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I did the opposite move (Seattle to Boston), though without your specific demographics (I'm a married woman with kids) so take my advice with a grain of salt. Seattle is noticeably whiter than Boston, but the nonwhite populations tends to be Asian/mixed - t's far less Black/Hispanic than CA or the east coast.
Seattle is a very liberal city, so that shouldn't be an issue from a social norm perspective - but I'd classify Seattle as definitely a step more vocally progressive than Boston (it's basically Camberville on steriods). The homeless situation is Seattle is bad - full stop. Far, far worse than Boston, and if you're going to end up in Capitol Hill it will be unlike anything you see in Boston (with exception of maybe Methadone Mile, but I consider that totally avoidable). Assume you'll see tents wherever you walk around, and may have some unpleasant (though not dangerous) encounters. Something like 97% of the homeless population in Boston is sheltered, but that number drops to ~50% in Seattle.
Having a car would be more of an advantage in Seattle to Boston - without a real train network, you're reliant on busses and those aren't great for non-downtown commutes (e.g. going cross-town on a Saturday afternoon would be terrible). But, ridesharing could be an option too. Seattlites tend to be more outdoorsy, so having a car or friends with car is required to go hiking, skiing, etc in the 3 hour radius of Seattle.
The Seattle Freeze is real - expect most of your friends to be fellow transplants. But, there are a lot of those types of people as Seattle has grown, so that may be less of an issue now than it was in the past.
I don't buy it, I have lots of Seattle native friends. They don't bring the apple pie over when you move into the neighborhood, but can become solid, loyal friends over time if you nurture it.
Oh, and btw, you mentioned Seattle proper vs. the metro area. People do say, and this has been my experience too, that people are friendlier in the suburbs ringing Seattle: north, south, and east.
People in the suburbs are friendlier almost anywhere, but I don't like suburbs because they are for families or married gays. I'd feel isolated. I'm a city person.
The homeless situation is Seattle is bad - full stop. Far, far worse than Boston, and if you're going to end up in Capitol Hill it will be unlike anything you see in Boston (with exception of maybe Methadone Mile, but I consider that totally avoidable). Assume you'll see tents wherever you walk around, and may have some unpleasant (though not dangerous) encounters. Something like 97% of the homeless population in Boston is sheltered, but that number drops to ~50% in Seattle.
The homelessness problem has worsened in Boston since our former mayor, Marty Walsh, who is now the federal Secretary of Labor, created what he named “comfort zones” for addicts in the Methadone Mile. Despite the advice from substance abuse programs and community leaders that it was not the best approach, Marty Walsh did not listen. Comfort zones are “safe” areas where addicts can inject drugs under medical supervision. But that’s not the case. Multiple media sources report that addicts are on the ground under the influence of their drugs and no doctors or nurses are present. In addition, there is an open illegal drug market. I get it, it is a harm reduction approach, and I understand the reasoning. But that approach, intended to help the addict, is bringing more addicts from elsewhere to Boston.
I’m happy that we Bostonians are a compassionate city, but the issue is going too far beyond the available resources. During the pandemic, many substance abuse places reduced their services or closed, and addicts wander the city taking community places and sleeping on trains. In other words, the Methadone Mile has expanded to the rest of the city. Some weeks ago, the police arrested a homeless on the train because a loaded gun fell from his pocket to the floor while sleeping. That’s the situation that we have right now, thanks to Marty Walsh and the pandemic. The problem is beyond the available resources. At least, the city is doing something to incentive building affordable housing. But there is a lot to do.
DECISION: I'm not moving to Seattle. I used different databases and services, including the Census, Neighborhood Scout, Walk Score, Transit Score, Noise Score, and Area Vibes, to realize that I am much better in Boston despite its flaws.
Let's start with public transit. Seattle is divided, according to a map from the Seattle Housing Authority, into 31 neighborhoods. However, there are only eight neighborhoods with transit and walk scores over 70 percent. I compared that with Boston and its 22 communities, and Boston wins by a considerable margin. Boston is a smaller city, but transit coverage here is excellent.
In the second place, according to Neighborhood Scout, the violent crime index in the eight of Seattle's neighborhoods convenient for public transit is in the single digits (Scale: 1=unsafest and 100=safest). Seattle is as expensive as Boston with a much higher crime, forget it.
Let's talk about affordable housing. It does not apply to my case, but it's a great help anyway because it tells me a lot about crime. It is a fact that concentrated poverty generates crime. According to the Seattle Housing Authority, most affordable housing opportunities in the private market (Section 8) concentrate in a few zip codes, such as 98104 and 98101. So, excuse me, you liberals on testosterone from the west, but landlords in your city suck.
Believe it or not, the Section 8 program helps stabilize regular rents in the private market. Boston has been guilty of housing segregation for decades. Since 2019 the Boston Housing Authority and the Cambridge Housing Authority are increasing the maximum subsidy to match it with the market rents in each zip code. That deconcentrates poverty from bad areas, usually the cheapest, and gives more freedom of selection to voucher holders. Landlords here are responding well to the change. It seems that Seattle is still crawling in that aspect. No wonder why homelessness is worst than here.
So, leave me in arrogant Boston with our brutal snowstorms of 24 inches. I have a great quality of life here. In fact, there is a lot to brag about in Boston since the birth of this country. Seattle is a baby in diapers, seems like a clueless liberal city.
Well, if you change your mind and coming from Boston, as you already stated, it takes longer to make friends there as well, which isn’t a bad thing since these “friends” tend to be real friends. It’s always been that way since growing up here in the 70s.
We also do not have anything near the East Coast Summertime “Brownstone Stump” communities here as well. So it takes more effort to get to know your neighbors as well.
I’ve lived in the NYC area for over ten years in the 80s/90s and been to Boston several times. The immediate areas on and around Pine street in the Capital Hill and areas off of Jackson street, up into Chinatown, definitely have a more East Coast vibe to them... Throw in the Belltown area as well.
Seattle also has a pretty good number of mostly Central American communities towards the South/Southwest parts of the city. Our “Caribbean-Hispanic” population, IMHO, very small, but present in the same above areas... My father later remarried a Boricua in the 70s and I’ve alway loved her Puerto Rican and Cuban style of cooking, which are basically the only things I miss about NYC and Miami, Florida... Along with NYC style pizza.
As for crime, yes, it has really spiked up here in Seattle in the last year and all over the West Coast, but the major cities on East Coast are experiencing the same uptick in crime as well.
Well, if you change your mind and coming from Boston, as you already stated, it takes longer to make friends there as well, which isn’t a bad thing since these “friends” tend to be real friends. It’s always been that way since growing up here in the 70s.
We also do not have anything near the East Coast Summertime “Brownstone Stump” communities here as well. So it takes more effort to get to know your neighbors as well.
I’ve lived in the NYC area for over ten years in the 80s/90s and been to Boston several times. The immediate areas on and around Pine street in the Capital Hill and areas off of Jackson street, up into Chinatown, definitely have a more East Coast vibe to them... Throw in the Belltown area as well.
Seattle also has a pretty good number of mostly Central American communities towards the South/Southwest parts of the city. Our “Caribbean-Hispanic” population, IMHO, very small, but present in the same above areas... My father later remarried a Boricua in the 70s and I’ve alway loved her Puerto Rican and Cuban style of cooking, which are basically the only things I miss about NYC and Miami, Florida... Along with NYC style pizza.
As for crime, yes, it has really spiked up here in Seattle in the last year and all over the West Coast, but the major cities on East Coast are experiencing the same uptick in crime as well.
Good luck on whatever you end up doing.
Bergun, I think you know I’m a Miami boy originally, in Seattle 30 years now. Have you tried this place up in North Seattle-Greenwood? The dude’s actually from Cuba and the food is legit: https://www.geosbarandgrill.com/about
So, leave me in arrogant Boston with our brutal snowstorms of 24 inches. I have a great quality of life here. In fact, there is a lot to brag about in Boston since the birth of this country. Seattle is a baby in diapers, seems like a clueless liberal city.
Don’t really get this comment - was someone begging you to move here? Perhaps insults are just another way to say goodbye in Bostonian.
DECISION: I'm not moving to Seattle. I used different databases and services, including the Census, Neighborhood Scout, Walk Score, Transit Score, Noise Score, and Area Vibes, to realize that I am much better in Boston despite its flaws.
Let's start with public transit. Seattle is divided, according to a map from the Seattle Housing Authority, into 31 neighborhoods. However, there are only eight neighborhoods with transit and walk scores over 70 percent. I compared that with Boston and its 22 communities, and Boston wins by a considerable margin. Boston is a smaller city, but transit coverage here is excellent.
In the second place, according to Neighborhood Scout, the violent crime index in the eight of Seattle's neighborhoods convenient for public transit is in the single digits (Scale: 1=unsafest and 100=safest). Seattle is as expensive as Boston with a much higher crime, forget it.
Let's talk about affordable housing. It does not apply to my case, but it's a great help anyway because it tells me a lot about crime. It is a fact that concentrated poverty generates crime. According to the Seattle Housing Authority, most affordable housing opportunities in the private market (Section 8) concentrate in a few zip codes, such as 98104 and 98101. So, excuse me, you liberals on testosterone from the west, but landlords in your city suck.
Believe it or not, the Section 8 program helps stabilize regular rents in the private market. Boston has been guilty of housing segregation for decades. Since 2019 the Boston Housing Authority and the Cambridge Housing Authority are increasing the maximum subsidy to match it with the market rents in each zip code. That deconcentrates poverty from bad areas, usually the cheapest, and gives more freedom of selection to voucher holders. Landlords here are responding well to the change. It seems that Seattle is still crawling in that aspect. No wonder why homelessness is worst than here.
So, leave me in arrogant Boston with our brutal snowstorms of 24 inches. I have a great quality of life here. In fact, there is a lot to brag about in Boston since the birth of this country. Seattle is a baby in diapers, seems like a clueless liberal city.
Is this rant really necessary? You have had a lot of kind Seattlites give you advice that solicited. Some grace and gratefulness is appropriate here. I prefer Boston over Seattle, but I feel the Seattle area is much safer as a whole.
Is this rant really necessary? You have had a lot of kind Seattlites give you advice that solicited. Some grace and gratefulness is appropriate here. I prefer Boston over Seattle, but I feel the Seattle area is much safer as a whole.
Seattle MSA murder rate is about twice that of Boston's MSA. Agreed OP post was strange.. but just wanted to point that out.
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