Living in Seattle without a car (Vancouver, SeaTac: rent, insurance, home)

[OHW]

I've been nosing around Seattle and I'm curious if it's possible to live in the city without a car. I currently live in car-centric Texas and I'm really considering a move to my favorite region, the PNW. I'd love to live without a car though, which I think is a problem. Can you get from downtown to SEA-TAC very easily via public transportation? Thanks for any help!

[Prince Mongo]

The Central Link light rail runs from Downtown to Sea-Tac.

Central Link light rail - SoundTransit

[SitoUK]

I've lived in Seattle without a car for three years and it's perfectly possible, it all depends on your personal circumstances I guess.

- Public transport, walkability and car sharing is much better in central areas of town, so I'd say car-less living in Seattle really only works in a central area.
- It's much easier if you work from home or can walk/cycle to work.
- You will still need a car occasionally, so check out zipcar and car2go, the two car-sharing services in Seattle, a combination of both worked great for me. Again, many more cars are available in central parts of town than in the suburbs.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by OHW

I've been nosing around Seattle and I'm curious if it's possible to live in the city without a car. I currently live in car-centric Texas and I'm really considering a move to my favorite region, the PNW. I'd love to live without a car though, which I think is a problem. Can you get from downtown to SEA-TAC very easily via public transportation? Thanks for any help!

The answer is yes, it is absolutely possible. Is it practical? That depends on where you live and where you work, and what your general habits are... but generally speaking, if you live and work more or less centrally, you definitely can go car-less. It's also doable if you don't, but where you live and work are on major bus lines.

Problems start to arise when you either live or work near areas where our public transportation (which is sort of ok, but not great) doesn't have great service.

As for SeaTac, yes, it is very easy to get there by train from downtown.

I lived without a car in Seattle for many years, and while we now have one, it really doesn't get used much. Both my wife and I walk to work. (she works downtown and I work in South Lake Union; we live on North Capitol Hill) We pay more rent and make some minor sacrifices in order to live so centrally, but to me it's well worth it. My "commute" is a 15-minute walk. When I think of what some people endure just to get to work every day it makes it all worth it. (Results may vary for couples with kids!)

[OHW]

I work remotely so I wouldn't commute. I'd look for a place with a walkscore of 94+ if possible.

Is there a stigma against people without cars? This never happened to me, but when I lived in the SF Bay Area (where TONS of people don't have cars) a girl wouldn't go on a second date with my friend because he didn't have a car.

[Kayela]

Yes, it's doable. I live in Cap Hill (very central location) and could get by without one fairly easily. I don't need it to go to work, or to do my regular errands or shopping, and there are plenty of walkable entertainment options nearby.

However I still have one because I love to get into the mountains and go hiking and/or skiing almost every weekend, we also love to go to places like Canada, Oregon, the peninsula, etc., my friends are far flung and public transit to their locations ranges from inconvenient to torturous, if I'm running late - it's great to have the option to drive, I love to shop and go to farmer's markets in areas that are not convenient by bus, I like the car for large shopping trips and I also like to be able to drive when I go out with friends. Some of these by themselves wouldn't be enough reason to have a car, but the car has been paid off for years, and gas + insurance + maintenance is far less than zipcars would be for my amount of usage.

I love that I don't have to drive, but I appreciate having the option to do so when I chose.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by OHW

Is there a stigma against people without cars? This never happened to me, but when I lived in the SF Bay Area (where TONS of people don't have cars) a girl wouldn't go on a second date with my friend because he didn't have a car.

It's not something I've encountered, though it does sound like a good way to filter out the people who aren't worth your time.

But seriously... I've spent the last 17 years living centrally in Seattle, and I think I can safely say that around here, few people really think twice about someone not having a car. Especially as it can even be a bit of a burden in the city. But I would suspect that for people who live further out, those attitudes might be more common.

Bottom line, I know plenty of people who live happily in central-ish Seattle without cars.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by Kayela

However I still have one because I love to get into the mountains and go hiking and/or skiing almost every weekend, we also love to go to places like Canada, Oregon, the peninsula, etc., my friends are far flung and public transit to their locations ranges from inconvenient to torturous, if I'm running late - it's great to have the option to drive, I love to shop and go to farmer's markets in areas that are not convenient by bus, I like the car for large shopping trips and I also like to be able to drive when I go out with friends. Some of these by themselves wouldn't be enough reason to have a car, but the car has been paid off for years, and gas + insurance + maintenance is far less than zipcars would be for my amount of usage.

Your reasoning is totally sound and I'm not contradicting you at all, but I did want to point out for the OP that it's very convenient and inexpensive to take the train to Vancouver or Portland. (all that other stuff, not so much!)

[Kayela]

Is there a stigma against people without cars? This never happened to me, but when I lived in the SF Bay Area (where TONS of people don't have cars) a girl wouldn't go on a second date with my friend because he didn't have a car.

Not that I'm aware of, but I admit that there have been times when I felt like a taxi service for my friends that didn't have one. Being dependent on the bus requires being aware of schedules and being realistic about time. I don't mind if people call me because they're in a bit of a pinch, but when it's a constant thing - that's not ok. It's possible that girl was looking at a future where anytime they did something off the bus route, or wanted to be spontaneous, the transportation would always be on her.

I appreciate my car-free friends who are courteous enough to be a good planner, and have good enough time management so that their friends don't have to be their ride every time we make plans together. It makes the times when I do the driving something I want to do, not something I feel obligated to do.

Your reasoning is totally sound and I'm not contradicting you at all, but I did want to point out for the OP that it's very convenient and inexpensive to take the train to Vancouver or Portland. (all that other stuff, not so much!)

Not a contradiction at all - I love to take the train! And I love that my neighborhood is so convenient to the light rail (can't wait for the new station to open). I can leave for a 3 week trip and start it off by strolling down the hill to hop on the light rail. No worries about airport parking or traffic (it helps to pack light though). While I like my car, I don't like being car-dependent. It's neat to have so many options nearby.

[baba_yaga]

We've been on Capitol Hill for 5 years completely car free. The bus and Link will get you almost everywhere you need to go. Occasionally we use UberX for when we're running late. We would never ask our friends for taxi rides.