If you live in Seattle. . . please tell me how much you love/dislike it. . .

[Alicia64]

We're on the East Coast and dh might need to take a job in Seattle. It's a great job and a great city. Stil. . . I'm not ready to leave the East Coast, but might not have a choice.

 

What do you like/love about Seatttle?

 

If dh gets a job in Renton, where would you recommend we rent a house?

 

What is the homeschool community like in Seattle? (He wants a 25 min. or less commute, safety, sense of community)

 

Is the weather that overcast?

 

What about those giant house spiders? (I'll get an exterminator, but do they have the chemicals that work??)

 

Any inspiration would be so helpful. I'm being pulled off my rock! And if you hate it, I guess I need to hear that too.

 

Alley

[Ellie]

I've only visited Seattle and surrounding areas, never lived there. However, my older dd has been there for over 10 years and loves it. My mother lived south of Tacoma for almost 30 years and loved it.

 

Seattle itself doesn't get as much rain as many cities on the East Coast (because of micro-climates, some of the surrounding areas get more rain, though). Also, it is WAY less humid than the East Coast. It is why my mother loved it. :-)

 

Oh, and you have to learn NOT to use umbrellas. :D

[naturegirl]

I don't actually qualify as someone who has lived in Seattle, though I have many friends and family members who do, so I thought I'd chime in. I've never known anyone who didn't love living in Seattle. I'm sure there are a few out there somewhere, I've just never met them. 

 

I was there last month for several days with my son and I can tell you it's a fabulous place for kids. There is so much to do. There are great museums and parks. Plus there is a lot to do outdoors. My son really loved the Space Needle and riding the monorail. 

 

I don't know anything about Renton itself. Everyone I've known either lived downtown or north of the city. 

 

As far as being overcast, yes, it does get a lot of rain, but that's what keeps it so green and beautiful. During the summer, it is mostly sunny, but the great thing is that it rarely gets too hot. So you have beautiful summers but fairly mild winters. I spent every Christmas as a child near Seattle, and although there was an occasional sprinkling of snow, they rarely get much. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm very close to Renton.  I used to live in Seattle proper.  I like the Queen Anne, Wallingford and Greenlake neighborhoods in Seattle but they can be very expensive for housing.  Do not expect much of a yard.  Most houses are bungalow style - a style I like a lot but not everyone does.  The big house spiders tend to stay in the basement.  When we had a house with a basement room, everyone refused to use it!  In Renton, I would suggest East Renton Highlands and Cascade-Fairwood area.  These are general areas that are broken down into smaller housing developments.  Basically, the closer you are to Newcastle and the farther you are from South and West Seattle, the better, in my opinion.  The weather is beautiful in the summer and usually on through the end of September.  We have a definite rainy season in the fall and winter but it is mixed.  A rainy day often has sunbreaks and the rain usually is not a downpour but is more of a drizzle or even a mist.  

[Plateau Mama]

We're on the East Coast and dh might need to take a job in Seattle. It's a great job and a great city. Stil. . . I'm not ready to leave the East Coast, but might not have a choice.

 

What do you like/love about Seatttle?

 

If dh gets a job in Renton, where would you recommend we rent a house?

 

What is the homeschool community like in Seattle? (He wants a 25 min. or less commute, safety, sense of community)

 

Is the weather that overcast?

 

What about those giant house spiders? (I'll get an exterminator, but do they have the chemicals that work??)

 

Any inspiration would be so helpful. I'm being pulled off my rock! And if you hate it, I guess I need to hear that too.

 

Alley

I love Seattle. It's one of he most beautiful places I've ever been. There is tons to do here. People don't look at you like you are crazy when you tel them you homeschool. The rain isn't nearly as bad as every one makes it out to be. We have tons of hiking and outdoor activities. For the most part our crime level is low.

 

The one thing I have Hard time with is the days in the winter are short. The morning commute is dark and the evening commute is the same. If you don't have an office with windows you will not see daylight for days on end. On the opposite end the summer days last forever. My kids are out until after 10pm paying and its not dark. Our weather this summer has been gorgeous.

 

Not sure what large spiders you talk of? We have spiders but they are small, and none are poisonous. I grew up in NM, land of huge, furry, deadly spiders. Ours spiders are nothing.

[Little Nyssa]

You might look up one of those weather sites that tells you how many days of sunlight per year there are in Seattle versus where you live.  You might find that the difference is not as much as you fear!

And, the quantity & size of spiders depends on the house you are living in, IME. 

We moved from the East Coast to the PNW, and I find it very nice.

[Sisyphus]

I grew up in the Seattle area- those spiders are no joke! But not to my knowledge poisonous, they can bite and leave a patterned itchy spot, but not like a black widow or anything. If you have a woodpile or live in the woods they are more prevalent. They are just huge, hairy, gross spiders...but living in tick land I'd actually rather have spiders!

 

The gray and rain, and dark long winters, is harder on some people than others. It was hard on me. you won't really know u til you are there to find out. But the no umbrellas thing is true. And it's mild so you can still go hiking, to the beach, whatever in the rain (and if you don't, you won't ever go anywhere, so go!)

 

It's a place that is very welcoming of alternatives to the norm, I really miss that. Home schooling is pretty common.

 

I can't help with the housing, when I lived there rent on was pretty sketchy but it's been 20 years so perhaps that has changed. My family is all in the Tacoma- Olympia area now save the oldsters still in south Seattle (which is still sketchy!).

[DawnM]

I would take a Seattle job in a heartbeat.  I love Seattle.  I will be going out in about 3 weeks to see family and friends.

 

Granted, I haven't lived there in a long time.  I went to college for 4 years there, but I do visit fairly frequently.

 

Renton and the surrounding area isn't a bad area, you might get out there and rent a while and spend some time figuring out where you feel the most comfortable.  You could look in the Kirkland/Bellevue area too.  Just keep in mind that if he has to travel with traffic, the 405 can be brutal.

 

Dawn

[LucyStoner]

I've been in the Seattle area since I was a small child, mostly in Seattle itself.  

 

Love/Like:

 

1. Proximity to great outdoor recreation.  Hiking, biking, mountains, water:  you got it.  
2. People are relaxed and casual for the most part.  You certainly don't need to wear heels or hose here unless you like them.  
3. Neighborhoods with their own commerce and residential centers within the city give you a small town feel in a larger urban city.  
4. If you want to eat something, you can usually find it.  Good grocery stores, good produce and fruit stands, lots of CSAs, lots of decent to great restaurants.  
5. Fish does not cost you a second mortgage if you know where to look.  Avoid the Pike Market stand and the grocery stores unless there is a sale.  Go to the terminal.  Feast.
6. Weather is not too cold or too hot.  Limited humidity. 
7. Tons of great parks.  Two great library systems, plus the UW's awesome library.  
8. Politically the environment (for me) has more to like than dislike.  Most of the time.  
9. Local music scene is pretty decent.  
10. Lots of fun stuff for families and kids.  

 

Hate/dislike:

 

1. Casual oftentimes slips into "rude".   There is a chilly social environment a lot of the time, especially for newcomers. 
2. It's not cheap to live here.  While wages are higher than average thanks to big tech employers, many things are far more expensive.  I try to remember you get what you pay for.  It's expensive because it's a really great place to live with lots of amenities.  
3. "The Seattle Way" will make anyone following certain political issues rip the hair from their heads.  In the time it took other similarly sized cities to build and open their newer mass transit options, Seattle approved, studied, repealed and studied some more.  By the time my kids are in college, they might (MIGHT) be able to get to the campus on something not traveling on surface streets.  The Economist has called Seattle "the city with the worst transportation planning in the western world" and they are quite right.  
4. And as you can expect with #3, traffic sucks.  There's increasingly no such thing as rush hour or a reverse commute.  You can hit backed up traffic at 2PM on a random Tuesday.  Or at 8:30PM on a weekend.  It's a PITA.  
5. It gets dark as early as 5PM much of the winter.  Blech.  

[Splash]

I lived in Seattle area for years. I lived in Mill Creek/Bothel, Issaquah, Maple Valley, Redmond, etc. When I worked in Renton we lived in Maple Valley and Issaquah, our commute wasn't bad.

 

I loved Seattle, so much to do, so beautiful, especially in the summer. I am a person though that struggles with the level of dark and gloom. Once I was staying home with a baby the winters became too much for me so we moved to Colorado with lot more sunshine. I love it here but still miss Seattle now and then. We actually took kids to Seattle this summer because I was missing the smells, trees and water. So beautiful. So expensive.

 

Good luck with your move.

[gardenmom5]

We're on the East Coast and dh might need to take a job in Seattle. It's a great job and a great city. Stil. . . I'm not ready to leave the East Coast, but might not have a choice.

 

What do you like/love about Seatttle?

 

If dh gets a job in Renton, where would you recommend we rent a house?

 

What is the homeschool community like in Seattle? (He wants a 25 min. or less commute, safety, sense of community)

 

Is the weather that overcast?

 

What about those giant house spiders? (I'll get an exterminator, but do they have the chemicals that work??)

 

Any inspiration would be so helpful. I'm being pulled off my rock! And if you hate it, I guess I need to hear that too.

 

Alley

My girls attended college on the east coast.  they were very happy to come back here.  if you are a NYC girl, you might be disappointed.  seattle isn't as big city as they think they are.  there are cultural offerings, as well as sports and nature.

we have temperate weather -in the winter it's not too cold (we are usda zone 7/8), and in the summer it's not too hot.  we rarely get huge thunderstorms.  (you know, the house shakers that dds got regularly the summer they were still in NY.)

funny story - the first winter 1dd was home after graduation, it snowed.  she ran outside yelling it wasn't supposed to snow here.   guess she got her fill at uni.

there is a strong homeschool community here, some area's have more than others.  while you test once a year, and file an intent form with your district, you don't have to do much else.  there are co-ops.  lots of opportunity for field trips for science and history - and lots of nature.

there are mts, salt- water, fresh water hiking, skiing, lots.  lots of people come here for grad school - and stay.

spiders are no big deal -  no poisonous critters.

it can be "that overcast" in the winter.  it' drizzles - not "rain".  we actually get about the same amount (or less) of rain as Chicago - just not at once.  natives rarely bother with an umbrella, it's more hassle than it's worth.  usually though, if you get out regularly so you're exposed to daylight, it's okay.  we're the same latitude as bangor maine.  in the summer, - it's light at 10pm.

 

there are lots of hills, and snow is slick when we do get it - so heed the driving warnings.

 

housing is expensive here - so where you chose to live does have a lot to do with your budget.  you will pay more for closer in - but you will have less wear and tear on your car, less time in your car, and less gas.

 

under no circumstances would I live in the city.

 

eta: lucy reminded me.  we do have a lot of ethnic diversity.   including restaurants and grocery stores.  

there is also a good supply of alternative medical practitioners.  bastyr is here.  I'm on forums for dudeling's asd, and there are areas where people just really struggled to find providers.  here, it's great. 

library.  seattle has it's own system, and the rest of the county has it's own system.  kcls has been rated as one of the best library systems in the country.  I love being able to just order the books I need, and then pick them up when they come in.  I don't search shelves.

[linders]

Former Seattle-ite, adore Seattle. Love the proximity to water, islands, and mountains. Good place for biking, sailing, skiing, hiking. Love the weather (not too hot, not too cold). Love the lifestyle - casual is fine, people stroll for coffee on a Saturday morning wearing jeans and boots. Can go upscale when it needs to - events at the Fifth Ave Theater - but also lots of funky film fests.

 

Downside - traffic. You learn every back road to avoid it, and sometimes can't (e.g., there are only 2 bridges going over the lake). Plan carefully where you live in relation to DH's work and such.

 

Forgot to add on likes: much more liberal than the Depp South where we currently live. More accepting of diversity and various lifestyles.

[readinmom]

My sister moved there from SoCal and swears she'll never move back.  They live in a suburb outside Seattle.  Parks, museums, hiking, everything...

[msjones]

We're on the East Coast and dh might need to take a job in Seattle. It's a great job and a great city. Stil. . . I'm not ready to leave the East Coast, but might not have a choice.

 

What do you like/love about Seatttle?

 

If dh gets a job in Renton, where would you recommend we rent a house?

 

What is the homeschool community like in Seattle? (He wants a 25 min. or less commute, safety, sense of community)

 

Is the weather that overcast?

 

What about those giant house spiders? (I'll get an exterminator, but do they have the chemicals that work??)

 

Any inspiration would be so helpful. I'm being pulled off my rock! And if you hate it, I guess I need to hear that too.

 

Alley

I live in Seattle -- in the actual city.  It's a small 'big' city -- especially compared to the East Coast.  

 

I like the proximity to skiing, hiking, the Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, the mountains.  There are so many beautiful places right nearby.  I'm an outdoor girl, so this is my favorite thing about this area.  

 

I also like the many restaurants and the little theater and music scene.  It's nothing like NYC or LA, but much more than most areas north of San Fran.

 

Renton.  Hmmm...I don't get down there much, but the traffic in that general area (SE of the city) is horrendous.  I would live as close to his work as possible.  I would not commute from the city to Renton.  That would be at least 60 minutes. We are fortunate to have a house and a job in the same part of the city.  Commutes here are very long -- worse in the winter in the rain and the dark.

 

Lots of homeschoolers.  It's not considered too unusual around here anymore and there are quite a few co-ops and school district umbrella programs.

 

Yes, the weather IS that overcast.  Gray, gloomy, drippy, damp, chill from about October until the end of June most years.  We usually wear coats for the 4th of July fireworks.  But I wouldn't say the weather stops most people.  Sports are just played outside in the rain.  It is dark here at 4:00 or so on many December  and January days.  Some people move here and just cannot stand it.  Those who stay learn to just pour some more coffee and keep going.  :)

 

Plus side of the weather is that it is not humid and is rarely over 90 degrees in the summer.  When it's beautiful here, it is incredible.

 

I hate the crime, the graffiti, the traffic, the crazy local government, and again, the traffic.  It is also very expensive.  If we hadn't gotten in our house before the market went crazy we could never, ever have bought a house here -- not a chance.  A very ordinary, plain, non-updated rambler on an arterial in the city would go for $400,000.

 

 

[NorthwestMom]

My girls attended college on the east coast.  they were very happy to come back here.  if you are a NYC girl, you might be disappointed.  seattle isn't as big city as they think they are.  there are cultural offerings, as well as sports and nature.

we have temperate weather -in the winter it's not too cold (we are usda zone 7/8), and in the summer it's not too hot.  we rarely get huge thunderstorms.  (you know, the house shakers that dds got regularly the summer they were still in NY.)

funny story - the first winter 1dd was home after graduation, it snowed.  she ran outside yelling it wasn't supposed to snow here.   guess she got her fill at uni.

there is a strong homeschool community here, some area's have more than others.  while you test once a year, and file an intent form with your district, you don't have to do much else.  there are co-ops.  lots of opportunity for field trips for science and history - and lots of nature.

there are mts, salt- water, fresh water hiking, skiing, lots.  lots of people come here for grad school - and stay.

spiders are no big deal -  no poisonous critters.

it can be "that overcast" in the winter.  it' drizzles - not "rain".  we actually get about the same amount (or less) of rain as Chicago - just not at once.  natives rarely bother with an umbrella, it's more hassle than it's worth.  usually though, if you get out regularly so you're exposed to daylight, it's okay.  we're the same latitude as bangor maine.  in the summer, - it's light at 10pm.

 

there are lots of hills, and snow is slick when we do get it - so heed the driving warnings.

 

housing is expensive here - so where you chose to live does have a lot to do with your budget.  you will pay more for closer in - but you will have less wear and tear on your car, less time in your car, and less gas.

 

under no circumstances would I live in the city.

 

eta: lucy reminded me.  we do have a lot of ethnic diversity.   including restaurants and grocery stores.  

there is also a good supply of alternative medical practitioners.  bastyr is here.  I'm on forums for dudeling's asd, and there are areas where people just really struggled to find providers.  here, it's great. 

library.  seattle has it's own system, and the rest of the county has it's own system.  kcls has been rated as one of the best library systems in the country.  I love being able to just order the books I need, and then pick them up when they come in.  I don't search shelves.

 

:iagree:

 

I totally love it here, having lived in various midwest cities plus San Francisco.  I encourage you to live in Renton or as close to your DH's job as you can.  Commutes can be a bear and they are a waste of time.  I recommend never PLANNING to live a bridge away from work.  Once someone has a flat tire on the bridge, your commute is shot.  Housing appears to be more affordable in that part of the suburbs anyway. :)

[Alenee]

Seattle itself doesn't get as much rain as many cities on the East Coast (because of micro-climates, some of the surrounding areas get more rain, though).

 

Oh, and you have to learn NOT to use umbrellas. :D

True, however that doesn't mean you see the sun as often as you would on the east coast. East cost rain comes all at once, right? The rain here is often times just a drizzle and may end quickly but the cloud-cover can last months. I just have to put this out there because I've lived in the PNW for nearly 13 years and I'm ready to pack it in. I would suggest making sure you get a house with lots of windows and no evergreen trees around. We lived on top of a hill with good windows so the light, even on a cloudy day made it inside. Now living in the country surrounded by trees, I am utterly miserable during the fall/winter/spring months.

[Dahliarw]

I live east of Seattle in the suburbs.  I LOVE it here!  I grew up down in Kent.  The weather is not as bad as you would think.  Yes, we get rain, mostly in the winter.  I lived on the east coast (well, sort of, Pittsburgh) for college and the difference I found was that there is not snow to deal with, and bitter cold that keeps you inside.  Just rain, which you can wear boots and rain gear and go out in without freezing.  The summers are GORGEOUS!  This summer it's been nice pretty much every day, with a few scattered days or rain.  Highs tend to be between 70 and 80.  Occasionally over.  Sunny, beautiful, but not humid or unbearably hot.

 

If my husband worked in Renton I would live in Newport/South Bellevue or Fairwood (providing I was homeschooling).  Issaquah is nice too, but a bit further depending on where in Renton he is working.  If he's downtown Renton, you could look at the nicer areas of Kent (Scenic Hill is nice - but not the public schools).

 

Homeschooling here is really easy.  File your declaration of intent.  Test or have an evaluation yearly, but you don't have to show it to anyone.  That's it.  There are lots of homeschool groups in the area and some classes too.  

[Incognito]

I'm not in Seattle itself, but the PNW, and the gray and drizzle almost do me in each winter - and I've been here over 10 years.  Otherwise, it is lovely. 

 

You have to actively make yourself get out in the drizzle and do things in it.  I come from a place where you wait for it to stop raining and THEN do.  That doesn't work here.  For instance, my DH rakes leaves in the rain, at dusk.  Because it is always drizzling and it gets dark early.  If you don't do it, your leaves never get raked. 

 

West coast lifestyle is different - sort of laid back, sort of in your face. 

 

I agree with finding a house with LOTS of windows (and if you haven't had to consider it, figure out how the hills/mountains shade the property at different times of year - lots of places can look bright in the summer and get hardly any light in the winter).

 

 

[gardenmom5]

if you want to live in renton - do the highlands. stay away from the flats.

 

if you desperately need a sun break - do a weekend up near squim on the peninsula.  it's in the rainshadow and they get lots of sun.  the south end of san juan island is desert.  it is also in the rain shadow and gets sun.  north end of the island might be pouring rain.  we did a getaway on san juan in march.  it was snowing in Everett on the way.  it was blue-sky and shirtsleeves in Friday harbor.  the weather was very nice where we were staying on the west side of the island.  it was pouring at Rosario on the north end of the island.  that time of year - it was the best bet for a nice dinner as many restaurants are closed for the season. 

[Mom in High Heels]

I'm following this thread as we are moving to Ft. Lewis (just south of Seattle) in less than a week.  Everyone I've spoken to, who has been stationed there, said it has been their favorite duty station.  Yay!  My BFF since 6th grade just happens to live in Seattle now (not military associated) and I'm so excited to live near her.  Oh, and of course Jean in Newcastle!

 

Like I said, I don't know much about it, but there is a cupcake shop called Trophy, that has won this award four years in a row:

 

 

Do you realize what this means?  It means there are enough CUPCAKE SHOPS, to warrant a competition.  I can hear the angels singing!

[gardenmom5]

momhh - you will like the area.  visit lakevold gardens on some day when you just want to get out.  I think it's paid admission -it's over by American lake.   there are some nice area's down there, for a. lot. less.  than it costs up here.  my niece-in-law's father lives down there.

 

be sure and join the Washington group.

 .