Excitedly relocating to SEA from ATL (Seattle: renting, neighborhoods, college)

[elkotronics]

I certainly understand it if you don't care about college football or basketball. Once again, I'm a hopelessly stern follower of the University of Washington Husky basketball team. I've followed them for as long as I've been aware of sports and all of the craziness that goes along with it (be thinking parents of little leaguers fighting instead of their kids).

IIRC the Husky basketball program is rolling fine once again.

RIP Marv Harshman

[NTATL]

OP - As someone who grew up in Atlanta and moved to Seattle a little over two years ago, I can address some of your concerns:

COL: Yes, housing is twice as expensive, but your cost of living will not double due to no state income tax, and the savings you will realize from getting rid of your car (car note, insurance, gas, taxes, etc.). My partner and I bought a townhouse in Cap Hill prior to moving here and was sticker shocked initially, but we’ve been able to save even more money living here. We got rid of one of our cars and barely drive the other as we are able to walk or take the bus anywhere around the downtown area.

Weather: I, too, was concerned about the weather as I love the sun, but it honestly hasn’t been bad at all. The summers have been gorgeous and the winters have been mild, albeit gloomier than Atlanta winters. One thing I will say is we ended up having to get an AC system (wall units) installed at our house and have been enjoying it from Spring to Fall. Our townhouse is South facing and the summer sun is intolerable for someone who is used to having AC.

Politics: As a liberal gay couple in our mid 30s, we love it here. There is more of a sense of community and care for others than there was in Atlanta in our experience, we have become more involved in volunteering and attending community events. People are generally more “civilized” here than in Atlanta. I was in Atlanta two weeks ago for work and was reminded of the every man for themself mentality, especially in traffic.

Speaking of traffic: Seattle’s traffic is NO WHERE near as bad as Atlanta’s. Plus the public transportation system here is far superior to Atlanta’s. Living downtown, you will have no trouble getting around on either the light rail, bus, street car, or on foot. I prefer taking public transit to driving for getting around. The busses here have their own bus lanes, which helps not getting stuck in traffic.

I hope this helps! Feel free to DM me if you want specifics.

[thatguy950]

^lolwut traffic in Seattle is WAY worse than Atlanta. It starts much earlier, lasts way later, and is 7 days a week ALL OVER the region(south of Olympia to north of Marysville), the greater Atlanta area is terrible but no where near as bad as the greater Seattle area

[NTATL]

^I guess I haven’t had to experience traffic in Seattle being that I live and work in the downtown area and use public transportation, which would be the OP’s experience. But I can tell you, after 11 years of commuting in Atlanta traffic, that it is no joke and I can’t imagine Seattle being any worse. For example, my commute two weeks ago in Atlanta from Midtown to the perimeter was 50 minutes each way.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by NTATL

OP - As someone who grew up in Atlanta and moved to Seattle a little over two years ago, I can address some of your concerns:

COL: Yes, housing is twice as expensive, but your cost of living will not double due to no state income tax, and the savings you will realize from getting rid of your car (car note, insurance, gas, taxes, etc.). My partner and I bought a townhouse in Cap Hill prior to moving here and was sticker shocked initially, but we’ve been able to save even more money living here. We got rid of one of our cars and barely drive the other as we are able to walk or take the bus anywhere around the downtown area.

Weather: I, too, was concerned about the weather as I love the sun, but it honestly hasn’t been bad at all. The summers have been gorgeous and the winters have been mild, albeit gloomier than Atlanta winters. One thing I will say is we ended up having to get an AC system (wall units) installed at our house and have been enjoying it from Spring to Fall. Our townhouse is South facing and the summer sun is intolerable for someone who is used to having AC.

Politics: As a liberal gay couple in our mid 30s, we love it here. There is more of a sense of community and care for others than there was in Atlanta in our experience, we have become more involved in volunteering and attending community events. People are generally more “civilized” here than in Atlanta. I was in Atlanta two weeks ago for work and was reminded of the every man for themself mentality, especially in traffic.

Speaking of traffic: Seattle’s traffic is NO WHERE near as bad as Atlanta’s. Plus the public transportation system here is far superior to Atlanta’s. Living downtown, you will have no trouble getting around on either the light rail, bus, street car, or on foot. I prefer taking public transit to driving for getting around. The busses here have their own bus lanes, which helps not getting stuck in traffic.

I hope this helps! Feel free to DM me if you want specifics.

That's wonderful. Thank you!

Yeah I'm gonna try just a box fan at first for summer, then look into AC unit if I feel I need it.

And I'm gonna try no car at first, then maybe if I want one for rural excursions and road trips and larger-item shopping then I'll just get something cheap. But yeah with insurance and gas and taxes and parking fees and parking difficulty and traffic and everything it's like... why.

Especially if all the traffic is as bad as it appears to be. I figure if in future jobs I end up working somewhere over in the Redmond area or something that's not downtown, I'll just ride a bus (Seattle really has the best bus system I've ever experienced in the US), or that new light rail east line when that is completed. Spend my commute time productively, or relaxing.

The other thing is I want to lose 20 lbs and get healthier and in better shape next year. I already walk 5 miles every day last few months, so that's going to be easy habit to keep up when living near downtown. But I want to be healthier in what I'm eating regularly as well. I foresee more walking to a bit healthier Seattle-style mostly Asian restaurants, and much less temptation for fast food like I am with my car.

There is more of a sense of community and care for others than there was in Atlanta in our experience, we have become more involved in volunteering and attending community events. People are generally more “civilized” here than in Atlanta.

I've honestly been looking for that my whole life. It's just been difficult to leave the environment I was born into and got kind of stuck in. But I have this opportunity and am not tied down so just gonna do it.

Also I'm gonna try to beat the odds and find a nice girlfriend in Seattle on the dating apps. I'm not young anymore and not tall and not in amazing shape and I'm not rich. So, wish me luck!

BTW I don't hate Atlanta at all, it's really got a lot to like, and is probably the best place in the southeast quadrant of the country to live (if you're liberal and professional and all that.) But I've just been here my whole life and just ready for a change. I don't want to be born and live my life and die in a 30-mile radius.

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by NTATL

^I guess I haven’t had to experience traffic in Seattle being that I live and work in the downtown area and use public transportation, which would be the OP’s experience. But I can tell you, after 11 years of commuting in Atlanta traffic, that it is no joke and I can’t imagine Seattle being any worse. For example, my commute two weeks ago in Atlanta from Midtown to the perimeter was 50 minutes each way.

Yeah I mean ATL is no joke and among the worst in the country no doubt, but I’ve had it take me that long to get out of my parking garage in Seattle (seriously) on multiple occasions, and an hour to go under two miles from 1st and University to the I5 on-ramp

[primaltech]

Oh I drive commute a mere 10 miles every Mon-Thurs morning along the notorious I-285 top end, a little bit post the worst part of rush hour, and it still can take an hour. Which means I'm averaging 10 mph. And I'm coming in later in the morning.

There's just no good alternatives- sometimes I'll go Powers Ferry/ Mt Vernon roads which is about the same deal, but it's indirect and it's one-lane country road which is frustrating.

I want to finally live in a "real" city, that has something resembling straight roads and streets and some semblance of an actual grid system, with all the connections and alternate routes and multiple options. Plus also transit options. MARTA rail is very limited (sadly due to mostly racism it barely expanded any past the initial build out 40 years ago- Seattle would have benefited so much more from it), and anything bus is basically a useless joke, especially since there's little to no density and walking is not super ideal except for a few small pockets, which are spread apart from each other.

Anyway. Yeah. Vehicle traffic may be a lot worse in Seattle, but it sounds like you actually have some decent ability to bypass it or never deal with it. And that makes all the difference. One of the reasons why I'm frustrated with my home metro and am ready to kind of give up on it.

Chicago's train system is a whole lot better than Seattle's or Atlanta's, but I'm just not a cold weather person. ("Real" cold, anyway.)

[leastprime]

What a catch at 2minute, Wilson to Locket.

[leastprime]

At RedRobin , the local family burger restaurant.
It's been a 3 point game.

[mschrief]

The longest commute day I had when I worked in Seattle and lived in Puyallup was 2.5 hours one way to go THIRTY MILES.

Daily 3 hour commute was the norm.