Seattle?! Howsit?

[Jlobes]

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.

 

[Jlobes]

somebody? nobody?

;)

biggitybump

 

[lars]

Maybe there still celebrating the Superbowl. I know I would be if they didn't beat us in the playoffs.

 

[Jlobes]

Maybe there still celebrating the Superbowl. I know I would be if they didn't beat us in the playoffs.

definitely possible. or just not very social.

 

[inkedsparkster]

Oh we are still celebrating for sure! And I am possibly the only social one on here from the PNW. As far as city living I can not chime in at all. I live in Maple Valley (which can be considered the sticks to some.) I'm a suburb kid myself. I like where I live a lot though, it's far enough from the city that I feel out there and yet close enough if I need to go into they city for any reason.

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

I was born and raised in Tacoma, about 30 miles south of Seattle. I currently live in Puyallup, about 10 miles east of my hometown.

I make trips to Seattle just about every weekend. Mostly because the best reef shops are in nearby cities.

The Puget Sound area is absolutely beautiful year round. The natives are friendly and smile a lot.

If I could live elsewhere in the USA it would be San Francisco. But I don't have the money for that.

 

[Jlobes]

inked: MV doesn't seem that far from the "city". whats the commute time? Thats sort of what im talking about, close enough, but still kinda in the sticks.

Rob: Those are all reasons seattle made it on the list. Seems friendly, definitely beautiful, and hopefully more affordable than Cali. SF is nice, and its gets much more sun than here, but I really cant see myself living there. Too expensive, and a bit too uppity. lol

Thanks for the feedback folks, its appreciated. When I head up there, whats some of the must see/do stuff? not the touristy stuff, but the local style. Best reef shops to visit? Neighborhoods?

 

[NC2WA]

And I am possibly the only social one on here from the PNW

Not true!!!

there are plenty of folks on this forum that are from the PNW that are sociable, me included. :D

I relocated from NC to WA (hence my name NC2WA), and love it !!!

well, I will agree Seattle does have culture, diversity, and some eclectic scenes...

if you have kids, then Bellevue is one of the top 5 best schools in the nation...Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, and Sammamish are "hip" places to be...
Bothell, Kirkland, a Woodinville are good cities too.

the only knock I have against the state is the cost of living...20-30% more living expenses than NC, but no heat/humidity so I am not complaining. :)

 

[Jlobes]

Not true!!!

there are plenty of folks on this forum that are from the PNW that are sociable, me included. :D

I relocated from NC to WA (hence my name NC2WA), and love it !!!

well, I will agree Seattle does have culture, diversity, and some eclectic scenes...

if you have kids, then Bellevue is one of the top 5 best schools in the nation...Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, and Sammamish are "hip" places to be...
Bothell, Kirkland, a Woodinville are good cities too.

the only knock I have against the state is the cost of living...20-30% more living expenses than NC, but no heat/humidity so I am not complaining. :)

Thanks for the feedback. Nice to be hearing from some locals, and good to know yall are social creatures! ;)

No kids. Just me and the animals(dog,cat,reef tank). If you think WA has a high cost of living, try moving to CA!!! I do love me some temperate climates tho. great for the tank as well. ;)

 

[inkedsparkster]

Not true!!!

there are plenty of folks on this forum that are from the PNW that are sociable, me included. :D

Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, and Sammamish are "hip" places to be...
Bothell, Kirkland, a Woodinville are good cities too.

Apparently I just haven't come across any other's from up this way, but glad to see there are others!

As far as the mentioned cities Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, etc., they are all bigger cities. With the exception being Issaquah. I would still label it a bigger city, however it doesn't have that big city feel. All of those cities are very popular and therefore more expensive to live in/around when looking for houses.

Living down south near Lake tapps, puyallup, orting......etc. is where you will find more affordable houses and get more bang for your buck, but you will suffer dealing with lots of traffic if you work in the city. (lots of people do it though). I am fond of Maple Valley because of the access to 405 and I-5 isn't bad during the work week.

Someone else living up north would have to chime in on the traffic to and from there, but I assume it is just the same as the cities I named. Sammamish is a very large area and I am sure you can find houses equivalent to the ones in Lake tapps, Puyallup, and Orting. It also comes down to if you are looking for property or not? Your going to be a lot more hard pressed to find land in Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell, Kirkland, and Woodinville. Issaquah is a larger city where your able to find land (up on the plateau). There are smaller cities in between the larger ones like New Castle that is close to Bellevue and would be my option if I wanted to live close to Bellevue or a somewhat large city.

As I stated before though, I'm used to living/growing up more in the smaller/outside city just minutes away from the cows and horses. And that's what I like, so my opinion is very biased. I do enjoy visiting said larger cities to go explore.

Oh and I know Bellevue has a LFS that I have yet to go to. There is one in Tukwilla which is newer and only about a year old (they are building my tank/sump). It is called Oceans by Design. Mike, (the owner) has been into saltwater tanks for 25-30 years if I remember right. He is very knowledgeable and always willing to share info with ya. Check out my build thread if ya want to see what he's doing for me. New castle also has a LFS called Barrier Reef Aquatics and is a small hole in the wall store that is PACKED full of goodies.

Anyways, I gotta go work on my tank stand and try and get closer to finally setting up my first tank. Cheers!

 

[TJ's Reef]

Yes, there are a whole lot of us Northwester's here on this forum and others. As far as a region goes I would not ever even consider moving full time to anywhere else. I am very well traveled (all 50 States, and about 90% of North America in its entirety) and though have spent most of my life here in the Puget Sound region have also lived in CA, VA and P.V. Mexico. Not only the indoor/outdoor Arts/Music culture phenomenal here but most any outdoor activity known is well within a day trip away. Hiking, biking, boating, fishing, hunting, water skiing, hang gliding, Snow Skiing all World Class and accessible nearly year round here. Seattle is one of those places you will absolutely Fall for or not..... weather can be an issue for some (sun worshipers) and seems at any given time "maybe it's nicer somewhere else" but in the BIG picture nowhere I've ever been is better year-round for the type of life I like to live.

Cheers, Todd

 

[Jlobes]

Y'all were busy this weekend at the frag swap...

 

[inkedsparkster]

Yeah that's what I heard. 400 people showed up for that! Which is awesome. However I don't have my tank finished yet so I didn't go. Next year I'll be there!

 

[ak_reefer]

I love the city, I've lived in 3 areas of Seattle proper. I lived in Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and now I live in West Seattle. There are pros and cons to each but I love them all! All have great eateries, watering holes, farmers markets, etc!

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

I spent the day at the frag swap. My first one. It was very crowded. Members of the society received free coral frags at the end of the day.

 

[ak_reefer]

Hey Lobes let me know if you come up to visit and I can show you around. Show you all the neighborhoods, food spots, watering holes and all our lfs.

 

[inkedsparkster]

I'll come hangout too! I'd be interested in meeting people off the forum.

 

[Jlobes]

AK: Really? That would be cool. I'm definitely planning to come up there, hopefully soon. So I'll keep this thread updated. It'd be cool to meet somebody off the board, and somebody in Seattle. I don't know too many people up there so somebody to show me around would be pretty cool.

Inked: I'm into it. That will be pretty wild. I've never met people off the board and to go to a new city and meet two or three people would be pretty cool. Heck, and have two locals fir info, make my trip even cooler color

 

[ak_reefer]

For sure, just keep me posted. I travel a lot so as long as I have an idea I can plan aroundit. I love this city and love showing it off.

 

[Dtech07]

Let me know what your focus is SPS/LPS/Softies/Zoas and i'll get you a Welcome to the NW FREE Frag pack. PM me when your here and settled in (I live in the LAKEWOOD area south of Seattle).
Darryl/Dtech07