Can't stand my red state! (Seattle, Tacoma: home, university, living in)

[lovefranki]

Hi,
I'm checking out places to move.
I'm from Kansas, and I currently live in the liberal utopia of Kansas. I've been wanting to get out for years but have never been able to. I've finally got my chance.
I need to be somewhere that doesn't home people like the Phelps Family. Somewhere I don't have to worry about my rights as a woman being stolen from me by the governor. I also want to live somewhere that believes in evolution.

Anyway...
Problem is... I'm from small town midwest. I don't even know where to start when looking into places outside of Kansas.
What would be a good place for a 26 year old woman from the Midwest to move to with out being so shocked she's afraid to leave the house?
I love the idea of living in Seattle, but it's HUGE and I'm just not used to that many people haha.
I've also never used public transportation because in Kansas you pretty much have to drive a car. I love the idea of public transportation... but I don't know if jumping in head first is what I need to do.
Any advice or thoughts would help.
Thanks!

[cjg5]

Pretty slow paced and friendly on Vashon Island, and just a short ferry ride away to the mainland from both ends of the island. (To Fauntleroy / West Seattle, or to Southworth, from the north end, or to Tacoma on the south end). There is even bus service between Vashon and West Seattle. I've never taken the bus to Vashon before, so I can't answer for sure if you have to pay extra for it since it has to take the ferry, but my guess is you probably would have to pay as much as a walk on passenger to get to the island. (Leaving the island is actually free, you only pay the ferry to get there). However perhaps someone who has taken the route will chime in for a definite answer.

[rainforest338]

Washington may look like a blue state on the map, but hope this breaks it down a little more for you.
Kind of a joke around the state is: It is a red state with a dark blue line running through it. The line is the I-5 corridor, Vancouver to Blaine. Most of the cities and the majority of the population lie along I-5. Once you head east or west it becomes more rural and red. The people I know in Eastern Washington typically feel that their votes don't matter, because the voting base in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties is so much larger. I live on the Olympic Peninsula, and the general feel is that most of the people lean red, but they are mostly silent and their voter turnout is low. So you get a lot of visible blue.

[Harrier]

Dino Rossi - a Republican - very narrowly lost the last two elections for governor. Even in the Seattle area - the brand of liberalism has some conservative undertones. The rural areas of the state are certainly "red".

Here are the red/blue maps for the 2004 and 2008 elections for governor. Darker shades of red and blue mean stonger support for the Republican or Democrat candidate in that county.

2004 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing...election,_2004




2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing...election,_2008

[Hemlock140]

Look at the state legislature, governor, congress & senators, all have a democrat majority because all of the population in the state is on the liberal west side.

[Freebird2007]

stay in Kansas, there are already enough liberal crackpots here in the NW

[lovingthegreen]

Originally Posted by lovefranki

Problem is... I'm from small town midwest. I don't even know where to start when looking into places outside of Kansas.
What would be a good place for a 26 year old woman from the Midwest to move to with out being so shocked she's afraid to leave the house?
I love the idea of living in Seattle, but it's HUGE and I'm just not used to that many people haha.
I've also never used public transportation because in Kansas you pretty much have to drive a car. I love the idea of public transportation... but I don't know if jumping in head first is what I need to do.
Any advice or thoughts would help.
Thanks!

For a big city, there is definitely less hussle-bussle than in most other large American cities. If you have been to Kansas City, I'm guessing it is probably similar in terms of the size of the city. There are also a lot of smaller cities and towns along that I-5 corridor that might fit you better.

The public transportation system in Seattle is good, especially if you are looking to only travel within the city. If you are traveling to/from the suburbs, it can be a bit more difficult to get to where you are going in a timely manner.

If you are liberal leaning - especially so if you are significantly liberal leaning -you will definitely feel much more at home in Seattle than you have in Kansas, which is definitely something to consider.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Freebird2007

stay in Kansas, there are already enough liberal crackpots here in the NW

No, most people try to leave Kansas.

[CarlB328]

What would be a good place for a 26 year old woman from the Midwest to move to with out being so shocked she's afraid to leave the house?

You might like it here in Yakima in Eastern Washington, it wouldn't be as big of a culture shock probably.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by CarlB328

You might like it here in Yakima in Eastern Washington, it wouldn't be as big of a culture shock probably.

Actually it likely would be a culture shock. Eastern Kansas has a high percentage of the population with a four year degree and includes the university town of Lawrence. Quickfacts census website is your friend as I am a statistics nerd.