Anyone move to Seattle, and think you could actually stay for awhile or life/career? (And not from there) and what reasons?

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Honestly no. Even though my friends from back home have gradually moved out here, I found it hard to make close friends. All my friends are fellow transplants, and the lack of good public transportation makes it hard to meet up throughout the week/ends. Weather isn't as good as it's known for; smoke ruins a solid 2 weeks each summer and winters have been hit or miss the past few years. On top of that, real estate is expensive. It has grown slower this past month indicating a correction, but it's still stupid expensive even in the suburbs. I might have a pessimistic mindset, but just sharing my two cents

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Moved to Seattle 10 years ago, left to go back east, then returned 3 years ago.

Be a bit more clear about what your concern is but here is my 2¢ about a couple of the tops common concerns.

Seattle freeze isn't much of a deal. I made friend pretty quick by joining a sports league and inviting a couple of co-workers out for a coffee/beer. It is harder to make friends once you are an adult anywhere because most people get busy.

Weather is great. You can go outside and run/bike/ play sports 365 days a year. Never too hot or cold. Rain is over rated. Rains fewer inches than most east coast cities, just drizzles for an hour or two on a greater number of days. The bigger problems is that Seattle is farther north than almost any other major city. During the winter the days are legitimately 9 hour of daylight. Summers are amazing, 75-80 and sunny every day from July to end of September.. It was hard to leave and go back to the east coast where summers suck. BC has been on fire the last two years but that has been 2 of 8-9 years.

Real estate is on par for most big coastal cities but less than NYC and SFO. Career ops are above average for those same cities. So all in all, the economics are pretty attractive.

Some of the best amenities. All the cultural attractions and outdoor options that are second to none. Mountains for hiking/skiing and lakes/ocean for water sports.

I plan on staying.

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What about a nyc to Seattle move?

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A1 - Wow sounds like the life! Congrats

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Wallingford is great. Closer to "city amenities" in Ballard, Fremont, downtown.

Lauralhurst, Bryant on the other side are nice too but very suburban. All SFH, drive to most restaurants, centered around huge upscale strip mall. Slightly less convenient to downtown.

Don't sleep on the area just north around Roosevelt. Close to one of the premier parks (Green lake) and they are putting in light rail so a bunch of amenities are popping up.

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Depends where you are now. Much easier for someone to move from another West coast big city vs say a Texan big city

Just moved here and I’m still trying to work that out

I grew up in the North East and have lived here for two years now and absolutely love it. I'm active and outdoorsy so Seattle is perfect for that. Took some time to settle down and find a group of friends, but now that I've figured that out I have no complaints. I'm a big supporter of the area. I also think the Seattle freeze is a bit of a myth or not as big a deal as people make it out to be. You get out what you put in kind of thing. Not really all that different than making friends in any new city.

Yeah I agree that the Seattle freeze is a myth, it's probably the same anywhere you go. Just need to put in the effort to consistently meet up with people, based on what I mentioned earlier. The Seattle office at most consulting firms are very regional in that they recruited quite a bit from UW, WSU, Gonzaga etc so you're especially on the outside looking in if you're an experienced hire not from the area. If you go to church, finding one in your area or one that's big enough to have small groups in your neighborhood is super important. Otherwise, it's a pita to meet up

SM1 - Living in the Midwest right now, and what’s most frustrating for my wife and I is that for 7 months out of the year we are stuck inside of our house. We are hikers/bikers/skiers/golfers. I figured with the job opportunities out there, the city itself (culture/food/activities/cleanliness), the fact that you can go to the ocean AND the mountains AND lakes, it just seems like the best of all worlds. Of course there are cons like any other big city, but it just seems like “our” type of place! Are the California wildfires affecting the air quality there?

OP. I am staying and my family likes it for all the reasons you mention. There are only a couple of places in the country with better weather, So Cal on the coast and Hawaii. Most of the rest of the country either has a brutal winter or a summer that is too hot to be outside or both.

But the lack of light in the winter is no joke for new people. Dec and Jan the sun doesn't come up until around 8am and sets around 4pm so it is dark when you go to work and when you leave work. SAD is a real thing for transplants.

Food is about average for a city of it's size but I wouldn't say it is a standout. Not as good as LA or NYC but similar to Boston or Chicago, better than MSP, Raliegh, San Antonio or Dallas.

People tend to be healthy, kids active.

Traffic is very bad, partially due to geography. Seattle is an isthmus between two bodies of water. So building roads and rail is expensive.

Like all west coast cities, Seattle is struggling with homelessness but you can avoid that problem if you live in the suburbs.

Career wise, there is a reason two of the biggest tech companies have been founded here. They continue to drive wages higher and spin off more startups.

If you stay in consulting travel sucks because you are a long way from everywhere else. SFO is a 90 minute flight, other western cities are 2 hours or longer so you will be on planes more.

OP I moved from Dallas in 2015. I have lived here 3 years since. Worked here since 2012. So 6 years in all. Moved for following reasons and plan on staying here. Only exception is San Diego.
1. Progressive culture.
2. Active outdoors/ mild winters.
3. Reasonable commute within city.
4. Beautiful part of the country: plenty of 1 -2 day trips

Bonus: met my wife. Had our baby. Bought my condo since moving here.

What about best neighborhood close to UW? For families - walking to parks, close to everything, 2,000 sq feet 2 car garage?

Wallingford

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