Imagine a boutique city in the middle of the woods. Boeing and Microsoft and Amazon and Nintendo have brought tech and lot’s of smarty pants people to the area but it’s still the Great Northwest. It’s easy to veer off the beaten path and you are immediately in Twin Peaks country (for good or bad.)

Seattle is edgy. Scrappy even. There’s a rawness that persists despite the delicious restaurants and fancy wine. This is not a city for glamorous, chic people. And that’s probably why the people who love it, do. There’s a reason that it’s the home of Grunge. But, the seedy mixes with the unseedy and the blue collar mixes with the white collar and the dive bars mix with the only posing as dive bars -- unpretentious is always in concert with a little pretentious in Seattle. And that’s kind of the fun cocktail that is Seattle.

It’s very drizzly. And damp. And while the inhabitants claim to like it that way, they’re a pretty downbeat crew. (It’s even got a name; “The Seattle Freeze”.) They cling to their coffee and shuffle through. Prepare to drive to work in the pitch dark and for the dark to start it’s return at 3pm. (Except in the summer when everybody perks up and revels in the daylight until 10PM.)

Although there is a thriving LGBTQ scene, the general population marries young and can be surprisingly conventional in their lifestyles (although the city is uber progressive politically.)




LookyLOO Review of Seattle

Downtown Seattle is not really a thing although more and more condos have been developed over the last few years so it is coming up as a neighborhood option. Life is mostly lived in the surrounding neighborhoods. Craftsman and 19th-century Victorian style homes and mostly lush greenery define all but the most feral youth neighborhoods (Capitol Hill is raucous with man buns and rainbow crosswalks, Belltown and Fremont with storied music venues)  These more urban neighborhoods boast low-rise apartments, industrial space, dive bars and funkiness. Queen Anne is more upmarket and the hill, of course, has great views and a few converted schoolhouses. Ballard is where Capitol Hill kids grow up to live. Surrounding neighborhoods have different vibes -- Greenlake is very self-care oriented (and there’s an actual lake) Microbreweries and bespoke coffee mix with pricey foodie spots all over. Shopping is more crafty than fabulous. 

If you want to see what people get up to Seattle check out the [**calendar of events**](https://visitseattle.org/things-to-do/events/).

Lifestyle

The Seattle economy and job market is pretty amazing. If you're a STEM type then between the tech sector, health services, architecture, and engineering employers, you'll be gainfully employed here for years to come (or until the AI overlords are done with us). The entrepreneurial scene of Seattle is also very strong. While it ain't San Francisco, it's close enough that many prefer to avoid the Bay and stick to the Emerald City. 

There are amazing schools here, including the beast, the University of Washington, that feed engineers to the local tech and engineering workforce. 

The massive tech employers: Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and Oracle, are buffered by plenty of non-tech employers like Boeing, the University of Washington, and Costco, all of which employ 50k+ employees, many of them engineers also, although also marketing and sales peeps, admin, accounting, legal, and all the rest. 

There are things to dislike about Seattle but the work opportunities will not be one of them. 

Worklife

The [**Seattle Public School District**](https://www.seattleschools.org/) is highly rated by the standardized scoring platforms, receiving an [**"A-" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/seattle-public-schools-wa/). That's a high grade for a city the size of Seattle. If you ask locals about the city schools you're going to hear complaints but at least to some degree that's because the surrounding communities, like Bellevue, Mercer Island, and Lake Washington, have some of the best schools in the entire country. 

The city proper has a mix of very highly rated and some middling performers but you'll find good schools throughout, with a higher concentration on the northern end of the city. Students are assigned to schools based on geographic zones but can apply to other schools in the city if there is a compelling need. High-performing schools include:

- [**Roosevelt High School**](https://roosevelths.seattleschools.org/): a northside high school that pulls an [**"A" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/roosevelt-high-school-seattle-wa/) with particular praise for Academics.

- [**Garfield High School**](garfieldhs.seattleschools.org): another high-performing high school in the central portion of the city. It also receives an [**"A" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/garfield-high-school-seattle-wa/) with high grades for Academics and College Prep. 

It should be noted that the Seattle area is pretty nuts about education so regardless of the quality of the public education there are plenty of folks sending their kiddos to private and parochial/independents. 

Schools

You want a sleepy existence in nature with access to city sophistication.

Nature + City

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**Here's a recent transplant with a point of view on living in Seattle:**
I'm loving it here! I live close to the Puget Sound and hike to it every other day or so. As I type this, I think we are having a record for no rain- 30 days? Here are some of my fave things about it:

It's very diverse. I came from a white bred town in Colorado, and that is just not the case here. There are many races prevalent here, including black, Asian and Hispanic, and Indian. There are many religions here as well. It's a beautiful tapestry of America!
No snow! Welllllll… hardly any snow. Lol. Once again, I came from buckets of snow and now if there's an inch everyone stays home.

For more reviews from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/seattle/reviews).


Drizzle

Reviews of Seattle from Locals

**The Good, The Bad, The Ugly** 

Imagine a boutique city in the middle of the woods. Boeing and Microsoft and Amazon and Nintendo have brought tech and lot’s of smarty pants people to the area but it’s still the Great Northwest. It’s easy to veer off the beaten path and you are immediately in Twin Peaks country (for good or bad.)

**The Best Thing About Seattle?** Edgy beauty

Seattle is edgy. Scrappy even. There’s a rawness that persists despite the delicious restaurants and fancy wine. This is not a city for glamorous, chic people. And that’s probably why the people who love it, do. There’s a reason that it’s the home of Grunge. But, the seedy mixes with the unseedy and the blue collar mixes with the white collar and the dive bars mix with the only posing as dive bars -- unpretentious is always in concert with a little pretentious in Seattle. And that’s kind of the fun cocktail that is Seattle.

**The Worst Thing About Seattle?** 

It’s very drizzly. And damp. And while the inhabitants claim to like it that way, they’re a pretty downbeat crew. (It’s even got a name; “The Seattle Freeze”.) They cling to their coffee and shuffle through. Prepare to drive to work in the pitch dark and for the dark to start it’s return at 3pm. (Except in the summer when everybody perks up and revels in the daylight until 10PM.) 

Although there is a thriving LGBTQ scene, the general population marries young and can be surprisingly conventional in their lifestyles (although the city is uber progressive politically.) 


**How You Living?** In a community.

Downtown Seattle is not really a thing. Life is lived in the surrounding neighborhoods. Craftsman and 19th century Victorian style homes and mostly lush greenery define all but the most feral youth neighborhoods (Capitol Hill is raucous with man buns and rainbow crosswalks, Belltown and Fremont with storied music venues)  These more urban neighborhoods boast low-rise apartments, industrial space, dive bars and funkiness. Queen Anne is more upmarket and the hill, of course, has great views and a few converted schoolhouses. Ballard is where Capitol Hill kids grow up to live. Surrounding neighborhoods have different vibes -- Greenlake is very self-care oriented (and there’s an actual lake) Microbreweries and bespoke coffee mix with pricey foodie spots all over. Shopping is more crafty than fabulous. 


**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

You want a sleepy existence in nature with access to city sophistication.


Our general neighborhood section references highlight several of the most popular young professional neighborhoods. Not surprisingly the closer you are to Downtown (the primary business district) the more young professionals congregate. Belltown and Capitol Hill are two of these perfect neighborhoods. They are a walk to work or to the train station, they have perfect apartment/condo loft spaces and tons of bars and restaurants for high walkscore socializing. Seattle is traditional in the sense that the closer you are to the center the more the Zoomers and Millennials congregate.
- Belltown
- Capitol Hill
- Fremont
- Lower Queen Anne


Young Professionals

Belltown

Capitol Hill is the city center for the LGBTQ+ community in Seattle with nearly 5% of the households same-sex couples. It's also home to one of the biggest entertainment districts, including those run by and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. It's also a beautiful outdoor space with amazing city views for those who like to enjoy the outdoors. 
- Capitol Hill
- Madrona
- Vashon Island



LGBTQ+

Capitol Hill 


Seattle is pricey, particularly for young families, but if that doesn’t frighten you off then there are great neighborhoods here. Upper Queen Anne is one of the favorites. It is a perfect blend of urban and suburban if you’re hanging onto some city-lifestyle. It’s just north of the city center making it incredibly convenient for work and access to culture/downtown. It has a mix of beautiful Victorians but also townhomes and condos for anyone looking for smaller, less expensive purchase options. Greenwood is another great option. It’s more “budget-friendly” than other city neighborhoods with smaller Craftsmen and bungalow-style homes but still has access to top-rated schools. It also has a growing commercial district with boutique shopping and great restaurants and coffee shops. 
- Upper Queen Anne
- Greenwood
- Magnolia
- West Seattle


Young Families

Upper Queen Anne

Big families in Seattle typically pop out to the suburbs as they expand. Big homes, yards and great public schools are of course the draw. Seattle though is blessed with some schmancy neighborhoods in the city for families that cling to city life in large part due to the proximity to the Lake. Laurelhurst is one of the preeminent of these “luxury” options. It is known locally as “a gated community without a gate”.  Huge homes, both historic and modern, are surrounded by neighborhood parks, the University of Washington and Lake Washington, making this one of the most beautiful settings in the city. 
- Laurelhurst
- Windermere
- Denny-Blaine
- Madison Park


Established Families

Laurelhurst

Seattle

**IHeartAthas**
Living in Seattle
7mo ago
✭✭✭

Pros -

Cost of living won’t be a huge issue if you’re finishing a residency

The cascades are as awesome as you think they are, and then some

If it’s important to you to have a lot of other Asians (and asian culture) around, it’s a great place to be

Cons -

Some folks find it very difficult to make friends here

Everything’s expensive, you’ll live in a much smaller house than you would in many other places

Some people do their first Seattle winter and nope right the fuck out.

???

I have a sneaking suspicion that based on your age, income bracket/education, etc. your likely dating pool is going to be a LOT of tech-bros. Dunno if that’s a pro or con for you.

**What's it like living in Seattle? Be brutally honest please!**

**Probably_Outside**
Living in Seattle
7mo ago
✭✭✭✭


Same situation as you - I moved here when I was 29 and didn’t know a single person, and it was the best decision I have ever made.

Yes the 3 months of the year when the sun sets early stinks, but we more than make up for it in the Summer when it’s months and months of perfect weather with 10 pm sunsets.

I moved from the Northeast and I don’t find the weather to be any moodier here than there. COL is slightly higher, but the no state income tax helps.

Making friends as an adult is difficult no matter where you are, but I have made a ton of friends through my hobbies - skiing, MTB, trail running. There’s so many women in the outdoors group and meet ups. Don’t let the “Seattle freeze” scare you off. There are so many awesome people here.

I met my fiancé on Bumble here and did not find dating here to be any worse than the East Coast. Yes they will likely work for tech, no they are not all “bros”.

Seattle does shutter super early compared to other cities - we live in Ballard and it’s kind of crazy how at 10 PM our neighborhood feels like a ghost town. I’m not a night owl, so I generally don’t mind, but if you’re super into night life you might keep that in mind.

I think our outdoors scene is our stand out. I love that people here dress casually. Our beer is exceptional. There’s so many great places within a road trip of the city.

**What do you love about living in Seattle?**

**anythongyouwant**
Living in Seattle
Edited 9mo ago
✭✭✭✭

I’m originally from New Orleans. I love the proximity to the mountains, the views of the mountains and water from so many places in the city, the weather in the summer and fall, the public transit options, the sports culture, and the Asian food. I don’t like how expensive everything is, the drug/homelessness problem, how insulated people are and how that’s made it more difficult to connect with others, and the weather in the winter. I’d say the drug/homelessness problem takes the cake. I’m so tired of walking past needles and human feces and just having to deal with the general erratic behavior of these people. It just feels like they’re everywhere you go, and they completely disrupt the peace of an otherwise pretty peaceful city. I also don’t think the people here are very fun, which can make the city itself feel a bit boring. Definitely doesn’t feel like home in the way New Orleans does, but it does a lot of things better than New Orleans. Those are my thoughts!

**What is it like to live in Seattle, Washington?**

UnicornBestFriend
Living in Seattle
Edited 9mo ago
✭✭✭✭

Transplant from the Midwest. A blue state. But I have also lived on the east coast and in several countries.

I like the forward-thinking out here. Other parts of the country haven’t yet caught up to where Seattle is. We have clean air, plenty of green space, access to quality food and a lot of it local (try living in a food desert), work/life balance, an outdoorsy culture with a focus on health. Climate change impacts us less severely than it does other places.

A healthy environment makes a huge difference in quality of life.

There’s a seasonality to living out here that isn’t predicated on work. I find it makes one more aware of the cycles of life - activity, then rest.

We aren’t as glamorous as NYC or LA, we aren’t as culturally rich as Chicago or NOLA, but Seattle gets a lot right about How To Live bc we have fewer distractions and less bullshit.

Seattle, Washington

A Boutique Cosmopolitan Enclave In The Middle Of Twin Peaks

Looklyloo Score: 93