[Moderately Lethal]

My last visit to Seattle, Washington took place in 2015. Needless to say, lot of things have changed in the world since 2015.
I like the mild, temperate climate. (Visited in two seasons). The people were mostly polite. (The "Seattle freeze" simply meant people left you to your business .)
Seattle also gave access to the beautiful nature (mountains and temperate forests) -that Washington state offered.
While Seattle had a visible drug problem and some other social problems at the time - these were nowhere near as bad as other US cites of the same size. There were plenty of normal people in the suburbs of the Seattle metro area. The dating scene (which meant looking for a future wife and the chance of actually finding her) was pretty decent at the time.
Overall the Seattle metro area was a great place to live for a metro area of that size as of 2015.

Fast-forward 10 years -it seems that it is mostly come out of Seattle, WA.

Is anyone on the ground in 2025?

 

[Moderately Lethal]

My last visit to Seattle, Washington took place in 2015. Needless to say, lot of things have changed in the world since 2015.
I like the mild, temperate climate. (Visited in two seasons). The people were mostly polite. (The "Seattle freeze" simply meant people left you to your business .)
Seattle also gave access to the beautiful nature (mountains and temperate forests) -that Washington state offered.
While Seattle had a visible drug problem and some other social problems at the time - these were nowhere near as bad as other US cites of the same size. There were plenty of normal people in the suburbs of the Seattle metro area. The dating scene (which meant looking for a future wife and the chance of actually finding her) was pretty decent at the time.
Overall the Seattle metro area was a great place to live for a metro area of that size as of 2015.

Fast-forward 10 years -it seems that it is mostly come out of Seattle, WA.

Is anyone on the ground in 2025?

The penultimate paragraph meant to say: "It's mostly bad news come come out of that city these days."

 

[Douglas Quaid]

I lived in Seattle during 2019-2020. The scenery is indeed incredible. Very green surrounded by water, mountains and probably the most beautiful city in the US. I actually loved the rain as well. I got along well with the people that actually grew up there and/or weren't insane leftists. No state income tax is also great.

Having said all that, I would not want to live there. The politics are some of the worst in the US. It will make even some of the Eastern US Democrats seem more normal. Homeless, drugs and filth everywhere. Crime was getting especially bad around downtown at that time. The cost of rent, houses and living in general is insane. A lot of the people are strange and hard to get along with. The traffic and drivers are terrible. It's a city full of chaos and stress, when it doesn't need to be that way. And you can tell that it used to be really nice, which makes it even more frustrating.

The Seattle suburbs are better, but I'd try to go even farther away like Kitsap County, Mt. Vernon, Anacortes, Port Angeles, Oak Harbor, etc.

For Washington and Oregon, east of the Cascades is generally much better. That's where I ended up. There's less women, but they're usually more religious and better than in Seattle or Portland.

 

[TruckDriver9]

I lived in Seattle during 2019-2020. The scenery is indeed incredible. Very green surrounded by water, mountains and probably the most beautiful city in the US. I actually loved the rain as well. I got along well with the people that actually grew up there and/or weren't insane leftists. No state income tax is also great.

Having said all that, I would not want to live there. The politics are some of the worst in the US. It will make even some of the Eastern US Democrats seem more normal. Homeless, drugs and filth everywhere. Crime was getting especially bad around downtown at that time. The cost of rent, houses and living in general is insane. A lot of the people are strange and hard to get along with. The traffic and drivers are terrible. It's a city full of chaos and stress, when it doesn't need to be that way. And you can tell that it used to be really nice, which makes it even more frustrating.

The Seattle suburbs are better, but I'd try to go even farther away like Kitsap County, Mt. Vernon, Anacortes, Port Angeles, Oak Harbor, etc.

For Washington and Oregon, east of the Cascades is generally much better. That's where I ended up. There's less women, but they're usually more religious and better than in Seattle or Portland.

Could You give me a low-down on the Washington State islands?
Thinking about extended vacations, not relocation.

 

[Laner]

Could You give me a low-down on the Washington State islands?
Thinking about extended vacations, not relocation.

I like Orcas the best, but San Juan is pretty nice as well. Whidbey has some cool things for the family and especially do the Ft Eby night tour if you have kids. I am a fan of Pt Townsend and the whole Olympic peninsula, and some of the most beautiful and wild coast in the world.

 

[Douglas Quaid]

Could You give me a low-down on the Washington State islands?
Thinking about extended vacations, not relocation.

I've only been to San Island. I took the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor and it was incredible. I highly recommend taking a ride on Washington State Ferries if you like boats. You can also fly into Friday Harbor. But all the islands are worth a visit and great in their own way. Friday Harbor is a really nice town.

That whole area of Northwest Washington is well worth a visit. The islands, Anacortes, Bellingham, Mt. Baker/North Cascades, etc.

 

[TruckDriver9]

I like Orcas the best, but San Juan is pretty nice as well. Whidbey has some cool things for the family and especially do the Ft Eby night tour if you have kids. I am a fan of Pt Townsend and the whole Olympic peninsula, and some of the most beautiful and wild coast in the world.

I've only been to San Island. I took the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor and it was incredible. I highly recommend taking a ride on Washington State Ferries if you like boats. You can also fly into Friday Harbor. But all the islands are worth a visit and great in their own way. Friday Harbor is a really nice town.

That whole area of Northwest Washington is well worth a visit. The islands, Anacortes, Bellingham, Mt. Baker/North Cascades, etc.

The amazing nature I now about, and it calls. But what about the locals ?
You see, I got myself a sailboat couple of years ago, and I've been exploring the coastal regions each summer ever since. Islands of Maine were great, but got badly disappointed with Massachusetts: enjoyed the islands, but the people not so much - too snobbish.

 

[Douglas Quaid]

The locals won't be as weird as Seattle, or as snobbish as Massachusetts. Most of Western Washington is very left-wing however, and it starts to seep into conversations.

The Pacific Northwest (west of the Cascades) does have some weird people, but you can also meet really nice people. Really hit or miss, at least in my experience. I actually worked at a marina in Seattle and thought the Washington boating community was pretty nice.

 

[Laner]

The amazing nature I now about, and it calls. But what about the locals ?
You see, I got myself a sailboat couple of years ago, and I've been exploring the coastal regions each summer ever since. Islands of Maine were great, but got badly disappointed with Massachusetts: enjoyed the islands, but the people not so much - too snobbish.

The people on a superficial level are pretty great. They are 2x as friendly as Canadians, and much more 'happy' on a base level. I know this changes when you are trying to get beyond this, and this is what people call the "Seattle Freeze". It's more that people here are pretty private and like to be separated by big trees and non deep relationships.

As for sailing, I can't tell you much. I know some people who are into it, and I know on the Canadian side that our harbours are very popular with Americans in the summer. Canadian boaters like to moan about wealth disparity, but I think this is just a cope to the reality that even blue collar Americans can afford nice things where in Canada this recreation is limited to the very wealthy.

This is also hippy country, and as crazy as it sounds I appreciate those old coots a hell of alot more than their replacements of 'progressive everything' types. You tend to meet these people around the high real estate towns where they cashed out of the city and parachuted into some quant harbour town to lord over the locals.

 

[Maddox]

I remember visiting a friend up there in the 90s. The women were surprisingly attractive, the scenery was beautiful, and the weather was fantastic during the summer. Had thoughts of moving up there for a while, but I'd never do it now.