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Seattle, WA?

snakesqzns said:
Having lived in both DC and Baltimore, Seattle's "ghettos" seem like great places to picnic.

In Baltimore there are areas so bad the cops won't go, instead opting to install 30-foot poles with blue strobe lights on the top to serve no other purpose but to warn people to run away. Basically the modern equivalent of skull-covered Amazonian witch doctor totems. Clearly Baltimore's "Believe" program hasn't worked. Who would have a thought they couldn't improve things through willpower alone? Huh...

DC's crime is so bad the police force has given up their friendly-neighborhood-beat-cop approach and begun heavily recruiting Marines just returning from war. I lived in NW DC last year in what's considered a nice area. Just on our block of about 20 homes we had three stabbings, two shootouts, and two burglaries in a *single month*. If this sounds like your cup of tea you too can buy a *crappy* rowhome for only $600k. For the $6,000 you pay in property taxes, you're kids will enjoy a 2 out of 10 public school. If you commute by foot, bus, or metro be sure to leave your Macbook at home and hide the iPhones! Those white earbuds are basically screaming "HELLO I WANT TO BE STABBED!". DC Metro just sent out an alert last week warning of a recent rise in iPhone/iPod thefts on the trains. Apparently the latest pastime for DC youths is to push people over, grab their gadgets, and jump off the train just as the train doors are closing. Awesome!

Racial tensions are also insane here. I can't tell you how many times people have screamed "white bitch!" or "white devil!" at my wife while she was walking down the street, or shopping at the grocery store, or sitting on her own front porch. If fact, just last week someone came pounding on our door, demanded that she buy a magazine subscription ("It only $20!") and finally told her she was "another stuck up white bitch like her neighbor".

Needless to say we love it here! 😱
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It seems like you've already made up your mind about moving, but why not look into moving out of the city and into Montgomery County? I'll admit the school systems in DC are horrible, but Montgomery County has one of the best school systems in the nation. Crime is not as much of a problem as it is in downtown DC, and I haven't had any of the issues you've had here. Then again, I haven't experienced any of the problems you have in NW DC either or having things stolen on the Metro. To each his own I guess...
 
On the gun law issue Seattle's mayor has enacted stricter Gun policies for the city than Washington's constitution allows throughout the state, county judges have attempted to nullify this policy, but federal judges sided with the mayors more restrictive policies on the matter.
 
I have lived in the Seattle area for 21 year, and have to say I really like it. I spent 8 years going between Seattle and Flint/Detroit, so I know the drawbacks of other areas.

I would recommend that unless you are comfortable living in the downtown area, that you think of one of the outlying communities that has a lower cost of ownership, or at the very least allows you to relax when you are not working.

I for one live on Whidbey Island, about 30 miles North of downtown. Which I find to be a nice relaxing place, with good schools, and a strong sense of community. Since you would be working downtown, it would be a hassle (and a bit expensive) to drive to work everyday, so commuting via Bus or Train would be the best option.

Regardless, I would recommend avoiding the Eastside communities, as the commute to Seattle from east of Lake Washington is iffy at best. I would also avoid living anywhere near Boeing Field or Sea-Tac as both locations are high crime areas. That being said, I would recommend not living too far from the city, unless you are going to live near mass transit, also to deal with the commute.

You should find it enjoyable, and if you ever need a place to get away, you are only 90-120 minutes from the ocean, 60 from the slopes, 3 hours from Vancouver, 5 from Portland, and there are myriad islands, like Whidbey, to waste a weekend having fun.
 
TEG said:
I have lived in the Seattle area for 21 year, and have to say I really like it. I spent 8 years going between Seattle and Flint/Detroit, so I know the drawbacks of other areas.

I would recommend that unless you are comfortable living in the downtown area, that you think of one of the outlying communities that has a lower cost of ownership, or at the very least allows you to relax when you are not working.

I for one live on Whidbey Island, about 30 miles North of downtown. Which I find to be a nice relaxing place, with good schools, and a strong sense of community. Since you would be working downtown, it would be a hassle (and a bit expensive) to drive to work everyday, so commuting via Bus or Train would be the best option.

Regardless, I would recommend avoiding the Eastside communities, as the commute to Seattle from east of Lake Washington is iffy at best. I would also avoid living anywhere near Boeing Field or Sea-Tac as both locations are high crime areas. That being said, I would recommend not living too far from the city, unless you are going to live near mass transit, also to deal with the commute.

You should find it enjoyable, and if you ever need a place to get away, you are only 90-120 minutes from the ocean, 60 from the slopes, 3 hours from Vancouver, 5 from Portland, and there are myriad islands, like Whidbey, to waste a weekend having fun.
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You guys ever catch that kid who's been stealing airplanes yet? LOL
 
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