**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.


Seattle

A Boutique Cosmopolitan Enclave In The Middle Of Twin Peaks

**The Best Thing About Tacoma?** 

Puget Sound without the cost and the hassle. The Puget Sound area has the nicest summers in the country. Mild winters and warm, but not-humid, summers when it stays light until after 10PM make this the place people wish they were in the summertime.


**The Worst Thing About Tacoma?** 

Traffic on I-5 from Seattle in any direction is among the nation’s most challenging. Expect 90 minutes at least if you are going in and out of Seattle during peak times. The only real commonality with Seattle is the geography and the weather.

**How You Living?** 

In the North End. The North and West End and Ruston have long been considered the “good” neighborhoods. They are considered safer and real estate prices reflect that perception. There are older homes located in the North End of Tacoma with historic architecture styles. Housing gets less expensive (and less nice) as you move south. Northeast Tacoma has a lot of spacious homes and is a good place for families with quite a few schools in the area. Many of these homes are located in housing developments, and are fairly new. West End is similar and it’s near a small zoo and aquarium. 

Tacoma has been changing and areas that were once no-go are becoming safer and more sought after (Hillside and Hilltop have great views) but in the meantime, people like University Place (West Tacoma)  Investors are looking at anywhere the light rail will be going, so south end properties and neighborhoods around the Tacoma Mall (previously considered unsafe) are gentrifying. The lack of affordable housing for young professionals and service workers in Seattle has caused a big influx into Tacoma so that will change the dynamic in downtown Tacoma where workers can hop on the bus or train and head to work in Seattle.

Eatonville is a good value. Small town, nice schools, great community.

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

It’s the Pacific Northwest with a cost of living that’s much lower than Seattle. 


Tacoma

Grit City

**The Best Thing About Spokane?** 
The scenery. Smallish town, rural surroundings, lots and lots of outdoorsy life. Running and biking trails weave through the city, five ski resorts as well as nearby lakes (including Lake Couer D’ Alene), rivers and forests (it’s Washington after all.) And there’s an Ale Trail. In short, it’s a mix of urban/rural. It's close to nature but it also has a downtown (which features a waterfall) and Riverfront Park.

**The Worst Thing About Spokane?** 
Long winters. Depressed economy. Property crime. The disenfranchised are common here. 
Lack of extensive freeway system (and a lot of railroad crossings) which causes traffic unusual for a town this size and public transportation is limited. 

Spokane has a reputation of being rundown and a smallish downtown. Outside of healthcare, there aren’t a ton of available jobs. It’s generally considered just an okay place to live with not a lot to do indoors.


**How You Living?** 

Probably in a single-family, older home. Although more new, multi-unit housing is being developed. 

Some of the eternally weird from Portland and Seattle are moving to Spokane due to cost of living. Newcomers generally flock to the North, Spokane Valley or South Hill. 

Generally speaking, the better neighborhoods are on the outer rings of the city (with a few exceptions.) The general consensus is, the closer you get to downtown, the tougher it is.


**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

The scenery. The outdoors. The trails. The nature.




**Neighborhoods**

**Hipster**: Browne’s Addition: A trendy new commercial center has arisen that serves pints and coffee and pastries and food to the neighborhood (and beyond) but it’s still undergoing gentrification.

**South Hill**: A collective of neighborhoods with different neighborhood centers, architectural styles, development eras, walkability, and boundaries. Good for families looking for a suburban lifestyle. 

**Downtown**: Mixed-market housing for all income levels. River Park Square, Downtown’s largest entertainment and retail center, is where the energy of the urban environment peaks; thereby, it’s the center of the center.

**West Central**: Located on the north bank overlooking the Spokane River, West Central is only a short distance from downtown and many neighborhood views provide a sweeping panorama of the City’s core. It’s undergoing a phase of rapid growth specifically due to the Kendall Yards development.

**Manito-Cannon Hill**: A fair amount of dining and shopping but there’s still plenty of greenery to enjoy. Stroll along the water at the Spokane Riverfront Park, or visit the Fitch Arboretum. A great elementary school.

**Peaceful Valley**: Located at the bottom of the Spokane River Gorge just west of downtown. Surrounded on all sides by natural boundaries, steep bluffs tower above the neighborhood while the Spokane River and Latah Creek round out the edges. Due to its geography, Peaceful Valley’s location uniquely accomplishes the normally paradoxical goals of being somewhat isolated yet only a short walk to the heart of Spokane.

**Rockwood**: One of Spokane’s oldest neighborhoods, this area was designed to incorporate elegant residences with towering trees. Nature abounds, with opportunities for nature walks, visits to wineries, and parks. Quality of life is high, and residents can walk to the Spokane Public Market for groceries. The Rockwood neighborhood caters more to the elderly and has limited school choices. 
**Lincoln Heights**: New developments are being built, including more multi-family housing.


**Good**: Any neighborhood North of the city; Five Mile, Indian Trail, Mead. The upper South Hill; Northwood, Neighborhoods in the Southeast suburbs; Liberty Lake, West Plains. Pretty much those areas just outside the city (other than the South Hill, which is part of the Spokane city) 


**Bad**: Most of the inner city, North Central, Hillyard, Northwest, East of Downtown, Northeast of Downtown, the Lower South Hill, Parts of Spokane Valley. 


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