Ideal City For Empty Nesters & Nature Lovers
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12/24/2013
I am one of the thousands of Midwest-raised folks who made the pilgrimage to Seattle (seems like every other person I meet here is from the Midwest). If you're from a sunny climate, you won't be impressed. But for those of us who grew up with harsh, continental climates, this is paradise. I can walk outside with almost no jacket one some days in the winter. I can run around outside for hours in the summer and not sweat a drop. It's definitely not as nice as sunny smooth Bay Area, CA but Seattle is probably the next best thing.
What don't I like about Seattle? As a 20-something single, I don't feel like this is the most exciting place to be. Don't get me wrong, Seattle is beautiful. The greenery, the clean air, the mountains, the water, it's all here. But socially, this city seems to appeal more to wealthy folks over the age of 40 whose priorities are talking walks and having a garden in their backyard. The nightlife is not great, and you can go for miles and miles without seeing somebody in their 20's in many neighborhoods here. Not many families either, as they can't afford to live in the city. I really don't feel like there is enough noticeable population of singles in their 20s, outside of the University of Washington territory. Seattle is just not a city where people come to socialize and prioritize making new connections. They come here to enjoy the outdoors and live healthy. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on what you're into.
It's a good place for LGBT folks. There are enough gay people here to where you won't really have to worry about homophobic discrimination as much as elsewhere. Anyone here who does have anti-gay views is usually more quiet and calm about it because they know they have to be around gay people anyway. So in that sense, it's a safe place to be gay.
One downfall about the demographics here is that I don't really think Seattle is a great place to be black. Most of the non-whites (Asian, mostly) live in the suburbs, not in the city of Seattle. Regardless of how "liberal" a reputation Seattle has, I get the impression a lot of people here just aren't accustomed to black people and aren't comfortable around blacks. I am not black myself, but the black people I've interacted with here don't seem very happy and have a chip on their shoulder about being black here (I don't blame them, I would too). I would not want to raise a black child here, out of fear that they would have identity problems because they stick out like a sore thumb. But that's just my perspective.
All in all, it's definitely a more interesting cultural experience compared to where I once was in the Midwest, but I still long for something more exciting and social.
Annie James | Seattle, WA