My wife and I are thinking about moving to Seattle in a year. We are both semi-outdoor types and both are 33 yrs. What are your impressions of the city, culture, prefrences on neighborhoods..........

Just curious, if you don't know much about the city at all then why are you thinking about moving here? And please note this message is not posted with sarcasm

I do know a good amount seattle from the viewpoint of someone who has visited numerous times and done some reading. I have lived in the city of Chicago all my life and we have decided that a larger city on the west coast is where we are destined to reside for at least a few years. Needless to say, Seattle is but one of the possible choices. I like to get as many insider views as I can.

Washington has the second highest unemployment rate in the nation.

OK, but how is Seattle's unemployment rate compared to other large cities?

With the fallout of the dotcom industry and the massive layoffs at Boeing, Seattle's unemployment rate is definitely lagging behind many of the other big cities in the nation.

Well, good thing I am a chef and my wife is a hairstylist. Finding employment has never been an issue with either of us thankfully.
Any other pros and cons???

Who likes living in Seattle and why?

I do. I love the rain and clouds.

If I were you I would try for the neighborhood that Bill Gates lives in...very nice.

Do you have kids? If so, hope you like piercings and tattoos. Also, how do feel about teenagers experimenting with heroin?

Seattle has alot to offer a young couple, don't miss the fish throwing at Pikes Market...it's hilarious.

I live in Seattle and love it, but it's not for everyone (thank goodness.) I love the big trees, mountains, lakes, hiking, environmentally aware attitude, and mild weather. Also there are many fine restaurants and the ballet, opera, and theatre are top notch. But if you need sunshine, this isn't the best place to be except maybe in August and Sept. We moved here from L.A. and I've lived in Albuquerque, San Francisco, and grew up in Ohio and like it best here, though I like the S.F. Bay area too. For me, the biggest disadvantage to living here is that it's such a long flight to Europe and I love visiting Europe. You should spend a few weeks here and see for yourself.
Good luck,
Paula

Okay, I don't live in Seattle, but we're about 20 miles east of there.

We've lived here about three years and we just love it. We don't mind the constant drizzle during the winter and spring, and the summers are just gorgeous. (We used to live in the Southeast, and we don't miss the heat and humidity at all.)

We're not outdoorsy, but there's certainly a lot of stuff to do here for those who are--mountains, rain forest, lakes, the Sound, desert-type terrain east of the Cascades, snow skiing nearby, etc.

There's a pretty good arts scene--lots of live music, some decent museums, good festivals (Bumbershoot on Labor Day weekend is astonishingly great), etc. Seattle Center (where the Space Needle and Experience Music Project are located) usually has interesting events going on year round.

Since we don't live in Seattle, I won't comment on neighborhoods other than to say that Queen Anne and Capitol Hill are pretty nice if you can afford them. If you're from Chicago, you shouldn't experience the same housing sticker-shock that we did when we moved here.

Anyway, we're really happy to be living here. Hope this helps a little...

Glad to hear such confidence in finding employment. Unemployment tends to decrease disposable income in an area, which in turn decreases visits to the hair stylist for unnecessary services (highlighting, perms, etc.) and who eats out when you're just trying to cover the mortgage on limited funds - hence, no need for chefs.

A close friend of mine owns a hair salon and day spa in Seattle and has been complaining at how many clients have moved out of the area and how the remaining clients have started to limit their luxury spa visits.

X

The guy was pulling your chain and you let him get to you. Just ignore those kind of remarks.

Seattle is as nice or un-nice a place to live as you make it, no doubt just like Chicago or any other big city. The city's advantages are well known - close to beautiful countryside with numerous recreation possibilities, mild winters and relatively cool summers, dynamic arts scene, salmon and crab, big mountains and ferry boats, tolerant if somewhat dour people, blah blah. One of the big advantages that Seattle has over other west coast cities is proximity to other wonderful cities - Portland and Vancouver each 3 hrs or less, so, unlike Chicago or LA, if you're tired of Seattle you can go someplace else interesting pretty quickly. (Sorry, Milwaukee.)

The disadvantages are undeserved smugness, relentless grey skies, very high housing prices, political correctness to make your teeth ache, inadequate and overburdened transport system, and a basketball team that is giving the Cubs a run for their money in terms of frustration. Oh, and zilch along the lines of a decent deli-with-attitude.

The regional economy has been pretty fragile lately but unlike 20 years ago it has "good bones" and will no doubt recover as fast or faster than the rest of the country.

Let me suggest that for affordability you consider (don't laugh) Tacoma. I'm doing a lot of work these days in Tacoma, and I see plenty of evidence that Tacoma today is where Seattle was 20 years ago - optimistic, affordable, committed to the arts and diversity, a strong local economy (shipping, finance) and not nearly as much a smokestack city as its reputation or history. Check it out.

I have been going to Seattle since the 70's in high school. Back then it was a big town. Now its a big city. I have noticed on recent visits it become quite a bit Californicated from all the newcomers fleeing both the Bay area and greater L.A. In some ways its similiar to San Francisco. Not quite as expensive, but its getting there. Also note: the traffic siutation is and around Seattle is not good. 3 1/2 million people now in greater Seattle, and the raod system is hopelessly clogged. Something to consider. Bus system si very good. In my opinion, Seattle needs a metro, or light rail which Portland Oregon has, a city I feel has more advantages to it than does Seattle. Just my two cents worth.

I would have to echo Johns' sentiments about Tacoma. I am in Spokane, very comparable to Tacoma in size. Mid sized city. Spokane is just about at where Seattle was at in the 60's. Very affordable housing here. Nice house for $100K or under. Little in the way of traffic. Wilderness in 20 minutes in any direction. Mountains, deserts, lakes. Generally service/medical driven economy. Not as bad off as it used to be. Four strong seasons. Snow in winter, hot dry summers.

It's a good mid-size city.

Olympia seems like a really nice place too. I haven't lived there, but it might be worth checking out.
Good luck (I like you positive attitude)

I have to agree with Tom, I think Portland is a much more livable city. Prime real estate in Portland is almost as expensive (or "spendy" as the locals say) as in Seattle, but fortunately you can go over to Vancouver, WA, or some other communities and still find reasonably priced housing. Moreover, it's easier to find rental properties in the Portland area than in Seattle. The mass transit setup is better, too.
But the job market is incredibly tight in both cities. I have friends about your age who have been unemployed for over a year. They are highly skilled, hard workers, very congenial, but the job market has just locked down. Since their layoffs, they have only been able to find temp work--they are all deeply worried about what will happen when their extended unemployment benefits run out.
As a chef, you will have plenty of competition for any openings. Ditto for hairstylists and any of the good salons will expect you to bring a solid customer base with you. Not easy for someone coming from Chicago. I don't think your wife wants to take a near minimum wage job at Supercuts or similar.
The only truly bright spot is for healthcare workers. Anyone in healthcare (especially nurses with advanced credentialing, rad techs, or pharmacists), then come on over. You'll find big welcome mats. Everybody else, VERY hard cheese. In the current Pacific NW economic climate, no one should even think of moving there without a sizable financial cushion or without a guaranteed job offer.

It is nice to see someone so honest about the economy, like the last poster. If you are employed it seems impossible that people could be unemployed for up to a year. Though it is true, it is really tough out there in Seattle/Portland and the rest of the area!

18 months of unemployment for me. I've been looking all over the western part of the U.S., but no luck so far. I'm well educated, excellent references and have been told that I interview well. But when there are up to 1,000 resumes being sent in for the same executive position, it's difficult to get noticed.