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Old 02-14-2010, 09:13 AM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,287,468 times
Reputation: 5382

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skifan 77 makes some great points, but has some numbers that aren't accurate. Bellevue is 23% Asian, not 35% Chinese. And Bellevue has plenty of Asians who aren't Chinese, including Indians, Japanese, and Koreans. Seattle has more Southeast Asians ( Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians) and Filipinos.
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Old 02-22-2010, 02:52 PM
 
18 posts, read 57,403 times
Reputation: 21
I've been living here for almost four years now and have gained a good understanding of the region, being in real estate.

Top <10> pros:

1. Most educated city in the country, something like 25% of the population has a MASTER'S DEGREE

2. Very safe -- Forbes just ranked Seattle as fifth nationwide, and we would besecond if it weren't for the earthquake risks. Knock on wood, but the entire time I've lived here I've never once felt threatened or had any of my property stolen or damaged. Again, knock on wood!

3. Top tier public schools virtually anywhere east of I-5

4. Nice demographic mix of Caucasian, Asian and limited (but visibly growing) Hispanic. Much like what you would expect in the PNW.

5. Great outdoor recreation. Mountains, lakes, ocean, islands, rain forests, biking trails, you name it. On that point, the people tend to be much more health concious and physically active.

6. Modern, clean and cosmopolitan central business district. Columbia Tower is the second largest skyscraper west of the Mississippi and plans for bigger, taller buildings are in the works.

7. Hands down the most beautiful summers ANYWHERE. Summer usually starts early in May and continues well into September sometimes.

OK, and the drawbacks to living in paradise....

1. Winter is gloomy and overcast 90% of the time. Many just can't hack the dark months. Let's face it though, if Seattle didn't have the cloudy seasons, the entire world would be living here.

2. I-5 traffic is absolutely horrendous. Light rail is being built from Tacoma to Everett, with stops all along the way, but it'll be another decade at least. Try and avoid any of the major freeways from 7-10am and 3-6pm.

3. Jobs are not easy to come by unless you have mad skills and can compete with literally the best of the best. Expect fierce competition in this regard.

4. Home prices are overvalued by at least $100,000. You can get a lot more for your money in Portland, Denver and Houston/Austin. I read recently that the median home value in King County, after the market correction, is still about $350,000. 20-30 miles north or south and you'll find affordable properties, but get ready for a miserable commute.

5. Lot's of goths/punks/grungies/alternative expressionists. Not that they are threatening, just uncomforable to around large groups of these people sometimes.

6. As mentioned earlier, high taxes and it looks like they're about to get even a little more expensive (10%) in the near term future.

7. Sharp hills and confusing streets in the urban core. Not a big deal for many folks, but can create inconveniences at times.

In conclusion, I'd have to say the pros outway the cons, especially if you are looking to drop roots and start a family. Barring any major unforseen circumstances to my work, I see myself living here for the rest of my career and maybe up north -- Bellingham -- for retirement.
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Old 07-17-2010, 12:15 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,181 times
Reputation: 10
I am a male dental hygienist seeking to move to Washington state from Omaha Nebraska. Finding jobs here as a dental hygienist is very hard. I need suggestions on where to live, nice appts, and how the job market is for dental hygienist there bref pro and con. Thank you
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Old 07-17-2010, 12:59 PM
 
7,743 posts, read 15,838,159 times
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Looking through previous pages.... I cannot believe someone listed Jesse Jones as a pro.
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Old 07-17-2010, 05:34 PM
 
172 posts, read 441,577 times
Reputation: 62
Pros:
1. Seattle has a fast pace downtown
2. City is beautiful with waterways and parks
3. Alot of outdoor activities sking, hiking, boating, Climbing, photography, canoeing, etc
4. In Seattle, no cookie cutter neighborhoods. All houses are different and unique
5. nice skyline

Cons:
1. traffic
2. not enough cool buildings being built
3. cost of living
4. taxes are always increasing
5. to liberal
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Old 12-10-2011, 08:46 AM
 
Location: Anchorage
4 posts, read 9,316 times
Reputation: 13
The pros of living in Seattle to extrapolate from above and giving a 2011 updated opinion:
Yes it rains alot, this year we had an unusual amount of rain, however, the summer is awesome and it does not get overbearing hot-perfect! The rain USUALLY falls in the evening and at night in the winter months.
Lots of beaches- Alkai beach, Edmonds beach, etc
No income tax!
Lots of beautiful landscape, things to do and see. Lots of events,parks, theater and concerts. Ethnic food- Asian mostly, some middle eastern, Latin-mostly Mexican.
Diversity- Lots of Asians- mostly Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, East Africans, Mexicans, Russians- Mostly in Vancouver and Everett.
Very liberal (subjective)
Very active city
Very pet friendly
Lots of cyclist- mostly in the road
Lots of beautiful educated Asian, Russian, Ukrainian and East African women- more approachable than White American women. You will see for your self.
Lots of interracial couples- no one cares in this state, after all you love who you love!
Cons:
Traffic is terrible- always leave early to get where you are going
Too much rain- mostly a drizzle though, occasionally you get sudden downpours!
Housing is expensive
Sales tax is 9.75% in Seattle
Employment is mostly for IT, health care and sales. If you are a business major you will have a hard time finding a job, unless from a local college!
Despite the liberal attitude, most Seattle-ites are not a very friendly bunch. Trust me on this one! very materialistic nature.
Dating scene for men is dismal- The women are into themselves and demand a lot(money) Alot of lesbians
Not many churches or places of worship
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Old 12-11-2011, 12:06 AM
 
3,117 posts, read 4,577,423 times
Reputation: 2880
The 5 Best:

1) Best summer of anywhere in the country, possibly the entire world. Every day, 75-82 and sunny. It doesn't get any better than that.
2) Amazing seafood. Heck, amazing food culture. There are some things you can't find up here, which is depressing, but exempting those cuisines, this area is amazing.
3) All the tech companies and the great wages they bring with them...with nowhere near as much of the idiocy that would come with living in Silicon Valley
4) Quite possibly the most scenic part of the entire continent. San Francisco can give the area a run for its money in this department, but I think Seattle has the edge.
5) No state income tax. Your taxation responsibilities are determined by what you spend, not what you earn. This rewards those who are smart with their money, and punishes those who are not.

Honorable mention to the festivals in the summer months, the widespread diversity, the lack of crime, the schools, the ease of making friends if you know what you're into ("the freeze" is a joke) and the recession-proof economy if you're in the right fields.

The 5 huge gripes:

1) Activist not-living-in-the-real-world-mindset. San Franciscans who came up here after ruining their city and wanting to do the same up here. Freakishly extreme Portlandites. Meshed with an existing populace that was already kind walking that fine line between tolerable and extreme activism. Waaay too many people up here who think they can save the world no matter how much of YOUR money they have to spend to do it-they'll never pony up their own. They are into those stupid macrobiotic vegan gluten free lifestyles and only sleep on organic beds or some other ridiculous nonsense, or who are so cocksure the best way to do things is to force someone else to be like them.
2) Left lane campers. It's usually a Subaru or a Prius, but there's always some passive aggressive jackass in the left lane doing 54 in a 60, who thinks its their right or duty to regulate everybody else's driving patterns.
3) The government is getting fairly out of control. The politicians in this area know they can do absolutely anything they want and there will be no repurcussions for it. They will continue to get re-elected and have job security, all because they have a (D) next to their names.
4) State employee workers and their unions. We're supporting way too many state workers, and the unions have the politicians so firmly in their pockets that what we're paying these people is just absurd. It's harming us all. Well, unless you're a state union worker.
5) Traffic is a nightmare due to a provincial mindset (yes, and as a result of the lane campers mentioned in point 2). Our main interstate (5) was not designed for the city as it's grown, and it's only getting bigger. However, people who didn't want the city to grow saw to it that it's nigh impossible to create any meaningful relief. Road diets (taking away lanes on congested roads to create little-used bike lanes). Building a convention center right above the interstate, removing any possibility of ever double decking the road to allow for expansion. Having no way to expand horizontally, given how the downtown area was built on both sides of the road. Tolling one of the only 2 effective ways to go East from the city, to pay for a replacement way to go East that won't have the necessary additional capacity. Plans to remove 2 lanes from the other way East to put in a light rail that won't take enough cars off the road to account for the loss of the 2 lanes. So on and so forth. End result, we've got a road infrastructure that can only effectively handle a city of about 65% the size we have, and the city is going to keep growing larger. So what should be a 15-20 minute commute for many turns into an hour + long ordeal.

Honorable mention to the dating scene for single guys, the 4 pm sunsets in the winter months, the bike nazis, the prolonged overcast months, the absolute joke of a mayor Seattle has (worth mentioning even though I already said politicians), and the higher costs for most goods and services.

All in all, this is a great city. But you've got to be willing to tolerate some truly significant flaws in order to be here. It's certainly not something everyone can handle.
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Old 12-11-2011, 12:15 AM
 
21,989 posts, read 15,668,264 times
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A lot of the negatives listed here are reasons I love it here. Guess I'm in the right place and some people are in the wrong place. There are a lot of red states for those people which is a good thing. Choices for everyone.
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Old 12-11-2011, 12:22 AM
 
Location: anywhere but Seattle
1,082 posts, read 2,552,870 times
Reputation: 999
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanathos View Post
The 5 Best:

1) Best summer of anywhere in the country, possibly the entire world. Every day, 75-82 and sunny. It doesn't get any better than that.
LOL you don't get out much do you?
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Old 12-11-2011, 06:29 PM
 
1,630 posts, read 3,876,271 times
Reputation: 1116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanathos
The 5 Best:

1) Best summer of anywhere in the country, possibly the entire world. Every day, 75-82 and sunny. It doesn't get any better than that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by evergraystate View Post
LOL you don't get out much do you?
I agree with Xanathos ... can you name a better place for summer?
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