Moving to Seattle Area, looking for input

[bcj]

No real "Don't go there" spots around.
Lived in Ravenna for a few years. The only downside was the street and hill a block away with trucks going up all night long.
Most of the houses close in are very old and if there IS a garage, it will be scaled for a model T at best.
If the property had a coach house, it will have been changed to housing already.

Once you get here, take a lot of time to tour the area and find what appeals.
Rent until you do though. There are noisy spots even in the most upscale neighborhoods.

[kch]

Originally Posted by bcj

No real "Don't go there" spots around.

Counterpoint: White Center. I mean it's not like you'll get shot driving through, but I certainly wouldn't live there.

[bcj]

It's changing. People who used to live there are being priced out.
Homeland Security facility is right next door now.

People used to say the same about the central district.
Most of the dissing of various places is outright racism.
There was a lot of bank imposed redlining. Only allow loans for "those people" in certain areas.

A lot like Hilltop in Tacoma used to be. Not anymore.
The artisinal soapmaking snowflakes have arrived.

[kch]

Originally Posted by bcj

It's changing. People who used to live there are being priced out.
Homeland Security facility is right next door now.

People used to say the same about the central district.
Most of the dissing of various places is outright racism.

A lot like Hilltop in Tacoma used to be. Not anymore.

You may be right, but I have a friend who lives in WC whose house just got rammed by a car driven by a guy running from the police after stabbing someone.

I mean it's just one story, but

yknow


EDIT: I haven't lived here for that long, and I don't know the context around why certain neighborhoods have a bad reputation. I'm just going off my brief experience in the area.

[bcj]

Had a serial murderer hold up in a camper in the next lot over in Ravenna.
Police shootout. Bullet holes through my house (rented).
Think he went by "Hollywood" if you want to look it up in the back issues.

Yeah. Can happen nearly anywhere.

Seattle really did have a serious racist problem. A lot of the oldsters are still stuck where they were.
Chased out the Chinese, first to intern Japanese in WWII, sent a posse to Everett to kill Woblies(world wide workers union), etc...

Wild wild west innit?

[rice_classic]

The commute is going to be tough for sure. If you weren't a car person, I'd just say rent an apt next to your work location and give up on car ownership. If you have to commute try to research alternate means of travel vs a car - which leaves little option if you plant your flag on the east side.



The downside to going east is that it's expensive out there too. If you're going to take on a commute in favor a retaining car ownership and finding a lesser cost of living, then you're gonna have to head a bit south (or WAY north). I've often taken the light rail from Angle Lake (federal way) into downtown and it's super convenient. Living in Fed Way and using light rail to commute is a pretty damn good way to crack that nut - there's also the Sounder train that has major hub at Kent Station which is a cool little area. You can probably even find a house you like in Fed way, Redondo or Kent/Auburn.

[Totemo_Hayai]

You should plan on living somewhere that does not require driving into downtown even if you are a car person. Driving into downtown is not pleasant and likely costly assuming your employer does not offer free parking. If means allow, pick a place in South Lake Union where you can walk to work. Otherwise, Capitol Hill, the East Slope of Queen Anne (off of Dexter), and Eastlake offer short commutes by bus or bike. If the place you choose to live does not offer parking at a reasonable rate you can keep your car and work on it here: https://theshopclubs.com/

[jkr]

as a transplant as well with an fr-s, having a car here is a big trade off. basically comes down to how much you value your freedom.

with regards to driving here, traffic isn't as bad as any other major city... and definitely not as bad as places like LA. the major issue is the city has unofficially declared war on cars; there's dedicated bus only streets and lanes through downtown which makes traffic downtown annoying.

hills are fine, just with the car being so low you'll have to creep up so you can see. lots of unprotected intersections.

the car is pretty fun in the rain though.

[jkr]

Originally Posted by lantsalot

What neighborhoods do you recommend? I'm most likely going to be in queen anne / lower queen anne for the first 6 months or so, but I will be looking at where to buy a home after that. My ideal location is east (bothell, kirkland, etc) but I'll be commuting to South Lake Union until Amazon moves their offices into Bellevue and I've heard that the commute will be balls...

speaking from experience shelling out 250 bucks for parking in downtown bellevue is way more balls.

I would look at the light rail planned stops and base your home buying decision on that. Once we get a bart-like system in it's going to be pretty nice.

[Djratrap]

If you have to be anywhere within proximity to downtown, get a place with garage parking or a house. Seattlites don't give two sh!ts about hit and running your car, dinging your doors, etc. If you don't care too much about the physical appearance of your car, park on the street at your own risk. Try to avoid areas with homeless camps nearby, they've personally caused me some nightmares with my vehicle. Left my car,\ in a spot for 2 days and returned to some nice screwdriver holes on my fenders and tires. Don't leave anything in your car worth value. If you have to stow it, keep it in the trunk. I've lived in/near downtown for 11+ years and my car doors look like golf balls.

I HIGHLY recommend getting a front and rear dash cam with parking mode, mine has already paid for itself on multiple occasions.

I don't drive too much these days as i mostly rely on public transportation or ride/car share apps. Car2go is great, you can park the car in most spots(paid or not) and not have to pay for parking. It's also much cheaper than all the ride share apps.

Eastlake/SLU is a quiet neighborhood with low crime, but parking is tight. Cap Hill/Most of downtown, parking can be a nightmare if you don't have an assigned spot. North and South Seattle are generally quiet, but are becoming havens for the homeless.

Burien/White Center has high crime, but is gentrifying so it might not be a bad place(to invest in) if you are planning to buy a home.

The Eastside is mostly crime free, but if you work in Seattle i'd stray away from it because the commute is a nightmare.

[Seiryuu]

I don't have anything constructive to contribute in this topic but I just want to say... replace "Seattle" with "Portland" and just about everything you guys are saying still applies.



Welcome to the PNW!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

I don't have anything constructive to contribute in this topic but I just want to say... replace "Seattle" with "Portland" and just about everything you guys are saying still applies.



Welcome to the PNW!

I think you could replace Seattle with just about any largish city in the US or Canada and everything they are saying applies. The names of the areas are all that would change.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by bcj

Had a serial murderer hold up in a camper in the next lot over in Ravenna.
Police shootout. Bullet holes through my house (rented).
Think he went by "Hollywood" if you want to look it up in the back issues.

Yeah. Can happen nearly anywhere.

Seattle really did have a serious racist problem. A lot of the oldsters are still stuck where they were.
Chased out the Chinese, first to intern Japanese in WWII, sent a posse to Everett to kill Woblies(world wide workers union), etc...

Wild wild west innit?

We have 2 or 3 murders a year in our city of 500,000


But once upon a time...


What turned one city in Canada into the 'serial killer capital' of the world?


London, Ontario once suffered the highest concentration of serial killers on Earth, and 16 of 29 murder cases were never concluded


https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ontario-canada

[kch]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I think you could replace Seattle with just about any largish city in the US or Canada and everything they are saying applies. The names of the areas are all that would change.

Eh, Houston doesn't have as visible a homeless problem, probably for two reasons:

1) it's hot as balls; and
2) everything is so spread out that there's no one place where homeless congregate.

But yeah, otherwise accurate.