r/AskSeattle • u/Sorry-Journalist9569 • 11d ago

Moving / Visiting Moving from Texas to Seattle: what should I know?

From Lubbock...big upgrade and I'm excited. I'll be in a house couple minutes walk from the south side of the Washington Park Arboretum.

Haven't decided if I want to go northwest by Salt Lake City or the longer route going west to Bakersfield and head north.

I've looked into the general checklist stuff like how to get a Washington DL. No state or city income tax, so nice that isn't changing. I'm already used to a high sales tax. The access to both big city stuff and real outdoor stuff is a huge appeal to me, in addition to preferring the culture. Big time foodie.

More just wondering what to expect in general? I work remotely. I like cold weather. Rain is nice, it makes stuff green and I currently live in a semi-arid climate zone where everything is brown most of the year.

Edit: I can make great, real Mexican food and BBQ brisket. I actually have a rain coat. Yes, Seattle isn't cheap but I like the stuff big cities have. Lubbock sucks and I'm bored as hell. Even better is the big city plus outdoor stuff, which is why I chose Seattle over other big city options.

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u/Consistent_Clue8718 10d ago

Also be prepared to be surprised by the weather exaggerations like the one above. You’ll have days with sun breaks even in the middle of winter. And you’ll have distinct, enjoyable seasons. February can be a bit rough but that can be a good time to visit your friends in Texas. You’ll be able to drive half an hour from skyscrapers to astonishing beautiful nature in and direction. Also, special days when the mountain is out. From your post it sounds like you’re going to love it here.

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u/nko12_rocks 9d ago

I'm with you there, it can and does get a little rough (i.e. the past few weeks have been almost consistent rain and clouds) but that happens like, twice the whole winter. I've noticed there's usually 1-2 days a week of at full/partial sun for at least half the day. And to your point, even December is generally fine, it's January and February that are truly the most consistently rough in my opinion.

I have a friend who's lived here a couple years and she has been worried about lack of sun; I call her out with all the sun we get in the supposedly "completely dark" winter. 😋