relocate to seattle?

Question

Which are the good areas to live(rent/apartment) in seattle and in surrounding cities.What i should take in consideration (excepting rain and high prices) if i want to relocate there.How is the public tranportation?..what about social life in general?..Thnks!

Answer 1

Pros of living in Seattle - Beautiful scenery, moderate climate (compared to where I came from - Michigan), and a great laid-back vibe that I've only found in Seattle.

Cons of living in Seattle - Traffic, housing/rental prices, and the lack of daylight hours in the winter months.

That said...Where you live will depend on where you are looking for a job. If you are looking at working in downtown Seattle, I'd suggest Ballard or West Seattle for affordability and easy bus schedules to downtown.

If you are going to be working on the east side (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, etc.), then you should live on the east side to avoid the highly irritating 520/I-90 commute. It can take you anywhere from 45-90 minutes to get from Bellevue to Seattle during rush hour.

Likewise, if you are going to live in the south suburbs or the north suburbs, it is best to live where you work for commuting reasons. I personally would avoid any suburb south of Seattle. The airport is south, as is Tacoma, which I like to call (and I'll probably get a thumbs down for this)...Seattle's ugly stepchild.

Public transport is ok. It's somewhat unreliable and it can take you awhile to get from one end of the city to the other (because you have to transfer downtown). If you are living outside the city and commuting into downtown though, it's by far the best option.

Social life? If you don't know anyone here, it could take you awhile to make friends. People here (in general) are somewhat more guarded and introspective. I have met some really nice people at work that I'll hang with, but not many friends outside of that (I've been here 4 years). The other way I've met people is through activism and through a yoga class.

Hope all of this helps! If you are still undecided and you are considering other cities, I'd recommend checking out this website:
http://www.findyourspot.com

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

I agree with parts of the last couple of posts. The southend is a great hidden gem. There are parts of the south that are not great, but places like Burien south of 128th, east of 509, Des Moines and the west hill of Kent are all great places to find reasonable rents. North is a lot harder for commuting purposes. Like most big cities there are good areas and bad areas. One really great thing that no one has mentioned yet, is that Seattle is getting a light rail in the south end that will help a lot with congestion in this area. You do want to live closer to where you work though. So start there.

It does rain here, but every area has some issue. The great part about Seattle is the locals learn to enjoy the warm months and days that we do have. There are plenty of them too. Seattle is a public transportation motivated, eco friendly, cool city, with great suburbs. We have great hiking, skiing, lakes, mountains, coast and so many other activities all within a short trip. If you live here I don't think you will regret it. I have lived in Portland,OR, Denver, Spokane and Yakima. I like living in Burien, I am close to the city only about 15 minute drive.

There are lots of clubs and bars in the city too. If you are looking for more of the singles lifestyle.

Answer 3

Seattle (like any other large city) is crowded of course. It is where all the jobs are! :) I would suggest living south of Seattle (Renton, Tukwila, Kent, Auburn) Renton is the closest and apartments there are a lot cheaper than the ones you will find in Seattle. If you have a job to Seattle and want to take the bus ..this is the best option. You can go to the Kent park and ride or the Renton park and ride and they will take you directly to Seattle with out having to change buses. There is another option called the "sounder".. its a train that goes from city to city but has the luxury of no traffic. The sounder runs in the morning and the afternoon. You can look up bus info and sounder info if you type "Seattle metro" into google.

To be honest theres not as much rain as people complain about. Yes it does rain here more than most states but for the past week here its been sunny. (Oregon gets more rain than we do.. but you can look that up on your own time) Watch out when it randomly snows also. People in Western Washington suck at driving in the snow..plus the many hills in Seattle do not help.

Social life. It totally depends on you. Obviously you will make some friends at your work..but you might want to do some other things where you can meet new people. The ever popular Myspace might come in handy or maybe joining a club, going to parties with someone you know yadda yadda yadda. The people in Seattle aren't rude..they just normally keep to themselves. But most people will smile or say hi if you're somewhere like a coffee shop or what not.

Coffee is everywhere..mostly Starbucks. If you're looking for a Starbucks fix and you're in downtown Seattle, just walk down a block and you will find one. :)

Good Luck!

Answer 4

I was going to move back to Seattle myself. I was born and raised there. I left 30 years ago. I visited last year and the year before. My impression was it's way way over crowded. Housing is far from affordable. Way to many cars on the road 24 hours of the day. I'm looking for peace, not mayhem. All Seattle city limits are packed with people. And the used to be suburbs 20 miles in each directions are the same. Everett used to be a separate city. It seems to be just a continuous mess between Seattle and Everett. I'm sure it's the same toward Tacoma. The traffic is ridiculous everywhere. I've been checking out Greenville, SC and Charlotte, NC Good Luck.

Answer 5

nicely Tony, enable me preface my answer with my wonderment of an same element because the mid-1970's. regrettably for Seattle, the NHL has enforced a coverage of holding communities the position they are even with their monetary situations, or what percentage suitors they'd have. Plus, there is idle communicate of advance and Las Vegas and Kansas city are on the "A" record. regardless of if the Seattle team grow to be in the teritorial righhts of Vancouver, i trust the Canucks will be more suitable amenable to permitting a team to be sure itself in Seattle than the Maple Leafs and Sabres would in Hamilton. The distances are more suitable between maximum western communities, so having yet another quit on the circuit would help. the sector difficulty truly is a key step in route of attracting a team. i'm nevertheless shocked on the Sonics flow to OKC. All in all, on an same time as a lot as i'd be open to Seattle transforming into a member of the NHL, i fairly won't be able to see it going on in the foreseeable destiny.

Answer 6

I absolutely love Seattle. It is a great place to live. I would recommend living in Bellevue. It is only about a 15 minute commute and very easy. Although a bit pricey still not as pricey as Seattle. There are many resteruants and malls in the Bellevue and is a very enjoyable place to live. Public Transportation is awesome in Seattle! The buses are always on schedule. Socail life is great in seattle head to a starbucks and you will always meet someone new and exciting!

Answer 7

I've been here for 26 yrs ....not about to leave..... [e-mail]

Answer 8

good coffee