Relocation - DC to Seattle
 

Hey there, <BR> <BR>I am a 27 year old gay male seriously considering relocating from DC to Seattle. Would love any advice people could offer..ie: how would cost of living compare, can you really live in Seattle without a car, would an East Coast boy used to the club scene in Boston, DC and New York be happy with the gay scene in Seattle. Finally, how easy is it to find a researcher/paralegal kind of job in Seattle <BR> <BR>Thank you!

Seattle does not match the East Coast are far as gay life IMHO

Thanks for your opinion on the Seattle gay scene. Anyone else have any advice for an East Coaster on moving to WA?

I was born in Jersey, but have lived just outside of Seattle for 20 years. I have several gay acquaintences and employees who tell me that part of Seattle are very gay-friendly, particularly the Capitol Hill area. Certainly there are lots of clubs and night life on Capitol Hill. Cost of living is probably a little higher than DC, mostly because of higher real estate values. You can get around the city without a car, but Seattle's bus system is not in the same league with DC's Metro.

I live in DC but don't know much about Seattle, but this doesn't sound like a great move to me unless you really, really love the outdoors or something since you characterized yourself as East Coast/clublover, etc. What are you looking for and why does Seattle appeal to you? Anyway, my advice from many moves and living in several big cities is that in comparing cost of living, there are really only a few major things you need to look into: income/property taxes, car insurance (NA for you), and rent/home prices. Other things (food, clothes, any purchased good, utilities, etc) really don't vary that much across the country, not enough to affect your decision. So from online sites or acquaintances you might be able to get a fix on those; the taxes are factual, you can find those out yourself with some research. Someone said they thought Seattle real estate was higher cost, but I don't know why that would be--DC has a very expensive real estate market and rents here are too high for the income level and costs IMO (I moved here from Los Angeles, and the rents in DC are worse than there, which makes no sense given the cost of pricey real estate in LA; I think it's because there is less land mass here so less supply). Here is one URL I know, there are others for relocation comparison info: www.homefair.com. Jobwise, there are tons of online resume/job sites, including those geared directly at specific professions, so you've got a lot of research you can do there, also. As for the gay life, I would think that online gay-oriented forums and sites etc would have much better advice on that topic than here. Here are a couple for that geographic area: www.gayseattle.com and ww.sgn.org (Seattle Gay News)

Thanks for the responses. Basically I am have never lived on the West Coast and am looking for a new experience. Seattle appeals to me because of its size, natural beauty and its reputation as a politically progressive city. Not necessarily looking for clubs like in DC or NY...just trying to figure out what kind of a cultural, cosmopolitan atmosphere does exist. Anyone out there who has made the move from the NE to Seattle and has any advice? thanks