Thanks Canotila!
I had a couple other just general-Seattle-type questions too... Mostly technical stuff like:
- Is Seattle one of those cities where everyone lives in the suburbs, or do people actually live downtown there?
It really depends. There are people who live downtown in half-million dollar condos, and kids in studio apartments and dorms going to school. It's really expensive. Mostly the people who work downtown don't live there. A lot of them don't even live in Seattle, and are farther south (it's cheaper if you go south). Maple Valley, Renton, Tacoma, Olympia, etc. are all popular places to own houses for people working up north.
- Do the public schools have a ton of kids in them, or are they generally split into smaller districts?
Not really sure as my kids aren't school aged yet.
- Does it feel like a big city or a small city (in terms of people's attitudes, friendliness, frequency of theft, that sorta stuff)?
It depends on what area you're in. In Magnolia, where I live, it feels like a quaint little town only full of millionaires (wish I was one of them!). And instead of there being suburbs and countryside on the outskirts, there are skyscrapers and things. It has a little town center though, and the chamber of commerce holds little community events all the time like art shows, talent shows, holiday things, parades, etc. It's sort of surreal. When we moved here I asked a neighbor if they ever had any problems with thieves, and he said the only theft ever on their street was somebody stole his bike in the 70s. Ballard has a homey community feel to it as well, but it's a bigger place.
On the east side of the freeway, like Capital Hill and up north into the university district feels like a big city.
Downtown definitely feels like a large city. The buildings are massive and there's a lot of traffic. Renton too, though things are more spread out there. Bellevue is sort of in between. It feels big, but it's a really polished residential sort of big. Everything there is really nice, there's a lot of art galleries and things.
Shoreline feels a little more like an average suburb. Your car might get broken into there.
My brother's house was broken into. Overall it's a nice area though.
People everywhere are pretty friendly. They don't usually go out of their way to make eye contact and interact with you, but if you start talking to someone or ask them for help they're pretty happy to help out or whatever.
- Is it generally a safe city?
Generally yes, it's quite safe. I walk my dogs at night without any fear. As a teenager I roamed the streets downtown after dark and nobody bothered me except to ask for cigarettes. There are some areas you'd want to be cautious in at night, like Capital Hill and White Center. Green Lake is another area where people watch for muggers lurking on the Green Lake trail (its a popular trail for joggers). Once in a while there will be a rash of muggings near the UW, but it's usually targeting students taking shortcuts through secluded greenbelts. I've lived in Tucson and would say it's much safer than Tucson if you're familiar with that city at all.
- Anything you could add about the character of the city would be cool too (i.e. I'd characterize NYC as impatient and energetic, or Pittsburgh as aging but adaptable).
Seattle is driven, but pretty laid back at the same time. There are a lot of businesses and growth but it doesn't feel frantic and relentless. You can't really tell who is a millionaire and who isn't by looking. People will get into their maseratis and mercedes' wearing old flannel button up shirts and socks with sandals. A lot of us never got out of that grunge thing.
Thanks again everyone!
