<p>Hi Everyone,
About a month ago I started a thread on my pending divorce.</p>
<p>I know several of you suggested small steps-- and that is indeed the plan. My career is such that I can work anywhere. I’ve always loved visiting Seattle for conferences and am thinking about a potential relocation. It’s a great city and I’ll meet more people than where I currently reside. Although leaving friends would be hard-- reality, a change and a fresh new start might be wonderful for me.</p>
<p>I’m looking for inputs on:
After an amicable divorce-- did you stay put or move to a new city? How did that work out-- too lonely or was the excitement of the move and all the newness helpful in soul-cleansing?</p>
<ul>
<li>Seattle life:
What suburbs are recommended?
Jewish neighborhoods?
Affordable housing- I’m thinking small small and more small. I would want a 2-3 bedroom house or condo – fine with 1500 sq feet.
I enjoy living in neighborhoods rather than urban anonyminity.
I dont’ want to live in an upscale young single area but also not a family only area. Any suggestions?</li>
</ul>
<p>Ok - I have allergies to mold among other things-- is all the rain really a problem for allergy sufferers?
I love rain (much more than snow and much more than hot weather). The average yearly temperatures sound wonderful. (I admit, I’ve been there twice -both times in August) Does the winter rain lead to excessive mold problems in Seattle and surrounding areas?</p>
<p>Pro/cons to Seattle/ Neighboring communities as a place for a 50 year old single woman to start a new life?</p>
<p>This post sounds cheesy-- but I don’t know, I have always found CC so valuable for everything else.</p>
<p>Real estate prices here vary substantially depending on location. If the proximity to the city is not of huge importance to you, you will have many options, bu be prepared to pay north of $300k for a house of that size in a nicer area. I will write a detailed post a bit later - this bus is too shaky to type on my iPhone.</p>
<p>Thanks Bunsen - -I look forward to inputs or any suggested webpages on Seattle. There’s so many it’s overwhelming.</p>
<p>Nope-- I dont’ think I would want to live urban center but out as far as 30 minutes would be fine. I love the outdoors-- would even enjoy proximity to hiking/water access.</p>
<p>I’ll probably take a trip in August to spend some time with a realtor and to feel out the neighborhoods/area more closely than the visits I’ve had stranded in hotels/tours by the conferences attended.</p>
<p>Mercer island has a good % of Jewish households but the temples & synagogues are scattered through the area.</p>
<p>I grew up in the burbs & I find that in car oriented neighborhoods you meet fewer people regularly than in the city where I not only see the same people on walks around the neighborhood & at the park, but at the grocery store, drs office…
In the Greenlake neighborhood you have greenlake to walk/bike around, small shops & restaurants.
Fremont- access to Burke Gilman trail- you could join the Flying Dragons!
[Seattle</a> Flying Dragons | At Lake Union Park](<a href=“http://www.atlakeunionpark.org/partners/seattle-flying-dragons]Seattle”>http://www.atlakeunionpark.org/partners/seattle-flying-dragons)</p>
<p>I would also suggest renting until you decide where you want to buy.</p>
<p>For in-city neighborhoods that aren’t all families w/small children, I’m thinking Greenlake (north and south), Wallingford, Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Queen Anne. Lots of walkable areas, shopping, transit, apts, condos, houses. </p>
<p>I know there’s a Reform synagogue north of UW and there are Conservative/Orthodox in View Ridge and Seward Park (not Jewish, but have spent lots of time in those areas, esp on a Saturday). </p>
<p>There’s mold, but most of the people I know around here with allergies seem to be sensitive to pollens - grass and tree are most prevalent. </p>
<p>There are nice burbs, but tend to be family oriented. Larger lots, car usually necessary.</p>
<p>The “burbs” are not just for families. There is plenty of fun things to do for emptynesters and single adults, too. Pop into the Twisted Cork on a Saturday night and you will see why I’m saying this. :)</p>
<p>I promise to post more. I’m totally wiped out from packing DH who is embarking on a long international business trip involving a stop in a country where half of the books in the libraries are auhored by its ruler. :eek:</p>
<p>Downtown Kirkland seems like a really nice place to have a condo. Little pricey, though. Alot of middle aged people, upscale, everything in walking distance, safe, pretty, lots to do. I don’t know if people in Seattle congregate in certain areas based on religions. I doubt it. But Kirkland would be one of the first places I’d check out. Maybe some neighborhoods in downtown Seattle, Edmonds.</p>
<p>I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think people have significant mold issues or allergies in Seattle. Though you’d think because of a long rainy season they might, but I really haven’t heard of people specifically having problems here.</p>
<p>One thing to think about in the Pacific Northwest, at least west of the Cascades like Seattle, is whether you might have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Have you ever lived in a place that is as dark as long as Seattle is during the winter? My wife has SAD and was severely depressed in the winter when we first moved to Seattle. The short daylight period in the winter because of the high latitude, combined with an almost constant cloud deck, makes the day short and dim. This didn’t affect me a whit, but my wife first was on anti-depressants and then got an artificial daylight box she uses all winter long. Although New Jersey where we now live is significantly colder and snowier in the winter, it is also much brighter, which is a big benefit for a SAD sufferer.</p>
<p>From my wife’s point of view, visiting Seattle in August is great for a vacation because it is brilliantly sunny and clear with a long period of daylight. But it is not representative of what living in Seattle is like from October - May, when the TV weather people will predict with great anticipation that there might be a few “sun breaks” tomorrow, which means that at some point in the day for a few minutes you might see a small area of blue sky through the solid gray cloud cover.</p>
<p>But Seattle has many good features as well. While it is a major urban area with many of those amenities, it is also incredibly close to nature. You can see bald eagles flying almost anywhere. The mountains are close, as is the Puget Sound and many lakes. The culture is casual. Famously, jeans and sandals are appropriate attire for almost any event. So there are many things to enjoy living in Seattle, but the daylight issue in the winter can be a huge negative for anyone with SAD.</p>
<p>Living in the Puget Sound area.
People who migrate to the greater Seattle area fall into two categories:
(i) people who immediately hate the rain, and begin complaining about it non-stop, develop SAD, etc. They end up leaving after a year or so.
(ii) people who either love our rainy weather or gradually get used to it in about a year. The greenery, no need for winter clothes, only a week or so of snow-covered roads a year, wonderful summers and marvelous scenery on clear days make up for the drizzle and winter gloomy skies (we rarely have downpours our rain is mostly drizzle that does not require an umbrella). Such folks stick around, take their Vit D supplements daily, and enjoy the great outdoors of the Puget Sound area year round (H and I fell in this category).
I strongly recommend renting a place before plunging into homeownership when moving to a new area. It will give you a feel for what you like to be surrounded with and make your home buying choices accordingly. If you like to be in the city, the neighborhoods mentioned in the previous posts are fine, but you will end up paying a premium for the real estate compared to almost any other area, and most houses are tiny, old (and therefore can have mold problems) and are crammed so close to each other you can touch the neighbors house by sticking your arm out of the kitchen window. Although I work in the city, I would never want to live here. I get my share of busy streets, noise, etc. in the 8-10 hours I spend here, and then I leave for my sanctuary with horse acre lots, where the only noises I hear at night are an occasional dog bark, birds chirping, etc. Horses make really nice neighbors. Without street lights polluting the skies above our private lane, on a clear night, I can actually see the stars. To most city dwellers this may sound like I live in a middle of nowhere, but it is a huge misconception. I can get to downtown Seattle without getting in my car, all by using public transit with one or fewer transfers.
If you like gardening, enjoy fine foods, long walks on trails, picnics in parks, wine tasting, arts, farmers markets, shopping, it all can be found in the north end/eastside of the Greater Seattle Area where I live. I recommend looking at the cities of Kirkland, Bothell, and Woodinville. All three have defined downtown areas and offer all of the activities I listed in the city or nearby. The city of Bothell (which has a large high tech business center) is undergoing a complete facelift with a new downtown being built:
[Local</a> News | Bothell plans $150 million riverfront revamp | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015175953_newbothell29m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015175953_newbothell29m.html)
Woodinville is the home of dozens of wineries <a href=“http://woodinvillewinecountry.com/[/url]”>http://woodinvillewinecountry.com/</a> and the famous Molbaks Nursery that gets more than a million visitors a year. Its motto is country living, city style or something like that. We enjoy running/biking on a trail that goes all the way from Redmond to Seattle, picnics and summer concerts on the lawns of Chateau St Michelle, dining at the Barking Frog restaurant, shopping and going to the movies in this charming town. The city of Kirkland is situated right on the shore of Lake Washington and looks a bit more urban than the other two towns. It is also close to Bellevue/Mercer Island where, to my knowledge, there is a significant Jewish population (when D was participating in sports, she got to enjoy latkes brought by the team parents as after game treats and dancing at Bat Mitzvahs). [Jewish</a> Eastside](<a href=“http://jewisheastside.com/about/]Jewish”>http://jewisheastside.com/about/) There is a Jewish school in Bellevue which some of my Ds teammates attended.
I will add more information later. Please feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>I live a few hours north so cannot give you info on the Seattle specifics, but can attest that the weather thing is a big deal for some people. My DH, who poo-pooed the family concerns regarding heading north is the one most affected by the lack of sun and the weight of the constant cloud cover.</p>
<p>The sun rises about 8AM and sets at 4PM in December, yet rises at 5AM and sets after 9PM in the summer. Summer days are gloriously long and light, even weird years like this one with way too much rain. Winter days are amazingly short, if you jog you need to go at lunch to avoid running in the dark.</p>
<p>Make sure you know what suits you. I thought I would not like it, but I do, DH thought no problem and he is bothered by the short dark cloudy days, especially the clouds.</p>
<p>Western Washington is a beautiful place, the bald eagles, the blue herons, you are surrounded by majestic beauty, if that speaks to your heart it is wondrous.</p>
<p>I suppose to newcomers Kirkland isn’t bad, but I grew up there and it has changed too much for my taste. If you are thinking of outlying areas, may I suggest Edmonds?
It has the feel of a town as opposed to what sprung up around a shopping mall & it can be much easier to get on the freeway to travel to Seattle, rather than slog across one of the bridges ( or drive around) to the eastside.
[Best</a> Places to Live in Edmonds, Washington](<a href=“http://www.bestplaces.net/city/washington/edmonds]Best”>http://www.bestplaces.net/city/washington/edmonds)</p>
<p>“…it can be much easier to get on the freeway to travel to Seattle, rather than slog across one of the bridges ( or drive around) to the eastside.”</p>
<p>But *why *would one *have to *go there other than commuting to a downtown office? :)</p>
<p>The passion and informative posts to my question are absolutely fabulous. I have so much information to run with that you’ll keep me from cleaning my house! (see my other post).</p>
<p>Oddly, I actually enjoy rain and find a certain calmness and serenity on rainy days in the Northeast. I feel more energized on rainy days than bright sunny days-- in fact I hate hot weather and bright sun can make me sluggish- go figure!<br>
Not too much mention of mold, this is good news.</p>
<p>I am going to schedule a week long visit to stroll the neighborhoods and may PM some of you if you feel like meeting for coffee and showing a visitor around town.
Bunsen-- I especially appreciate your info, the lifestyle you describe is what I’m seeking! I don’t want to live in an urban setting but one with good proximity. I enjoy many of the same things you mention.</p>
<p>Thanks you to everyone! What wonderful inputs – CC is a gem for everything college and not-so-college related! (I like to think it’s because we are all such enlightened folks!)</p>
<p>OP- one of my DDs has lived in both the PNW and much warmer sunnier popular climates, it took a few years to figure it out, but she is much much happier in the cooler climates and will never return to the warm places. She physically feels better up here.</p>
<p>SAT, my pleasure. I’d be happy to meet and give you a little tour of the area. My H looooves meeting new people, so I have no doubts that he will welcome the idea of doing a little bit of local sightseeing.</p>
<p>Haven’t had a chance to read through the whole thread, I’ll get back to it when I have more time, but let me just say: I am so jealous! I’m sorry about your divorce, but gosh, to have a chance to relocate to the Pacific Northwest, what a wonderful place to start your new life! Hope you take the time to just enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the water, wherever you wind up living, even if you have to jump in your car and drive a couple of hours to do so! Good luck and keep us posted!</p>
<p>How bad are your mold allergies?
I have no problems with allergies (very lucky) but I know people who really struggle with mold issues here in the PNW. The big allergens appear to be cottonwoods, pine pollen, and grass. </p>
<p>If I were single and looking to relocate to the Seattle area, I would consider Kirkland and certain neighborhoods of Seattle proper. Redmond/Sammamish/Bellevue are all very family oriented (IMHO).</p>
Without street lights polluting the skies above our private lane, on a clear night, I can actually see the stars. To most city dwellers this may sound like I live in a middle of nowhere, but it is a huge misconception. I can get to downtown Seattle without getting in my car, all by using public transit with one or fewer transfers.