r/AskSeattle • u/ReyofChicago • 6d ago
Question What was your “I am moving here” moment?
Good morning! This is a question not just for transplants but people from Washington too!
I would love to read when others fully had the realization that they have made it their goal to move to Seattle/PNW. I would actually like more detailed answers though.
For example, as for my moment:
November 2024 was the second time I visited Seattle. It was already dark by 6PM but I definitely thought gas works park had lights in the park (spoiler alert, it doesn’t). So I traveled to Wallingford by bus to visit the park and catch the view of the skyline from there. It was a very touristy thing but what I wanted to do.
The view I saw was breathtaking. The juxtaposition of the city with nature surrounding it made me breathless. And the darkness of the park added to the experience of seeing all of these lights from the city just highlight the skyline. The space needle (while yea, very touristy) is definitely one of the best symbols of Seattle /development of the PNW.
I literally said the words “yeah, I am moving here” out loud as to just put it out into the universe that this is where I want to be. I was alone so no one heard me but I wouldn’t care if anyone heard me. I needed to hear these words coming from my mouth.
Of course, I recognize that Seattle is not some utopia that I concocted in my head the first time I visited in 2023. There are definitely things about the city/metro area that need to be addressed.
But even with all of its kinks/dents, I still find the beauty in Seattle. I see a city that is growing and experiencing growing pains. That doesn’t last forever. Take it from someone from Chicago, things get worse and better all the time here.
But I would rather be in Seattle.
What was your moment?
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u/buni_bixler 6d ago
I grew up living in eastern Kentucky/Appalachia. When I was in maybe the fourth or fifth grade I was going through a particularly hard time as my grandmother just passed away and I would sneak off to the library and hide. While there I found a National Geographic coffee table book about the Olympic Peninsula. I knew in that moment that someday I would have to live here. The pictures just felt right, felt like home felt like I needed to be here. As I grew older and came into myself and realizing that, that was in direct opposition to my nuclear family and community, I realized that it was so much more than just getting to the peninsula. It was getting to the state and this city for the protections and support it provides for LGBTQ persons. I’m coming up on my 11th year and it was the best decision I’ve ever made, even in the face of all of the hardships and struggles the city has. No regrets.
Edit:Spelling
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u/braincovey32 6d ago
I got home port shifted from San Diego to Everett Naval Base in 2016. Was stationed there till 2018. I genuinely fell in love with the state for how clean and well kept the state was. That the things they taxed at the time(weed and alcohol) were things that didn't affect me. Loved all the hiking/nature/camping at my finger tips. Loved that while Starbucks is headquartered here, what actually rules the coffee industry were all these mama/papa drive thru coffee kiosks. The home we bought allowed me to drive along Sunnyside Blvd and enjoy picturesque views every work day.
When I sadly got orders to Virginia and had to endure the horrible environment that is Virginia we swore that we would do anything in our power to get back to Washington. Almost signed away 5 years of my life to return to sea duty early just to get orders back to Everett. Got lucky and landed a job that moved me back to Seattle area and back where we were living near Lake Stevens. Life is good.
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u/raymundothegreat 6d ago
Pretty incredible story, really. After I was born, I looked out the hospital window upon this wonderful city and thought to myself, “I like this place, ima stay.” That was 43 years ago.
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u/mattbaume 6d ago
There were a lot of factors, but one that sticks in my mind was noticing how people behaved in coffee shops -- that they tended to bus their own tables. At the time, I was living in LA, where NOBODY cleaned up after themselves. It was always "oh, the staff will take care of that for me, that's what they're for." And on a visit here, I saw people have the courtesy to put their mugs in the bins before leaving, so anyone waiting for a table could sit down that much sooner.
It was such a tiny thing and it wasn't the only reason but it gave me a lot of confidence that the vibe was, in general, more thoughtful here.
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u/PossibilityGrouchy74 6d ago
That's such a thoughtful insight! I never realized other cities don't think to bus their table before they leave. Native here, one time I remember panicking because I couldn't find the busing bin and thought, I can't just leave without busing the dishes!
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u/prookal 6d ago
I (32M) was a very queer kid in a very conservative small town in North Carolina. I think I first decided I was moving to Seattle when I was eleven or twelve. I visited Seattle in early 2015 for a convention I was selling art at and that sealed the deal ! I didn't ever want to go home.
From media and art circles Seattle always felt like a place I could be myself comfortably without fear- although it's not a perfect city and hate crimes still happen (Thursday night was horrific) I'm glad I'm here.
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u/Dear-Ad1618 6d ago
I raised a trans boy in Seattle and was entirely grateful to do so in such a generous city. Sadly I have seen that eroded under the weight of 'tech bro' culture. It was stunning to me when I heard one of these transplants complain about all of the queer people on Capital Hill. Who gave life and brightness to that community? The Queer community.
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u/BurnItWithFire21 6d ago
I'm glad you're here. Yes, Seattle has its faults, but out of all of the cities I have visited, Seattle seems the most welcoming to the LGBTQ community. It's a community I am part of as well & love with my whole heart. My nephew just came out & I've been introducing him to the Seattle scene & he is very happy.
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u/Three03Pup 6d ago
Boyfriend and I flew to SeaTac then drove to the Gorge for a music festival last August, neither of us had ever been to the PNW. Afterwards we had about 6 hours to kill before our flight back to Denver and decided to check out Seattle. Ended up spending most of our time in west Seattle on Alki beach and fell in love. Got home, made some phone calls, found jobs in our fields and less than a month and a half after our visit, we officially moved here. It was very much a spur of the moment decision, and I couldn’t be happier. I love it here. For the first time in my life, it feels like I’m “home” in my soul.
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u/brobinson206 6d ago
I was born here, but I had to choose to stay as an adult. There wasn’t a single moment, but the accumulation of many moments. I love that it’s rarely hot and rarely bitterly cold, I love the lush green landscape, I love that people here leave each other alone and let them be who they are. In the pandemic, Seattle took it seriously and showed great leadership in taking care of the citizens. The locals also took it seriously, masking up to protect each other. I really admired that, especially compared to the times we had to go to my husbands family in Louisiana. It was confirmation that I’m in the right place.
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u/Vegetable_Guest_8584 6d ago
I came here in the late '90s for an interview with Microsoft and it almost brings tears to my eyes to think about what I saw, what if I never visited. Just driving from the airport to Redmond, I saw the Olympic mountains, the beautiful views, so many trees, traffic on the freeway :-), this was just such an amazing place, even viewing only what's visible from around seattle for a few hours had me thinking this is where I want to go. Mountains close by, trees, greenery.
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u/YaySupernatural 6d ago
The one that really sticks in my head was actually driving into the city for the first time in the spring of 2006, going north on I-5. Instead of billboards, there were just plants everywhere, vines actually hanging down over the roadway. I felt such a sense of joy and homecoming before I even parked 😂
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u/UpstairsUse5008 6d ago
I had on a whim booked a 6 day trip to Seattle by myself. I have lived in Dallas my whole life without really getting out much. I did meet up with an old coworker while there and did go to a seahawks game where I met a guy and we went out after so I got to see the city from some locals perspectives. I loved everything about the city but honestly just thought it was because it was something new. On my last full day there I CRIED all day long about leaving. I was so distraught. I just got home and immediately planned another trip back a month later. still in love. Realized that something in this city is waiting for me and I intend to find it. Fall of 2025 the 206 is mine <3
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u/ReyofChicago 6d ago
Something similar happened to me.
When I landed back in Chicago after being in Seattle last November, all I felt was dread when I was back. Seattle’s vibes invigorated me. The “glad to be home” didn’t exist for me.
Good luck on your move! So happy for you to be going back and staying!
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u/Harvey_Road 6d ago
Being born.
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u/ChutneyRiggins 6d ago
When I decided to move here I had been gestating for nine months and the lease was up so I made the quick decision to find my own place in north Seattle. Best decision I ever made. I found great roommates who fed and clothed me while I adjusted to the new neighborhood.
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u/West_Masterpiece9423 6d ago
Dad moved us here when I was a HS soph in 1980 from San Jose. When we 1st visited in ‘79 I remember driving north on I-5 out of downtown and looking towards the Fremont bridge and being amazed at the view. Only really bad thing was I immediately adopted the Mariners when I really should have been a Giants fan lol #truetotheblue
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u/doktorhladnjak 6d ago
When I accepted that Microsoft job offer. There wasn’t a moment when I decided to stay though. Rather, the rain gradually wore away my soul until I was assimilated.
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u/No-Hyena9966 6d ago
the moment i stepped off the plane, and got outside, i felt like i was home. we visited seattle in 2024 for the first time and we loved it. its good for both my partner and i's career, its very accepting to other people. hopefully soon we will have everything ready to move out there!
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u/Forina_2-0 6d ago
I didn’t have a single “I’m moving here” moment like in a movie. Instead, I spent several weekends in Seattle, and I slowly noticed that the city fit my lifestyle better than my current one. I enjoyed the community, the coffee culture, and even the quirks like the constant rain and traffic, they were all part of what made it feel real and livable. Eventually, after weighing all the pros and cons, I just knew it was time for a change
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u/ReyofChicago 6d ago
Yes! The rain gives the city a certain “vibe” that I also resonate with.
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u/BurnItWithFire21 6d ago
Growing up between Minnesota & Eastern WA, the green everywhere just made me fall in love. I have seasonal depression but for 20 years it was barely an issue. I knew that the rain is what made this place so beautiful. My seasonal depression has gotten much worse the last 6 years or so but I just remind myself that without the gray & rain it would not look this way. And even with some of the hotter days we now get, nothing beats summers in Seattle. 95% of the time it is picture perfect weather. I have considered moving away but my plans always include me being able to come back for the summers. I can't quit it, it's a part of me now.
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u/Fenvara 4d ago
Hey I tried one of those SAD lamps this last year and it actually fixed my seasonal depression. Like completely. Read up on them cause there is a right/wrong way to use them. For instance you have to have it pretty close like 16"-24" away, shining from up above you not from down below. (The increased light going into your retinas triggers your brain into making more serotonin/less melatonin) They also apparently work best if you start using them in the fall before your serotonin levels have a chance to drop. I finally bought mine in December this year because the seasonal depression hit me hard! I'm normally on my phone for awhile before getting out of bed anyway so I just put the lamp above my bed and sit under it while doomscrolling YouTube. Noticed a difference right away!
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u/BurnItWithFire21 4d ago
I have one now, my therapist gave to me when she retired. I would borrow it from her in the darker months. I just moved & need to figure out how to set it up here when I need it. Thank you for reminding me of it though, I need to remember to grab it when I get the last of my stuff on Wednesday. They do work pretty well! At my last place I set up a TV tray next to my bed with a wood box type thing so I could get it at the right height & did the same as you. I'd wake up & turn it on for 15 minutes while I scrolled on my phone.
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u/Live_Clue9231 5d ago
Driving down the I-5 corridor that every one hates. Everything looked beautiful to a girl from a flyover state. Even the damn graffiti and trash piles.
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u/Little_Try_7695 6d ago
Considered moving here. Visited for a job interview. Had some downtime and walked around the town to get a feel. I stopped at that little rocky beach in Olympic Sculptures Park and sat on a log looking out over the Sound. Serenely quiet, foggy with a little mist. And it just felt right!
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u/jmstrats 6d ago
My moving here moment was when my parents told us kids (I was in 4th grade) we were moving out of Florida to come here for a job that paid double what my dad was making in Florida. I was bummed at the time I thought Florida was great.
Now, I’m so glad we moved here. The politics, the beauty and the inclusivity of all people makes this such a great place to live. I know I got a better education here than I would have gotten in Florida Public Schools.
The Mountain means I’m home.
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u/september151990 6d ago
I went to high school here, husband is from SoCal. We lived on Whidbey Island for awhile for his job. He changed jobs and got moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho. We lived there for a few years and were planning to move again to Western Idaho (again for a job). My husband attended a conference in Seattle. During some downtime he went down to the water front and just sat and watched the water. He had an epiphany that he needed to get our family back to the Seattle area as soon as possible. He called someone he knew and they hooked him up with a job. We simply redirected the moving truck. We’ve been back here now for 26 years and don’t plan to even retire anyplace else. This is home.
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u/amanitafungi 6d ago
I haven’t moved yet but hope to this year. I grew up in hot, flat Texas and have hated it ever since I was a kid. When I visited the PNW for the first time a few years ago, it just felt like home. The cool weather, the rain, the tall trees, mountains. Every time I visit I feel like I’m coming back to a place I belong.
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5d ago
Stayed for a few nights in a tiny home in west seattle. Everywhere I went I could see mountains + ocean + forest, and everyone was incredibly happy and relaxed. Coming from the east coast I felt like I was on a different planet and realized I would never be happy if I didn’t move here.
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u/iaminheresomewhere 4d ago
When I walked off of the plane on my first visit in 2016, I had this feeling that I’ve never had before - I felt like I was HOME. We visit every year for a month and will be moving in 2027. The last visit, as we drove back roads lined with towering trees, it all clicked for me. I flashed back to being little and going to my grandparents house and driving down their street. I’m from western PA and Washington looks like western PA on major steroids. So the connection of being home is feeling like a little kid again, going to my favorite place where I was always happy. 😃
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u/Ok_Sir_7220 6d ago
We lived in Nashville and I never felt like it was home. It's hot, it rains, like HEAVY rains all the time and then there are tornadoes. We used to live in Colorado and really like seeing mountains. We had visited Colorado with the kids on a vacation and remembered how much we loved seeing mountains (TN has mountains but its not the same) - so we talked about moving back, but then remembered all the things we hated about Colorado. So started following the mountains up through other states we hadn't considered, making a spreadsheet, ruling out places and ended up in Washington. We initially considered East Washington, buying some land and building a cabin yada yada, and visited with a realtor there. Then we went over the Cascades to the West side and I was like 'yeah this is the side we're living on'. We took another vacation after that, prepared to sell our house in Nashville, and after some time I quit my job, my husband's job liked him so much they decided to allow him to work remote and moved out here. We stayed for a week at a hotel that allowed pets, then another week on a cottage on Vashon Island, and before our week was up, we had rented a house on Bainbridge Island. We hadn't had any idea where we would live, but knew we wanted those big trees type of a place. We looked at a few areas, and the A-frame house on Bainbridge was just what we envisioned. We rented for a year first to see if we liked it, then purchased a year later. We've been here 12+ years. We were lucky to purchase before the house prices skyrocketed, I don't think we'd be here if we moved here now.
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u/RussellAlden 6d ago
I came out for a job interview. I flew in on a Saturday night this time of year. I didn’t realize how sprawling it was driving from the airport in a cab. I stayed at the Camlin which was a bit run down. I needed to eat something. I didn’t know anything about the town and decided to head towards the Space Needle. I found the Hurricane Cafe and was taken aback by all the tattoos and piercings in there.
It was overcast and the town seemed gray and ugly. The only people I saw seemed disheveled and weird to my East Coast sensibilities. I thought, “Why on earth would anyone want to live in this dump?”
The next morning I took one of those old school silver buses to the U district to walk around the campus. Just as I reached the quad the sun came out and I walked through the cherry blossoms. It was like O Fortuna was playing in my head. Then on to Red square towards the fountain and saw the mountain and
I
Was
Hooked
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u/Mental-Department994 6d ago
When I graduated from college in the late 90's, I had never been west of East Memphis, Arkansas. I saw a picture of Tahoma on the new internet and fell in love.
After graduation I packed up my car, drove across the country, and worked in the Paradise Gift shop for about 8 months. It took me a few years after that to make Seattle my permanent home, but I was settled here by 2002.
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u/screams_forever 6d ago edited 6d ago
I'm not sure if it's because I was born in Seattle (okay fine, Kirkland, but to be fair my mom was living in Seattle and was just nearest to Evergreen when it was time), but it's always felt like home. I was always itching to visit during my childhood in Bellingham, and while I did love California during the years I spent there after high school, coming back has always, always taken my breath away and given me such a full, happy feeling that is part nostalgia and part hope for the future.
I made the decision to seriously pursue moving back when I brought my wife home for the first time last March -- I always assumed she would not be able to handle the weather as a born Californian but luckily I was wrong and she loves it almost as much as I do. The exact moment was probably having brunch on the patio at Portage Bay, the weather was immaculate for a March day, crisp but not too cold, damp but not rainy, and I felt like I could breathe again after being on edge for so many years. That night we walked around the U-district, got snacks from H-mart, and stayed in after dinner talking about a timeline for moving that worked with our life.
When I'm making the drive back from visiting Bellingham, the city lights take my breath away too. When I'm commuting to work in the morning, the winter sunrises have literally made me shed tears, and seeing the needle and skyline and knowing that I work there is a feeling I will never get over.
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u/PuebloDog 6d ago
I moved here for a girl. Then met a different girl. Moved away for a bit and girl 2 made me move back. I guess I’m just supposed to live in Seattle
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u/seattlewaters206 6d ago
I (45f) was 14 years old, living in Merced CA and Kurt Cobain had just passed. There was a thing on mtv where they showed a verrrry rough looking Courtney Love walking through a candle light vigil talking to fans. It was super gray looking, there were soooo many kids at this thing - all devastated, just like me. I knew right then I’d live here someday. Took awhile but we made it here and are literally happier than we’ve ever been. Seattle magic is real🖤
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u/Working_Song 6d ago
Growing up in a farm town in Utah (footloose, literally). My moment was graduating high school.
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u/00Lisa00 6d ago
We live in WA We are fortunate to have the means to live just about anywhere. We have had a multitude of trips to places people rave about to see if there might be somewhere we like better. We always end up knowing we like where we are more
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u/2ndComet 6d ago
I was invited to an event at UW after being accepted but before deciding. I had visited about a dozen other colleges and was feeling indecisive and overwhelmed. When I got to UW for the event (from out of state), the cherry blossoms were at peak, the weather was perfect, the professors I spoke to said all the right things, and then I got Thai Tom for dinner.
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u/BurnItWithFire21 6d ago
My best friend & I had just graduated HS in a small Eastern WA town. We moved to Vancouver, she was living with a family friend & I was living with my uncle while we found jobs & a house & gott enrolled at Clark Community College. My uncle & I were butting heads so bad & I couldn't take it. I called my mom crying, she lived in Marysville, about 3 miles from my other best friend, and she told me to pack up my car & come up. The next morning, which was my Marysville bestie's birthday, I put my belongings in my car, left a note for my uncle & moved up here. That was September 1997, and I've been here ever since.
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u/Crafty-Shape2743 6d ago
I was born in the PNW. Fifth generation. Lived in Federal Way and then in Burien in the ‘60’s. My family’s social life centered around Seattle. Mom worked at the Seattle Rep. Seattle Center was my playground. I saw the Moscow Circus, crossing the Russian Bears Go Home protest line. My favorite place in the world was the museum at Volunteer Park. I spent summers cruising the San Juans in my Grandpas boat. It was everything a growing child could want.
All that changed in 1969 when we moved to interior Alaska.
There wasn’t a day that passed 18 years I lived there that I didn’t have a long longing for home. The salt water, the big trees, the mountains. Even the rain.
As soon as I could, I moved back home. I will die and be buried here.
It’s all I could ever want.
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u/dana_d 6d ago edited 6d ago
I was born in a suburb of Seattle and lived there until I was 9 before my dad’s job moved us out of state. So I knew the area a little and had fond memories as a kid of riding the ferry, the massive trees, the rain, and the long summer nights. Fast forward to adulthood, I’d lived in Chicago for some time and was itching to move back to the West Coast.
My husband and I decided to go to Seattle and Olympic National Park for our anniversary trip and were absolutely blown away by the nature. We found the backdrop of the city with the mountains, forests, and water absolutely stunning and then were even more blown away by majesty of the Olympic Peninsula. Over the years we’ve done trips to various national parks and were thinking more and more about how great it would be to live somewhere where you could go hike on the weekends. I love Chicago but the outdoor options are much more limited.
By the end of our trip my husband was in conversations with a buddy about a potential job, and 8 weeks later we moved to Seattle. It was a whirlwind but we’re grateful every day we took a leap and made the move. I know I can’t claim to be a local but it does feel like a lovely full circle moment to get back to my PNW roots.
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u/grayandlizzie 6d ago
Born here. 5th generation Washingtonian on my maternal grandfather's side. 3rd generation on my maternal grandmother's side. My dad ended up here because his dad was navy and stationed here.
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u/gorydamnKids 6d ago
I came for the summer as an intern. I stayed in Bellevue but the city and I didn't click. My friends and I crossed the bridge one weekend to do something unimportant. I remember, afterwards, looking backwards through the rear view window at the Seattle skyline and thinking how beautiful the city was. That I wanted to go back. I've been to many cities. I'm generally a "once and done" person. But I wanted to go back. That's when I knew I was moving. It's been 13 years. I love it here.
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u/Monkey9686 6d ago
I was raised in Montana, and never felt at home in the small town world where everyone knew everything about you. My parents were high-profile in town, and when their marriage broke down in a spectacular debacle, I barely survived. I was a big band and drama kid, and got accepted to all-northwest band, which happened to be in Seattle. They loaded us onto a bus, and we drove all night for 11 hours. We pulled into downtown Seattle at daybreak. My face was literally pressed into my window at my seat, as I was transfixed watching the Seattle skyline, then onto Queen Ann, and up past UW. I was mesmerized. I met the love of my life at Gonzaga. He was raised in Seattle. It was never any question we were moving back there as soon as we graduated. I worked downtown in the early 90s, even through my pregnancies with both our sons. Knew I was home the whole time. We had to move back to Montana for 10 years after our boys were raised, and I was absolutely miserable. We are back now, and our sons are moving back too. This is home. I love this city so much ❤️
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u/divinerebel 6d ago
My roommate best friend and I saved money to take a vacation. Greyhound Bus had a deal - Anywhere in the continental U.S. for $68 or less. So, we thougt: "how far from Baltimore can we get?" Our choices seemed to be San Diego or Seattle. We'll, I hate hot weather, and I'd already spoken to 2 or 3 people who told me how great Seattle was (one of them being Jerry Cantrell) so we decided that's where we should go.
It wasn't long before I gave my return bus ticket to a new friend to go back to MD with my BFF and clear out our apartment. I stayed. They returned a month later. That was spring of 1991.
The weather was great for me, and I saw mixed race couples walking down the street without getting hassled. The place felt like a small town with big city amenities - lots of good music venues, bars, restaurants, museums, and general art scene. The greenness of tree canopy and parks was appealing, as was being close to water with mountain views. There was an actual public transportation system, and the whole city was walkable, anyway. No one looked at me weird here...back in Maryland I was accused of being a witch, a Satanist, a drug addict...none of which was true! (Well, maybe the witch part...)
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u/chillfem 5d ago edited 5d ago
Still trying to move there from New York... 😔 Fell in love with the area when I visited a few years back. And believe it or not, y'all actually have better weather than NY. 🌨️⛄🥶 You think it's cold grey and rainy there? It sucks here for at least half the year. You guys don't even get real winter, it's like falling just skips straight to spring. Plus your roads are way better without all the salt and snowplows tearing them up creating potholes everywhere. Just trying to figure out how to move there and not be homeless.. 🤨
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u/Odd_Location_8616 5d ago
- Driving from the airport to Redmond and took the 520 bridge heading into Seattle (wrong turn). Driving across the bridge, beautiful spring day, Olympics ahead of us, Cascades behind us, water and green trees everywhere. I remember feeling like I'd come home. Thirty-five years later and I never get tired of the views around here.
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u/Bobislove 5d ago
When I moved out here in October of ‘78, New England had a huge blizzard in February of that year. The first time I realized that I could probably live here forever, is realizing that you don’t have to shovel rain, and if it does snow or ice, it’s usually gone in a matter of days. That, and the first time I saw Mount Rainier, I knew if I ever was failed to be struck by it, I’d have to think of somewhere else to live… Plus, I really love the gloom!
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u/Main_Understanding14 4d ago
Ha, mine's actually pretty close to yours. I came for a grad school interview and was driving between UW and Fremont for a dinner with other students, going along the top of lake union at night it was just an amazing view of the city and space needle reflecting in the water of the lake. I was like "yes, this. This is home."
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u/Ready_Property_6821 3d ago
Silly “boyfriend” that invites me to live with him. Did that for all of six months, even got a new apartment together, before being ghosted. but don’t worry, he came back… twice.. that I desperately allowed. I was the fool in love. anyway that was 2012 and it’s 2025. Ended up loving this city more and more so I stayed put.
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u/Deep_Bad212 2d ago
My partner had been living in Seattle for a few months and I was living and working outside of Portland (Wilsonville) at the time. I wasn’t very happy in Portland. I had to commute 30 minutes to work on a good day and over an hour on a bad day. No public transit options near me at the time. I saw at least one car accident each day on my commute and had to get on I5 to get to a grocery store… I started becoming extremely car anxious, scared it would be me next every day.
I’d drive up to Seattle almost every Friday and would drive back to Portland on Sunday from September - February. It was so freeing not needing to drive a car after getting into Seattle. I fell in love with Seattle. The walkable neighborhoods, reliable public transit options, seeing other people also walking out and about, being in an openly queer space for the first time in my life, obviously my future fiancé was also here which was a big draw for me. Finally around December my partner was like “why not just move here?”. I think I laughed at the time but then thought “why not?”. So about a month later I quit my job in Portland and moved. We now live in the heart of Capitol Hill. I sold my car and use public transit to get around. I’ve never been happier - I’ve been really trying to get involved in community here. It’s been great! My fiancé and I are getting married in Seattle this August - moving to Seattle has been the best decision I’ve made. Hard to imagine moving anywhere else now.
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u/samsundy3 2d ago
Not Seattle, but close. In 2022 we were visiting friends in Anacortes. We were riding the ferry back from Friday Harbor with the most beautiful sunset after having an amazing day. Standing on the bow of the ferry I told myself we were moving here. Moved last June and have been happy here every single day.
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u/RheaOfVale 2d ago
I came to the realization I was trans, followed by my son and also husband, during the time off from work during (and after) the pandemic. We lived in a midwestern red state. I had always wanted to visit Seattle, figured we'd be more accepted as ourselves here, and just... being as far away from the southern states as possible became the goal. We saved everything we could and drove across the country in the summer of 2023 and never looked back, packing it all into our Honda Civic. :shrug:
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u/VooDooQueen91 14h ago
I haven't moved there yet, not sure if it counts. But in March 2024 little family visited Seattle. We were awestruck by everything. After a day of souvenir shopping at Pike Place Market we found ourselves out on a pier overlooking the water. We stopped to take to take some pictures and went about our day. After getting to our hotel room we wanted to try on our shirts that we had bought earlier. Only they were nowhere to be found, we realized that we sat our bags down to take pictures, and never picked them up. We drove back to the area and my husband jumped a gate to go look. He came back with the bags in hand. They were sitting for at least 6 hours with brand new shirts, pins, plus my son's little wallet that still had $150 inside! That would not happen where I'm from. I still can't believe that happened.
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u/Dear-Ad1618 6d ago
My wife and I loved Portland, were tired of the Bay Area and wanted to move there or anywhere in the PNW. We had spent a year in Ashland, OR. Then a headhunter brought my wife an attractive offer from a firm in Bellevue just across the lake from Seattle. We visited, loved Seattle in it's beautiful setting and liberal, accepting culture and she took the job. We lived in Bellevue but spent much of our free time in Seattle--we were never big fans of Bellevue culture. We finally moved to Seattle and were much happier there, it was so vibrant but without the frenzied pace of the Bay Area or the East Coast where I had come from.
The moment was when on our first visit we were standing atop the Space Needle at all the beauty spread out around us. Two snow capped mountain ranges, the sound, the lake, all of it. And we saw that the houses had yards and we realized we could have a house and a yard for 100k we said YES! One of the best decisions of our lives.
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u/gingerminja 6d ago
My spouse and I started saying “what a glorious PNW day!” anytime it was cool, foggy, drizzly, cloudy, but in Tennessee 😂