Moving from Midwest to Seattle (Bremerton, Forks: sales, theater, income)

[slp45270]

Hey. I'm moving from a small town in Missouri to Seattle in a year. Any advice from anyone that has moved from the midwest to Seattle would be great. Thanks

[Adrian71]

Originally Posted by slp45270

Hey. I'm moving from a small town in Missouri to Seattle in a year. Any advice from anyone that has moved from the midwest to Seattle would be great. Thanks

Well, I grew up in a small town in southwest Michigan, so we have the Midwest thing in common! I don't know what your experience is with big cities, but I can tell you Seattle isn't like a typical big city, at least not the ones I've spent time in. People are probably a little more politically liberal than you're used to in the Midwest, but they're also pretty easygoing and tend to take a live-and-let-live attitude about things. That's great if you like to be left alone, but the flip side is that some people who love to socialize feel as though people here keep you at arm's length and make themselves hard to get to know. That hasn't been my experience, but then I'm a hardcore introvert, so maybe I'm not as sensitive to it as others may be.

People here are very tuned in to the environment, and you'll understand why when you see all the natural beauty around you. It's something worth preserving and taking care of. An outgrowth of that is that Seattle is a very bike- and pedestrian-friendly city. They try to get people out of their cars here. Public transportation exists, but it's kind of fragmented. You might end up taking the light rail, a trolley, and a bus -- and maybe even the Monorail -- to get where you want to go.

If you're used to a conservative religious culture, be prepared for a marked lack of religion in public life out here. This is one of the most unchurched parts of the country. I just don't think religion is on the radars of a lot of people here.

Be prepared for sticker shock, too. The cost of living is quite expensive here. Sales tax is almost 10% -- but on the other hand, there's no state income tax, so that's a plus.

Traffic could be a shocker for someone from a small town. I used to spend weekends in Chicago and lived for several years in the D.C. area, so the traffic here didn't really faze me that much, but it's all relative. I-5 and I-405 can get pretty bogged down at rush hour.

Also, you're probably used to hot summers and bitter cold winters. Here, you avoid both extremes. Summers are warm, sunny, and beautiful, but not oppressively hot. Winters are rainy and cold, but you don't have to deal with blizzards and wind chills. It does snow a few times a year, but it tends not to stick, except up in the mountain passes -- and be warned that drivers lose their minds here when it starts to snow. One flake, and everyone starts creeping along at 25 mph.

What else can I tell you? Great cultural events (art, theater, concerts, etc.) everywhere you look ... fresh, clean air ... mountains, water, and trees all around ... great dining options ... parks and bike trails galore. I love it here. Glad you'll be joining us.

[Reader33]

Adrian71 summed it pretty well!

I moved from Iowa to the Seattle area 8yrs ago and lived there for 4 yrs-best 4 yrs of my life! LOVED it there. I would move back in a heartbeat. Yes, housing is higher, traffic heavier, and the winters can be pretty grey. But overall, the beauty of the area, variety of culture and recreation, and temperate climate is wonderful.

Best advice would be to get out and try to experience as much as you can. Hit the farmer's markets, wander the beaches, shop the local places, try the taco trucks, talk with your neighbors. Moving can be overwhelming but if you really embrace it and get yourself out there, you'll really be able to see how you like it (or not).

[kikikans]

I have never lived there but dream of moving there some day. We visited last year and it was lovely. We got to see Seattle and Bremerton as well as Polsbo. And yes we took the time to hit up Forks and La Push. It's really close to Polsbo so we couldn't resist. While Forks was pure entertainment value it was really not much to see outside of its natural beauty. La Push on the other hand was amazing. We went to first and second beach and they were amazng. We got some Photos that still stunn us. All beautiful! What will you be doing out there? Though Polsbo is lovely is it quite the commute even with the ferri (that is very pricey). Keep us posted.

[JesseJB]

My girlfriend moved here from Missouri about 4 years ago. The salt-of-the-earth midwest thing does not mesh well on the west coast at ALL.

Here is a good sum-up of how to adjust to life here:

If you're trying to get a table at a busy restaurant and decide to be polite, smile tensely and let people ahead of you, you'll never get a table.

Use this logic for every situation.

[slp45270]

Originally Posted by JesseJB

My girlfriend moved here from Missouri about 4 years ago. The salt-of-the-earth midwest thing does not mesh well on the west coast at ALL.

Here is a good sum-up of how to adjust to life here:

If you're trying to get a table at a busy restaurant and decide to be polite, smile tensely and let people ahead of you, you'll never get a table.

Use this logic for every situation.

What did you mean the salt-of-the-earth?

[mikester007]

slp45270 - Seattle compares well to Minneapolis in my opinion, as far as Midwest comparisons go. The downtown is quite accessible, lots of outdoors activities readily available, and livable pockets almost everywhere.

Attitudes are similar to what you would get in a city of this size.