A Bright Star just a bit tinged with age
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3/17/2023
I have lived here since 1975, I moved here from California but was born and raised in Michigan. I would have to say that I never regretted leaving Michigan and their brutal winters and overly conservative culture. I loved California when I moved to it in 1971, I was young and California had an energy to it unlike Michigan and I lived near Santa Cruz where the weather was great, the beaches incredible and the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains breathtaking. It was for me like living in paradise.
My work brought me to Seattle in late 1975 which at the time was still recovering from the Boeing bust. Housing was very affordable although culturally it was lacking and there weren't very many good cafes and restaurants. Rush hour traffic was non existent and skiing was only a 30 minute drive and with vistas framed by water and mountains in every direction. People were provincial, a bit weary of newcomers at first but if you made the effort to get to know them and they judged you as okay you made fast friends. It is still very much that way.
So here I am some 47 years later and many things have changed for the good and for the bad. On the negative side, Seattle is no longer affordable. We have some of the nations highest housing costs, food and gas prices. Because our political leaders dithered away about 25 years of potential progress on rapid transit (light rail) we have horrendous traffic. We are trying to play catch up and traffic has somewhat subsided post Covid with more people working from home. On the plus side we have a strong employment base and if you are a high paid tech worker the cost of living here is not a significant factor. On the plus side we have an abundance of cultural activities and entertainment. There are neighborhood cafes and restaurants in every neighborhood. The educational system is well above average.
To the all important frequently asked question "What about the rain". All i can tell you having been raised in Michigan it is about the same. The difference is in Seattle we do not typically have cold winters with about two snow days a year. And unlike back east as our temperatures rise our humidity tends to fall. You won't break a sweat here just walking out the front door in July or August.
My recommendation to anyone thinking of relocating here is spend a couple of weeks here in December to get a real taste of a Seattle winter. If you come here just in the summer you will think that you have died ad gone to heaven. Also don't expect to come here and find any bargain housing, a just get by wage here is $30/hour and anyone who says differently is lying.
Steve | Seattle, WA