From this far away, the downward spiral is pretty obvious. My last customer in that area was acquired in 2016 and I have not been back since, but you guys who are out there, does this new mayor have a hope of eventually arresting it and turning it or his his election just speedbump on the way to becoming Detroit?
As far as I know property values are still climbing in Seattle which goes against all logic.Originally Posted by fatdog
In February 2022, the median home price was $759,735 in King County, up 11.88 percent from 2021.My conspiracy theory for this week is local governments make it impossible to built any new housing so the housing crises continues and keeps property values high.Overall crime in Seattle increased 10% last year compared to 2020. Violent crime in particular rose by 20%, a 14-year high. Reports of homicides and rapes did go down last year, but robberies and aggravated assaults contributed to the overall increase.
I don't think Seattle will ever become Detroit. Mostly because of the tech industry in the area and the fact that it's a west coast port city.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
Re: tech.
I get a half-open firehose of nonstop Amazon "we're hiring software engineers" emails on a regular basis from their in-house recruiters. The latest are all listed as "100% remote". In spite of the Facegoog's constant negging people to "return to the office" so they can justify some bill lumbergh middle manager serving as a glorified hall monitor... the post-covid trend for remote tech work seems to remain apace. As they continue to do things like this I expect that tread will accelerate once they eventually give in.
Sure, the real estate market will probably remain strong so long as the companies and investors that own those properties can afford to hold. But that nonstop exodus of highly-paid people from the Rest of the Country (or World) into a small handful of tech hubs fueling that exponential growth? The post-covid trend doesn't seem to be reversing. I know "it's always been this way" because Microzon Prime has been there for 30 years but I see it as potentially similar to BRAC. Shit don't change until it do. And then it change quick, fast and in a hurry.
Laconic truth.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
Kind of like how Hemingway wrote about how people became bankrupt- slowly, then all at once.
"You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
"I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
Seattle is an attractive lifestyle for younger people. I can't tell you exactly why that is but I know some Millennials that live there and love it. I also know some who don't live there but visit often and would live there if housing weren't so expensive. It's strange that they don't like the suburbs and cities around Seattle, just Seattle.
Personally, I stay away. Most of the people my age moved out a long time ago. I've seen an influx of people moving to my location who lived in Seattle but left when they retired.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
I'm guardedly optimistic. Much of the trouble that remains is the legacy of Mayor Durkan, City Attorney Pete Holmes, former City Council members, and other progressives who were trounced soundly in the 2021 elections. (On a side note, it seems that Mayor Durkan's texts to other city leaders during her Summer of Love were mysteriously deleted but good people are looking into how that happened and we may have answers soon.)
That said, there is still a significant violent crime problem in western Washington (despite Seattle Times gaslighting), with gangs and mentally ill/homeless people responsible for nearly all of it. Cannabis-store robberies are getting downright common and have turned lethal, with several tied to people who would have been in jail had lax prosecutors not let them walk. There have been 478 fires in homeless encampments this year, up from 327 during the same period in 2021 and 168 in that period in 2020. The most recent one stalled rush-hour traffic in the interstate for 4 hours yesterday morning, so voters are noticing.
The current City Council members have mended their ways to some extent and Mayor Harrell has made some headway. Could he do more and do it more quickly? Yes, but he is making progress against the Seattle homeless-industrial complex, which is no small feat.
The head tax that jh9 mentioned was repealed less than a month after it was passed. There was a massive outcry and 7 out of 9 City Council members (all of whom were up for re-election the following year) voted to repeal it in a hastily-called special session. A similar tax came up to replace it but Mayor Durkan vetoed it before she left office. Lorena Gonzales, the outgoing City Council president who got clobbered by Mayor Harrell, tried to slip in another one as a lame duck. That effort died quickly and made Gonzales look even more dishonest (if such a thing is possible).
Amazon and others continue to move key people and functions out of the city. Tacoma and Pierce County (neighboring county to the south) now offer tax credits to anyone who wants to start up a business there. So while Seattle muddles through, the rest of the region is not doing badly.
With any luck, a red wave in November will help slow Seattle's slide to the left.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
The reason that the city is in the shape it is in, has a lot to do with what Bruce Harrell did while he was on the city council.
Reducing criminal punishment, no youth jail, and the rest of the nonsense he enacted.
“He’s cleaning up the city”
No, he is trying to recover from the damage he created.
Fuck that guy, everyone that voted for him, and every other Dem in the state of Washington.
All this shit is on you those that voted for these horrible people.
Don’t hold back, buddy.
I hear what you are putting down though.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
You read it and said…..”yep, he’s right”. Haha!!!Don’t hold back, buddy.
I hear what you are putting down though.
Just so tired of the region that used to be be so beautiful, looking like it does now.
Seattle from about 5-7 years ago is why I got my concealed carry.
It’s a damn shame.
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