Why I feel more People want to Live in Seattle than want to leave it
In a recent national study done by Zillow show there are more people looking to move to the Seattle area, and there aren't so many in Seattle looking to move away.
I do feel really lucky to be raised in the Seattle area because I truly do think it is one the greatest cities in the States. People living here often feel this way, but we don't really care to share it. So in true Pacific Northwest fashion, I'll cover some of the negatives first to try to scare you away.
- Traffic Sucks and if it snows - it's usually a mess
- Winters are typically grey, wet, and dreary - sometimes no sun for weeks/months on end.
- Not cheap - home prices and food costs have gone up. Seattle has a $15 minimum wage so costs are offset.
- Theft rates are high on average and lots of homeless on the streets in areas.
Now on to some of the cool points. I really can't cover them all, but here are some I really like.
Natural Beauty
The biggest thing for me is the vast varieties of amazing view points and I never get tired of it. In the city and going outside the city has so many places that are literally awe inspiring some days.
The city has the ocean and the Olympic mountains to the West.
And the fresh water lakes and Cascade mountain range to the East.
And then the majestic Mt. Rainer to the South East that gleams over the city on clear days.
The other thing I prefer the weather - especially summer which is typically clear and not too hot.
Outdoor activities
You can be fishing or crabbing on the Sound in the morning and then head out to show ski since the mountain resorts are just an hour or so away. There is ton of different activities due to the vast variety of terrain include desert like conditions over the mountains just a couple hours away. So if you get sick of the cold and wet, you just head over to the dry side of the State to take a break.
No State Income Tax
I've found some other places in the States that I thought could be interesting to live in for awhile, but I've been spoiled not dealing with State income taxes. And I really don't want to move to a State where I'd have to start dealing with this added headache.
No Major Dangerous Pests/Animals
There aren't any snakes, spiders or other scary crap that can kill or harm you terribly with just a bite. There are bees however of all types but only dangerous if you are allergic. But for the most part, it's a very nice place since you aren't worried about poisonous pests.
I've been way out in the woods many times with my grandfather who was a logger and my dad who is a major outdoorsman, but we've never run into any bears or wolves. There are small populations so you do need to take precautions.
Some amazing companies started in Seattle
Its the birthplace for Boeing, Costco and Amazon. It's where Bill Gates and Paul Allen grew up and grew Microsoft into the global mega corp it is today.
I grew up with espresso from the 70s and pretty much every grocery store had coffee kiosks. It's where Starbucks, Tullys, SBC and others all started. And any town you go to in the Pacific Northwest will have a number of drive thru coffee stands. Ask a local where the best place is because it's not major chains when you come here.
People are Friendly and Intellectual
This is in general, of course, but Seattle often ranks high ever year for both of these categories. It's easy to strike up a conversation with someone, and people are usually pretty laid back. Even going to small towns the people are pretty open and knowledgeable. The only time this all goes out the window is when people are behind the wheel in traffic but that's pretty common anywhere.
Some Interesting Local Stuff
Most people are not into umbrellas, and if you have one then you might get some comments about being out of towners. The cooler months are usually pretty wet and drizzly. So fashion is pretty relaxed typically because you need clothes you don't mind getting a little wet for time to time.
We have a lot of unique city names with difficult to pronounce Indian names like Stillaguamish, Puyallup, Snohomish, etc. You can find video quizzes online testing people trying to figure out to say these names.
You find we like tartar sauce and it's a popular thing to order with fries for dipping if you go to Dick's Drive-in which is a Seattle's classic burger joint that is really fricking amazing, and the Seattle dog is famous for it's cream cheese.
Other foods to try are geoducks or razor clams if you can find them because the Pacific Northwest ones are huge and excellent. The salmon and dungeness crab are mainstays here and always a good choice.
China town is good but Little Saigon up the hill is even better. Pho noodles are the real deal and a lot of Vietnamese sandwich shops.
The majority of the US hops for making beer are grow just over the mountains so micro brews are everywhere all up and down the Pacific Nortwest. And of course for those that like other recreational activities - weed is legal.
- I'll end it on that :)
I've already said too much to the point if my friends read this they'd be saying... "Dude, play it down more."
NOTE: I did travel extensively during my college years by car to all the lower 48 States and a number of Canadian provinces. So I've seen to a lot of great cities/places, but I'm happy to call Seattle home.