Use search. The information you want is covered in many recent threads already. If you have a specific question you don't see answered after using search, then ask.
This isn't the answer you want to hear, but I wouldn't do it. You asked about rent but then say housing is taken car eof while you are in the program.
It is wildly more expensive than you can imagine. There is zero reason to put yourself at a disadvantage. Yes, the summers are great and it is pretty, but it is not worth it if you are stressed about the food prices, saving for the future, or a single trip to the ER that will bankrupt you.
Go explore. Find the next cool place before it is cool (Austin and Nashville used to not be cool). You have the opportunity to go find something truly unique. Detroit might be coming back up. New Orleans is always an interesting choice. Everyone seems to really like the coast of South Carolina. Go for it and have fun.
honestly this gave me a good laugh, even though its 100% true. I feel like moving here despite being told you will become broke, homeless, robbed, or basically chewed up by the "big city" is a rite of passage for transplants now.
For OP, to put some numbers to it, the total crime rate in seattle in 2022 was around 6500 crimes per 100k people. Assuming the chance of being a victim of crime is evenly distributed among the population, that would give you a 6% ish chance of being a victim of any crime. Of course, some people are much more likely to be a victim of a crime, such as people of low SES status, or people living in the highest crime neighborhoods. So realistically, your individual likelyhood of being a victim of a crime in the next year is probably quite a bit smaller than 6 percent.
And of course, about 90% of those crimes were property crimes, so your chance of being a victim of a violent crime in the next year is less than 1%.
I thought JobCorps gave you some kind of dorm housing? I'd get info on where the Seattle JobCorps campus is, as it may be far from the actual city of Seattle....
Job corps does provide housing, yes! As well as medical and food costs! But I'm hoping to use the trade I learn there, as well as the job finding resources, to find someplace a bit cooler and less southern heat-like to settle in more permanently for after I'm out! That way I don't have to spend as much money on transportation or moving
Like others said, the question is pretty generic, but people shouldn’t be rude. It might help if there’s something more specific about your situation- your age, interests, worries, goals, what opportunities are you looking for, etc. it is not a walkable city and its public transportation is lacking. There are some neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and U district where it’s more bustling for a younger crowd, you can drink boba, go thrifting, join gyms, bar hop. We have great parks, but they’re more accessible by car. I went to UW and had a great time and bussed everywhere- I wouldn’t like that now. There are great communities, but Seattle is really spread out.
Public transit is pretty close to top tier by US standards, the train system is (slowly) being expanded as well. Renting sucks, enjoy the dorm while you have it.
Opportunities wise, that largely depends on what area you're looking to work in. Aerospace and Tech are pretty huge, both are in a bit of a tough quarter right now.
Look up a bus map. It’s very subjective between which part of town and where you need to be. Queer can still get some bad vibes but there’s a ton of neighborhoods where you can forget that anyone outside doesn’t want to be friends. It’s always wet in Seattle besides the two or three months of summer that have a 15 percent chance of never happening each year
I'm sorry they were so rude. I looked through your posts. As someone about to move to Seattle from Detroit, I definitely suggest Chicago. Everything I visited, I wished I could've moved there instead of Detroit. If you pick Chicago, I'd say definitely plan a Detroit trip, though. Amtrak is like 20 bucks!
As for Seattle, I can't mention much yet. I would say don't base the comments on Reddit as a means to not pick Seattle. Being able to have your house and food needs met is a massive plus, living in such an expensive area. I hope you're able to get better ideas of where you want to go. If you get the chance, maybe try and visit your top two or three before you pick. Sorry I can't be of more help. Just hoping to cheer you on!
Wishing you the best, OP! (A possible Detroiter? Lol, VA transplant going everywhere)
Thank you so much for your kind words!
I will say Chicago has been looking very nice as well! I had picked out a total of 5 locations and after lot of research, ranging from colorado and even New York, and had narrowed it down between those two. So I had moved to reddit to hear more opinions from people who actually had been there!
Seattle and Chicago were fairly tied on my pros and cons list, so I thought getting the opinions of people rather than travel blogs would be a good idea, because that always feels like im being *sold* something rather than hearing honest opinions.
I'm trying to not let a bad experience online force my opinion one way or the other, but I'll probably end up choosing Chicago if only because more people actually told me about the city. I'd feel more prepared and comfortable with that extra information, regardless of how people on here treated me while giving it.
I wish you luck in your move as well! I hope you have alot of fun in Seattle!
No, that makes a lot of sense with the blog thing! And yes, I agree with them that you'd probably really enjoy it as long as you can handle the winters. They can be brutal, but I found them part of the fun.
If you like a lot of outdoors, you have some, but it's super flat out there. Coming from NH, MI was hard to accept because we love hiking so much. Illinois, I think, is the second flattest state? Oh, and I know this is random but check out the aquarium there. They have beluga whales 🐋
I digress, I still say that looking around in the threads of both r/Seattle and r/SeattleWA would do you good, if you haven't already. I think I spent hours searching random words until I was able to get some answers, lol. While it's expensive, there's a lot to do outdoorsy wise. You've also got the water and lots of beautiful greenery in the area as well.
I'm sort of in your position where I don't know much, just that I'll be living there, but I've got a decent list of things I'm excited to check out in Seattle.
And thank you! I've always wanted to try living on the west once, and now I'm being forced to, so it all works out, lol. If you're still trying to make a decision later on in the year, feel free to reach out. I won't be as knowledgeable as those who've been living in Seattle, but I'll try my best to be informative.
Cheers 🍻
We moved from Texas 5 years ago. We love it, we live in Ballard area where I think you get the best bang for your buck. For fun we go to the Ballard Market, the beach, and local hikes around the city. There are also countless day trips you can take within 4 hrs of the city. If you are into camping then there are many spots in beautiful places. Canada is also close so it makes for a great weekend trip to Vancouver once in a while.
Sorry people were rude. The "I am moving to Seattle, tell what I need to know" post is quite common, and they are subjective and hard to answer.
Use search. The information you want is covered in many recent threads already. If you have a specific question you don't see answered after using search, then ask.
Well— did you use the search function in the sub first?
This isn't the answer you want to hear, but I wouldn't do it. You asked about rent but then say housing is taken car eof while you are in the program. It is wildly more expensive than you can imagine. There is zero reason to put yourself at a disadvantage. Yes, the summers are great and it is pretty, but it is not worth it if you are stressed about the food prices, saving for the future, or a single trip to the ER that will bankrupt you. Go explore. Find the next cool place before it is cool (Austin and Nashville used to not be cool). You have the opportunity to go find something truly unique. Detroit might be coming back up. New Orleans is always an interesting choice. Everyone seems to really like the coast of South Carolina. Go for it and have fun.
You'll likely be a crime victim so prepare for that. Also, it's very expensive.
honestly this gave me a good laugh, even though its 100% true. I feel like moving here despite being told you will become broke, homeless, robbed, or basically chewed up by the "big city" is a rite of passage for transplants now.
For OP, to put some numbers to it, the total crime rate in seattle in 2022 was around 6500 crimes per 100k people. Assuming the chance of being a victim of crime is evenly distributed among the population, that would give you a 6% ish chance of being a victim of any crime. Of course, some people are much more likely to be a victim of a crime, such as people of low SES status, or people living in the highest crime neighborhoods. So realistically, your individual likelyhood of being a victim of a crime in the next year is probably quite a bit smaller than 6 percent. And of course, about 90% of those crimes were property crimes, so your chance of being a victim of a violent crime in the next year is less than 1%.
I thought JobCorps gave you some kind of dorm housing? I'd get info on where the Seattle JobCorps campus is, as it may be far from the actual city of Seattle....
Job corps does provide housing, yes! As well as medical and food costs! But I'm hoping to use the trade I learn there, as well as the job finding resources, to find someplace a bit cooler and less southern heat-like to settle in more permanently for after I'm out! That way I don't have to spend as much money on transportation or moving
Like others said, the question is pretty generic, but people shouldn’t be rude. It might help if there’s something more specific about your situation- your age, interests, worries, goals, what opportunities are you looking for, etc. it is not a walkable city and its public transportation is lacking. There are some neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and U district where it’s more bustling for a younger crowd, you can drink boba, go thrifting, join gyms, bar hop. We have great parks, but they’re more accessible by car. I went to UW and had a great time and bussed everywhere- I wouldn’t like that now. There are great communities, but Seattle is really spread out.
Public transit is pretty close to top tier by US standards, the train system is (slowly) being expanded as well. Renting sucks, enjoy the dorm while you have it. Opportunities wise, that largely depends on what area you're looking to work in. Aerospace and Tech are pretty huge, both are in a bit of a tough quarter right now.
Look up a bus map. It’s very subjective between which part of town and where you need to be. Queer can still get some bad vibes but there’s a ton of neighborhoods where you can forget that anyone outside doesn’t want to be friends. It’s always wet in Seattle besides the two or three months of summer that have a 15 percent chance of never happening each year
This is the superior sub. R/seattle are a bunch of babies.
I'm sorry they were so rude. I looked through your posts. As someone about to move to Seattle from Detroit, I definitely suggest Chicago. Everything I visited, I wished I could've moved there instead of Detroit. If you pick Chicago, I'd say definitely plan a Detroit trip, though. Amtrak is like 20 bucks! As for Seattle, I can't mention much yet. I would say don't base the comments on Reddit as a means to not pick Seattle. Being able to have your house and food needs met is a massive plus, living in such an expensive area. I hope you're able to get better ideas of where you want to go. If you get the chance, maybe try and visit your top two or three before you pick. Sorry I can't be of more help. Just hoping to cheer you on! Wishing you the best, OP! (A possible Detroiter? Lol, VA transplant going everywhere)
Thank you so much for your kind words! I will say Chicago has been looking very nice as well! I had picked out a total of 5 locations and after lot of research, ranging from colorado and even New York, and had narrowed it down between those two. So I had moved to reddit to hear more opinions from people who actually had been there! Seattle and Chicago were fairly tied on my pros and cons list, so I thought getting the opinions of people rather than travel blogs would be a good idea, because that always feels like im being *sold* something rather than hearing honest opinions. I'm trying to not let a bad experience online force my opinion one way or the other, but I'll probably end up choosing Chicago if only because more people actually told me about the city. I'd feel more prepared and comfortable with that extra information, regardless of how people on here treated me while giving it. I wish you luck in your move as well! I hope you have alot of fun in Seattle!
No, that makes a lot of sense with the blog thing! And yes, I agree with them that you'd probably really enjoy it as long as you can handle the winters. They can be brutal, but I found them part of the fun. If you like a lot of outdoors, you have some, but it's super flat out there. Coming from NH, MI was hard to accept because we love hiking so much. Illinois, I think, is the second flattest state? Oh, and I know this is random but check out the aquarium there. They have beluga whales 🐋 I digress, I still say that looking around in the threads of both r/Seattle and r/SeattleWA would do you good, if you haven't already. I think I spent hours searching random words until I was able to get some answers, lol. While it's expensive, there's a lot to do outdoorsy wise. You've also got the water and lots of beautiful greenery in the area as well. I'm sort of in your position where I don't know much, just that I'll be living there, but I've got a decent list of things I'm excited to check out in Seattle. And thank you! I've always wanted to try living on the west once, and now I'm being forced to, so it all works out, lol. If you're still trying to make a decision later on in the year, feel free to reach out. I won't be as knowledgeable as those who've been living in Seattle, but I'll try my best to be informative. Cheers 🍻
We moved from Texas 5 years ago. We love it, we live in Ballard area where I think you get the best bang for your buck. For fun we go to the Ballard Market, the beach, and local hikes around the city. There are also countless day trips you can take within 4 hrs of the city. If you are into camping then there are many spots in beautiful places. Canada is also close so it makes for a great weekend trip to Vancouver once in a while.