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Moving to Seattle?

Okay so, I'm in my 4th year of college, majoring in landscape architecture with an emphasis in sustainabilty, and I've begun to think where I might like to move to to start my career and my life for that matter! So as of now, my top choice is Seattle, WA! but I had a few questions about it... First off, I was born and raised in the South (lived in New Orleans until I was 10 and Atlanta since then and I currently attend UGA) what kind of culture-shock could I expect, if any? Next, which would be the best areas to live in? I'd like something inexpensive and preferably downtown, so I could walk or take public transportation to work. And also somewhere that allows pets...I have a dog, a corgi...she's small and quiet. Then how are the people and the social scene there? What are the pros and cons of living there? And would you suggest somewhere else in the country/state? and if so, where? Thanks! Also, I'm really into kayaking, whitewater and otherwise! I know Seattle is known for being very outdoorsy but would it be good for that? Where would be some prime places for that?

Public Comments

1. To start out with, it will be more liberal then what you are used to. I don't know the culture of Georgia, but Seattle is very laid back and easy going. There aren't any cheap places to live. Seattle has one of the most expensive costs of living. Depending on where you work, you can find places close that won't be to bad though. You should narrow it down and ask again. If you like kayaking, you will find it here. Lots of people actually use sea kayaks.
2. Hmmm...landscape architecture, dog owner, and you love kayaking. I can't think of a better place than Seattle for you! My folks live in Atlanta (actually Cumming) so I'm slightly familiar with the area...I would say the big differences are weather (Seattle is milder, in my opinion...summers aren't so damn humid, thunderstorms are rare, snow is rare), food (oh man, do I love BBQ in the South!), and people (Atlantans seem to be more stylish, more into the "scene", while Seattlites seem more casual and outdoor-sy, but that's just my opinion). One thing we have in common? TRAFFIC!!! Horrible, horrible traffic. And we don't have MARTA, but a new light rail from downtown to points south is opening next year. Public transportation here is very good but is almost exclusively buses, which is unfortunate because they have to compete with the 100 bazillion cars on the road every day. Still, if you're working downtown, you should try to live somewhere where you can take the bus. As far as neighborhoods to look in, all of these are close to downtown (within 5 miles) and have good bus service and are nice neighborhoods: Eastlake Ballard Fremont Wallingford Green Lake Capitol Hill First Hill (can walk to downtown) Ravenna Montlake You should have no problem finding an apt that will accept your dog...Seattle is VERY dog-friendly. You may have to pay an extra deposit, but not much. The people here are very friendly, casual, love their outdoor activities, coffee and books. I would say the worst thing about living here is that the nights are very, very long in winter...around winter solstice we'll get 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. It is pitch black out by 4:45pm. It can get a bit dreary. But, the flip side is, in the summer we have 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark! It is light out until 9:30 or 10 around the summer solstice. Seattle is a beautiful city and I would recommend it to anyone. I moved here 15 years ago from San Diego and will never go back. Best of luck to you in your decision, but I would say come on up and check it out!!
3. in not that familiar with georgia, but Seattle Gets alot of rain, but we rarely have T-storms (at the most 3-4 a year, small ones) and we get about 6" snow a year but, There are not many cheap places to live in Seattle, people are very nice in Seattle and It is a GREAT place to kayak
4. The biggest difference would be there are no major natural disasters, like Hurricanes or tornadoes here in WA. We have earthquake instead! (Yay!) but it doesn't happen so often. There are bad windstorms during the winter time, but there is no comparison to hurricane, so not to worry. It is much cooler than New Orleans or Atlanta for sure, and you'll see more gray skies during winter time. My husband's cousin's wife has the same job as yours, landscape architecture, and she works right in downtown. She lives in West Seattle and she commutes by bus. (I would say it's about 20 min.?) We all enjoy outdoors everyday, rain or shine. Yes, we do have lots of rain, but it's not so bad when the spring and summer comes and all the flowers and trees are growing like crazy since we have so much moisture during winter time. It's so lovely to see the explosion of colors here. People here are friendly, very liberal, and so conscious about being 'Neo-greenies'. (Recycling and eco-friendly stuff is very big here.) Oregon is another nice place. Very similar to WA, but more liberal, and the price of housing is lower.