Midwesterner moving to Seattle
 

I am moving myself and my family to Seattle next month. Currently, we live in Ohio. I've lived in several states throughout my life, but always in the midwest.

We are excited about the move and looking forward to new adventures. Having said that, I'm wondering if there are others out there who have made this transition and how it went for them. This move is a little overwhelming. The west coast is a whole other world!

Thanks!
Mel

First of all, be prepared to be shocked by the high prices of housing and the terrible traffic. Where in Seattle are you moving to - and where is your work? Depending on how you answer those questions, you may have a pretty long commute - evenif they are not too far from each other.

Other than those 2 drawbacks you'll probably like it here. You will find the winters to be virtually non-existant by your standards. Though the outlying areas my get snow a bit more often, in the Seattle area itself, we only get the white stuff once or twice a year for a day or two each (if that). Some years we don't get any at all. Nighttime winter lows are usually above freezing. We tend to get a lot of cloudy, overcast days in the wintertime with light rain or drizzle.

Summers tend to be almost rain-free (I kind of miss midwest thunderstorms) with highs in the mid-upper 70's (typically) or low 80's (from time to time). This year it's been pretty warm. Humidity in the summer is usually pretty low so sleeping at night is mostly very comfortable. Once and a while we get a very cool summer, but mostly the summers are pretty nice indeed. Very nice and gentle climate overall. Usually doesn't get too and rarely gets very cold.

If you like the outdoors, there's lots and lots to do. Our scenery is spectacular and I'm of the opinion that on a nice summer day, there is not more beautiful part of the country.

Ken

Thanks, Ken. You're absolutely correct regarding the housing prices!

I'm hoping that the whole family will become more outdoor-oriented as that seems to be a big draw there. We're definitely looking forward to milder winters and summers.

You'll know your transition to the Northwest is complete when you start wishing for rain when it gets real hot and sunny.
We moved to the NW from the east coast years ago and I can't imagine living anywhere else.
Just be sure to pick a neighborhood that fits with your family's lifestyle. People are wonderful everywhere.

Orcas - So glad to hear that you've adjusted so well.
You're right about the neighborhood. We have spent a good deal of time narrowing that down and now just have to find the right house!
Thanks ~ Mel

I moved here 18 years ago from Charleston, South Carolina and have never entertained thoughts of going back. The only thing I still miss is southern cooking.

Most of the time, I love the weather here. It doesn't rain nearly as much as is rumored and extreme weather is rare. I'm not fond of July and August, but you'll probably love it. The only reason I don't is because I actually live 15 miles east of Seattle and it's usually about 10 degrees warmer than the official Sea-Tac temps. It's gets hotter the farther south or east one is away from the city. 75 in Seattle? 85 by my place. My neighborhood gets several 90+ degree days in the summer and a few 100+. However, since Sea-Tac airport is where the official Seattle temps are recorded and it's much cooler there, people who live closer in to Seattle don't experience temps above 80 often. However, I love my neighborhood and suffering a couple of months out of the year isn't enough to make me move. I still may buy that summer home in Anchorage though. :)

Outside of that and our ever inflating sales tax, I have no complaints about this area. The natural beauty is still breathtaking after nearly two decades here. I was over in Seattle Saturday and coming back home over Lake Washington on the floating bridge under a gorgeous blue sky seeing the lakes, trees, and snowcapped mountains was the highlight of my day.

No regrets whatsoever here.

BTW, I just wanted to second what Lord Balfor said about traffic. It's horrid. Several of Seattle's suburbs are home to major employment centers, so the city to suburb commute has become a little worse than the suburb to city one. Even suburb to suburb is extremely slow. Most people have simply chosen to live far away from their jobs.

Currently, I live in Redmond which is home to Microsoft, Nintendo, AT&T Wireless, Safeco, and Eddie Bauer and because of that, the workday population is actually double the population of the city. Fortunately for me, I only live 5 miles from my job and I commute outside of traditional rush hours.

Kostrama,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. When I have visited Seattle, I have often wondered when I would take for granted the beauty of the area. It seems that after 20 years you don't take it for granted, so surely I have years of enjoyment ahead of me!

We, too, will settle east of the city. It was interesting to learn about the difference in temperature. Does that work the same way in the winter? Is it warmer or cooler then?

Thanks, again.
Mel

In winter, it does tend to be a little colder in the suburbs, but the temp difference is not usually as extreme in cooler weather. 45 in Seattle usually means 41 or 42 on the Eastside and that's usually the coldest that it gets around here in winter, unless there's a cold front moving through. We only get a bad snowstorm about once every 5 years or so, but by midwest standards, even those are no big deal.

Winter mornings can be frigid (20's and 30's) on both sides of the lake, particularly when it's clear, but unless that aforementioned front moves in, it warms up pretty quickly.

Winter is also the wet season in Seattle. Even so, it's not that bad. I don't own a car, so I'm out in the weather almost every day of the year and hardly ever use my umbrella. I only use it when it rains hard, but Seattle rain is usually soft and misty, so I rarely have to bother.

With the exception of Cali, the south, and the southwest, the western halves Washington and Oregon have the mildest winter weather in the continental US.

melh

The water moderates, so the farther from the water, generally, the more extreme the temperature. Further complicating things, elevation has a lot more to do with winter conditions in the NW than exact location. Hence, in the winter, the weather always reports the "freezing level," or the "snow level," eg
"And the snow level today will be 400 feet". This means it will only snow above that elevation.
If you are moving east of L. Sammamish, to the Plateau, you will likely be in for a bit more snow than those who live lower in the valleys or closer to the City, which is more moderated by the water.
Moreso than in the east, we live in our own little microclimates here, within a general weather system.

Mel:

I am so happy for you! I too am in Ohio (Cincinnati) and recently made the decision to get the hell out of here (I am not a native Ohioan, and never really did find my "comfort zone" in Cincinnati). Anyway, I have resolved to move no later than May 1, 2005 and I have narrowed down my moving destination to one of three locations: Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, ME. I have yet to get to Portland, but I have recently took scouting trips to Seattle and San Francisco.

You are right about Seattle being a whole other world in so many ways. Geographically, it looks nothing like Ohio. On my drive in to the city from SEA-TAC, I was struck by how mountainous the area is, the number of evergreen trees and, of course, Mt. McKinley. And of course, Seattle sits on the water (Cincinnati does too, though the Ohio River isn't quite the same as being on the Pacific Ocean).

Politically and culturally, Seattle and (most of) Ohio are very different as well. My city, Cincinnati, is quite Conservative whereas Seattle is rather liberal (I'm a democrat, so this appeals to me). I think I read somewhere that it is the third or fourth most liberal city in America. I was there the week that Fahrenheit 911 came out, and it was neat to see some of the demonstrations outside the movie theatre downtown.

I would love to keep in touch with you. I'd like to know if you would consider writing down my email address ([email protected]) and maybe we can correspond for awhile.

Yes, we do have microclimates here, and as the others have mentioned it really varies depending on elevation and how close you are to the water. Seattle itself is milder than the eastside of the lake. When me moved from Bellevue to Seattle (near Sea-Tac) I noticed it pretty quickly. Here at my house it's not unusual to have snapdragons and other annuals actually winter over - sometimes even blooming (though pathetically) throughout the winter months. Of course every few years we do get a pretty good cold snap with nighttime temps dropping into the low 20's or so - but that's not the norm. On the eastside annuals wintering over is not so common unless you are very close to Lake Washington.

Also, north of Seattle in the Lynnwood/Everett area they get lots more rain/snow because of "convergence zone" where winds coming around the Olympics colide - resulting in rather unstable weather conditions when other parts of the metro area are sunny and dry.

Pretty interesting weather picture here. The combination of mountains and sea drives the weather forecasters nuts I think.

Ken

Starbuck -

That's Mt Rainier, not Mt. McKinley (which is in Alaska). You'd need some pretty darned good eyes to see that from here.

K

:)

We just moved away from the Seattle area down to Portland...and all this talk really has me missing it even more! We lived in that convergence zone...it was actually pretty fun because we would get snow and such when other areas didn't.

Melh--We have lived all over the country (due to military) and we were overjoyed when we finally got back home to the PNW. It is an amazing place and we hope to never leave it again! We lived in the Everett/MillCreek/Snohomish area which we loved so if that is an area you are looking at and have questions, just ask. My inlaws are still there and I doubt they will ever move away.

Good point about the microclimates. I wanted to explain that, but couldn't find the right words.

I live in a valley that's a mile away from the nearest large body of water, so that's why the weather can be so magnified in my little corner of the world.

In perspective, though I whine about it, I'm only really uncomfortable a couple of months out of the year. Other places get hotter sooner and stay hotter longer. The older I get, the less tolerance that I have for heat. 75 is my threshold. I remember when I first moved from Charleston and thought that 75 degrees in the summer was cold.....

ttt

Moving day is almost here.
Anyone else?