Customer Reviews

Seattle Survival Guide: The Essential Handbook for Urban Living

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I used this book when I moved to Seattle four years ago, and it was extremely helpful in acclimating me. I especially liked the overview of neighborhoods. But, a friend who is moving here just got it, and in checking out her version, I am surprised the data hasn't been updated the past few years. A lot has changed.

Ballard, for example, is not a blue collar neighborhood anymore. It's become quite yuppified and expensive. There are not many housing bargains (rental or ownership) to be had there anymore. There also needs to be updated info on up and coming neighborhoods -- like Columbia City.

I think any book on Seattle needs to address the earthquake hazard. Some neighborhoods are safer than others. For example, the 2001 earthquake made it pretty clear that Pioneer Square, which is built on landfill, isn't where you want to be when the Big One hits (unless you fancy brick showers.) If you have the time, it might be worthwhile to wait for the next edition of this book which will hopefully contain 2000 census stats. And do some more research on the seismic issues-- try to live in a place built on bedrock.

This book is meant for people relocating to Seattle, not for tourists. It's filled with a ton of data about Seattle taken from the last census. Unfortunately, this data is a little stale, especially given the city's explosive growth over the last several years. Nontheless, the overall trends in the book still remain accurate.

The book devotes a little attention to the East Side, but is definitely lacking in this regard. As such, I would recommend this book only to those who will be relocating to Seattle itself, not the greater Puget Sound area.

I recently visited Seattle after moving away some 7 years ago. I wanted a book to refresh my memories and to reacquaint myself with the city and whatever changes it has gone through. This book does give a lot of information about the City, and yes, the Eastside communities are not discussed in depth (but, who cares? if you're going to live in the area, Seattle is the place to be!) The data, for me, wasn't enough though. I was looking for even more demographic-type information and couldn't find any other book that came close. The data is from 1996, so things have changed somewhat. With the latest census 2000 data, I would hold out for the next edition of this book, should one be forthcoming. One complaint from me is the graphics. The image of the city is used in many graphics with shaded elements refering to city extremes. These are often hard to decipher and leave many of the areas of the city without coverage. Overall, the book was the best sourcebook of those I found in many of Seattle's great bookstores.

This was a good book to make sense of how Seattle streets are layed out and why they are the way the are. Also, a good guide to neighborhoods, resturants, shopping ect... A must have book if relocating to Seattle.

THERE WERE SO MANY INTERESTING ITEMS IN THIS BOOK THAT I HAVE A THREE-RING BINDER FULL OF NOTES. I AM DEVOUT TEXAN, BUT SINCE THE FIRST TIME I VISITED SEATTLE I HAVE WANTED TO MOVE THERE. THIS BOOK MADE IT EVEN MORE APPEALING. EVERYTHING IS DISCUSSED FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO THE CRIME STATISTICS. THIS IS A MUST FOR SEATTLE RESIDENTS AS WELL AS THOSE THAT WISHED THEY WERE.