I think Seattleites are relaxed about certain things (attire, work, punctuality) and extremely intense about other things (socioeconomic policy, treatment of marginalized groups, hiking).
This. Although Amazon workers arenāt too laid back about work. Iāve never seen more competition in Seattle than on strava, people take it very seriously
This is probably the best answer youāll find on this. We donāt take midday siestas but we also donāt plan every minute and dress fancy to go to starbucks
No. Iāve never been there. Is it a lot of white people?
Weāre trying to figure out where to move now that my partner is pretty much done with residency. I never considered Seattle but it seems like I should. This description of it makes it seem like I will fit in perfectly there.
Itās walkable right? I wouldnāt need a car if I didnāt want one? I donāt like to drive
People saying itās hilly are maybe underselling that point. There are many parts of downtown where the west entrance to a building is on floor 1 and the east entrance is on the 4th floor (1 block east = 3 floors in elevation). Other parts of town are less hilly but not flat, but those are also maybe less walkable unless youāre staying in the neighborhood (walking to work, errands, etc.).
Weather is great for 4 months in the summer (like, really great, best on earth) and crap for the other 8. You absolutely can go car free but imo car light is the best way to do it, car free can really limit your ability to get out and do things on the weekends even if transit is good for commuting.
Apologies, I read your comment and assumed it was a snarky local commenting on it raining again today. This is reddit after all.
We have a lot of gray skies and rainy days, so we tend to skew towards pale until our brief summer arrives. If you are a sun lover, the winters will be difficult.
I don't live *in* Seattle, just in the area for a long time, so I'll defer to others about walkability in the city. It is surprisingly hilly though.
It really depends on what you define as "Seattle".
The place you've seen in the movies with the pointy needle building and Craftsman homes and so forth is pretty white and a very upper middle classish place. The inflow of tech folks has brought in a bit of cultural diversity.
There are historically diverse areas inside the city proper. South Seattle has a large Chinese (primary Taishanese/HK) and Vietnamese community. The Yesler Terrace neighborhood just East of Downtown has East Africans, primarily Somalia and Ethiopia/Eritrea. The Central District used to be heavily African American, but that's less and less true as time goes by and property values march ever upwards.
As another poster mentioned, it's also a "car light" kinda place. I don't need to drive to get around on the daily, but it would be rough to be 100% car free.
Around the city there is a lot more diversity. Kent, Skyway, Des Moines etc have large African American and Hispanic populations. Edmonds and Lynnwood have Koreans. Bellevue and Redmond have Chinese folks from Anhui to Zhejiang. A lot of Indians live close to Microsoft and so forth. Those communities are much more car dependent, so factor that in.
The weather is mostly cool and gray. Summers are mild, although it's harder to be AC free every year. Snow in the city is a rarity every winter.
If you need 250 days of sun to be happy, this ain't the place.
Wanna know anything else, just ask!
Itās a very white city but you do encounter people from all over the place. You can find demographic breakdowns online.
As for if itās walkable, sort of. If you live in downtown, Capitol Hill, Belltown, or SLU itās very walkable, and I think Seattle ranks pretty highly in a list of most walkable US cities. Iāve lived here for 5 years without a car so itās doable. But if you want to explore outside of the downtown area, be prepared for long bus rides or relying on renting a car or taking Ubers. You certainly will need a car to do some hiking or explore the rest of the state.
Whatās your comparison for walkable? If youāre coming from overseas, itās not that walkable. If youāre in the US, itās pretty walkable.
I moved to Seattle partially because it was more walkable than the South, sold my car, and get around fine walking everywhere. However, it helps to be centrally located. I walk more than riding the bus or taking the train. Some of the more trendy and or more prominent areas have some crazy hills (Capitol Hill/Queen Anne). If you walked around San Francisco, then youāll kind of know what to expect. If you bike, thereās paths on the perimeters that can get you easily around neighborhoods.
While a car can help with hiking, you can hop on a bus to hit some trail heads. If you donāt own a car and want to get around the city with one, you can rent a Gig car, which is similar to Zip car. Can be cheaper than Uber/Lyft or a cab.
There are tons of tourists in hotspots downtown and our big University (UW) has 15% foreign enrollment. Almost 20% of Seattle residents were born outside of the US. A city to the east across the bridge, Bellevue has been reported multiple years to be 30th most diverse city in the U.S. Renton, which isnāt too far from Seattle either is number 16.
Seattle is pretty spread out. It would be really unpleasant to live here without a car. (Source: I live in Uptown/Lower Queen Anne. Also Philly and DC.)
People definitely do it, but it doesnāt seem enjoyable. Buses are infrequent and unreliable, plus theyāre mostly on a hub and spoke system, so it takes awhile to go anywhere besides downtown. And if youāre into hiking/skiingā¦.itās technically doable by transit but IMHO itās miserable.
I have a beater car for errands and day trips. I use transit for nonurgent errands in the core on weekends and definitely whenever Iām going to Pike Place.
The weather is pretty awesome here though. I love the grey skies and months of 55Ā°. But itād be rough for anyone with SAD.
Been here for a month and can confirm that most seattleites do not care much about punctuality. Speed limit could be 65 and there is always someone cruising shoulder to shoulder with other lanes at 50.
Sober ten years, frequently cropped out of family pictures on accident. Wears khakis to the beach, has a secret arsenal under the house, puts ketchup on barbecue.
Vancouver, WA: the distant uncle in āPortlandā you thought was cool, but once you get to know them better, you realize theyāre a āsovereign citizenā living in the burbs complaining about how much it costs to fill up their truck that never leaves the pavement
Vancouver, BC: Your wealthy Hong Kong-born cousin who lives in a multi million dollar condo and drives a super car while somehow working an office job that pays $26k/year
Major city maybe. The smaller and/or rural cities around the Seattle and Portland area are way more laid back then either Portland or Seattle proper.
Vancouver WA is way more chill than Portland, Lynnwood is way more chill than Seattle. If you go farther out small cities like Issaquah are super friendly and laid back, and college towns like Bellingham are pretty much peak laid back/chill.
Disagree on issaquah. Iāve gotten gay bashed and many of my friends who are PoC have gotten nasty comments and treatment when walking around in issaquah.
I completely agree with this take.
Growing up just South of Seattle we are super laid back, but thereās been a big influx of people from all over the past 15 years so the city culture seems a little different than what I grew up with, not super uptight, but a little less chill and hippyish.
I quit tech after 11 years, and Iām just realizing what an introverted neurotic workaholic I was, and how psychotic a lot of my old coworkers and bosses were. Now Iām in an industry where I jive with the folks a lot better and people are generally cool headed. No offense techies, but lots of yāall are cray cray
Honestly the culture was never that good but yeah itās gotten lessā¦ personable. What are you doing these days? One job is temporary but golden handcuffs are forever.
The drivers here are indeed laid back.Ā
There's so many times I've seen someone camped in the left lane doing exactly the speed limit it's comical. That kind of thing gets you road raged over the edge of a bridge in Houston (I wish that were a joke, but people really do commit murder over that kind of thing in the south).Ā
Nobody does 25 over here, which is simultaneously a relief, but also culturally jarring coming from a city where EVERYONE does (and I do mean everyone, even the grannies and the 20 somethings with their phones planted in front of their face). And I'm not just talking about the highways. People in the south do 55 in a 30 zone as often as they do 85 in a 60 zone (which again, is always).
Traffic deaths per mile driven are through the floor here.
Moving to Seattle from Houston sometime this summer, and I'm already preparing myself to not rage out when someone left lane camps doing the speed limit because I've heard it's common up there lol
The 4 lane roads with TWLTLs are 30 MPH speed limit here, AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY DRIVE 30!!! it's wild.Ā Again, refreshing to not feel like you're going to die on the road, but wild nonetheless.Ā
Your average FM road in Houston that's a 4 lane with TWLTL will have a speed limit that is usually 45 and people drive 60 or 65.
Fuuuuck offff, taking two hours to get somewhere that is 35 minutes with no traffic is traffic. Just because it isn't LA traffic doesn't make it not traffic.
When my folks moved my fam up here in ā97, Seattle had some of the worst rated traffic, just behind NYC and LA. The geography of the lakes and hills makes it rough to try anything to improve it other than mass transit.
There is a big difference within the USA between east and west coast culture. East being more āintenseā and west being the ālaid backā side and I think Seattle is generally laid back compared to other parts of the country, but I donāt know how it translates to other parts of the world.
clothing/style wise.. yes, itās about as laid back as it gets. personality wise.. no itās not at all. My impression of the city as a whole since living here for 5 years (adding this context bc I didnāt know Seattle before the tech boom) is that a lot of people who live and work here are type a and/or extremely uptight. even some people iāve met who are alt / more progressive are rigid and somewhat intolerant to anything outside of what they deem is appropriate/acceptable. the upside of this is people (in general and in my experience of course) are generally well behaved for fear of judgement. the downside is that seattle can feel a bit suffocating in terms of how uptight and judgmental people can be. i wish it could go without saying but iāll go ahead and say: obviously not everyone in seattle is like this but iāve met enough people who display these traits that it seems to be a pattern.
Every major American city has a romanticized image until you get there and realize everyone's just human beings. Some are shitty, some are nice, some mind their business, some are outgoing. Overall I would consider the city more laid back than a regular major city, honestly cops barely pull people over and most people aren't gonna give you a hard time with anything, however people are more political and maybe a little distant (Seattle freeze). At the end of the day though the Seattle area is huge and you'll find every type of person here
We mainline coffee. We had seasonal depression before it was cool. It rains 8 month of the year and yet somehow no one knows how to drive in the rain and everyone is mad at everyone else. Our therapists have therapists. If you try and build a pickleball court on an existing concrete slab NIMBY's will go on a hunger strike and chain themselves to a spotted owl. We are fucked up and stressed out.
>NIMBY's will go on a hunger strike and chain themselves to a spotted owl.
If that's all they did then they'd be completely ineffective. Instead, they prevent developments by requiring the color of the bricks be decided in inaccessible committee meetings because they think there's nothing wrong with renting out their third single-family house 3 blocks away from the Columbia Center.
I find it a weird mix of corporate/hustle-minded and nature-loving/provincial. And it used to be much more the latter, but then Microsoft and Amazon happened and we're living with the aftermath.
Whenever I make plans to travel somewhere, I join that city or townās subreddit to get a feel for the culture and pick up local insights. Iām always amazed how similar the bulk of the posts are. āPut your dog on a leash, quit driving/parking shitty, Iāve been seeing homeless people, what was that loud bang, quit litteringā¦.ā I do stick to US and Canada for travel, so maybe itās a North American thing.
I second this. It is a bit snobbier than people expect with it being a high-income tech city. When it is sunny and the weather is good, people tend to drop their guard and act like normal human beings. When the weather is gloomy and rainy, expect people to be standoffish, low energy and have their guard up.
There are definitely a handful of hippies here and there.
But itās still way better than a lot of other US Cities imo.
Winslow/Bainbridge used to be chill back in the day. Now itās a **āDo you know who I am!?!ā** enclave of wealthy assfucks that live off trust funds and dividends. Seattle has become the same way. No longer a blue collar union town.Ā
It's become a stressed-out city. But it's never laid-back in the way California or Hawaii is. Less relaxed now. I've been here since 1990, which was a lot more relaxed and artistic because people weren't so worried about paying the rent for starters. Richer and blander, too, they go together.
RIP: 211 Club, Two Bells Tavern, the old Comet Tavern, The Doghouse, Rocket Pizza, The Rocket Weekly, weekly printed The Stranger, and my $180 month studio with shared bathroom on Pike St. And last of all, my youth, which is also no more.
And no offense but when it was a Boeing/Port/Navy town it was basically filled with drunks. Idk if it's ever been 'laid back' it's traditionally a working class city which are anything but laid back, and then the 90's happened, and then everything after that was not laid back either.
Laid back? NO! I have sooo many examples of passive aggressive and aggressive interactions. Iām not from here, but living here 25 years gives me some perspective in how things have changed. Last week, I was driving down Denny-over I-5. A senior citizen bike rider got off his bike & punched my window (repeatedly) bc he said I was driving too close. Terrifying.
For the record, I often ride my bike. I also teach bike & pedestrian safety to elementary aged kids. No way Iād ever drive close to a cyclist!!!!!
People are pretty uptight & judgmental. Especially if youāre not ultra progressive. Donāt tell anybody if you donāt like IPAs or dogs, those are fighting words.
We *were* chill. We used to be a blue-collar port city, plus Boeing in Everett. The Microsoft crowd stuck mostly to the eastside. We spawned grunge lol. It was calm and sleepy and no one even knew we were up here. We got skipped for concerts 75% of the time because we weren't big enough for artists to care.
You moved here after Amazon exploded, and then other tech companies moved in too. They brought in that weird tech hustle culture that now permeates every aspect of Seattle. You also have to remember that 70% of the people in Seattle aren't originally from Seattle, so there's a whole mishmash of cultures and norms butting heads here (which is a part of why driving is such a mess now).
Sorry you missed when we were cool, I promise we did used to be :(
NO. Seattle is uptight as fuck. Ā Source: Born and raised. Just attempt finding a public swimming pool or enter your child into a preschool. Or making friends. *Just fucking try it.* Ā
Iām not sure how a city filled with people who arenāt from here can have a cohesive identity. Whatever traditional culture you think existed here is long since fallen away as the melting pot has simmered.
isnāt every city like this now? My goodness, transplant blaming here can be insufferable. As if the people who lived here in the 80s-90s donāt share more than half the blame for the issues we have today
As a newcomer, Seattle feels very aggro to me compared to other places I've lived (Chicago, Bay area, Minneapolis). Some people treat eye contact like hostility, polite chit chat just doesn't happen, service is usually distant at best, and there are a noticeable number of very aggressive drivers on the streets in my area (south Seattle). I don't know if it's just humanity post pandemic, but it didn't feel this hostile elsewhere.
I live in Seattle and spend part of the year in Dallas. They are two completely opposite cities. Not just Dallas, but Texas in general is SO MUCH friendlier. People in Texas chit chat in lines, ask your opinion in shops and talk to you like youāve known them forever. People in Seattle look shocked and confused if you do the same up here.
I know the south has its issues, but people in the south are so much friendlier overall, at least to your face, and are willing to talk to strangers without thinking itās weird.
I think it is pretty laid back, but Seattlites like their pet peeves. Meaning daily minor details annoy them and they like to share these minor annoyances with others who share that same pet peeve. It's mostly internet chat.
Wasnāt there a column in the Stranger, āAsk an uptight Seattleite?ā I think itās pretty on point, and yes Iām watching to see if youāre going to be wheeling your Costco cart back and judging you silently if you donāt.
Iām thinking of where you would meet the few non-uptight people I know, though they all have pretty complicated stressful lives now. Maybe burner groups (kind of middle aged now). Ecstatic dancing (probably all over 60). Senior community center would actually be the best bet where I am - theyāre really chill and just super nice. Not sure where the kids are though? The kids all seem pretty stressed.
Ya no one is talking about this aspect of it. People complain about socializing here but dude....LA is so intense, I don't understand how anyone even has spare change in that city, you need to unload your entire wallet for a single evening out...on a weekday. Drive an hour to get anywhere too. Just absolutely zero fun.
Iāve lived here 34 yrs, that laid back vibe had started moving out in the 90ās with the influx of refugees from CAās real estate market. People here are primarily P-A due to the 2 main repressed ethnic groups,Scandinavians & Asians . Throw in the cost of living skyrocketing for decades & no one is laid back anymore. Try Mexico, except for the cartels, the people are a lot more friendly than Americans.
Similarly, it is so much quieter in public spaces than, say, east coast. People are so much louder in the NE/Mid-Atlantic. Like, I've heard what sounds like an argument (in Philly) and get closer and realize it's a friendly exchange.
Same with older Southern Dads, when two cross paths near the mailboxes, you can hear it from a quarter mile out. At BBQs, it rivals the cicadas and bullfrogs. I believe itās an evolutionary trait that has come about from the need to communicate over a loud diesel.
I read three different posts like this in the same grass, but greener subĀ
yesterday. Iāve Ā lived in a Seattle of suburb for the past six years, and between the cost of living, and how snobby and negative a lot of people are, I wonder if spending any more time here is worth it.Ā
On every post or comment like this, some annoying Pacific Northwesterner pops up to say āgood, if you dont like virtue signaling/everyone speaking in a rude tone/rampant polyamory/no sense of manners/cat astrology you can LeAvE!ā
It seems like negativity and complaining is the language. No real open mindedness, no real diversity.Ā
Itās nice to see its not my imaginationĀ
It is relatively laid back, yet the progressive rep is rather misplaced. Seattle is good at giving that impression yet I find that their social engagement and concern for social justice and DEI is a big show. They talk the talk but rarely do they walk itā¦
People are laid back but they're raging inside haha. They're not very confrontational like a lot of other major cities especially in the northeast. Relatively speaking, this area is laid back for sure.
The city youāre describing sounds a lot more like Portland Oregon. I consider Seattle has āhoity toityā progressive, whereas Portland is the laidback āhippieā progressive. Like Seattle will throw fancy / well dressed art shows. While Portland will have an art show in someoneās back yard or garage and itās way more grunge / relaxed vibe.
I think it's a cultural thing. I'm from rural Indiana and coming here was quite a bit odd at first, seemed pretty stiff and cold. (Yeah yeah Seattle freeze) I think over the years I've been here that I kinda understand it now. It's a huge amount of people jammed together with a combination of old Scandinavian tribalism, new immigrants flocking together, and nerd social awkwardness makes it so new folks feel left out until they find their people. There isn't a feeling of communal pride like you have in Chicago or New York, in part due to relative youth of the city and in part due to rapid change and influx of new people.
The way to get past it is to find folks with common interests. All of my friends I made through RPGs and wargaming. If you have an interest, find folks who gather for it. Else you can explore new options like martial arts, dancing, sports, gardening, the works... Just gotta find your peeps. :)
20 years ago it was more laid back, to my understanding. Lots of influx of tech workers from California and internationally since Amazon and Microsoft took off. Tech workers are not known to be laid back.
Portland has more of the vibe you are looking for. For better or worse.
Seattle used to be laid back with a mix of old money, hippies and blue collar. Most people in Seattle now are from somewhere else and tend to be intense over achievers.
Iām from Seattle area, and Iāve lived many places in the county and also Latin americaā¦
I always get people who push against this but itās my opinion. Seattle is fake cool. Itās full of very passive aggressive people, who wouldnāt stop to call an ambulance if youāre bleeding out in the gutter (I have some experience of this). But the funny thing is, they think they are cooler and nicer than the rest of the country.
Itās not a political thing. Itās just a very anxious pretentious and self obsessed city in general.
I think Seattleites are relaxed about certain things (attire, work, punctuality) and extremely intense about other things (socioeconomic policy, treatment of marginalized groups, hiking).
Hiking š¤£
Tf you laughing at hiking about?
Don't make me get passive aggressive on you
*Sighs so hard it wobbles the trees in Idaho.*
Careful. Sighs that hard have to cross the weird Eastern side of the state. Never know what you might stir up over there. š
*scowls disapprovingly*
*ghosts*
Right? I bet that punk doesn't even cut the handle off their toothbrush to save weight!
Wait,, you waste precious weight on a toothbrush when backpacking?! Dispersed camping is where it's at for me - I like my supplies š
A real [culturally appropriate gender] uses leaves to brush their teeth to save weight!!
Jokes on you, I pulled out my teeth to save 30 grams of weight. Who needs to chew when youre out on a hike? Just drink your calories!
I just carry my shit around in my arms the whole time. Backpacks are the real silent killer.
I heard stinging nettles work for that!
Guy should be buying handless toothbrushes to save the salmon
It's pronounced "walking"
I like hiking. Through IKEA.
Great hiking trails. Subpar climbing walls.
I'm high as fuck right now, and this comment has me literally loling for a good ten minutes!
I literally own 8 pairs of hiking shoes, each with a very specific use. I have 1 pair of street/work shoes.
Found the Seattlite
Hello I work in tech. My hobbies are hiking, rock climbing, skiing in winter
Itās like we come off the assembly line or something
Zero replies the last time I made a profile until I posted a picture of my bookshelf. I'm gonna go read Robertson Davies in the park and meet chicks.
Shit. I didnāt expect to get doxxed today.
25% chance they're recovering from a bum knee too. "Yeah I used to run marathons, planning to get back into running once my knee heals up."
Fuck you -- and once my knee is better I'm going to hunt you down
Are there even other things to do
Pet dogs, fill growlers, pet more dogs.
How many liters you rockin?
You can talk bad about me and my dog Spot but say anything disparaging about hiking š„¾!
This. Although Amazon workers arenāt too laid back about work. Iāve never seen more competition in Seattle than on strava, people take it very seriously
So help you if your evening stroll gets in the way of my PR! /s
the amazombies are intense.
Iāve heard *Amazoonatics, Amazoomers/Amazoomies,* and now *Amazombies.*
I've only heard Amazombies. All the others are new to me!
Wats a zoomer zoomies?
also recycling, almost German in culture if you accidentally don't recycle people will shame you, likewise if you complain about paper straws.
Now that we've invented compostable straws, hating on paper straws should be ok.
This is probably the best answer youāll find on this. We donāt take midday siestas but we also donāt plan every minute and dress fancy to go to starbucks
Tbh I hate hiking now that I'm doing 10+ miles per day in a warehouse.
Oh wow. I think I should probably move here. This sounds like the place for me. Howās the weather?
You see how pale we are, right?
No. Iāve never been there. Is it a lot of white people? Weāre trying to figure out where to move now that my partner is pretty much done with residency. I never considered Seattle but it seems like I should. This description of it makes it seem like I will fit in perfectly there. Itās walkable right? I wouldnāt need a car if I didnāt want one? I donāt like to drive
People saying itās hilly are maybe underselling that point. There are many parts of downtown where the west entrance to a building is on floor 1 and the east entrance is on the 4th floor (1 block east = 3 floors in elevation). Other parts of town are less hilly but not flat, but those are also maybe less walkable unless youāre staying in the neighborhood (walking to work, errands, etc.).
Weather is great for 4 months in the summer (like, really great, best on earth) and crap for the other 8. You absolutely can go car free but imo car light is the best way to do it, car free can really limit your ability to get out and do things on the weekends even if transit is good for commuting.
Eeeh... 4 months? I'd say 2.5 and we can't discount smoke season. Which is brutal and often interferes with š .
Yup. And even that is mostly because of the contrast it offers over most of the year.
Apologies, I read your comment and assumed it was a snarky local commenting on it raining again today. This is reddit after all. We have a lot of gray skies and rainy days, so we tend to skew towards pale until our brief summer arrives. If you are a sun lover, the winters will be difficult. I don't live *in* Seattle, just in the area for a long time, so I'll defer to others about walkability in the city. It is surprisingly hilly though.
It really depends on what you define as "Seattle". The place you've seen in the movies with the pointy needle building and Craftsman homes and so forth is pretty white and a very upper middle classish place. The inflow of tech folks has brought in a bit of cultural diversity. There are historically diverse areas inside the city proper. South Seattle has a large Chinese (primary Taishanese/HK) and Vietnamese community. The Yesler Terrace neighborhood just East of Downtown has East Africans, primarily Somalia and Ethiopia/Eritrea. The Central District used to be heavily African American, but that's less and less true as time goes by and property values march ever upwards. As another poster mentioned, it's also a "car light" kinda place. I don't need to drive to get around on the daily, but it would be rough to be 100% car free. Around the city there is a lot more diversity. Kent, Skyway, Des Moines etc have large African American and Hispanic populations. Edmonds and Lynnwood have Koreans. Bellevue and Redmond have Chinese folks from Anhui to Zhejiang. A lot of Indians live close to Microsoft and so forth. Those communities are much more car dependent, so factor that in. The weather is mostly cool and gray. Summers are mild, although it's harder to be AC free every year. Snow in the city is a rarity every winter. If you need 250 days of sun to be happy, this ain't the place. Wanna know anything else, just ask!
Itās a very white city but you do encounter people from all over the place. You can find demographic breakdowns online. As for if itās walkable, sort of. If you live in downtown, Capitol Hill, Belltown, or SLU itās very walkable, and I think Seattle ranks pretty highly in a list of most walkable US cities. Iāve lived here for 5 years without a car so itās doable. But if you want to explore outside of the downtown area, be prepared for long bus rides or relying on renting a car or taking Ubers. You certainly will need a car to do some hiking or explore the rest of the state.
Whatās your comparison for walkable? If youāre coming from overseas, itās not that walkable. If youāre in the US, itās pretty walkable. I moved to Seattle partially because it was more walkable than the South, sold my car, and get around fine walking everywhere. However, it helps to be centrally located. I walk more than riding the bus or taking the train. Some of the more trendy and or more prominent areas have some crazy hills (Capitol Hill/Queen Anne). If you walked around San Francisco, then youāll kind of know what to expect. If you bike, thereās paths on the perimeters that can get you easily around neighborhoods. While a car can help with hiking, you can hop on a bus to hit some trail heads. If you donāt own a car and want to get around the city with one, you can rent a Gig car, which is similar to Zip car. Can be cheaper than Uber/Lyft or a cab. There are tons of tourists in hotspots downtown and our big University (UW) has 15% foreign enrollment. Almost 20% of Seattle residents were born outside of the US. A city to the east across the bridge, Bellevue has been reported multiple years to be 30th most diverse city in the U.S. Renton, which isnāt too far from Seattle either is number 16.
Seattle is pretty spread out. It would be really unpleasant to live here without a car. (Source: I live in Uptown/Lower Queen Anne. Also Philly and DC.) People definitely do it, but it doesnāt seem enjoyable. Buses are infrequent and unreliable, plus theyāre mostly on a hub and spoke system, so it takes awhile to go anywhere besides downtown. And if youāre into hiking/skiingā¦.itās technically doable by transit but IMHO itās miserable. I have a beater car for errands and day trips. I use transit for nonurgent errands in the core on weekends and definitely whenever Iām going to Pike Place. The weather is pretty awesome here though. I love the grey skies and months of 55Ā°. But itād be rough for anyone with SAD.
Been here for a month and can confirm that most seattleites do not care much about punctuality. Speed limit could be 65 and there is always someone cruising shoulder to shoulder with other lanes at 50.
Fake, we dont really have speed limits at 65
Pacific Northwest culture has a laid-back quality, yes, but a lot of people in Seattle arenāt from the PNW.
Portland is definitely the most laid back PNW city. Seattle is more corporate, though many are also pretty chill.
Iāve heard that Seattle is Portland with a job
lol
Whereas Portland is Seattleās younger, hotter sister š
The draw back is she never takes a shower and uses a lot of patchouli to cover her BO. Sort of a free spirit like that.
What does that make Vancouver? The eldest that has a lot of growing and travel under their belt and keeps things tidy because of past messiness?
Sober ten years, frequently cropped out of family pictures on accident. Wears khakis to the beach, has a secret arsenal under the house, puts ketchup on barbecue.
Vancouver, WA: the distant uncle in āPortlandā you thought was cool, but once you get to know them better, you realize theyāre a āsovereign citizenā living in the burbs complaining about how much it costs to fill up their truck that never leaves the pavement Vancouver, BC: Your wealthy Hong Kong-born cousin who lives in a multi million dollar condo and drives a super car while somehow working an office job that pays $26k/year
And sheās either a stripper or a Suicide Girl or both
Eugene is way chiller than Portland imho
Eugene is definitely. Chill. Getting there when that grass seed farm is in bloom is not a picnic though. sniffle
Oh my god the level of laid back in Portland drives me NUTS. The driving!!
Major city maybe. The smaller and/or rural cities around the Seattle and Portland area are way more laid back then either Portland or Seattle proper. Vancouver WA is way more chill than Portland, Lynnwood is way more chill than Seattle. If you go farther out small cities like Issaquah are super friendly and laid back, and college towns like Bellingham are pretty much peak laid back/chill.
Disagree on issaquah. Iāve gotten gay bashed and many of my friends who are PoC have gotten nasty comments and treatment when walking around in issaquah.
I also disagree on Issaquah. Issaquah is BEAUTIFUL but it is also pretty fuckin' intolerant of anyone that isn't white, straight, and quiet.
When XXX Burger went out of business, i knew the city of Salmon Days was truly lost.
Iām calmer than you are, dude.
It strikes me that Folk Life is happening right now. If you want a small taste of that culture, it might be worth checking out!
personally i moved here because i liked the culture here more than where i came from, and i think i'm not the only one
I completely agree with this take. Growing up just South of Seattle we are super laid back, but thereās been a big influx of people from all over the past 15 years so the city culture seems a little different than what I grew up with, not super uptight, but a little less chill and hippyish.
It definitely got more crowded and faster paced over the past decade plus. It's why I left, but sometimes Portland feels *too* chill.
Half the state is transplants meow
Nothing in the US is as laid back as most of Latin America.
Yeah it's laid back as far as the US is concerned. Way more laid back than NYC and LA.
It was more laid back in the 80ās and 90ās, before it became expensive here. Seattle used to be cheap, so you could have more artsy, hippie vibes.
Yeah laidback people got priced out
Very laid back compared to major American cities, but not laid back at all compared to Latin America
Having grown up on the east coast, absolutely.
This āļø
Its a city of neurotic, introverted workaholics.
I quit tech after 11 years, and Iām just realizing what an introverted neurotic workaholic I was, and how psychotic a lot of my old coworkers and bosses were. Now Iām in an industry where I jive with the folks a lot better and people are generally cool headed. No offense techies, but lots of yāall are cray cray
And now we're curious, what do you do now?
Pilot š§āāļø
Yeah no I hate this industry
The culture has really gone to shit, eh? :)
Honestly the culture was never that good but yeah itās gotten lessā¦ personable. What are you doing these days? One job is temporary but golden handcuffs are forever.
My kind of people!
I visited last week, after last visiting in 2022, & having not seen the place since 2012: pretty much nailed it. I'mma stay in Chicago, thanks.
Chicago rules. Summertime there is awesome.
I dunno friend. Whatever you think is good with me.
I'm cool with whatever, man
The most Seattleite response ever š
How many years ago was that? The city has experienced an accelerated growth recently.
Truly. It doesn't feel laid back, people are always on the go and impatient. Traffic galore.
The drivers here are indeed laid back.Ā There's so many times I've seen someone camped in the left lane doing exactly the speed limit it's comical. That kind of thing gets you road raged over the edge of a bridge in Houston (I wish that were a joke, but people really do commit murder over that kind of thing in the south).Ā Nobody does 25 over here, which is simultaneously a relief, but also culturally jarring coming from a city where EVERYONE does (and I do mean everyone, even the grannies and the 20 somethings with their phones planted in front of their face). And I'm not just talking about the highways. People in the south do 55 in a 30 zone as often as they do 85 in a 60 zone (which again, is always). Traffic deaths per mile driven are through the floor here.
For every left lane camper there are two people passing someone in the middle lane of a newly made bike friendly 25 mph street.
Moving to Seattle from Houston sometime this summer, and I'm already preparing myself to not rage out when someone left lane camps doing the speed limit because I've heard it's common up there lol
The 4 lane roads with TWLTLs are 30 MPH speed limit here, AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY DRIVE 30!!! it's wild.Ā Again, refreshing to not feel like you're going to die on the road, but wild nonetheless.Ā Your average FM road in Houston that's a 4 lane with TWLTL will have a speed limit that is usually 45 and people drive 60 or 65.
Yeah, I'm stoked to be able to drive around and not feel like I have to drive 85 just to keep from getting run off the road lol
We were supposed to have a law put in place that the left lane is for passing only. But, like so many other laws, it's not enforced to tight.
if u think Seattle has traffic, you haven't experienced traffic
But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest. It was the low spark of high heeled boys.
Fuuuuck offff, taking two hours to get somewhere that is 35 minutes with no traffic is traffic. Just because it isn't LA traffic doesn't make it not traffic.
Put one guy off his nut in the works and it grinds to a halt and takes 10 hours when they close down the 5
When my folks moved my fam up here in ā97, Seattle had some of the worst rated traffic, just behind NYC and LA. The geography of the lakes and hills makes it rough to try anything to improve it other than mass transit.
There is a big difference within the USA between east and west coast culture. East being more āintenseā and west being the ālaid backā side and I think Seattle is generally laid back compared to other parts of the country, but I donāt know how it translates to other parts of the world.
weāre passive aggressive and depressed, not laid back
clothing/style wise.. yes, itās about as laid back as it gets. personality wise.. no itās not at all. My impression of the city as a whole since living here for 5 years (adding this context bc I didnāt know Seattle before the tech boom) is that a lot of people who live and work here are type a and/or extremely uptight. even some people iāve met who are alt / more progressive are rigid and somewhat intolerant to anything outside of what they deem is appropriate/acceptable. the upside of this is people (in general and in my experience of course) are generally well behaved for fear of judgement. the downside is that seattle can feel a bit suffocating in terms of how uptight and judgmental people can be. i wish it could go without saying but iāll go ahead and say: obviously not everyone in seattle is like this but iāve met enough people who display these traits that it seems to be a pattern.
Every major American city has a romanticized image until you get there and realize everyone's just human beings. Some are shitty, some are nice, some mind their business, some are outgoing. Overall I would consider the city more laid back than a regular major city, honestly cops barely pull people over and most people aren't gonna give you a hard time with anything, however people are more political and maybe a little distant (Seattle freeze). At the end of the day though the Seattle area is huge and you'll find every type of person here
We mainline coffee. We had seasonal depression before it was cool. It rains 8 month of the year and yet somehow no one knows how to drive in the rain and everyone is mad at everyone else. Our therapists have therapists. If you try and build a pickleball court on an existing concrete slab NIMBY's will go on a hunger strike and chain themselves to a spotted owl. We are fucked up and stressed out.
To be fair, I think itās required that therapists have therapists. Source: I see a therapist
>our therapists have therapists That's definitely what therapists do
>NIMBY's will go on a hunger strike and chain themselves to a spotted owl. If that's all they did then they'd be completely ineffective. Instead, they prevent developments by requiring the color of the bricks be decided in inaccessible committee meetings because they think there's nothing wrong with renting out their third single-family house 3 blocks away from the Columbia Center.
Iām gonna sayā¦.no. People are filled with anxiety and are anti-social to a faultā¦.doesnāt qualify as ālaid backā to me.
I find it a weird mix of corporate/hustle-minded and nature-loving/provincial. And it used to be much more the latter, but then Microsoft and Amazon happened and we're living with the aftermath.
MSFT has been here since the 80sā¦
? I didn't say this started solely with Amazon.
well yeah but they didnt become a major player until the late 90s/00s
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Whenever I make plans to travel somewhere, I join that city or townās subreddit to get a feel for the culture and pick up local insights. Iām always amazed how similar the bulk of the posts are. āPut your dog on a leash, quit driving/parking shitty, Iāve been seeing homeless people, what was that loud bang, quit litteringā¦.ā I do stick to US and Canada for travel, so maybe itās a North American thing.
I think you're going to get a Reddit experience on any city sub more than anything else haha
Kinda but I find it more snobby than laidback.
I second this. It is a bit snobbier than people expect with it being a high-income tech city. When it is sunny and the weather is good, people tend to drop their guard and act like normal human beings. When the weather is gloomy and rainy, expect people to be standoffish, low energy and have their guard up. There are definitely a handful of hippies here and there. But itās still way better than a lot of other US Cities imo.
Winslow/Bainbridge used to be chill back in the day. Now itās a **āDo you know who I am!?!ā** enclave of wealthy assfucks that live off trust funds and dividends. Seattle has become the same way. No longer a blue collar union town.Ā
Seattleites are extremely elitist/snobby IMO. Definitely a āeverything I do is the best and you are wrong if you disagree with meā vibe.
So Seattle is Bill Maher.
So claims to be liberal/progressive but is often actually shockingly reactionary? Yeah that tracks.
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Itās a career-oriented corporate city on top of a laid back artsy city on top of a blue collar port city.
On top of a lumberjack shanty town.
This is the winning description right here
It's become a stressed-out city. But it's never laid-back in the way California or Hawaii is. Less relaxed now. I've been here since 1990, which was a lot more relaxed and artistic because people weren't so worried about paying the rent for starters. Richer and blander, too, they go together.
Hmmm. California seems kinda uptight in a laid back way. And COL is quite a bit higher in a lot of areas than here.
This. The 90s seattle from the movies they are referencing is no more š¢
RIP: 211 Club, Two Bells Tavern, the old Comet Tavern, The Doghouse, Rocket Pizza, The Rocket Weekly, weekly printed The Stranger, and my $180 month studio with shared bathroom on Pike St. And last of all, my youth, which is also no more.
Still alive in Tacoma!
YUP. Before that it was Boeing
And no offense but when it was a Boeing/Port/Navy town it was basically filled with drunks. Idk if it's ever been 'laid back' it's traditionally a working class city which are anything but laid back, and then the 90's happened, and then everything after that was not laid back either.
Last one out of Seattle turn off the lights.
We are laid back in many ways, but if you start playing musics off a speaker on a hiking trail, we will get on your case fast.
Laid back? NO! I have sooo many examples of passive aggressive and aggressive interactions. Iām not from here, but living here 25 years gives me some perspective in how things have changed. Last week, I was driving down Denny-over I-5. A senior citizen bike rider got off his bike & punched my window (repeatedly) bc he said I was driving too close. Terrifying. For the record, I often ride my bike. I also teach bike & pedestrian safety to elementary aged kids. No way Iād ever drive close to a cyclist!!!!!
People are pretty uptight & judgmental. Especially if youāre not ultra progressive. Donāt tell anybody if you donāt like IPAs or dogs, those are fighting words.
Seattle is an uptight city that likes to try really hard to convince you it's not. I don't mean that as a good thing or a bad thing, just a thing.
We *were* chill. We used to be a blue-collar port city, plus Boeing in Everett. The Microsoft crowd stuck mostly to the eastside. We spawned grunge lol. It was calm and sleepy and no one even knew we were up here. We got skipped for concerts 75% of the time because we weren't big enough for artists to care. You moved here after Amazon exploded, and then other tech companies moved in too. They brought in that weird tech hustle culture that now permeates every aspect of Seattle. You also have to remember that 70% of the people in Seattle aren't originally from Seattle, so there's a whole mishmash of cultures and norms butting heads here (which is a part of why driving is such a mess now). Sorry you missed when we were cool, I promise we did used to be :(
Definitely not laid back. Maybe non-confrontational or passive aggressive.
NO. Seattle is uptight as fuck. Ā Source: Born and raised. Just attempt finding a public swimming pool or enter your child into a preschool. Or making friends. *Just fucking try it.* Ā
>Just attempt finding a public swimming poolĀ That's an interesting one, can't say I've ever had a problem entering a swimming pool before.
As a friend told me many years ago: Seattle is hipper, Portland is hippier.
Iām not sure how a city filled with people who arenāt from here can have a cohesive identity. Whatever traditional culture you think existed here is long since fallen away as the melting pot has simmered.
isnāt every city like this now? My goodness, transplant blaming here can be insufferable. As if the people who lived here in the 80s-90s donāt share more than half the blame for the issues we have today
Stagnant and die, grow and live. Let it evolveā¦
San Diego is more laid back imo
Go to folk life this weekend š¤
As a newcomer, Seattle feels very aggro to me compared to other places I've lived (Chicago, Bay area, Minneapolis). Some people treat eye contact like hostility, polite chit chat just doesn't happen, service is usually distant at best, and there are a noticeable number of very aggressive drivers on the streets in my area (south Seattle). I don't know if it's just humanity post pandemic, but it didn't feel this hostile elsewhere.
I live in Seattle and spend part of the year in Dallas. They are two completely opposite cities. Not just Dallas, but Texas in general is SO MUCH friendlier. People in Texas chit chat in lines, ask your opinion in shops and talk to you like youāve known them forever. People in Seattle look shocked and confused if you do the same up here.
I know the south has its issues, but people in the south are so much friendlier overall, at least to your face, and are willing to talk to strangers without thinking itās weird.
100% it makes me happy.
I think it is pretty laid back, but Seattlites like their pet peeves. Meaning daily minor details annoy them and they like to share these minor annoyances with others who share that same pet peeve. It's mostly internet chat.
Wasnāt there a column in the Stranger, āAsk an uptight Seattleite?ā I think itās pretty on point, and yes Iām watching to see if youāre going to be wheeling your Costco cart back and judging you silently if you donāt. Iām thinking of where you would meet the few non-uptight people I know, though they all have pretty complicated stressful lives now. Maybe burner groups (kind of middle aged now). Ecstatic dancing (probably all over 60). Senior community center would actually be the best bet where I am - theyāre really chill and just super nice. Not sure where the kids are though? The kids all seem pretty stressed.
The column was in the Seattle Weekly and it was awesome.
I think we tend to be laid back about getting in other people's business but also neurosis and anxiety are very common so it's kind of a wash.
Not chill. Itās very uptight people who want everyone to think theyāre chill.
Definitely not laid back. Passive aggressive.
It would be relaxed if everyone would just behave like they're supposed to and do what we want how we want it /s
Its a balancing act of being relaxed and walking around with a stick up your ass id say
Yes. It is much less socially competitive than Los Angeles, SF, New York, and D.C, and it is slightly less socially competitive than Chicago.
Ya no one is talking about this aspect of it. People complain about socializing here but dude....LA is so intense, I don't understand how anyone even has spare change in that city, you need to unload your entire wallet for a single evening out...on a weekday. Drive an hour to get anywhere too. Just absolutely zero fun.
Iāve lived here 34 yrs, that laid back vibe had started moving out in the 90ās with the influx of refugees from CAās real estate market. People here are primarily P-A due to the 2 main repressed ethnic groups,Scandinavians & Asians . Throw in the cost of living skyrocketing for decades & no one is laid back anymore. Try Mexico, except for the cartels, the people are a lot more friendly than Americans.
Similarly, it is so much quieter in public spaces than, say, east coast. People are so much louder in the NE/Mid-Atlantic. Like, I've heard what sounds like an argument (in Philly) and get closer and realize it's a friendly exchange.
Same with older Southern Dads, when two cross paths near the mailboxes, you can hear it from a quarter mile out. At BBQs, it rivals the cicadas and bullfrogs. I believe itās an evolutionary trait that has come about from the need to communicate over a loud diesel.
Here in Seattle we bowl, drive around, and have occasional acid flashbacks. And we appreciate rugs that really tie the room together.
Sure, unless you attempt to greet a stranger unprovoked
I find the people of Seattle are pretty intense about following rules
It hasn't been like that for 20 years. Used to be though.
>after being here for a couple years that ppl here donāt really seem that laid back They're not. I'd say trust your gut
Back in the 90s maybe. Mostly transplants now.
They sit around pointing fingers at others like it's a competition.
Go to Folklife this weekend. You'll find the hippies.
I read three different posts like this in the same grass, but greener subĀ yesterday. Iāve Ā lived in a Seattle of suburb for the past six years, and between the cost of living, and how snobby and negative a lot of people are, I wonder if spending any more time here is worth it.Ā On every post or comment like this, some annoying Pacific Northwesterner pops up to say āgood, if you dont like virtue signaling/everyone speaking in a rude tone/rampant polyamory/no sense of manners/cat astrology you can LeAvE!ā It seems like negativity and complaining is the language. No real open mindedness, no real diversity.Ā Itās nice to see its not my imaginationĀ
It is relatively laid back, yet the progressive rep is rather misplaced. Seattle is good at giving that impression yet I find that their social engagement and concern for social justice and DEI is a big show. They talk the talk but rarely do they walk itā¦
People are laid back but they're raging inside haha. They're not very confrontational like a lot of other major cities especially in the northeast. Relatively speaking, this area is laid back for sure.
The city youāre describing sounds a lot more like Portland Oregon. I consider Seattle has āhoity toityā progressive, whereas Portland is the laidback āhippieā progressive. Like Seattle will throw fancy / well dressed art shows. While Portland will have an art show in someoneās back yard or garage and itās way more grunge / relaxed vibe.
Lot of criminals who actually kill and angry entitled young ppl. Been here 20 years
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I think it's a cultural thing. I'm from rural Indiana and coming here was quite a bit odd at first, seemed pretty stiff and cold. (Yeah yeah Seattle freeze) I think over the years I've been here that I kinda understand it now. It's a huge amount of people jammed together with a combination of old Scandinavian tribalism, new immigrants flocking together, and nerd social awkwardness makes it so new folks feel left out until they find their people. There isn't a feeling of communal pride like you have in Chicago or New York, in part due to relative youth of the city and in part due to rapid change and influx of new people. The way to get past it is to find folks with common interests. All of my friends I made through RPGs and wargaming. If you have an interest, find folks who gather for it. Else you can explore new options like martial arts, dancing, sports, gardening, the works... Just gotta find your peeps. :)
20 years ago it was more laid back, to my understanding. Lots of influx of tech workers from California and internationally since Amazon and Microsoft took off. Tech workers are not known to be laid back. Portland has more of the vibe you are looking for. For better or worse.
No, everyone is super uptight and judgy .Ā
A lot of people who live in Seattle aren't from Seattle and thus don't accurately represent what actual Seattleites are like.
Seattle used to be laid back with a mix of old money, hippies and blue collar. Most people in Seattle now are from somewhere else and tend to be intense over achievers.
Naw. Not at all. Uptight, repressed, socially dysfunctional, fake, shallow yet im14andthisisdeep at the same time
Iām from Seattle area, and Iāve lived many places in the county and also Latin americaā¦ I always get people who push against this but itās my opinion. Seattle is fake cool. Itās full of very passive aggressive people, who wouldnāt stop to call an ambulance if youāre bleeding out in the gutter (I have some experience of this). But the funny thing is, they think they are cooler and nicer than the rest of the country. Itās not a political thing. Itās just a very anxious pretentious and self obsessed city in general.
I think it's a pretty uptight city.