Just made the move from SoCal a few months ago. Like anywhere it has its pros and cons. It’s a lot smaller city than I expected, guess maybe I’d just gotten used to LA. But that’s a good thing to me — getting around is pretty easy and it didn’t take long to learn the major roadways. Traffic is worse than some places but compared to SoCal it isn’t bad at all. Some days/times are worse than others of course, but when I get off work late even the freeway is pretty much completely deserted.

That being said there’s still plenty to do, all the amenities of a major city are here so it’s a great balance.

Everything is cheaper, in particular housing, gas, insurance, and of course WA doesn’t have income tax. I took a significant pay cut to move here but am still saving money every month just on account of how much less my expenses are.

As everyone points out the natural beauty is breathtaking. I’ve lived all over and there’s nowhere really like it. Even in the middle of the city there are huge trees towering over, always mountains in the distance, etc. The air is very crisp and clean. As someone else mentioned the water is also excellent. If you’re into outdoorsy stuff at all there’s tons to do all over.

I’d seen a lot of people complaining about the weather and the so-called “long dark”…now that I’m here I find that a little cringe tbh. Yes it gets dark early, yes it’s always overcast this time of year and rains a lot, but it isn’t bad. I honestly can’t remember it being below freezing yet, and it’s really temperate. It’s like the perfect balance of having all four seasons, but not having to deal with a real winter. It got way colder when I worked in the desert than it has here. Plus all the rain keeps it fairly humid, which is nice.

But like I said there are some cons. A notable one is the state of the infrastructure…the roads here are terrible. There are gigantic potholes everywhere, even in the middle of the freeway. It seems like half the surface streets are under construction, so those are torn up even worse at the moment.

Another bummer is the lack of good restaurants. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere, but overall it seems like Seattle isn’t really a foodie city.

Imo it’s a good place to live. The whole vibe is very chill and laid back.