Pondering moving to the Seattle area - any pointers?

[kedrys]

The s.o. is dogging me big time to get our butts out of Texas. There seem to be plenty of jobs right up my alley in the general Sea-Tac area. What should I know before taking the plunge?

[Madrone]

1. Make lots of money, and bring an umbrella.

I live on the east side of the Cascades (just over, actually) and may be moving to Texas in the future. Well, not Texas.... AUSTIN. :D You're like my own personal opposite!

[kedrys]

6. How rainy is it really?

Several places I looked at (company websites and real estate sites) minimize the whole rain thing. How bad is it?

[Madrone]

11. Well, someone in the city itself would be better suited to answer that...

Because just over the mountains where I live we don't have the rain issues - but it's kind of a lot. Mainly a problem in the winter though - as what they don't get in snow they more than make up for in rain. Hmm... scratch that maybe. I just looked in Wiki and that says that the reputation comes more from cloudy days than rain - an average of 226 cloudy days per year. I know that they don't get much of what this midwestern native considers RAIN (as in - pull the car off the road, I can't SEE!) - it's mainly drizzling and misting rain.

Here's what Wiki says about the climate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle,_Washington#Climate


FWIW - GOPisEvil says that Austin winters are very akin to Seattle weather.

[Xipe Totec]

18. Houston gets more rain than Seattle

It just comes down all at once, in buckets. Seattle is a constant drizzly rain.

[flamingyouth]

22. More like cloudy and drizzly.

We get less precipitation than other major cities, but we have more cloudy days. The summers are gorgeous and make up for the rest of it, though. :D

We just got through a pretty nasty winter of unusual flooding, so I keep telling myself that. :D

[SKKY]

2. It's expensive, but unlike San Diego, I think it's worth it...

...Seattle does mass trasportation quite well, so even though you might live in say Tacoma, or Edmonds, or Shoreline, you can get a place pretty close to a park-n-ride and commute. When I leave Spain in 2 years, I'm going to look at trying to get back there.

[kedrys]

7. That's good to know

Public transit is almost nonexistent where I live - and someone got shot on a bus half a mile from my house in the last week. Not exactly what I look for in commuting alternatives. :scared:

[LeftyMom]

3. You should go to Mighty-O a lot, and send me a box every now and then.

:)

[kedrys]

8. Mind elaborating on that one?

Now I'm curious. :D

[yewberry]

10. Vegan donuts!

http://www.mightyo.com/

(They ship, too.)

[LeftyMom]

13. They're very good!

I sent the fella some for his birthday last year. :)

[philosophie_en_rose]

4. Expect to spend twice as much as you expect on housing.

Housing and parking are insanely expensive here. The bus system is excellent, but so damned crowded right now. The buses fill to capacity downtown and have to pass over people waiting at later stops.

I strongly suggest looking through real estate ads now. Rentals are just as expensive as buying, so buying is usually a good investment.

[kedrys]

5. I'd heard that

Our credit has been torpedoed by circumstances outside our control, which isn't going to help. How's housing in outlying areas, like Kirkland and Redmond? I have friends in Everett, but that's probably a bit too far, unless the right deal presents itself.

[The empressof all]

9. Redmond and Kirkland are "Nice"

You'd be hard pressed to find a house there for under $400,000. Rental apartments and condos are usually in large complexes and plentiful but pricey. For more reasonable rentals look in Bothell or Mill Creek.

I love Everett. They are actually starting to have a bit of a night life there. There's major development coming into the downtown Everett area and along the waterfront. I think it's an undiscovered gem of an area. There is a train that goes to Seattle from Everett but the commute by car or bus into Seattle is long and unreliable due to the TRAFFIC throughout the Puget Sound.

My best advice would be to look for a short term rental close to where you'll be working. Get your barings and assess what you can and will tolerate in your commute before you buy. An hour in the car or on the bus everyday can get very old ...very quickly.

[undeterred]

12. Watch out for Dr. McSteamy

[Sanity Claws]

26. I keep looking for him or maybe his brother

but no luck.

[Sanity Claws]

14. Very dark wet winters

It does rain a lot out here but the real problem is the lack of sunlight. We are very far north so we have short days in winter and the sun does not rise very high. Combine that with the perpetual heavy cloud cover and you feel like you're living like a mole under the ground. Seasonal affective disorder is a very real problem out here. Too bad you didn't check out the area a few months ago. Our winters can truly try your sanity.

The upside is that people here are far more liberal and open-minded than in Texas. Our Congressman is Jim McDermott. The * administration called him "Baghdad Jim" because he went to Iraq before the invasion and was very against the invasion. One of our senators, Patty Murray, also voted against the Iraq Resolution.

[Zomby Woof]

15. Be mindful of mold

Bad traffic, passive-aggressive drivers, cranky SAD people, and incessant drizzle.

Summers are nice. When you get a view of Mt. Rainier, it's almost worth it. I lived there 15 years, from boom to bust. I have a soft spot for it, but other times, eh... not so much.

The job market is volatile and the cost of living is horrible. Be careful!

Life anywhere is just life. It's best not to put too much faith or hope in a locale, but good luck!

[Obamarama]

16. Try the fried oysters at Ivar's.

YUM

[Fenris]

17. Do you mean Seattle-Tacoma or the city of Sea-Tac?

Yes, Sea-Tac is a weirdly incorporate city near the airport. Not much to look at, but also not a "hot" real estate market.

I'm sure you mean the Seattle-Tacoma area. I am a recently transplanted Texan (San Marcos) and I can't imagine living anywhere else now. But then again, I love cold weather and never-ending rainstorms. :)

I won't bore you with real estate info. The truth is that the market out here is unbelievably overvalued. It's ridiculous, but it is far from impossible to live out here. Just don't expect Texas prices. ;)

[Missy Vixen]

19. I'm a native

Here's some suggestions.

1. Everyone who said real estate is insane here -- it's the truth. Be prepared for long commutes, because anything within 1 hour of downtown Seattle will cost more than you can imagine. Seattle's Eastside (Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, etcetera,) is shockingly expensive.

2. It rains. A lot. It actually rains more in Boston than it does here, but if you don't like rain, it's not a great place to be.

3. The area is full of literate, interesting people. It's also home to some interesting wingnuts.

4. We have the third worst traffic in the USA.

Seriously, I've lived here my whole life and can't imagine living anywhere else. At the same time, people move here from sunnier places, can't deal with the first winter and move away. IMHO, YMMV.

Julie

[flamingyouth]

23. I am a native too and I agree.

I've actually never lived outside the city limits, believe it or not. :D

And yes, Julie, I got your PM - I'm very excited about the idea and will get back to you today. :hi:

[kariatari]

20. I was just going to post a thread about pointers for moving to Houston! LoL!

[kedrys]

21. Please buy the house next to mine...!

If you do, I might not move, knowing that at least one of my neighbors is nice and sane...! :hi:

[jobycom]

24. You can't see it, but I'm pointing generally north-westward.

You're welcome.

[Aristus]

25. I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in Washington since 1979

except for when I was in the Army.

Every thing above is true. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love it here.

Couple of pointers:

1. When Mt. Rainier is visible on any given day (it's cloudy much of the time), you say that "the mountain is out."
2. Puyallup, where the popular Western Washington Fair is held (and the town where I live) is pronounced "Pyoo-AL'-upp".
3. You can carry an umbrella if you like, but never, EVER actually use it. Nothing screams 'visitor' like someone using an umbrella, no matter how persistent the downpour.
4. Ordering "coffee, black" will get you thrown out of most coffeehouses.
5. Stubbornly refuse to call it the Key Tower; refer to the building (still the tallest west of the Mississippi, I think) only as the Columbia Tower, its rightful name.


Hope that helps. B-) <----------BTW, Washingtonians buy more pairs of sunglasses per capita that Californians.