Seattle anybody?!?!

So, lately I've been thinking about relocating to Seattle, and was hoping to get some input from those that live in/around the area.

I currently live in a rural, northern cali town, but was born/raised in a big city(chicago). I have lived in a rural setting, in and out of towns, for the past 10-12 years. However, I notice Ive been missing the urban scene and all that comes with it. Well, not all of it. I could leave out the crime, traffic, congestion, and such, but thats part of the trade off. And really, crime exists everywhere! What I really miss, is the culture, the art, the people, the late night buzz, the non homogeneousness, etc. Seattle seems to be the balance between city and rural, having access to the sound/ocean, forests, and mountains. And it seems beautiful.

Well, living on the west coast and not wanting to leave, I have decided that Seattle is in the "top" running for cities to research/visit. I cant see myself in SF, maybe in SD/LA, and probably not Portland(lol). If you live in Seattle area and love it or hate it, chime in and kindly let me know why. Wheres the to be/go spots? Where should I avoid? best place to live? Most fun things to do? Im a city kid at heart, so im not easily scared and have a sense of street smarts.

Thanks for reading and responding. Im trying to head up there in the next month or so, for some R&R, and research. Any input is appreciated.

 

I was soooo close to moving to Seattle. I researched it for months and had a job all lined up. The ocean and the culture was what attracted me as well. The main reason I held off was the weather. Coastal Washington is beautiful because it's so green and lush, but it rains every day or is likely over cast in winter. My boyfriend sent me an image of a frozen car covered and ice and snow and well I ended up in AZ.

Still to this day I wonder if I made the right decision. For the culture and the ocean I may be able to tolerate the weather.

 

+1 The traffic can be.....ummmm.bad........
Very beautiful when its not raining though.

 

Too much rain for me. I like Norcal, on the chilly side, not too much fog/rain but there is some, lots of cool sub-urban areas. Washington is nice, very lush forests and great if you love the outdoors (I'm assuming)

 

yuck, cities...
I enjoy my privacy, reduced crime, liberty and guns - all things cities "frown" upon.

But I digress,
My friend moved out there, had a great high level tech job at EMC. He only stayed for about two years before moving back to MA.
Apparently, it's pretty tuff to find a good tech job out there. The employers pool to choose from is so large with people that are qualified that getting a good job can be tuff.

It took another friend of mine well over two years to find a mid level tech job out there.
He loves it and never plans to leave. He's always, ALWAYS talking about mt rainier. He's been trying to get me to visit for years now.

I'm not a big fan of hippies, snobby techie hipsters and earthy crunchy people always telling folks "what's right", I'm long past those years! lol

So other than those negatives, sounds like a decent place! haha

 

I visited Seattle for a week it was a great city with plenty to do, you are really close to the ocean and can see mt rainier from almost anywhere in the city when its not raining.

but it was overcast every day with small light sprinkles of rain, i would never trade socal weather for anything.

The people there are really nice and the biggest difference for me was driving they all drove speed limit it was really hard for me not to be going 80 on the freeway and when you tried to change lanes they actually slowed down for you to move over no obnoxious cars speeding up and flipping you off like in cali.

 

I dont have a job lined up, but i am currently self employed and have done a variety of jobs. As for the weather, I am from chicago, so it cant be worse than that!!

I live close to the ocean, in a rainforest currently, so it wouldn't be too much of a shift. I find that it seems to be a great balance between nature and urban. the nature aspect is what drove me from the city. The fact that a giant MT(rainier) is visible from most of the city, and the ocean is right there, could just do it for me.

Corailaine: never too late to visit, and/or change your mind.

Vinny: I hear ya. I like riding a bike and would love to not be driving a car full time. I live in a fairly remote area with terrible public transit. So, if you wanna go anywhere, its usually in a vehicle.

1.0: bay area? thats still central cali! Too much sunshine and not enough fog/rain to be NorCal. Yes, you assume correct.

FatB: I agree, I love all those things, thats why Im thinking I can live outside of the city. close enough to get there, quickly, but not lose out on the beauty and privacy. the hippies are alright, im not a a huge fan of the hipsters, and its hard to tell me what to do. lol

tuan: I live in way NorCal, so im guessing its pretty close to the same. Drive the speed limit?? oh heck no. Thats a chore.