Ok, so I know it rains a lot, and it's $$$ to live. What else would you tell someone considering a move there from the SE? Annnnd go.
Gore-Tex. Good beer. Lots of traffic, so try to live near where you work, so you can use surface streets. WMRRA (Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association). Must like Salmon
I made a thread last year about moving there. We are still 2 years from moving there but that's the end goal. LOTS of good info in there.
http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/seattle-everett-tacoma-washington-folks.327534/ I live here. I like it a lot. Ask me any specifics and I'll do what I can to answer. Born and raised PNW, lived in Seattle since 1991.
It is only really rainy in the off season. It doesn't usually rain hard, but it does rain for long intervals now and then. Having said that, summer here makes winter bearable. There isn't much you can't do. If you like snow, you can visit it any time of the year. There is lots to do if you like water. Plenty of good food. No shortage of weird people in certain areas, but lots of good people as well. If you have any specific questions, just ask......
God dammit, I want to move to the PNW now. Shop is doing well here and my wife won't be done with school for another 13 months and we have 2 years from february 1st on the lease on our house.
I lived there for two and a half years for a contract job. I'm back in Alabama now and not a day goes by where I don't miss it. One day I'll make it back! Beautiful, rain isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Summers are awesome and there's soo much to do!
Traffic. stupid tons of traffic. like 405N at 3pm was 30 -40 min to go 10miles. in toll lane it took 6min. Lots of flannel wearing, IPA drinking hipsters. Enjoy
I read Alex's post, and there's some good stuff in there. Here's a few things I'd love local knowledge on... My office would be on 7th street in downtown, and I'm not interested in a huge commute, but I need a yard for my dogs. I'm hoping to keep rent under 3500 a month, but it looks tough with the current housing market insanity. That said, would Bellevue or Mercer Island be a good place to live? Do most people in the city keep their stuff in storage? I've got way too much shit to keep multiple bikes, trailers, etc. at a single house. Anywhere else I should be looking that's got a good commute and neighborhood feel for 3500 ish a month? I'm even considering buying a liveaboard and having a dog walker come by daily since it would still be about the same price as renting a home For those of you that have lived elsewhere, is Seattle that much more expensive to live? I'm seeing a 15% increase prediction from some calculators online, but the only difference I'm seeing is primarily housing costs. Any hidden surprises in costs? Anything I should consider about the tech job market?
Bellevue = Alpharetta. It's expensive and close to the city but there's still traffic. It's filled with soccer moms and has one of the best school districts in the country. It's beautiful though. My friends had a house there before moving way out into the country.
I grew up in the PNW, currently live in Tacoma at work in downtown Seattle. Have lived all over, though. Some folks are saying to avoid the south burbs and live in the north burbs...my opinion differs. Everett is a shithole. Stay near the water going either north or south and you're OK. Commuting is better from the south because you avoid UW/northgate which is pretty much a parking lot 24/7. If you're going to try and live in the city with a dog and bikes you're going to have a bad time. I have several of each, and chose to live in Tacoma, where we have a nice house on the water above the bay. Have you considered buying? 3500 a month will get you a mortgage on a 600k+ house which is quite a bit of house outside of Seattle city limits. The eastside is best for commuting, but it's expensive. The tracks are in Kent (south of seattle) and Shelton (south and west, on the peninsula). South of Seattle is a better option for tracks, and then you're closer to PIR/ORP as well. Housing is the primary difference in cost of living, although eating out can be expensive too. Gas and groceries are reasonable. I'm a senior manager at Amazon and have opinions on the tech market as well, just let me know what specifically you're curious about.
Well, I live in East Cobb, so that's not too bad. My girlfriend is considering the move with me, so she'd be in the city at the Children's Hospital.. which is why I want to keep the commute to a reasonable distance. Thanks for the info! I sent you a PM, but I wanted to address the rent question. I currently own a very nice piece of property in the middle of a very desirable suburb north of Atlanta, so I'd rent that while I gave Seattle a shot. I wouldn't want to own quite yet until I got my feel for the place. What's the commute to Amazon from Tacoma?