[Back-to-Mac]

I have the chance to move (through work) to Seattle. Never been there but some folk say it's a great place to live. Problem is the people that say this have only heard second hand and have no personal experience.

Does any one who lives in seattle or has spent quality time there give me the low down.

Is it an expensive place?
Is it a good city with lot of stuff to do?
Good place for a single guy to be and opps to meet ladies etc.
Traffic. is it a nightmare or not?

Any feed back welcome!!

[::maroma::]

Ok, I live in Portland, OR (which is basically Seattle's bastard sister). I've spent a good deal of time there. My brother lives and works there. The Northwest in general is a great place to live. I grew up in Arizona, and have spent the last 8+ years in the NW. It's a beautiful place. People are great.

Seattle is a really nice place to live. It can get very expensive, but you can find nice areas that are reasonably priced. Downtown Seattle has a ton to do. Really great city. Clean, friendly and fun. Real close to Portland, which is also a great city to live or visit. Being close to the coast is also a great plus.

I think it's a good place for a single guy. My bro was single, and has been meeting chicks and dating quite often since he moved there. And believe me, he's no social butterfly. But from visiting, I can tell you that there are a good number of hotties.

Traffic can get nasty, and often does. It's worse than Portland, which isn't really that bad. I would suggest using the public transportation, which is really good, to get around. Only drive when absolutely necessary.

One problem is the job market. It is REALLY bad here in the NW right now. Oregon and Washington keep trading off for the worst unemployment rate in the nation. This is only recently though, and hopefully will begin to change soon. But if you already have a job lined up, then that's nothing to worry about.

Come on over! The NW is great!

Oh yeah, I hope you like the rain. Yeah....rain.

[DaKiwi2788]

RAIN RAIN RAIN!!!! Take an umbrella!

[Zimmerman]

Actually, it's really expensive and Washington has some of the most invasive legislation... grr... and the traffic is 2nd or 3rd worst in the nation. On the flip side, you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer place to live. I suppose Portland or Colorado Springs or Whitefish Montana... but besides that you really can't beat it.

[thunderous_funker]

Haven't lived there but spent time there. I have relatives there.

It's expensive to live in Seatle proper, but it has a LOT of sprawl and it gets cheaper as you go out to the fringe. Downtown Seatle is extremely hip with tons of live music, very cool clubs and pubs, and people generally are out and about. It's very very social.

If you can afford to live in the cool neighborhoods close to downtown, everything is walking distance (if you aren't adverse) and public transport is fantastic. Seatle has traffic congestion, but very very good public transport to the outlying areas. It's also one of the most bike/pedestrian friendly places in the US. Bike/walk paths are everywhere.

Music scene is pretty damn cool. Arguably the best in the US (along with Austin) depending on your tastes. Jazz and Fusion are very very big there. In an area south of downtown called Pioneer square, there are probably 6-7 Jazz joints in a few blocks that use a collective cover. You pay $10 or so and can walk into any/all of them.

If you're into the outdoors, Seatle is dreamy. You've got mountains and ocean in the same place. The Hoh River has the last stretch of Temperate Rain Forest in the US. Hiking, skiing, boating, fishing parasise.

In case you can't tell, Seatle is my favorite big city in the West. I with I'd moved before the prices went up. I still might end up there if I can get the old career in gear. It's a great great town.

[zigzag]

A terrific city as long as you can tolerate the weather. It's overcast and drizzly from September or so to May or so, then usually clears up, more or less, for a few months in the summer. I'm not necessarily saying that's bad - some people like it. Just so you're aware of it.

If you're outdoorsy, it's a great area. Drizzly, but with mild temperatures and lots of water and mountains and all that stuff.

[thunderous_funker]

For the record, lots of places get more annual rainfall than Seatle, they just get it all at once and Seatle tends to Drizzle and stay grey for long stretches.

Pacific NW rain is often just mist. It doesn't really pour rain and keep you indoors. It just stays grey and mists for days or weeks during parts of the year.

If grey bothers you, it can be a big problem. But don't think that it's like a Rain Forest or something where it has continuous downpours. It's not.

[capuchin]

I moved to Seattle about 4 years ago, and so far I still like it. Rents tend to run high unless you want to either live outside the city - look for cheap decent accomodation on the eastside; Bellevue is just across Lake Washington (1.5 miles as the crow flies) and pretty good that way. You could also look over in West Seattle, which has some really good property.

It's a good city with lots to do. Plenty of bars, clubs, pubs, nice restaurants, touristy stuff etc. There are a couple of companies that run water tours of the locks, the islands etc, and there's plenty of ferry access to Vashon, Bainbridge, and the San Juan Islands. Victoria BC is likewise a 45 minute boat ride away, with all the goodness that Canada entails. Victoria is the Tijuana of the North�

Traffic can be bad - the legislature is fighting right now over a plan to build a 14 mile monorail that should ease things. I find that if I time my commute carefully, it's not too awful.

Hope this helps!

Originally posted by Back-to-Mac:
I have the chance to move (through work) to Seattle. Never been there but some folk say it's a great place to live. Problem is the people that say this have only heard second hand and have no personal experience.

Does any one who lives in seattle or has spent quality time there give me the low down.

Is it an expensive place?
Is it a good city with lot of stuff to do?
Good place for a single guy to be and opps to meet ladies etc.
Traffic. is it a nightmare or not?

Any feed back welcome!!

[Back-to-Mac]

Thanks for the feed back. Did not know the the NW was in a recenssion so to speak.

I forgot to mention that I'm a keen hiker/walker/camper and the NW in general sounds like my kinda place.

As for the rain. I have heard that it rains a bit more than the rest of the US but surely it can;t rain more than in the UK .I spent time there (the UK) and it seemed to rain all the time, so much so that it felt like there were no seasons...just rain with the odd dry spell.

The thing I like about the states I have lived in the US is that it has four seasons. Does Seattle / NW have a real summer?

[::maroma::]

Originally posted by Back-to-Mac:
Thanks for the feed back. Did not know the the NW was in a recenssion so to speak.

I forgot to mention that I'm a keen hiker/walker/camper and the NW in general sounds like my kinda place.

As for the rain. I have heard that it rains a bit more than the rest of the US but surely it can;t rain more than in the UK .I spent time there (the UK) and it seemed to rain all the time, so much so that it felt like there were no seasons...just rain with the odd dry spell.

The thing I like about the states I have lived in the US is that it has four seasons. Does Seattle / NW have a real summer?

Actually, the Summers are awesome. Absolutely the best I've experienced. I grew up in AZ, and the Summers there are just brutal. In the NW, temps rarely get above 100. Usually hover in the 80's on average. Sunny. Very mild to no humidity. Great Summers, IMO.

[cacarr1]

If for no other reason than you'll be that much closer to the San Juan Islands...the most beautiful place on earth (interned there a few years back-studied the Killer Whales).
Do it!
Go to the San Juans too!
It will change your life...

[Kenneth]

Well, I was born in Hong Kong and I love big city. Seattle is just not my type, too boring and the weather turns me down. Sales tax is sky high @9.3% in Seattle. I lived in Mercer Island for a while, it was a better place compared to Seattle. Then my family and I moved to Bellevue and still living there.

I can say the traffic is a mess here and many angry drivers are on the road as well.

How about going to Spokane, WA (near Idaho) or Vancouver, WA (near Portland, OR).

[Mr. Blur]

i've not lived there, but i do have a couple friends there and i've visited many many times (since it's just a nice ferry or catamaran away....). good city, always lots to do...decent music scene - just about every artist (big and small) makes a stop there. the rainy season is not quite as long as some have said - it's more like mid-october to april, with nov-jan being the worst of it. summers are great around these parts...not too hot, rarely any humidity. and if you're into the hiking, well you've got the olympic ntl park to get lost in...heheheh. the downsides...just from a visitors point of view...traffic. they really need another bridge or something for getting across to the east side (bellevue, redmond etc).

[usedmac]

If you like outdoorsy stuff and like to have 8 months of rain, then the NW is for you. As for me, I'm getting out of here as soon as I can.

[the black joker]

if eny 1 has lived in seattle please tell me if it a good plase to live caus im not ser about moving there][/SIZE]

[SVass]

Originally Posted by Back-to-Mac 

I have the chance to move (through work) to Seattle. Never been there but some folk say it's a great place to live. Problem is the people that say this have only heard second hand and have no personal experience.

Does any one who lives in seattle or has spent quality time there give me the low down.

Is it an expensive place?

Is it a good city with lot of stuff to do?

Good place for a single guy to be and opps to meet ladies etc.

Traffic. is it a nightmare or not?

Any feed back welcome!!

I have lived in the area since 1976. It is a 50 mile long city of narrow width with large urban areas continuing in both directions. Mountains to the east and Puget Sound with peninsula to the west.
I suggest living within easy transportation time/distance from work. Restaurants/recreation/women abound. The populace is highly educated and well paid. Boeing and MicroSoft are major employers.
University of Washington is in the city.
sam

[ShortcutToMoncton]

zombie

[Demonhood]

But now we wonder: Did he go to Seattle? Did he like it? Did the grey gloom destroy his soul? Did he choose Hawaii instead? Why hasn't he posted since 2004? Did he join a gang? Etc.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by Back-to-Mac 

I have the chance to move (through work) to Seattle. Never been there but some folk say it's a great place to live. Problem is the people that say this have only heard second hand and have no personal experience.


Does any one who lives in seattle or has spent quality time there give me the low down.


Is it an expensive place?

Is it a good city with lot of stuff to do?

Good place for a single guy to be and opps to meet ladies etc.

Traffic. is it a nightmare or not?


Any feed back welcome!!

I live in Vancouver, Canada but spend a lot of time in Seattle and every few years stay for months at a time so basically live there part time.

Its a good city to live in, but right next door to Seattle and a short commute on the 520, talking 15-20 minutes is Bellevue. Bellevue is one of the nicest cities in the US in all categories. Got nothing but nice things to say about the city and its people. Seattle is a pretty good American city, one of my favorites, but I would def do the short commute from Bellevue.

Expensive, moderate.
Stuff to do, yes lots of stuff to do, especially if your a out doors person. Between Vancouver, Seattle and Portland everything you can think of is a few hours away.
Dunno about the Ladies but I find the pickings for men in Seattle to be exceptional
Traffic is a bloody nightmare in rush hour. The i5 in rush hour SUCKS.

Rains a lot, but mild winters and mild summers. Does not get super hot or cold.
Job market, I have to disagree with the second poster. Northern Washington State has a lot of Jobs. Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Bellingham are all solid job markets from my perspective.

And I see this is a old post now after commenting about it