We traded Seattle's nightmarish traffic and expensive housing for quiet streets and a big yard just an hour away
My husband and I left our stresses of living in Seattle behind by moving to the suburbs.
The tech boom raised Seattle's cost of living, making it hard for us to afford a home in the city.
Now we enjoy having a close-knit community — and easy access to the city.
Growing up in a small town, I always thought the city was where I belonged. I moved to Seattle for college and loved the energy, the culture, and the endless entertainment opportunities.
After a few years of struggling with some realities of city living — constant traffic, astronomical rent, and the never-ending search for a parking spot — I started to feel burned out.
Though I enjoyed living in Seattle, I decided to move about an hour away to the suburbs of Washington.
Now, I have the best of both worlds: I'm close enough to enjoy the perks of the city yet far enough to escape its headaches.
Seattle's tech boom made it even more expensive to live there
Seattle's population has grown by about 20% in the past decade, partly thanks to companies such as Amazon and Microsoft setting up headquarters in the area.
Unfortunately, the influx of high-paying tech jobs has also increased living costs.
When I lived in Seattle, rental costs ate up a lot of my income — sometimes up to 50%. The online rental marketplace Apartments.com suggests the average rent in Seattle is about 30% higher than the national average.
Since renting in Seattle was already expensive, buying a house in the city felt like a far-off dream for me and my husband.
One of the biggest advantages of moving an hour away from Seattle has been our ability to find nice places to live within our budget.
Once we left, we were able to buy a renovated single-family home on almost half an acre outside the city for about half the price something similar might have cost in Seattle.
I love dealing with less traffic — and finding parking is much easier now
The Seattle metro area has some of the worst congestion in the US — and the busy, crowded streets made living in the city stressful for me. I regularly spent hours of my day creeping down the freeway at 5 miles an hour.
Sometimes, I'd lose track of time circling the block to find a parking spot near my destination — and if I had to park in a garage or lot, I'd pay upward of $20 for just a couple of hours.
In my town east of the city, I can pull right into my driveway, and I never worry about finding a spot at the grocery store, which is only 10 minutes from my house during rush hour.
Life outside the city offered tranquility I didn't know I'd need
My gripes with living in Seattle may seem small, but they've greatly impacted my life.
Now, we live on a quiet street where the towns of Covington and Maple Valley meet, and suburban life blends with nature. We have ample space for a garden, and hiking and biking trails are minutes away.
The sound of nonstop city traffic has been replaced by birds and the occasional neighbor mowing their lawn. When we take our dogs for a walk, we cross paths with more families and fellow dog walkers than cars.
Our close-knit community is a welcome change from the anonymity I often felt in Seattle. I like that we know our neighbors and often chat with each other, which felt tough to do in a big city for us.
Though the 'burbs don't have as many restaurants and events, I'm still close enough to Seattle to attend concerts and sporting events, visit museums, or meet up with friends for dinner and a show.
I miss the city sometimes, but I'm happy I've found what matters to me most at this stage of my life.
Read the original article on Business Insider
