Seattle.... Good place to Live?

Been thinking about heading west. Seems Seattle has a whole bunch of jobs in my field. Anybody know much about the place? Is it liberal?

Traffic is terrible, with no relief in sight, and there's lots and lots of little neighborhoods that each offer a slightly different style. I like Magnolia, Kirkland, Redmond and Des Moines.

Liberal, well it's a college town around downtown. In the burbs it seems you encounter more of your Pacificus Northwestopithicus Redneckius tribes and their meth- imbibing camp followers.

Seattle is more liberal than other parts of the state.

Is it a great place to live? It depends. Our traffic is so bad that Boeing used that as an excuse to move to Chicago. Housing costs are still comparatively high. Our county (King) is facing a massive budget crisis with lots of job cuts--which means diminished services.

On the other hand, the climate is good--by my standards. It doesn't take long to get out to the mountains or to the Sound or ocean, if water is your thing.

Some people complain that it is hard to meet people here.

If you don't like to get dressed up, this is the place for you--you can wear jeans to the opera and not be alone.

before I fled to the South over 20 years ago.

Casual place, for the most part.
Very livable, lots to do, good bus system.
Great food.
Now expensive to live there, not as bad as NY or SF/Ca. but still high.
Many people share houses.
( try craigslist.org, look for Seattle)
Also, this is most excellent site for checking out cities to live in:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Seattle-Washington.html

Stunning views, as it is built on a hill, and both sides of hill overlook water.

The climate is what most people talk about. It really does not rain that much, but is often cloudy, and can make you feel depressed. Nowadays there is light therapy or 5-htp or pharm anti-depressants.

HIgh education, lots of book shops, high readership.
Fun neighborhoods, each with its own flavor.


If you are fast paced and hyper it might seem slower than you are used to.

That's my story, too. I moved to Chicago, then to Arizona. I miss Seattle and have thought about moving back. But it's very expensive now and I'm spoiled by the nearly constant sunshine in Phoenix. Still....I'll probably end up back in the Pacific NW.

and found, 'tis true, you can't go home again.
Looked familiar, did not feel the same at all.

After puzzling over it for some time, I realized what I was missing was the
ME and the time that used to be there.

I am very much rooted here, deeply, now. Feels good.

Traffic is really bad, and housing and the cost of living in general are on the expensive side (although not in the same league as places like SF, New York or Boston), but it is a great place to live otherwise, and it is very liberal, although not as much as our neighbor, Portland. The local geography is varied and beautiful, so outdoor recreation is surprisingly popular for a city with a reputation for constant rain. If you go to the big outdoor equipment giant REI's store, you'll see unreconstructed hippies standing in line with corporate execs (and sometimes you can't tell the difference). Bookstores are everywhere, and two of them (the Elliot Bay Book Company and the University of Washington bookstore) are among the best in the country.

It is overcast from October to June-July, but it doesn't ever get especially hot or cold. 2 days over ninety and 2 days of snow are not uncommon over a year. It is the most northerly large city in the US, so summer days are very long, and winter days are very short (for Easterners, Seattle is about the same latitude as the north tip of Maine, for Midwesterners, is is just a little farther north than Minneapolis.)

;-)