Hoping to relocate to Seattle: Need some advice from the locals

[peaceblossom]

I currently live in Maryland and I wish to move to Seattle. Honestly, I need to change my surroundings and get a fresh start, meet new people, and not feel confined by my family. So here's the thing: How in creation do I move to the west coast!?! I was wondering if anyone here has ever moved across the country or even moved to another state? I have my son to plan for (2 years old) and I have myself. I'm reapplying for school and I chose University of Seattle and 2 local area technical schools because I want to expand my resume. Someone help, please. How do I start this process?


(this was previously posted in the "Christian Advice" thread because I didn't know where this should be posted)

What I want to know is, what's the area like? How are social scenes (christian mind you)? And what might I expect about life there? (The last question might be a stretch)

 

[peaceblossom]

Will someone please help me out?

 

[Key Peninsula Redneck]

I'll try.

What I want to know is, what's the area like?

Well, there is a lot of traffic congestion, the weather is mild, and there is a coffee stand on almost every street corner.

And what might I expect about life there?

I dunno about Seattle. i'm just a hick from the Key Peninsula. Except these factoids of course. Expect high gas prices and high sales tax. We pay almost 9% now.

 

[timusic76]

I don't live in seattle but have been there a few times and have friends living there. Its weather is similar to my home in upstate California. They get lots of rain in the winter, some snow sometimes and have nice mild summers. I love it there in the summer. The cost of living is higher than the average but it's also a beautiful area with lots of trees, hills (steep hills in the city), and lots of great scenery.

 

[2001MustangGT]

I was born in Seattle. I got family up there. Ive spent lots of time up there. Maybe I can give you some advice.

Washington is one of the least religious states first of all. That doesnt sound too good for you unfortunately.

Washington people are very liberal and progressive. There is a smaller percentage of conservatives in Washington than compared to the rest of the country. Especially in Seattle.

Bring lots of warm clothing and rain gear. Buy a Subaru for driving safety in the rain (everyone drives Subarus up there because of the all wheel drive).

The social scenes depend on what age you are. Since you are 25, you should expect to go to clubs or bars to find the parties. Seattle has a good music scene going on so if you get the local paper and look to find some musical performances then you will get plugged in to the social crowd pretty quick. If you dont like that type of crowd then I would suggest going to church services to meet people but be warned the younger people are less religious than the older people in Seattle.



Also a good place to meet people is at the Space Needle site. Families and friends hang out there a lot because of the shops and entertainment going on there. Its some type of plaza but I forget the name. Just ask around how to get to the space needle.

The colleges and campuses up there are very liberal and artsy. The younger crowd especially is full of trendy hippy liberal types.

Hope that helps!

 

[chackmann]

I moved to Seattle (to be specific, Redmond -- a suburb east of Seattle) about 2 1/2 years ago from St Louis. I didn't think it to be a hard move, but I did have many of the details taken care of by the company I work for now. Apartments are the norm here, and I thought they were pricey compared to the Midwest. It takes a long time to move things ground -- the limited stuff I had moved took a little over a week to go across the country.

Yes the universities are typically not friendly for Christians; however, esp at the larger universities (like Univ of Washington or Seattle U) there are good Christian groups there -- I was in a similar boat attending a very secular university in St Louis and grew a lot thru InterVarsity and Campus Crusade there.

I encourage you to find a good church in Seattle, there are a few wonderful churches here (I attend an excellent non-denominational church) as this will help you get a good social group around you.

The one thing I was surprised by here was the mild weather -- I almost never use a coat and many places don't have air conditioning. Coffee shops are ubiquitous here and downtown is very much full of ppl during the day on weekends; the Space Needle and Pike Place Market are also typical places to go once you get here. There are many outdoorsy things to do (hiking, skiing, boating, etc.), and the city is 3 hrs drive from both Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, BC if you feel like day tripping.

 

[~WildRoseCowgirl~]

I know a GREAT church you can go to in Washington, unfortunatly its about and hour from Seattle. I grew up in Washington and spent a lot of time with my grandparents traveling all over washington. unfortunatly i have only been to Seattle for the airport so I can't help you much with that part.

God bless.