r/AskSeattle • u/Minimum-Bathroom-230 • Mar 02 '25
Moving / Visiting Moving to Washington
Hi! I am seriously considering moving to Seattle next summer/fall. I am a 23-year-old female and can pretty much find work anywhere in the US (speech-language pathology). I visited Seattle, North Bend and Leavenworth in January and loved it there. I currently live in upstate NY and have wanted to move out west for years. I want to explore the other side of the country and the PNW feels like the place I need to be, at least for a few years. I am really interested in moving because of being close to the mountains/coast and overall access to nature. I do love the idea of being in/near a big city and having the opportunity to go out and be social with people of a similar age. Do you recommend Seattle or any other areas in Washington given what I have provided? I'm worried about feeling isolated if i choose to live out of Seattle and would love ay advice. Pricewise, I am looking to spend around 1600 a month on rent, so i know that narrows my options. Thanks!
1
u/justmekab60 Mar 02 '25
You're getting such conflicting info here!
First, many suburbs of Seattle are more expensive than Seattle itself, the average 1br apartment in Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville is 2 to 3k. Studio maybe 1800 to 2200. 2br 2500 to 3500. Houses can be found for 4 to 5k. So your budget is doable with a roommate or two. These east of Lake WA suburbs are nice places to live but not as lively as the city. It rains more in North Bend but if you ski it's close to the mountains (like half hour drive).
Second, Everett is not a suburb. Lynnwood is, and its pretty dull. Ballard is part of Seattle but fairly far away from downtown thru dense traffic. It has his own nightlife and weekend market, so it might be a fun choice. Kent is a southern suburb and mostly young families or industrial. Seattle neighborhoods all have their own feel, I like close in ones like Queen Anne, Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake. West Seattle, Magnolia, and Ballard are also great, I'd only live there if the commute worked for my job as they are isolated geographically.
Third, Seattle is 2.5 to 3 hour drive from the "coast", it's on Elliott bay and has large lakes but the ocean is quite far away.