Moving to Seattle

[cltheel.sdl]

This Thursday I'll be starting my Manifest Destiny journey to Seattle, my first post-college move. I've lived in Charlotte for my entire life, with the exception of the past 4 years of college in Chapel Hill, and I don't exactly know how I'll adapt to life without sweet tea and barbecue! I've been active on these boards since the beginning of my high school years, rarely venturing outside of the Charlotte sections. I'll be visiting these forum sections frequently to maintain contact with my hometown and all of you friends.

I've really enjoyed discussing Charlotte development and urban issues with you all through the years, and these forums have helped spark my interest in urban real estate development, a career I hope to move forward with in Seattle. I know much more about the development process due in part to you - my fellow Charlotte forumers - and I thank you all for being willing to answer my questions and contribute to my experience on UP. I will take the things I've learned here and apply them to my work. Hopefully I'll become a developer that remains sensitive to healthy urban design and incorporates ideas discovered here. I'll be back in town from time to time, and at this point I'd like to come back to the Queen City in 2-3 years. By that time, the job market around here should be better and more opportunities will arise in real estate.

Seattle looks to be an exciting place for recently graduated folks like myself, and I hope to gain as much knowledge and experience I can about good urban design and development that I can bring back to the QC. The real estate job market seems a bit more robust out there, and I'll be joining my girlfriend who recently landed a job in property management in the Puget Sound region.

If any of you have advice to give, feel free to do so! Also, if any of you are familiar with Seattle, I'd like to hear some suggestions of real estate firms I could research for employment. Thanks so much for all of the help!

- cltheel.sdl

PS: I plan on being an obnoxious Panthers fan and attend the Seahawks game when we play them in Seattle in December...now I can join the ranks of all those Bills, Jets, Giants, Eagles, and Patriots fans who love to take over BofA Stadium during our games. Yee haw!

[swampfox43]

If any of you have advice to give, feel free to do so!

Not really advice, but don't miss Seafair. It helps to have a friend with a boat but not necessary.

I've got friends born and raised in Seattle so I have visited often. Beautiful city (as you already know).

Also, get your passport if you haven't already. Day trips to Vancouver can be exciting!

Could probably add more but I'm headed to work.

[Forrest]

Congrats and good luck! You will LOVE Seattle. It's an urban utopia,especially compared to this town. Definitely will have climate shock but I would take cool and gray all year long as opposed to the too hot or too cold whipsaw we have been stuck on lately.

[HopHead]

Best of luck. Sounds like you're young so this is a great opportunity for you to see other parts of the country. And as others have said, you'll definitely like Seattle. Though, unlike Forrest, not sure if I could deal with cloudy and gray every day BUT, the 3-4 months of beautiful, sunny weather with that backdrop makes up for it (I've only been to Seattle in the summer when it's clear and sunny). My one regret in life is that I didn't pick up and leave Virginia (where I lived before CLT) earlier in life and see what else is out there. It definitely gives you a great perspective, so take advantage while you can.

[Neo]

I wish you luck on your ventures in your new home town! It's exciting to move to a new place, particularly one as vibrant as Seattle. I have a bit of envy right now as you get to have the Seattle experience first hand while I'm stuck here in hot as hades Charlotte though.

Don't forget we have a forum for Seattle here on UP as well, though admittedly it is nowhere near as busy as the Charlotte forum. Of course, that would change quickly if we had more folks like yourself give first hand discussions on experiences and developments there.

[Charlotteman]

I'm a Charlottean in the Seattle area since 1995. I lived in Seattle itself for three years, and moved to Bremerton, across the water, in 1998. Bremerton is a sleepy town of 38,000--- a good fit for me.

One thing to understand up front, before you even get here: this is not the South. People do not go out of their way to be friendly or sociable. Many people in Seattle will look at you like you've lost your mind if you say "hello". Coworkers don't usually say "good morning" or "see ya tommorrow" etc.

That was putting it nicely.

My three years in Seattle were like three years in another Universe. My neighbors wouldn't say hello to me, my co workers either.....clerks in stores don't say hello or thank you either. I love Bremerton, where I now live. People act more like normal human beings~

Seattitude. Look it up and learn it. Many people in Seattle have absolutely no social skills, so they try to cover it up with an odd arrogant "attitude". Even homeless people begging for money have Seattitude! lol

For the most part restaurants are a disgrace. Stick to the chains. Non chain restaurants will feature service so poor that you could barely call it service. Coffee is fabulous of course, and even the lowliest gas station has an espresso stand.

The weather is one of my favorite parts of living here. Today it is 76 F and very sunny. It almost never rains in the summer, but in the autumn and winter it rains a lot (mostly a fine mist). The geography here is stunning, and it's a constant delight to see the snow covered mountains in the distance all year long.

The bottom line is that I don't even go to Seattle anymore. It's an hour away by ferry, but like the old saying goes I ain't lost a thing there lol. I live in my own little corner of Puget Sound which I love.

[hagetaka]

Seattle is the perfect city, one day Ill go back.

[DigitalSky]

Best of luck to you! I'd like to do the same one day, the west coast is appealing.

[Skyybutter]

I dont know if Id want to live there , but I love visiting. It seems so fresh and green. Great bookstores. Not overly friendly as far as looking at you and speaking. Center City or whatever its called is clean and people seem to be very pedestrian conscious...and bike friendly. NOTHING at all like Charlotte. Charlotte seems faster paced then Seattle to be honest. Anywho. Enjoy your new home. Best of luck!! You will notice much like SF that people seem to have an agenda politically and they are very vocal about it. Losts of protesting and such.

[Niner National]

Good luck. My story is pretty much the same as yours. I was born and raised in Charlotte and just recently made my first ever move to Washington, DC.

[nmcheese]

I'll add to the list of former Charlotte residents who are now living in Seattle (3 years now). As noted above, there are many nice suburbs, but I have found the most convenient answer as both living and working in the downtown grid. Especially after some time in Charlotte a walking commute is a revelation. Feel free to send a message with any questions.

[hagetaka]

Seattle does have some nice suburbs to live in, but if you are single with no kids, or it's you and your other, downtown, 1st Hill, Beacon Hill, Queen Anne, or my favorite area Belltown would be perfect, the apartments & condos range from dirt cheap to outrageous expensive, but again it's all about your wages. One thing Seattle does offer is live work and play downtown. Weather was not an option I walked to work most of the time, I was a few blocks out of the free ride zone, walking does have a few advantages. Health, enjoying the sea water smell and observing the crazies. Every walk is different, 1st Ave - 5th, a different vibe a different view. If you are bold enough you can walk some of the alleys. Never know what you might run into. Now walking when it's in the 20's and the wind is kicking up. No fun at all.

For many years I stayed in Belltown, my girlfriend complained that she didn't want were daughter to live downtown, although she worked by Lake Union, we moved to Lynnwood, The commute ranged from 25-40 minutes, depending on traffic, the carpool lanes helped alot. Complications kicked in when we moved to Canyon Park {sodEmoji.|} Bothell area, errrrr , the drive into the city was a pure nightmare. Traffic on 405, carpool lanes that did not help, slow creep on 520, and merging onto 5, that Mercer Street exit couldn't appear fast enough.

Im still having nightmares about having to drive to work instead of walking, those days are gone, Seattle is a fantastic city no matter where u live in the metro.

[cltheel.sdl]

Hello all, I've finally made it out to Seattle and am still in the job search process. Luckily, I have a few promising leads, and I've enjoyed my time out here thus far. Thanks for all of your advice and help.

The traffic out here is a nightmare...the only real major N-S thoroughfare is I-5, and construction on the road is ongoing. Right now I'm living near Tacoma, in Gig Harbor, but will hopefully move closer to the city by October. The companies I've interviewed with thus far are located in downtown Seattle and Bellevue, which is about an hour commute without traffic.

While I'm enjoying my time out here, I already miss Charlotte dearly. I miss the family places and faces, and of course that blend of southern comfort and northern briskness. For me, however, Charlotte wasn't quite the same after high school, with friends going to different schools all over the place, and seems even more different to me post-college, as few of my friends remain in the city. Unfortunately for Charlotte's image, many of my friends still have the perception that Charlotte is a great place to raise a family, but not such a great place for young people. Many of my college friends are now in Atlanta, DC, NYC, and LA. I'm sure they'll soon learn that those places aren't necessarily all they're chalked up to be, and it would be nice to see them move to Charlotte. My long term plans are to move back within 3-5 years. Hopefully, when I return, I'll bring back knowledge that can help build Charlotte into the city I know it can be. No other city could ever be my true home.

[HopHead]

Glad you made it. The Panthers play in Seattle this season... I'm guessing you'll be there, wearing your jersey and all?

EDIT: corrected my fat fingering.

[New Name]

Can we get an honest report/comparison between LYNX Seattle's new light rail line? At your convenience of course....

[krazeeboi]

I wish you luck in your new home cltheel.sdl!

[hagetaka]

Why so far away from the urban area? That's alot of change from Charlotte city to tiny, slow, Gig Harbor. GH area, before construction of the new bridge, pure nightmare. From there, through Tacoma, trying to connect to I-5, & still headache. Bellevue is pure perfection, but the snobby attitudes. Many millionaire and some billionaires live around there, anyways, let stop before I go on and on.

[Charlotteman]

The great thing about the Puget Sound region is that there's a place for almost everyone. I lived in Seattle for three years, but found a small town in the exurbs more my liking.

[Charlotteman]

Glad you made it to the Seattle/Puget Sound area. The weather's pretty nice today eh? 65 F.

I live in Bremerton, an hour across the water from downtown Seattle. Here are some pics of the ferry loading up at the new Bremerton Transportation Center. You can see that Bremerton is a waterfront city, with the lovely Sinclair Inlet framing the scene.

Click on each pic for a better view.

[CHARtoSF]

I spent a week in Seattle back in 2006. Had a great time and went to all kinds of places in and around Seattle. Back before I moved to the Bay area from Charlotte I seriously considered moving to Seattle but the Bay area eventually won out, mainly because of a job offer I couldn't refuse. I think I still have a photo on my computer I can download.

[cltheel.sdl]

@dbull - heck yes, I'll have to be "that obnoxious Panthers fan". Can't wait!

@The Escapists - yes, I haven't tried the system out yet but I'll have to do so shortly.

@krazeeboi - Thanks!

@hagetaka - The reason I'm living so far out of the way is because I currently have to live with my gf's family, and they are rockin the suburbs. I can't wait to get in the thick of the action closer to DT Seattle though soon! The traffic is a nightmare coming from I-5 onto 16, and around here evidently people are paranoid of the cops because no one seems to speed at all. The traffic is massive, but not so much scary.

@Charlotteman - Yes, the weather is definitely more comfortable today, although the 96 with little humidity we had the other day wasn't too bad for me considering I just got out here from the steamy south. I hope I don't get depressed from the overcast skies. My gf's dad moors his sailboat in Port Orchard, and we took it out by the Bremerton Naval Shipyard the other day. If you get too close to the vessels, the police blare their sirens at you. I was waiting for a warning shot over the bow, but it never came.

@CHARtoSF - Seattle and SF seem somewhat similar, with the hills, water, and fog...it has become evident to me though that Seattle has somewhat of an inferiority complex when people compare it to SF. It's what they want it to eventually be, I suppose.

[tozmervo]

An inferiority complex? Gee, I can't think of any other cities that suffer from something like that

[cltheel.sdl]

So, in case anyone cares, I got a job in downtown Seattle and will hopefully be moving closer to downtown very soon. Right now I'm living in Gig Harbor, which is about a one-way hour commute by car, so I'm really itching to get closer in. I'm hoping to live in a close in neighborhood that is about 20 minutes by bus to my workplace. I've been looking at Magnolia (which I could compare to an Elizabeth with hills), Queen Anne (similar to Magnolia), and Fremont (which I could compare to Plaza Midwood). My favorite of the 3 is Fremont, but rents are highest there, followed by Queen Anne, so there is a good chance I'll be in Magnolia.

Magnolia

Queen Anne

Fremont

[DigitalSky]

Really love Seattle- those are all nice neighborhoods!

[nmcheese]

Magnolia is a very nice neighborhood and being near Discovery Park would be great, but bus service to downtown can be slow.

Queen Anne has a few more routes, or the lower part of the hill is even an easy bike ride away from downtown.

Fremont is interesting, but yes, expensive for where it is.

Check First Hill up near the hospitals as well - many affordable apartments, quick walk to downtown.