Any info on Seattle?

[Anonymous]

DH has a potential relo opportunity in seattle and I don't know the first thing about it. Other than the fact that you can't get much further away from here. How does it compare to areas like bethesda, chevy chase, or alexandria?

What is the cost of living like? We are in a close in suburb here in a small but nice home for just under $1mil. I assume we could get more for less there, but not by much.

I don't even know where to begin getting info. Why towns/areas should I look into? If someone can compare them to areas here, if possible, that would help. I'm also familiar with CA, if that is more comparable.

Also, can someone please explain the whether there?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It's cold and very cheap (compared to here).

[Anonymous]

PP, $1mil in Seattle will get you something very nice in a prime location. You are looking at the top of the market with that budget.

[Anonymous]

My sister relocated to Seattle a few years ago so all I know is what I've gathered from her. She lives in Issaquah, in a townhouse in a pretty nice development. There are some beautiful areas there. The times I've visited, I've told my DH that we should move out there, it's so gorgeous. Issaquah is about 30 minutes from downtown seattle without traffic, so i'm not saying that you'd necessarily want to live there. It depends on where your DH's job is going to be. My sis works for microsoft and it's super-convenient for her. I think that unfortunately housing prices there are somewhat similar to here, so it's not like moving to, say, tallahassee and getting to buy a mcmansion for the cost of a 3 bedroom bungalow here. The times i've gone there I didn't notice any big difference in the cost of things like food, entertainment, etc. Her kids go to public school. Not sure what taxes are like.

Sorry, I'm sure that this is not all that helpful, but I bet lots of others will chime in.

[Anonymous]

I haven't lived there, but have visited friends--

My impression was that housing was pretty expensive, but it may depend on where specifically your job/housing is.

Also my impression the weather is damp, never very cold or very hot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sister relocated to Seattle a few years ago so all I know is what I've gathered from her. She lives in Issaquah, in a townhouse in a pretty nice development. There are some beautiful areas there. The times I've visited, I've told my DH that we should move out there, it's so gorgeous. Issaquah is about 30 minutes from downtown seattle without traffic, so i'm not saying that you'd necessarily want to live there. It depends on where your DH's job is going to be. My sis works for microsoft and it's super-convenient for her. I think that unfortunately housing prices there are somewhat similar to here, so it's not like moving to, say, tallahassee and getting to buy a mcmansion for the cost of a 3 bedroom bungalow here. The times i've gone there I didn't notice any big difference in the cost of things like food, entertainment, etc. Her kids go to public school. Not sure what taxes are like.

Sorry, I'm sure that this is not all that helpful, but I bet lots of others will chime in.

Same poster here. I guess I was wrong about housing costs, so ignore that part of my post.

[Anonymous]

It's rainy and 50 about 3/4 of the year. It's often just a drizzle, but still it is wet and overcast. That is really the only reason I haven't moved there. Other than that, I love it. Lots of great hiking and outdoor activities, and just beautiful.

[Anonymous]

PP, $1mil in Seattle will get you something very nice in a prime location. You are looking at the top of the market with that budget.

[Anonymous]

OP here. The job is at microsoft. I will sah. We have a toddler and one on the way.

What I'm really looking for is info on cost of living/housing. But also some basic generalizations about the area and culture.

I assume it's not an older working class sports town like chicago or petersburg, nor a flashier wealthier city like palm beach or la. Is it geographically sprawling like atlanta or la, is it conservative, liberal? Youthful like austin? I know these are generalizations, but that's the kind of info I could use.

And an explanation of the whether!

[Anonymous]

Pittsburgh. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Weather! Sorry. On my phone.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for a neighborhood like Bethesda, McLean or Chevy Chase and the types of people that come with it, choose Mercer Island or Bellvue. In the city, Magnolia is where you'd live at that price range. You could get something with great views of the sound and the entire city. I work for a company that is based in Seattle and go there often. I don't love it. Very hipster and crunchy and I get the vibe that animals and the environment are more important than people. It is not as diverse as the DC metro area. There is a significant Asian population, but not much else.

[Anonymous]

It is somewhat liberal, and very casual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is somewhat liberal, and very casual.

PP with the sister in Issaquah here. My sense is that in the city it is liberal and casual but the suburbs tend to get more conservative (while still dressing/acting casual). Everywhere it seems like a very physically active population. I see tons of people running and biking when i go to visit. OP, I see you said that the job is at microsoft, so I would look into issaquah or snohomish (sp?) as possible locations, in addition to mercer island and bellevue.

[Anonymous]

I used to live in Seattle (the city, not the east side of Lake Washington, e.g., Kirkland/Redmond/Bellevue/Issaquah) and hope to move back some day.

Western Washington State is generally pretty liberal (versus Eastern Washington which is more conservative) but the suburbs, and particularly the east side, are more conservative than Seattle proper. While historically Seattle and the general area was very working class (lumber, shipping, Boeing, etc -- my mother worked in a paper mill to save money for college), its economy is now much more tied to high tech -- it's a highly-educated community with a LOT of Microsoft and other tech money (far more than when I lived there in the early 90s ....), and a lot of people who have moved there in the last 20 years or so.

Depending on what you are looking for, housing is not that much cheaper than here. For example, I own a two-bedroom rowhouse in DC; I could buy a two-bedroom SFH in one of the good but not fancy Seattle neighborhoods for about what I could sell my here house for. There are lovely neighborhoods with very pricey homes, well over your $1 million, and there are plenty of good neighborhoods where your $1 million will buy a very nice house. From what I recall, Bellevue schools are considered the best on the east side. People do commute to Microsoft from Seattle, but it can be a haul ... and traffic can be awful. Honestly, I see the suburbs as kind of sprawling and not nearly as attractive as Seattle itself -- and Seattle includes a lot of neighborhoods that have a pretty suburban feel -- but it may be more convenient to live closer to Microsoft.

I think Seattle would be a great city for raising kids. There is a very outdoorsy culture and the Sound and the Cascades are right on your doorstep; the city has lots of good cultural resources (music, theatre, museums); it doesn't have the same competitive feel as DC and other parts of the east coast and people place a higher premium on lifestyle than they do here.