Traffic here can get bad on the main highways, but it really is not all that bad. Of course I-5 and 405 are going to be a little slow during rush hour, but it seems to clear up pretty quick. I think Seattle (and the surrounding areas) is a great place to live if you dont mind some rain. I dont know what that dbag is talking about, but most of the people here in WA are pretty chill. Of course we have the usually *******s and a few more rednecks, but for the most part its pretty chill. Oh, and if you like autoX, there is usually an event held every weekend in the spring/summer. I look forward to meeting you in the coming months!




I lived in Kent all my life (until just recently) and yeah it is really ghetto.

If you got something to say to me, stop being a ***** and stop beating around the bush

 

Thanks Westsidebilly, I didn't even think to check out Craigslist. I've never actually used Craigslist for anything before.

I hope this thread hasn't stirred up some kind of underlying northside vs southside Seattle tension. Forum comments sometimes get blown out of proportion so lets keep cool guys. Again thanks to everyone for posting up replies so far. No place is perfect so I'm not too surprised to hear differing opinions about Seattle. I'll eventually make up my own mind about the area once I've lived there. I'm sure there are people here in Oklahoma that love it as much as I despise it.

 

No worries - Jake agrees that Kent (South) is the ghetto!

WSB is right, South of Seattle commuting North sucks - both major interstates (5 and 405) are jacked to the South. Also, living South of EVT and heading N in the morning and S in the evening is a pretty nice commute actually (at least it was years ago when I did it). Of course, you'll always find people heading to the city in the evening, but there are multiple routes if necessary.

So do you work for Boeing, or one of the many Vendors that work with Boeing and getting relocated?

 

Bet you its Boeing. Everyone here works at Boeing..... if you're not in the process of getting laid off that is. LOL.

 

Sorry, close but no winners on the job pool. I recently got out of the Air Force so I'm moving to Seattle for a fresh start. I am an aeronautical engineer but I haven't decided if I'm going to stick with the aerospace industry yet. I just want to get settled into the area first then see what opportunities I can find. Positioning myself in striking distance of Everett is the safety net so to speak. I don't care to live in any of the places I've already been so by process of elimination, Seattle became the leading candidate.

 

Boeing (and by association, their suppliers) is not going to be hiring any time soon - just a fair warning.

 

I live in the northgate seattle area and my drive to george town seattle area in the morning is good because I take the express lanes and exit into 4th ave or highway 99. I use highway 99 to back north after 5. Where do you plan on applying to for engineering jobs. I'm a mechanical engineering student out here.

 

Seattle area has been known as cold and unfriendly in comparison to most parts of the country forever.

westside's got it right. you don't want to head towards bellevue in the morning or be headed to seattle from the north or the south. If a Realtor tells you otherwise, ditch them.

 

If you have to fall back on Boeing, you're going to be waiting about 2 years, unless we manage to land the tanker contract. If we don't, end of winter marks the start of an 18 month downturn.

 

Hi autoxer_minh,

Welcome to the northwest. I'll tell you my experience. I work for Boeing. When I first moved out here they told me that I would be working at both the Renton and Everett sites and so to pick a place to live accordingly. Naturally that will lead you to Seattle (I didn't want to be that urban). So then I looked at Bellevue/Kirkland/Redmond area. That area was really nice, but to expensive for me. So I went north. I ended up getting my first place in Bothell (canyon park area). When I started they had me going to Renton which end up sucking majorly. I ended up spending hours on the road a day because I was going the same direction as everyone else. (keep in mind I could have just gone to work earlier and avoided the traffic, but i am not really a morning person) fortunately I was soon shifted to the Everett site and that commute was sweet 25 minutes maybe faster . I moved over to the other corridor to lynnwood a little over a year ago and commute is still pretty good (15-20 minutes). Basically you need to pick your location based on what you like. If you really like having a bigger place, but don't want to pay too much, then you will need to be north or east of seattle. Some people would rather have a really nice place and spend more time on their commute. Others really like the urban lifestyle and are willing to pay for it with the higher housing costs. Traffic north of seattle is worse going south in the AM and worse going north in the PM. hope that helps a little...

 

Before moving here, I thought the Seattle chill referred to the weather.

 

I'm starting to get the feeling you guys don't really want me up there j/k I think what most people consider unfriendly is really just culture shock/differences. People are different everywhere and it just takes time to figure out all the local nuances. If you are easily offended, then it makes it harder to integrate into a new place. I don't have a problem with new places or new people. I'm antisocial anyways so it doesn't matter, heh.

I realize with the current state of the economy that I've probably chosen the absolute worst time to jump into "the real world" and start something new. I have a crappy sense of timing but things seem to have a way of working out. Although don't be too surprised if I start hitting you guys up for a job as a chaffeur. Driving a manual in stop and go traffic can be a PITA so I'm willing to offer my services! It's that or go back to working for Da Man as a civil servant.

 

I haven't really thought that part out yet. From the limited searches I've done on various job sites, it appears that there are some engineering jobs running the full gamut of experiences levels available in the area. Aerotek (a staffing agency) pops up a lot I've noticed. Anyone had any experiences with them? I do have my MS so I've been considering getting some teaching experience also. There are a ton of community colleges in the area. That would at least help support my Evo addicition until I find something full time.

Are you a student at UW? How far along in school are you? If the economy doesn't turn around soon enough, you might want to look at grad school.

 

Seattle residents as a group are not particularly open or friendly to people they don't know. I don't know why, but it's definitely noticeable. Some of it is the geek culture; the level of introversion is higher than most places I've been to. Saying hello to strangers will get you odd looks. It's not a bad thing per se, but it is different.

If you're antisocial you'll fit right in.

 

HAHAHAHA Nice!