General State of Health in Seattle from a Native r
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7/23/2007
I was born and raised in Seattle and despite having lived in other areas of the country I always seem to return home. I have noticed a drastic change in this city over the last decade. There is a general malaise concerning the citizenry here.A brand of "Conservative liberalism" runs rampant here, meaning the people (who are generally not from here) are very self-absorbed, neurotic, closeted, and self-repressed. The majority are aspiring yuppies to be. Seattle also is an extremely gentrified city. The rent/cost of living is outrageous if you wish to live within the city limits, due to the fact it caters to the tech industry. Even with a BA it is difficult to find a job here that pays little more than minimum wage.
In all actuality Seattle has become a very pretentious place. Culture and the arts are very processed and another commodity to be purchased if you have the money. The Homeless problem is one of the worst in the country. People here tend to think "we" are "progressive" but Seattle has many social problems including a bad drug problem, high suicide rate, poor urban planning, and terrible traffic problems. Politicians only give lip service and the general feeling here is one of self-centered apathy.
With Microsoft, Nintendo, Boeing, Weyerhouser,etc residing in the area one should expect Seattle to be a very corporate city and that is what it has become. Social service programs are poor and the city is quickly becoming one of the have and have-nots.
erik | Seattle, WA