SEATTLE, WA

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I'm looking at intensifying my search for employment in the Seattle / Tacoma / Olympia area, and am curious to know who lives there and what advice you might be able to give me. (Yes, I know it rains a lot. I live in Vancouver)

I like the Northwest for the cool weather, relatively low cost of living (not counting Vancouver, where cost of living is ASTRONOMICAL), natural beauty, and high quality of life. My cousin moved to Puyallup a couple of years ago and bought a nice 5 bedroom house for around $350,000. She tells me that she absolutly loves it (of course anywhere is great compared to L.A., where she used to live!)

Here are a few of my questions:

- Which are the best neighborhoods in terms of affordability, easy access to the city and comfortable/pleasant surroundings?

- Which areas would you avoid? I heard conflicting opinions on Tacoma, for example.

- How would you rate the cost of living? I know that many Californians (esp. people from L.A.) moved there in the 90s, driving the prices of houses up, but I understand that that fad has fizzled out.

- I hear traffic is horrendous. Is that true?

- How do the restaurants, bookstores, record stores, concert halls, etc. rate?

- Overall, are you happy there, or would you recommend it??

Thanks,
XB

[mahlertitan]

I'll do my best to answer your questions, i have only lived here about 8 years, so my experience is limited.

Which are the best neighborhoods in terms of afford ability, easy access to the city and comfortable/pleasant surroundings?

It varies, depends, what kind of home you want? basement/apartment/condo/house?  but i would guess that the cheaper neighborhoods are more far away from downtown seattle, or the U-district. vice versa.

Which areas would you avoid? I heard conflicting opinions on Tacoma, for example.

I would generally avoid south Seattle, properties sell for much less there for a reason. I don't know Tacoma, but then i have never heard anything terribly bad or good about it. On a general rule of thumb, the more dense the population, the more unsafe it is (duh!), people do get mugged/beaten in U-district sporadically, but that's only because they are dumb enough to go out 2 A.M in the morning. There were a couple of shootings in downtown seattle this past year, but i think if you have good judgment, you probably won't be worrying about your safety. plus, relatively speaking, Seattle is Safer than Portland, or Tacoma.

- How would you rate the cost of living? I know that many Californians (esp. people from L.A.) moved there in the 90s, driving the prices of houses up, but I understand that that fad has fizzled out.

It's high, but not the highest, the rent probably will eat up most of your salary, and the rest, food is not expensive (but then i never cared about how much i spend on food) gas is not cheap, the rest is about average.

- I hear traffic is horrendous. Is that true?
YES, Seattle probably is top 10 in terms of the most beautiful/pleasant place to live in, but probably bottom 10 in terms of road congestion. So, if you do drive, be sure to bring a couple CDs of Bruckner Symphonies to listen. The general rule of thumb is to avoid rush hours (duh! easy for me to say), but also look out for sporting events (not a good idea to go out before or after a mariners game) and as if things can get any worse, they are repairing I -5 right now, so you can imagine what it is like.

- How do the restaurants, bookstores, record stores, concert halls, etc. rate?
there are tons of fine restaurants, of which i don't go to any of them, because i don't have the money.
There are Barnes and Noble all over the place, so it won't be hard to find books, again the price varies, and if you looking for something more technical, the University bookstore should have just about anything you want, but it is pricey.
As for the music, Seattle Symphony make its home at the heart of Downtown Seattle, Benaroya Hall, for me, the cost is incredibly cheap, because i am a student, i can buy any ticket for only 10 dollars... the selection is a little thin though, most of the times they play the usual beethoven, mozart, and brahms, i think they only play ONE Bruckner symphony this year (2008), that is Arpil 3-6, i think, it's Bruckner's 5th, paired with Bruch's VC 1

Overall, are you happy there, or would you recommend it??
I am very happy here, i would recommend it, it's beautiful, and it doesn't rain nearly as much as people say. I like Seattle, because it's an "artsy" city, plenty of theatrical performances you can catch, the hotspot is definitely at downtown, if you want excitement and fun, you would consider moving into that area.

i hope this helps!

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Thanks. Cost of living is certainly relative. Here in Vancouver, income taxes and sales taxes are about double that in the U.S.; Auto insurance is double; wine and beer is typically 2-4X more expensive; the average cell phone bill is $200 per month; a million dollars will buy you a 900 sq foot condo--if you're lucky, etc., etc.  And it's all getting worse by the minute with the Olympics coming here in 2010. 

I'm also looking at Portland and Northern California (will not go further south than San Luis Obispo!)

[Mozart]

Portland looks like a nice city, I'd like to move there.

[M forever]

will not go further south than San Luis Obispo!

Why not?

[MishaK]

Why not?

He learned from your mistakes.