Kooky.

I've been lurking around the US forums for a couple of weeks now so thought it only polite to say hello. (I've been on BE for many years.)

We're in the early stages and nothing yet confirmed, but my husband's in talks for a move to Seattle. We've never been - we're repeating history by looking at roles rather than locations and seeing where life takes us.

The office would be in Bellevue (yes, it's tech). Any information on living there or Seattle generally would be very much appreciated. Rumour has it the COL is high but we'd be coming from Sydney and before that we were in Singapore, so it's all relative. That's about the sum of my knowledge although I hear it rains a lot

We're childless, 40s and 50s, no fixed ideas on how long we'd stay in Seattle, and we would hang onto our Sydney apartment and rent in Seattle in the short to medium term.

Any tech industry salary information would also be fantastic - any online surveys you can point me to?

Many thanks.

Hotscot

Seattle area Forum - Seattle and King County Suburbs - City-Data Forum

I've enjoyed visiting Seattle in the past. Lot's of rain, which I enjoyed.
However I read an article just last week that the city is overrun with homelessness, tent cities, and junkies, a rather negative portrayal.
Perhaps someone here can provide a counterbalance.

It is an expensive place.
If I was moving on a tech salary I'd be looking for $150,00-- $200,000.

What kind of visa?

Jerseygirl

It wouldn’t be my choice. Was there just over a year ago and there were many homeless/junkies in the city centre. Many of them had large dogs (pit bull types) guarding them whilst they slept/passed out. Rained everyday we were there.

Lion in Winter

I don't live there, but from visiting and friends I offer a few considerations;

Beautiful surroundings. If outdoor life is your thing, you have vast quantities of the most spectacular mountains and coast all close by. Easy to get out to wild/wilderness areas of spectacular beauty, but if you camp or hike make sure you know what you are doing and are prepared for things like weather (rain, yes, but the mountains are surprisingly cold all year and make their own weather systems, don't get caught out),and bears (yes, really, you do need to know what to do/not do). Equally, be very careful swimming in the Pacific. There are some very dangerous currents along the coast. You don't have to head into the wilderness of course. There are many, many beautiful places within easy reach. Simply gorgeous.

Cost of living - yes, relatively high and getting higher as people move up from California.

Social scene - can be hard to break into and make friends if you are not a local.

Yes, the winters are consistently grey and rainy, but on the other hand you don't get any weather extremes really and the summers are lovely.

mrken30

The tech salaries for the company I work for are about 5% to 10% higher in Renton (Seattle) than the equivalent job in Portland, OR. I know quite a few people at work who relocated due to cost of living being a little cheaper in Portland. However the tech job market appears to be more active in Seattle. We have more trouble retaining staff in the Seattle area. It all depends on your skill set though. Salaries range from about $60k to $150k depending on skill set and education. VP level is a bit higher.

Kooky.

Thanks all, just waking up so will read and re-read, take it all in.

Living in Sydney city fringes and working so close to Central station, next door to a needle exchange, I'm used to a bit of local colour. TBH I'm happiest in a bit of grunge (no Seattle pun intended) so long as I feel safe. I work for an environmental charity, we move in pretty diverse circles. From what little I've read, Seattle is fairly liberal, which is comforting. The climate bothers me far more than homeless people with drug problems

We're very mobile - though I wouldn't be going over initially, not least due to a very sick cat - and not seeing it as a life decision, more a bit of an adventure. We're dual nationals and consider Australia our base. Though who knows - we do tend to go with the flow.

Salary figures are a bit of a shocker!

michaelr711

I lived about 45 mins east of Seattle and absolutely loved the city. I didn't have to deal with COL as the place I lived was low budget - but downtown and surrounding areas is definitely not cheap. There is a lot to do, a great music scene - and I never had issues making friends in the area contrary to an earlier point. I would move back out there in a heartbeat - and will do if I find a job that pays enough!

Hotscot

Dual nationals of Australia and ?

Good Luck.

Kooky.

Sorry, should have introduced myself a bit more to a new forum. We're Brits. I'm from Yorkshire, husband's a southerner but I don't hold it against him. Started our world wanderings in 2002. He sells software while I try to transition the world to renewable energy. (I'd say my job is the harder one.)

Hotscot

Very interesting. I've been stuck in SoCal for a while and miss regular rain so badly.
We thought of moving to Olympus, south of Seattle but they have a weird business tax regime, taxed on revenue not profit, so that keeps me, and my business, back.

Would you get a visa via your husband's employment then? (I used to be in software for Adobe.)
I'm all for adventure!

Cheers...

michaelr711

Haven't you heard, Olympus has fallen

I'm hoping you meant Olympia!

Hotscot

Too much single malt last night....
Or then again...just the right amount...

Kooky.

Oh me too. I got itchy feet as soon as we got our passports about six years ago but the time wasn't right. That said, we do love Sydney, we have a great life here. (It's an easy place to live.)

Visas touched upon but still to be discussed in-depth if we get to the offer stage, however our Oz passports might come in handy for an E3. I'm the older one, not very marketable - my brain does need to be active but it's not essential that I earn. US salaries and COL permitting of course.

We always thought we might end up in Cali. Seattle has really come out of nowhere.

AdobePinon

carcajou

I lived in Seattle for a few years. If we were going to move back to the US, it would be there. Very high quality of life, lots of great things in the city though the tech industry is changing things.

Cost-of-living - for housing has skyrocketed. Outside the city, like in Bellevue, perhaps better. Washington State tends to attract a lot of California refugees.

Yes, homelessness and junkies are a huge and visible issue. At times it can seem like they have complete control of the CBD, even during the day. Part of that is the political culture of the city and residents. There isn't the will to sensibly address the problem like there is on the East Coast, or even at times to acknowledge that there is a problem. Locals can even be surprised when newcomers or out-of-towners bring it up. There is also the famed "Seattle Way of Doing Things" that you will get acquainted with if you move there (endless rounds of consultation and refusal to progress something unless absolutely everyone is happy, even if it turns a 2-year project into a 10-year project).

The economy has transformed massively in the past generation, it used to be a blue-collar town but now it is a white-collar tech town. It's also a major university town - the University of Washington is there, which is one of the highest ranked universities in the world. Seattle University is also there, which is a highly regarded private university (Jesuits).

You will need to consider the traffic situation carefully when choosing where to live. Seattle has Elliott Bay on one side and Lake Washington on the other which means it is very land-constricted and there is only the I-5 going through there, and so traffic can be ferocious. Light rail extension will help but that may be decades away from full completion.

The rain isn't too bad. Most of the time it's a mist.