Ex-Western Washingtonians........why did you leave??? (Seattle: quality of life, living, shop)

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by carolochs

Here in San Diego it's nearly if not already as bad as L.A....so yes, my measuring stick is that level of *bad*....heh heh. Western WA may look like a walk-in-da-park to us after what we're accustomed to. And it's actually more my husband who deals with it (his work takes him on the road most the day) so he's the one bitching and moaning about traffic worsening. I stay happily cocooned in my home workshop and rarely leave the house, rely heavily on UPS and mail deliveries and pick-ups to run my business. So I enjoy a certain degree of obliviousness. But he deals with it and I get to deal with the grumpiness-caused on the end of the day

This is why we're planning a trip up there where we can drive the streets, do everyday stuff particular to us, try to get a real taste for what everyday life would be like.......weather and all. I keep an eye on the weather reports for the area we're interested in, and there's usually at least 3 out of 7 days that have some sun, or has been for the last several months. I could live with that. Will continue to monitor throughout the winter. Cuz yeah.....I do think S.A.D. is a real thing and might affect me more than I *think* it will. But truly, the complete reverse happens with too much sun and heat, as well! I am SO over dreading these well-over-90-degree days....and SDG&E So freakin' expensive that you can't afford to run your A/C. We decided to limit our A/C use to only 2 hours per day, only when we were our most miserable....and even at that, our bill last month was well over $400.00 for a 3 bedroom house, just two people in it.

Suddenly rain, and mist, and gloom don't seem so bad in comparison to that...... At least when I'm cool I don't bite people's heads off or snarl quite so much.

There are months when it remains well below freezing that we will be over $350 for gas/electric combined,
so you may be trading summer high electric for high winter gas. Last winter was not so bad, however.
I happen to like the clouds and rain, especially when followed by a nice day like this weekend. Yesterday heavy rain and 30 mph winds, today mostly sunny and 68, perfect fall day.

[carolochs]

Originally Posted by mev

I am a born and bred Washingtonian. 15 years ago I moved to Colorado. It lasted 20 months! I couldn't stand the paranoia and everyone getting in my business.
So I guess I stay because I am comfortable with the "freeze".

LOLOL.......I totally relate to this, Mev! I'm so tired of nosy neighbors who listen over my fence to the point my husband and I can't even have a private conversation in our own backyard.....and people wanting to be buddy-buddy, but it's usually only because they constantly WANT something from us.

I guess we're in the minority of folk who tend to embrace isolation and our privacy.
BRING ON *THE FREEZE*!!!

[carolochs]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

There are months when it remains well below freezing that we will be over $350 for gas/electric combined, so you may be trading summer high electric for high winter gas.

I wouldn't mind paying that high if we actually got to use our A/C as much as we *needed* it. Our over $400/mo. bill was while limiting A/C use to *only a couple hours per day*, out of sheer desperation....when we really needed it more like 6-8 hours. So if I'm paying for it but am actually comfortable all day, especially while working, I wouldn't mind. But paying that much and still not comfortable the bulk of the day and constantly drenched in sweat....

Yup....I'll take being wet from rain over wet from sweat any ol' day! That's what raincoats are for!

[Yakscsd]

Originally Posted by carolochs

For example, like weather. Yea....I know WA is gray and drizzly, but I also watch the actual weather reports for the region, have for a year, and it's not nearly as bad as many make it out to sound like. ::head scratch::

So we try not to advertise this, please do the responsible thing and continue to refer to the regions weather as dark, rainy and bleak day, after day.

[carolochs]

Hehehehe!!!!......Wull that's what I started to gather and I'm more than happy to participate.

Is that the case with the notorious Freeze effect, as well? I can't imagine folk actually being that nose-in-the-air toward others. You often get back what you yourself give out....so I wonder how many newcomers are actually making any effort themself to be friendly and out-reaching (if that's important to them), or expect some big Welcoming Committee Rah Rah Rally.

[IslandCityGirl]

Originally Posted by carolochs

Hehehehe!!!!......Wull that's what I started to gather and I'm more than happy to participate.

Is that the case with the notorious Freeze effect, as well? I can't imagine folk actually being that nose-in-the-air toward others. You often get back what you yourself give out....so I wonder how many newcomers are actually making any effort themself to be friendly and out-reaching (if that's important to them), or expect some big Welcoming Committee Rah Rah Rally.

Carlochs, as a west-coaster, I don't think that the cultural "freeze" will seem as dramatic to you as it does to some. Culturally, you've got more in common with Seattle folks than not and won't feel out of place. I've lived a lot of places, and I LOVE Seattle, but I will admit that the social culture is not as welcoming as other places (i.e. Texas). It's not that people in Seattle are snobby or intentionally aloof, I really believe that. It's just that it truly does not occur to people to offer new friends an immediate invitation into their inner circle. That's one of the weird things about culture. Behavior is not always based on intent, it's just based on how customs have become engrained.

All that said, you're totally right that a place is mostly what YOU make of it. Sure, you might need to take the lead on making friends and coordinating fun social things more than you would in other places where the culture is more generally geared towards those things, but you absolutely will have no problem making friends if you work hard to find common interests, invite others to do fun things, etc. I gather that a lot of people move to Seattle, as you said, expecting a sort of welcome committee (or at least expecting the same social culture that they came from, which is an honest mistake). That's just not the culture in Seattle, so people expecting it are disappointed. Bottom line, from the sounds of your m.o. and frame of mind, you are going to have no problem making great friends in Seattle.

[carolochs]

Thanks for your thoughts, IslandCityGirl!

We're targeting the Kitsap Peninsula area, and actually are not big social mongers. Quite honestly, my husband and I are so busy with our own endeavors (professional and hobby) and enjoy each others' company so much, we've never been really big on accruing a large social circle. We're not anti-social, but it's just never been big on our priority list to have a lot of friends, or to entertain, etc. However we always go the extra mile to tip waiters well (if they deserve it), thank grocery clerks, and reciprocate kindnesses and courtesies...be the first to offer these common kindnesses. My husband's sense of humor in particular is pretty hard to resist by even the hardest heart.

The only "freeze" experience I've ever had thus far in the PNW was, as a kid, my family and I used to camp a lot throughout Oregon in summers, and it was pretty common for our CA license plate to be commented on with the "Have a nice visit, but then be sure to go home!" sentiment. Never implied overly-maliciously, but the message was taken, nonetheless. But honestly, having been there, I completely understand why that is!

We have felt the same way about San Diego. Having been here over 40 years, we remember when places like Mission Valley (central San Diego hub) near us, was primarily a huge dairy farm, with gorgeous pastures, and a two-lane highway running west to east through it. THAT'S a distant memory! When that's your frame of reference -- the simplicity and beauty, yeah, it's always hard to come to terms with inevitable, but never-ending growth....then OVERgrowth. Developers never stop going hogwild here with the City Council's full blessing. Which is beyond us, how with drought conditions being what they are especially, how unlimited growth continues with no moratoriums. Out one side of their mouths City Council is constantly warning "Conserve water! You're not conserving enough!" (when we're conserving as much as we possibly can)...and out the other side of their mouths to developers "Build! Redevelop! Build!" My husband and I have been inordinately active locally in opposing growth in our area, doing all that is humanly possible by a resident to do so, yet developers come up with utterly bogus BS EIR's assuring the public that there will be no impact. Any person with half a brain can see it's not true. And City Council approves all these projects. Our neighborhood has been one of the last strongholds against growth for a very long time, we have a reputation for it. Which apparently is why developers have managed to over-ride community opposition (with pure lies) and get their projects pushed through anyway. It's becoming a nightmare---the traffic, crowded EV.ER.Y.THING!!!

So in a nutshell, yeah..I totally *get* why much of the PNW doesn't want those stinking CA-ians coming and doing the same, or more of it, to their area. Although from what I have heard (our oldest son lives up there and works for MS) Seattle has grown crowd-worse than San Diego even, exascerbated with a poorly planned transportation system.

We personally are looking for an area as immune as possible to overgrowth. Even if it means less convenience for things we want/need. "Remote" is a good word in our book! heh heh And when we find it, we will be as devoted to being good community members as we ever have been here (whether welcomed or not)..... and hope who we are will speak for itself. I guess I'm hoping that since we are technically older...(I said "technically", not mentally --heh heh), maybe we can replace/recycle other older folk either leaving or dying there and not leave too much of growth footprint on the area, but rather be a positive contribution! Heck....I wouldn't mind finding a stump to live under. Move over Mick Dodge.....

[PS90]

Originally Posted by Yakscsd

So we try not to advertise this, please do the responsible thing and continue to refer to the regions weather as dark, rainy and bleak day, after day.

I sure remember it being every bit of that when I lived over there.

Judging by the number of Western Washingtonians that flock like lemmings to Eastern Washington on the weekends to get away from the terrible weather, I think that there's something to the "rumor" of bad weather.

[Yakscsd]

Originally Posted by PS90

I sure remember it being every bit of that when I lived over there.

Judging by the number of Western Washingtonians that flock like lemmings to Eastern Washington on the weekends to get away from the terrible weather, I think that there's something to the "rumor" of bad weather.

You think?

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by carolochs

Curious....if any care to answer, why did any ex western Washingtonians leave?

I study this forum, read comments, and some of the stuff said doesn't always ring completely true for me.

For example, like weather. Yea....I know WA is gray and drizzly, but I also watch the actual weather reports for the region, have for a year, and it's not nearly as bad as many make it out to sound like. ::head scratch::

Wondering what REAL reasons are for people leaving.....

I actually liked the weather. But I hated living in King County, because ...

1.) Real estate prices
2.) Crime
3.) Traffic
4.) Urban sprawl/congestion
5.) Traffic
6.) Culture
7.) Traffic
8.) Earthquakes
9.) Traffic
10.) Traffic

The Seattle/Tacoma area is a great place to live if you are rich and single. If you are middle class or below and have kids, it's horrible. We left almost 10 years ago for New England. My only regret was not leaving 10 years sooner.