Why not Seattle?

[71T Targa]

I’m considering a move to Seattle. Well, probably someplace on the north side. My fiancée has family in Everett and Marysville… As you can imagine, she’s good to go with the whole idea, while I on the other hand have lived in the mid west my entire life.

What are the up sides for me? Can anyone really say it’s a good idea? Talk me in to it if you can…

[Scooter]

Just a horrible idea... It rains 366 days of the year (the extra day is just for good measure). There are terrible roads. Not a single Porsche in the whole state. The people suck. There is dirty air. High income tax rate. Salty roads (like the midwest). 50 feet of snow per year...

If you believe anything I just said, then my attempt at humor has just failed.

[71T Targa]

Thanks Scooter, that’s the picture I already have. And just the encouragement I need.

I know the people I have met there have been awesome. And I do remember seeing mountains once... But then I've only been there in December (Last two Christmas') so I'm sure there is some sun sometime.

[charleskieffner]

GEODUCKS LIVE THERE!

[71T Targa]

Originally posted by charleskieffner
GEODUCKS LIVE THERE!

Is that a good thing? I can't quite tell...


Go, Geoducks, go!
Through the mud and the sand let's go!
Siphon high, squirt it out, swivel all about.
Let it all hang out!

Go, Geoducks, go!
Stretch your necks when the tide is low!
Siphon high, squirt it out, swivel all about.
Let it all hang out!

[charleskieffner]

geoducks are wonderful as is the entire sound and ocean. growing up being the "global warming poster child" here in phx. i would give my left nut to move to seattle! despite the upcoming catyclismac volcanic eruption that will flow into pudget sound right down pike street!

RAIN! its a day here that we cherish in the dez!

GREEN? WTF is that in the DEZ! everything is either burnt, going to be burnt, or burnt brown from the sun!

[ckissick]

I've visited Seattle a few times, and its one of the most beautiful places around. There are many great things about it, one only one bad thing. Of course, the rain. I know more than one person who moved there and then came back after a couple of winters because the rain drove them toward depression. But they were all from the Bay Area. If you can handle MN winters, you can probably handle the rain. I've been to MN too, and loved the forests and lakes, but Washington has far more to offer.

[legion]

Doesn't Seattle have a huge population of homeless teenage heroin users?

[Dantilla]

I was born in Minnesota, and now live outside Seattle.

The plusses:

-We don't get the weather extremes. Pretty stable temps year round compared to the mid-west.

-Beautiful scenery. Whenever my MN relatives come out, they can't stop oogling all the natural beauty.

-No mosquitoes. The relatives are also baffled that we dont have screens on every window, and we can actually hang out outside on summer evenings.

-Lots of outdoor actvities: Hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, kyaking, snowskiing and waterskiing, yada yada......

-No state income tax.

-Very active region of the Porsche club.


The minuses:

-I get tired of grey skies. Even when it's not raining, it's often a solid, grey overcast.

-I kind of miss seeing thunderstorms blow through now and then. And when we get snow, it's a treat. Usually wet, sloppy snow, and it melts quickly. One inch of snow will bring everything to a halt. Very amusing to watch.

-If you're right in Seattle, traffic is much worse than the twin cities.

-State sales tax high enough to offset having no income tax.

[Moses]

Minnesota to Seattle may be the biggest no-brainer of all time.

[HardDrive]

Rochester, MN?

The wife and I were living in Boston, and we had a choice on our next move. Chicago, Rochester, or Seattle. It was really not much of a contest. Seattle is an awesome city.

There are a lot of transplants from the midwest here (I'm from Michigan originally). Progressive, big city feel, without too much whiney liberalism. There can be a bit to much civic 'do goodersim' with some of the folks, but common sense typically prevails.

Access to outdoor activities is just amazing here. On a clear day (4 per year) Seattle is surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. Mount Rainer towers over the entire region. It is really a beautiful place.

Weather? Winters are very mild compared to the midwest, but it rains. Heres the thing, yeah, it rains, but its not typically that kind of downpour you get in the midwest. It will rain, then clear out a bit, you get some sun, then 10 minutes later it rains some more. Thunders storms pretty much don't exist here. We get snow that sticks about every 2 years. This year we had pretty nice snow falls. Frankly, snow is the one thing I miss. Summers are AMAZING here. Clear, dry and in the 70's for months. Just awesome.

Housing costs are substantial, but stable.

Tons of Porsches (mostly grumpy, well armed air cooled fanatics )

[71T Targa]

HD, what do you do that your location choices were Chicago, Rochester, or Seattle? Medical? We only have two things in Rochester, IBM and MAYO.

[71T Targa]

And thanks Moses, one of the reasons I like MN is that most of the 'no-brainers' move away...

[island911]

. . to Seattle.

[WolfeMacleod]

It really doesn't rain that much in Seattle. We only wsay that to keep the Californians from moving up here

But seriously. Traffic is becoming, or already is, a nightmare. Seattle made a terrible mistake where I-5 passed through downtown, by boxing themselves in and not allowing for widening.
Roads are terrible, huge potholes go unfilled.
I'm already seeing $3+/gal gas around here.
It can take 2 hours to go 10 miles. Easy.

And we apparently can't decide on how to rebuild the viaduct.

Aside from these minor issues, Seattle is great, and I'd rather live nowhere else.

[island911]

Seriously: sadly, Seattle proper, has been grossly mismanaged. The utopians think that Cars are a bad thing. Roads are seen as enabling cars. So roads must be throttled back with either physical barriers, lane-count reduction, restrictions on street usage, or just let them naturally turn to craters.

They (utopians) also think that when the voters have a super majority, against a more taxation, that it's just a voter suggetion.

(edit )oh, but Seattle does have REALLY expensive stadiums . ..which the proletariats are encoraged to take the bus to.

[Superman]

Joel, this is the most beautiful place on Earth. I'll bet that if you went to the PNW Forum here and searched for threads chronicling the various excursions our local groups have taken, you will find some pictures that will take your breath away. Island911 takes particularly stunning pics, as do others. We've got a mountain range cut by glacial activity, and one created by plate upheaval and volcanic action. They are different, and both stunning. We've got more lakes than you can shake a stick at and more green vegetation even in the dead of winter than most places ever get. You've GOT to see this place in the spring. Any drive along any road or freeway looks like it is cut through a National Park. Many are, since we have at least FOUR of them within easy reach. If you like hiking, this is Mecca. We have salt water and beaches. We have the Sound. We have Hood Canal, which is a freshwater canal that gets saltwater infusion due to tidal action. Best oysters on the planet. Seafood everywhere.

I've lived here more than sixteen years now and I still rejoice and breath deeply as I notice the morning fog with its 'marine' scent and the dense air. It should be little wonder why we are so passionate about our coffee and our beer. It is a robust environment.

Weather is mild. A reasonably hearty person could just about wear short all year, with a sweatshirt in the Winter. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but our temperatures are almost always between about 40 and about 80, all year. It will be in the fifties today, I think.

It is perhaps a slightly more hearty indivisual that adores this area. It is a place for outdoorsy people. It is also a highly educated area. A good proportion of people here have Masters degrees. We read a lot. Something to do while we're drinking our legendary coffee.

[Moses]

Originally posted by phred68
And thanks Moses, one of the reasons I like MN is that most of the 'no-brainers' move away...

I wasn't intending to slam Minnesota, but I lived near Seattle for 4 years and I still miss the place. It is a magnificent place. Great food, nice people. If your an outdoorsman, the opportunities are endless.

It rains a lot, but rarely rains hard. I never owned an umbrella while I lived there and I never let the weather interfere with my plans. From LaConner to the Olympic peninsula the coastal pacific northwest is a very special place. Seattle is one of the finest cities I know. I used to love to take the ferry to Victoria for the day or spend an afternoon drinking beer and eating oysters at the Pike Place market. Great memories.

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by phred68
HD, what do you do that your location choices were Chicago, Rochester, or Seattle? Medical? We only have two things in Rochester, IBM and MAYO.

Medical. Wife is a doctor.

[Superman]

Originally posted by island911
Seriously: sadly, Seattle proper, has been grossly mismanaged. The utopians think that Cars are a bad thing. Roads are seen as enabling cars. So roads must be throttled back with either physical barriers, lane-count reduction, restrictions on street usage, or just let them naturally turn to craters.

This is pure, unadulterated bull****. The Utopians would very much like to address the transportation problem here but the anti-gubmit forces have been pretty effective. Tim Eyman, conservative hero, has convinced voters that they should expect more and better roads while they nix every funding proposal. Both sides of the aisle are fully aware and freely admit we are a good twenty years behind in transportation infrastructure, but many of them (particularly the ones with an (R) after their name) are afraid to support those projects because of this perception that spending is unnecessary.

They (utopians) also think that when the voters have a super majority, against a more taxation, that it's just a voter suggetion.

(edit )oh, but Seattle does have REALLY expensive stadiums . ..which the proletariats are encoraged to take the bus to.

This is true. Since the voters can be relied upon to reject any and all spending requests, gubmit leaders have to decide whether to do nothing (in which case, nothing happens) or something (which would of course be in direct opposition to the voters' decisions). Local voters rejected a new sports stadium, but political leaders built it anyway. And now it's happening again. I can't say whether the stadium projects are a good idea or a bad one (there are arguments favoring both sides of this debate), but voters don't seem to be very supportive.

Fellas, the transportation problem here needs to be solved. Desperately. It will be very painful, now that we are way behind. Traffic congestion due to construction. And the expense. Both will be very painful. But it must happen. Unless of course, you let Tim Eyman do your thinking for you. In which case the solutions can come without expense or inconvenience. Yeah, right.......

Traffic sucks here.