Seattle not friendly?
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5/13/2009
Don't usually write on these things but I've seen a few disparaging remarks about Seattle that I feel compelled to rebut. Clicked onto this site from another site which said Sperlings had named Seattle the 'most secure city' given the economy, crime rates, etc. Our story is that we (my wife and I) moved to Seattle in '99 to be close to her family. My first impression driving from the airport through the south Seattle industrial area on a rainy October day was... oh my god, what have we done! Then we got to our hotel downtown and my impression softened somewhat, then got on a ferry to go to an interview on Bainbridge Island and was overcome by the salt air and views and decided, yes I could live here ...now it's been ten years and I can honestly say I love, love, love this place, love it, and I cannot imagine living anywhere else, seriously. The city certainly has a wrap for non-friendliness (more aloofness really), and I gues that's because there's so much to do here that people are constantly on the move from activity to activity...whether outdoors, festivals, music scene or whatever. Though I must say my neighborhood is very friendly and we are not lacking for friends. The vibe and general culture here can be compared to no other city except maybe Austin, San Francisco, or Madison. If you are of the right-wing persuasion, you will not like it here for sure, unless you move to the eastside (Bellevue), where you will still probably be unhappy but slightly less so. If you are a progressive, you will wake up smiling every day. Note that the winter gloomy weather here is not hype, it's real, but not as bad as its made out to be. We get a lot of nice days in the winter, and it seldom gets below 25 degrees. Temps seem to hang around 40 degrees in winter, which is very cold if you're from the south (as I am). Learn to ski and you begin to look forward to it though. The summer here is better than any place on earth, no exageration. The quality of life, all things considered, is excellent. I'm sorry some people posting comments have had a bad experience, I think that is not the norm.
Jon | Seattle, WA