Loving life here....
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7/20/2008
I've read some of the reviews here... and I'm a little astonished. My experiences here in the Emerald City have been terrific. I have HAPPILY sunk anchor in Seattle and am completely delighted to call it home.
I guess everyone brings their own experiences -- I happen to come from Houston (disgusting pit - and I was born there!), went to school and worked in DC (nice city that I enjoyed living in), lived in Dallas (not for me, but I understand why people like it), and San Diego (beautiful weather, tough to get anywhere in business). I have found Seattle to be the best combination of professional opportunity, cultural offerings, and friendly people... all wrapped up in a stunning natural environment.
I have not had one problem meeting people here -- and I knew no one when I came. My attitude is what you put out there is what you get back in return... and it has served me well. There are few natives to Seattle (which is why I kind of resent some of the blanket statements about "Seattle people" I've read here) -- but most of my friends are very happy here and delight in getting together on a regular basis. I have a much better social network here, after two years, than I did in any of the other cities I've lived in. I've gotten involved in many social groups and have really enjoyed how open and non-judgmental people are here. Are there liberals here? - you betcha... but I've also found it balanced and tolerant politically. Everyone has a voice... and people can agree to disagree. Overall, I've found people here quite nice and respectful.
I happen to love the weather here... if I experience another 95 degree, high humidity day ever again it will be way too soon. The winters can be gray, granted, but the summers more than make up for them... plus, I (again, to each his own) would much rather be walking around a well-decorated and lit, thriving downtown retail core on a crisp winter night drinking coffee and window shopping as opposed to driving to a suburban mall in Texas wearing shorts and a t-shirt in mid-December. Seeing snow capped mountains and beautiful forests adds to the beauty of the region -- year-round.
I live in the Fremont area of Seattle (on Lake Union) and work downtown. It takes me 12 minutes from door to door to get to work... and my neighborhood is extremely walkable with tons of parks, restaurants, clubs, and great transit options. After looking at some of the more negative comments on this website, it appears to me that most of these people do not live within Seattle but live in a far-flung suburban communities. Traffic can be bad coming from these places (as it is just about everywhere in this country)... and I imagine it would be far more difficult to meet people out there. So, as a resident of Seattle, I, again, have to say that my experiences have been VERY positive.
So, is Seattle going to make everyone happy?... clearly not. If you aren't enjoying your life here, I'll side with the person who stated earlier you should leave as soon as possible and find the right place for you. To me, that place is SEATTLE. I love this place!!!
Jeffrey | Seattle, WA