Tell me about Redmond, WA

Doug&Julie · 05-11-2005, 06:50 AM

As some of you may know, Julie and I have our eyes on the PNW for a future move. We're targeting Portland, but a job in Redmond, WA has come up that looks like it could be a perfect fit.

So, if anybody has any free time I'd love to hear your thoughts on Redmond and the Seattle area. Is the cost of living as bad as they say? Housing affordability? How's the Pcar contingent? (..I see a lot of Seattle on these boards..

)

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

P.S. I also posted in the PNW regional section of this board. Not sure where to get the best response.

CRH911S · 05-11-2005, 07:04 AM

Wet

Doug&Julie · 05-11-2005, 07:05 AM

..a good wet? ..or bad wet?

Drago · Drago's Garage

Do you like moss? How about rust?

BlueSkyJaunte · 05-11-2005, 08:54 AM

I know a guy who knows a guy with head fungus from being wet all the time.

Doug&Julie · 05-11-2005, 09:00 AM

..sounds like he needs a convertible.

GettinHeadStuds · 05-11-2005, 05:02 PM

Hippies.

motion · 05-11-2005, 05:32 PM

Depressing.

jyl · jyl's Garage

Washington State is a really nice place, actually. I lived there as a kid (Kirland) and would love to move back. It is gray and drizzly a lot. But the summers are gorgeous and if you like sailing, fishing, the mountains, hiking, etc it's a great area. Dunno about Redmond, what with Microsoft being there I imagine prices could be inflated, but you don't have to live right in Redmond.

amity914 · 05-11-2005, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Doug&Julie
..a good wet? ..or bad wet?

If you have ever seen the movie Forrest Gump when he is in Veitnam talking about the rain....It's kinda like that.

jyl · jyl's Garage

PNW people always say it is miserable there. It is to keep others from moving in.

BlueSkyJaunte · 05-11-2005, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Doug&Julie
..sounds like he needs a convertible.

Actually he rides a motorcycle most of the year, and the helmet traps the moisture....

Drago · Drago's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by jyl
PNW people always say it is miserable there. It is to keep others from moving in.

That's not true...not true at all.

JTO · 05-12-2005, 11:06 AM

I grew up in the Tacoma area. Once you're dry, its miserable being wet.
Troy

Superman · 05-12-2005, 11:21 AM

Doug, Julie. We're not going to lie to you like we lie to the rest of the world. I personally am finally against dying because I think Heaven cannot be as nice as this place. With one caveat, I guess: Some folks get depressed here. It is grey much of the time. The sky is very often overcast, and the ground-level atmosphere is misty/foggy. Think of a marine environment. It is a big part of the charm for me, but some folks ultimately move away because they have depression issues.

Okay, that being said, I will also say the sun shines here plenty. Right now, there is no fog and it's very bright outside, but the sky is what I would call "bright overcast." And here comes the rest of the story:

We have something like FIVE count 'em FIVE national parks within a couple of hours of here. Countless national forests. The Olympic mountain range was formed by a different geological method than the Cascades. Both ranges are breathtaking. The Pacific Crest Trail runs from Canada to Mexico, as near to the crest of the range as practical. Bazillions of miles of other hiking and backpacking trails. Seriously, virtually any walk or drive anywhere appears to be carefully managed by the most talented gardeners and arborists in the world. Our trees and ferns and moss and other plants are the healthiest you will ever see, I guarantee. I drive about 20 miles of I-405 to work each morning, and it just stuns me daily that the stretch North of Bellevue looks like it was cut in a gorgeous park, miles from any civilization. Just huge healthy trees on both sides. You'd never know that a million people live on each side of that road.

We got volcanoes and hot springs. We got rain forests and gorgeous, gnarly ocean beaches. Hood Canal oysters are the finest on the planet. More clams and scallops and urchins and shrimp and crab and salmon than you can shake a pole at. Steelhead trout, as well as cutthroat, rainbow, etc. A ferry ride into or out of Seattle, particularly at night is a special experience. Highly romantic, I say.

I could go on and on. This weekend, I'm going to the beach and the beauty may kill me. It's that intense.

Oh, and we have the finest Porsche community in the United States, bar none.

Doug&Julie · 05-12-2005, 11:30 AM

Oh man, I wanna move so bad I could just

Thanks! ...I think.

JTO · 05-12-2005, 11:39 AM

Yeah but Super, once you've lived in Alaska, nothing even comes close.
Sorry.
Troy

Superman · 05-12-2005, 12:12 PM

I've heard that, Troy.

JTO · 03:26 PM

Super its just an order of manitude bigger and grander than anything I had seen, or seen since. Makes you feel that much smaller and awe-struck. But, Washington is nicer than most places. You know the saying: If the early explorers had landed on the West Coast, the east would still be wilderness.
Troy

Eric Coffey · 05-12-2005, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JTO
Yeah but Super, once you've lived in Alaska, nothing even comes close.
Sorry.
Troy

Yep.

Born in AK, lived there (Anchorage/Eagle River) until I was about 14. Then I moved to WA (Kirkland/Redmond). Now I live in AZ. You can see it has been a slow migration to the warmer latitudes! I love AK and even WA, but I don't think I would want to live in either State full-time (again).

D&J:

Redmond is a nice town, but it is getting a bit out of control population/traffic/cost-of-living wise. If you know you are going to end up in that area, I would check out the Novelty Hill Rd Plateau, and Union Hill Rd (East of 208th). Sammamish and Issaquah are nice areas as well. It is just hard to escape the over-crowding and high costs anywhere on the "Eastside".