Killer

iTrader: (3)

My chikke chik and I are thinking about moving up to that area and taking some realy good jobs and were wondering how it is there? Is there ever sun? from what im seeing its like 70 days of sun out of the year. Is this true?
Let me know whats up anyone that lives there. Were looking at moving and working to the bellevue area.
Whats the best area to live and raise our newborn son?

Also what are gas prices like ?

NWDragRacer

Hey Killer from CA! Welcome!

1. No, it rains everyday here. Just ask anybody who knows you're from CA.
2. All the cars here are slow. We don't have N2O in the air here like they do in Texas.
3. Bellevue sucks. $1M will only get you a 4000 sq/ft house with a pool - if you go to the crappy neighborhoods.

Seriously though....

Gas costs are through the roof. Believe it or not, we have higher taxes than most areas in CA.
Bellevue is a great place to raise kids. Stay away frome Seattle - they are so "open minded" that their brains have fallen out.

Killer

iTrader: (3)

You are kidding right?
Oh and im from texas... i just moved out here to norcal a few years ago... but houston will always be my home.. and i miss it! i will probably be moving back sometime soon in the next few years..

We both just have really great offers to move there.. so i figured the only downside would be weather no sunshine..

So it rains every day? Im kinda use to that being from houston

I just miss the big sun though since it only rained for a few hours or drive a few blocks and then its sunny.

So wheres a good place to live thats reasonably priced? Our jobs are in bellevue so i figured work and live in the same place.

NWDragRacer

Sorry Killer, I should have included the

I'm pretty sure you don't understand our version of "rains everyday". I'm talking about grey, cold and drizzle ALL day - sometimes for months. Really!

Having said that, you cannot imagine how nice a "nice day" can be. I've had worse sex.

Plenty of places to live that are nice. Bellevue is just considered the "high rent" district.

LS1>*

iTrader: (5)

I believe we hold the record for most days in a row with rain and I also believe it rains here on more days annually than anywhere else in the country...........Some places have more rain in inches but we have it happen more often............

Our summers are nice and comfortable..........We see a good amount of 70/80 degree weather and a handful of 90+ days..........There are other sunny days or non rain days as well........

I paid $3.40 per gallon today for 92 octane premium gas today.........

Bellevue isn't bad but it is expensive........
Stay out of Seattle........

I'd recommend Mt Vernon or somewhere north of Bellevue to live and just commute

CranMaro99

iTrader: (10)

New York and many other places get way more rain than we do. It is just the marine air we get makes it seem like it rains all the time, which, in comparison to other wet cities, it doesn't.

Summers rock here though

Killer

iTrader: (3)

Thanks guys for all the feedback already!

So if you guys were moving from another place like say Marin/northern california... would you still move to the settle /bellevue area?

Thats the question really... cause the job offer I have on the table is soo kick *** its almost a done deal... but i'm afraid the bad will out weigh the good job.

crazylane

iTrader: (19)

Do you like the outdoors, Cause if you do, then its pretty nice up here. I From Az, so it is drastic difference, but I love it up here more than Az. Theres alot to do up here, good food, good beer, three race tracks within a couple hours from you as well. If the job offer is as good as you say it is, then I think you should take it.... just my .02

NW94Z

Everyone's tastes are different and everyone themselves are different so it's hard to speak as to what you may or may not like. Personally if I were you I would never consider living here. If you truly do love the sun this place will make you sick with misery. It certainly does rain much more in other places around the US but for the record WA has fewer days of sunshine than any place in the US. The 5 inches of rain that will fall in Florida in 2 hours will fall in Western Washington for 2 weeks. You get the idea. Yes there is sun here and summers are moderate but frankly 2-4 weeks of nice dry sunny weather spread out over 52 week just plain sucks!!

Cost of living in Bellevue is probably comparable to where you are now. Housing is not cheap but it is a buyers market at present. A little further north on the eastside has some nice locations for raising families with better prices. Woodinville, Mill Creek etc...

Traffic I'm sure that's one subject most here can agree on. It bites. I've driven in all over the US and I still haven't found consistently worse drivers than I see here anywhere else. Driving below the speed limit, check. Heavy traffic = bumper to bumper , check. Inattentive drivers turning or cutting in front of you, check. So focussed on the cell phone all traffic laws go out the window, check.

Before everyone jumps on me and tells me to get the hell out since I can't stand it here don't worry I'm working on it. I'm not a native and I'm counting the days to when I have enough put away to move south (AZ, TX, thereabouts) and build my dream home outright and enjoy warmth and sunshine. There's more to weather than cool temps and drizzle 300+ days a year.

Rottluver

iTrader: (3)

I spent the first 36 years of my life in Cali. Lived in Santa Barbara, the Desert and L.A. Moving up here was the best thing I could ever do. There is more days here where it rains, but it isn't like most people perceive it or how it is portrayed on tv/the movies.

FWIW, I moved to south Snohomish County, just a bit north & west of Bellevue and the cost of living here is soooo much better then I was used to. I pay $3.29 for 92 premium (Costco rules) and I would definitely move here if I was from Marin/No Cal.

Bellevue is pricey, Seattle is....well, it is something else, but if you come a bit north of the City, it is so much different in my opinion, ya just can't beat it.

Depending on what part of Marin/No Cal you are from, it will seem like you are making double whatever they are paying you. I have some friends down your way and what they pay for housing is insane!!!

And since someone else brought up traffic. You too will think it is nothing when you compare it to the Bay Area or L.A. This place definitely has some real winners when it comes to driving, but overall, I find myself SOOO much less frustrated when I drive somewhere that it isn't even funny.

Perhaps you should come visit before you make your choise, the weather is nice and cold, there might be some rain, you can look at some areas to live, etc.
Good luck with your decision.

99blancoSS

iTrader: (115)

LMAO!! Nope rains all year round here.

I love the rest of the country's perception of our weather. We have an absolutely perfect summer. We have a winter. This means the summer has ended and the perfect weather is over. The "rain" here is greatly over dramatized. I'm from NE and I'll take a few days of rain in the winter over snow ice and slush anyday of the week.

Now if your from a drought stricken area you might think it rains alot here, but we dont have wildfires on an annual basis either so I'll take normal weather over dry hot and no rain ever, anyday of the week. Life needs rain.
Your a/c bill will go down as well..lol
Washington kills you with taxes, Oregon does not but it sound like your talking about Boeing or MS so your stuck with ther taxes up there. Over all the PACNW is a great place to live. I always prefer smaller towns to raise my kids over cities anyway. I live 30 mile outside of Portland

99blancoSS

iTrader: (115)

LMAO!! Where the **** do you live or have you lived. Utopia? I've lived from NH to Hawaii in this country and your perception and facts are fucked.

I'm sure your miserable, it sounds like your life sucks and your blaming it on the weather.. lol

Heres an example of your logic working. Hawaii is arguable the most perfect weather on earth. 82 degrees with a constant breeze due to the trade winds.
BUT Hilo on the big Island has the most rain in the country. 300+ days of rain a year. I was there for 6 weeks but I lived on the North shore of Oahu. Totally different weather. If all I ever did was live in Hilo I would say Hawaii weather sucks and I hate it.

Even where I live now I have different weather than someone 30 miles ways from me due to the slight mountain/hill range.


Is it culture shock from someone from a dry arrid area.. yes it is. You werent living in good weather to begin with so your preception of what weather should be is skewed in the first place. Good weather doesnt equal constant sunshine.

Got to a point in Hawaii that I was hoping for a hurricane just to break the monotony. Straight sunshine is as overwelming and boring as the rain if you've ever lived in and enjoyed real weather.

Rain is a necessity of life and variety is the spice of life.

LS1>*

iTrader: (5)

At this point I think it's easy to see it's all a matter of opinion.........

I was born here..........I honestly don't see myself ever moving out of the state...........Very green.............Lot's of things to do and see if you enjoy a drive and I'm sure most of us on here do

99blancoSS

iTrader: (115)

Very very true. It's personal taste. I just have strong opinions.. lol

NW94Z

Wow, are all your buttons this easy to push. I may just have to amuse myself with pushing more since I'm miserable and my life sucks Like I said in the the first sentence you apparently missed we're all different to include our tastes when it comes to weather. Maybe dry arid weather turns me on. Hmm you think that may appeal to some? Maybe constant gray skies months out of every year whether it's raining or not turns me off?

Please tell me where I was living that is a poor reference for western Washington since I don't recall giving specifics as to where I have lived only where I plan to live. My perception of good weather is just as skewed as yours is or anyone else's for that matter. Again try going back and reading that first sentence. I simply pointed out to the original poster that if, and that is a big "if" they value sunshine or dry weather they may want to reconsider Western Washington. Sure there are wetter places I don't dispute that. There may even be places with less annual sunshine if it can be clearly defined and measured. To some it's a valid serious consideration just pointing that out.

I really appreciate the "your life sucks" comment. That has to be one of the smartest things I've read here in a while and your jumping on me because I think the weather bites and the drivers have the heads up their asses. I'm not blaming anything on the weather other than saying IT sucks (that means not my life). My life is quiet good and with the exception of bitching about gray, wet skies from time to time I don't have anything to complain about really. I know how good I have it and I recognize that most everyday I wake up and go about my business. I would say you have escalated this topic more so than anyone else and gotten your panties in a bunch. Sorry couldn't help. Does this time of year with it's wonderful gray, cold, wet weather always make you so agitated?

Killer

iTrader: (3)

now now everyone play nice... and thanks for all your input! I will totally be taking a trip up there before making a decision i just wanted to gauge if this is all just a waste of my time or not. Also i hear some people saying washington will tax the hell out of me.. i thought there was no state employment tax? Where do these taxes come from? Property tax, sales tax?
Thanks again for everyones great posts they are all great and some a bit funny

Crisisman

iTrader: (1)

An important question for you is whether or not your new employer will allow cyber commuting? If you can work from home most of the time then you can save a lot of $$$ by buying in an outlying area. For example, my humble little 1100 square foot rambler on a 1/4 acre lot would sell for around $250k here in Kent. The same exact piece of property in Bellevue would cost $400k(or more depending on the neighborhood)...and most of that would be the land value.

My wife works in Bellevue(Overlake hospital), but she does 2 12-hour shifts, so she only has to make the commute twice a week. She handles that just fine. Having to commute 25 miles each way, 5 days a week, sucks big time.

Another option is the Bus. A number of friends of mine that work in Redmond(Microsoft campus area) live down in Kent/Auburn/Federal Way and take the Sound Transit Express bus that goes straight from the local park & ride to the Microsoft campus. It's still a lot of time, but they all bring their lap-tops and make use of the time.(most sound transit busses are wi-fi equipped).

raceme@you'dlose.com

I have lived all over the world (the army will do that to you) and the nicest places I have lived is here, Colorado Springs and Germany. The weather here and Germany is a lot alike. Yes it rains and that gets a little old sometimes but its not Usually a heavy rain just light and steady. The summers are nice but dry for the most part. The winters are mild. The down side is mostly just the people that think the fast lane is where they drive 60 and if it does snow most of them can't drive in it. The only other thing that gets to me personally is I'm from the midwest originally so the views of some the people out here and the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I bought a house and plan on retiring out here though because the good outweighs the bad.

Tails

If you are an outdoors person then this area will be heaven. Boating, hiking, hunting, camping, fishing, snow and water skiing. All within an hour drive. In the Northwest we know that skin is waterproof.

There are a lot of good places to raise kids. There are also some not-so-good places. They should be fairly evident when you look around. Being on the coast Washington is a blue state on the west side of the mountains and red on the east side. It has one of the most lenient hand gun ownership laws in the country. Not like Texas but then I don't have a need for a machine gun in my trunk.

Most important is we have a bunch of great car guys in the area and several drag strips within a few hours. Pacific Raceway is in the middle of a $130 million update with a new strip that will be able to be open for racing into the night. It has a road track and autocross and bike stuff.

CranMaro99

iTrader: (10)

Oh yes, there is definitely good beer here.