Philly, and familiar with the rougher parts of North Philly or Camden, you'd look at places like Rainier Beach, and think " This is nice. Middle class." And largely it is. In places like Camden, there's block after block after block after block of really run down housing, and empty businesses, or businesses selling what people don't need. Here, if you're in the neighborhoods people tell you to stay away from, you walk three blocks and there are well tended lawns and nice houses, and lower crime. I'm not saying " Hey! Move to Rainier Beach!" What I'm saying is to take all these warnings about the "bad" neighborhoods" in the Seattle area with a grain of salt.
There are parts of Seattle or not too far where you can rent an apartment for 800 dollars. Not Ballard or Capitol Hill or Montlake, but maybe Mountlake Terrace or Renton or Lake City or Skyway or Rainier Beach or Burien. None of these are too far from downtown, all of them have nicer parts, and none of these even remotely compares to Camden or Trenton or NW Philly in crime or poverty.

[Ira500]

As far as diversity, south Seattle, Renton, Kent, Burien, etc are pretty diverse. Bellevue is diverse but mostly expensive. The hip cool neighborhoods within Seattle proper are very white, especially compared to Philly. But as far as accepting towards someone like you, that's mostly just not going to be an issue. Western cities are like that, pretty accepting. If you subscribe to the Seattle Freeze theory, people in Seattle may shun you, but it won't be because you're black.

[*Sweetkisses*]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

There are parts of north Seattle that are diverse without the crime of the south end. Look around Northgate and just east of there: Pinehurst and Victory Heights, and further north. Rents are a little lower out there, too. You should be able to find something under $1000.

edit: I just checked, and there are 10 apts. listed around Northgate that are under $1000. There's good transportation from that area to downtown, too. There are express buses that take the freeway directly from the Northgate mall to downtown.

Thank you for looking. That was nice of you I'll keep those areas in mind