Why do people say that Washington State is not a nice state anymore? (Seattle: homes, live)

[Diana Holbrook]

Originally Posted by rantiquity

That may be true in King county but not true in Clallam county or many other counties in the state.
Both New York and San Francisco has had those law enforcements removed month ago so Seattle is a little behind. I am guessing defunding the police has had consequences in liberal controlled cities.

Naw there is a new statewide law passed by the legislature. Takes effect *tomorrow* I think and places limits on what police depts can do. Our local law enforcement will hopefully continue to be as good as they can be until we get this corrected. And we will get it corrected. I do firmly believe that destructive policies like this will have a VERY short swing before the pendulum swings back.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Mopac1980

I've just moved to Texas late last Winter and I have a friend who still lives in Washington tell me that it's not a nice state anymore, she thinks quality of life has gone downhill in Washington State and that made me wonder.

I moved to Texas so I can be closer to my sister.

It depends in part on where she lives. If she's in the greater Seattle area, traffic has dragged down the QOL, as it has in the Bay Area, too. Aside from that, smoky air during fire season, even if there are no fires in WA, certainly detract from QOL. I've had friends get calls from their doctor during fire season, telling them to leave the state for their own health, until the smoke subsides. That sends quite a message.

And the "freak" heat waves of increasing frequency and duration might have something to do with it. Did you ask your friend why she feels the way she does about WA? Seems like that would be a natural question to ask.

[Mopac1980]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

It depends in part on where she lives. If she's in the greater Seattle area, traffic has dragged down the QOL, as it has in the Bay Area, too. Aside from that, smoky air during fire season, even if there are no fires in WA, certainly detract from QOL. I've had friends get calls from their doctor during fire season, telling them to leave the state for their own health, until the smoke subsides. That sends quite a message.

And the "freak" heat waves of increasing frequency and duration might have something to do with it. Did you ask your friend why she feels the way she does about WA? Seems like that would be a natural question to ask.

She lives in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick) and she is a Conservative, she is shocked and appalled by our governor and the lockdown restrictions and the high cost of living.

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by Mopac1980

She lives in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick) and she is a Conservative, she is shocked and appalled by our governor and the lockdown restrictions and the high cost of living.

That makes alot of sense. Some people let politics control their life. I had a friend who just moved to the south and called Inslee a "Tyrant". Like all places Washington has experience pains in it's growth especially in the Seattle area. Alot of people are worried with the rising cost of living statewide. Areas that have historically been cheap are going up in value. That's not unique to Washington though, look at the DFW metro area and how their prices have skyrocketed in recent years. Same goes for Boise, Denver, parts of Montana.

Ultimately, Washington State is still one of the most beautiful places in the world. Growth isn't slowing down anytime soon so these complaints aren't going away. I'm pretty young and excited to see our cities grow. I only hope we are smart on how we manage it moving forward to mitigate some of the effects that rapid growth presents.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Mopac1980

She lives in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick) and she is a Conservative, she is shocked and appalled by our governor and the lockdown restrictions and the high cost of living.

Lockdown restrictions to varying degrees are in force around the country. It's not something peculiar to WA.

Governors come and go.

High COL--that definitely is a concern, but unfortunately, it's becoming common around the country, too. Still, there are areas around WA that are still relatively affordable. Some are actually close enough to job centers to be commutable.

OK, so aside from the COL, she doesn't have any "real" concerns, which is why you turned to us. I get it. Thank you.

BTW, as long as we're on this topic of WA being a "nice" state or not, could the Western WA residents among you here tell me what the air quality has been like lately, in your area? I was thinking of visiting in early fall, but I've read that the fire in OR is cranking out particulates and haze like crazy. I'm really tired of postponing getting on with life due to Covid and fires, though...

[oregonwoodsmoke]

It's not the state itself. Washington is a beautiful state with lots to do and decent weather (compared to most of the rest of the country.) Seattle is one of the most beautiful locations in the entire country.



It's the politics. But not the politics of the whole state. It's the politics of Seattle and Seattle has a large enough population to impose their ideas on the rest of the state whether the rest of the population wants it or not.


The politics of Seattle varies from uncomfortable to intolerable for business and investing and that has driven many responsible hard working people out of the state.


On the plus side in the accounting, Washington is one of the very best places in America to be homeless or living on welfare, which is something to be proud of. That helps to keep the population up.

[pikabike]

You are asking about two different things, both of them subjective.

Most people would agree the state is naturally beautiful, as that is taken to refer to physical beauty.

Many would disagree on “nice,” as that adjective throws in so many traits other than physical niceness.

Even limiting the scope of “nice” to just the climate elicits reactions that span the entire range from love to hate.

No such thing as the perfect place anyway.

[pnwguy2]

Nice. What exactly does that mean? Nice economy, nice climate, nice scenery? Just too broad of a question to answer with any objectivity.

[dozerbear]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

It depends in part on where she lives. If she's in the greater Seattle area, traffic has dragged down the QOL, as it has in the Bay Area, too. Aside from that, smoky air during fire season, even if there are no fires in WA, certainly detract from QOL. I've had friends get calls from their doctor during fire season, telling them to leave the state for their own health, until the smoke subsides. That sends quite a message.

And the "freak" heat waves of increasing frequency and duration might have something to do with it. Did you ask your friend why she feels the way she does about WA? Seems like that would be a natural question to ask.

Heat waves are not increasing in the Northwest or any of the United States for that matter.

The first two graphs are Washington and Oregon.






https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2021/...-of-great.html


Now for the entire country.






For the OP, oregonwoodsmoke pretty well nailed it.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by dozerbear

....
For the OP, oregonwoodsmoke pretty well nailed it.

Yup...
39 counties in WA, yet all controlled by the will / ideas of 3 populous neighboring counties.

The 36 remaining counties might have quite different needs and priorities (and politics) than the 'super 3'. That isn't very pretty. (Or effective for the business and economics of the 36).

Not sustainable for the businesses, farmers, job creators, when the majority of voters aren't filing WA DOR reports every month. Quite a different daily life between WA residents.

But... The views can be nice while you are writing those checks and filling out mandatory forms. Nice way to spend a rainy day, when you can't work outside.