95RPM

I am road cycling enthusiast who works as a software developer. I am looking for a new job. I may be offered one in the Redmond area, which I would need to decide on without ever having visiting the area. May sound strange, but that is the nature of this business -- job interviews and offers (one hopes) over the phone.

So, my question is, is this a good place to work/live for someone with a strong interest in cycling and other outdoor activities like xc skiing, hiking and kayaking? And, where would I look for living space in this area? I currently live in the Northeast, and could use an adventure, hence my interest in taking a job in another area. This would be a 1 year contract, so I would not be committed beyond that, which makes taking the chance easier.

What do you think? Your opinions are most welcome!

Patriot

Cycling is pretty good in the entire Puget Sound area. If you don't mind the rain, then riding year round is a possibility. I regularly commute in the winter when it's in the 30's-40's and rainy. You get used to it. However, for hiking, xc skiing, etc, the mountains are the best for that. Unless you have a sea kayak, then the Sound itself is pretty popular as well.

iansir

After 4 years in the NE, I am glad to be back in the NW (Seattle) - much better cycling with in my opinion, very mild weather, gorgeous summers and not overly hot (the way I like it). Just get some fenders and a good breathable jacket and life is good.

lrzipris

You might browse through the Pacific Northwest sub-forum in Community Connections=>Regional Discussions.

G_Sup

I used to live in Redmond...actually Kirkland and Bellevue as well. Most refer to these 3 cities as the "eastside" since it's east of Seattle (across from Lake Washington). I moved there in the late 80's to work for Nintendo which is located in Redmond.

I'm not sure where you are from, but I was raised in Santa Barbara CA, and eventually the lack of sun finally took it's toll after a little over 4 years. Since then , I've moved back to the Santa Barbara area (Solvang to be exact). As for riding, I personally think the Eastside is a rat race. Too many people packed in too small of space. I always referred to the Seattle area as L.A. with trees. The traffic is HORRIBLE to say the least...even residental side streets if it's a thoroughfare during rush hour. The funny thing is they call Redmond the bike capital of the world. They do however have a great bikepath which is totally seperate from the streets.

All in all, there are awesome places to bike there IF you get out of the city and take some country routes. It's always been a dream of mine to ride some of the less crowded highways in the Olympic Cascades. Absolutely one of the prettiest states I have EVER seen...in the Summertime.

55/Rad

Where do you live now?

It's hard to imagine moving anywhere without checking it out first, but the Seattle area does have a lot to offer. Redmond is a newer high-tech area and thus, housing prices are pretty high relative to the Seattle area. But you won't have to go far to find other options. All in all, the Redmond area is beautiful, far enough away from the city to be out of it yet close enough to get in if need be.

The biggest concern is the weather. The rain isn't as bothersome as the rest of the country would lead you to believe but the general gray/gloominess of the late fall through early spring can be somewhat grating.

And yes, I did live there - for 7 years. I liked it a lot but I like Portland a whole lot better.

55/Rad

95RPM

Interesting comments. I live in coastal CT, an hour northeast of NYC. We get more total rain here than Seattle, but also more sunny days. The comment about the eastside being like 'LA with trees' strikes a chord, as I have visited that city and didn't care for it. And the Eastside being a rat race... we have that here, too, and I would like to get away from that. My line of work seems to take place largely in expensive, congested areas, which is not what the rest of me likes.

55/Rad

I lived in LA for 35 years and Seattle for 7. While traffic congestion is one thing they share in common, it's about the only thing. In some respects, Seattle traffic is worse than LA - mainly because there are far less alternatives to choose when things get bad. In other words, sometimes you get stuck and just have to live with it.

The one thing about the Redmond/eastside area - while these are areas of heavy congestion and population, you don't have to go far to get out of it. If you are willing to commute 10 miles or so, you can go further east and pretty much be in the hinterlands. Can't do that in LA.

Seattle has it's problems, I won't argue that. But the tension that comes with living in LA simply doesn't exist in the Seattle area. Plus, when the weather is good, there isn't a prettier area in the continental US.

And the cycling is of course, fantastic.

55/Rad

iansir

And the traffic...yeah its bad, but it shouldn't bother you so much if you're on a bike

ks1g

I'd go for it, or at least not worry about liking Redmond. I grew up in the Northeast, went to school in Boston, have lived in CT (Hartford), and did a co-op job in LA (hated it and business trips back to LA confirm it just isn't for me, even if the cycling weather is great). 1st job out of college was at Boeing, and I didn't see Seattle until I showed up for work. Spent 2 1/2 years there, and I didn't leave because of the weather. Yes, the rain can be a bother (goretex or other good rain gear is your friend), but it is much milder climate than CT (you'll like the summers) and a lot of the rain is drizzle or mist ("Seattle Sunshine" they called it). If you get tired of the rain, Eastern Washington is an hour or so away and you get the Colombia River gorge and hundreds of miles of flat high desert terrain.

It's been years and I was into hiking and flying sailplanes and skiing then, so I can't comment much on traffic or on cycling. Although I remember lots of hills.

munkyv22

No.

zippyh

I've lived in the Seattle area my entire life and the Eastside for the past 20 or so years.
Sure, traffic can be pretty nasty on the Eastside (or the rest of the region for that matter) but depending upon where you're trying to go, you'd probably do a lot better on a bike. There are plenty of bike commuters at MSFT.

I've got to admit that even though I've lived with it my entire life, the constant drizzle from about October through April does get old. And this past November was the wettest month ever for the area.

urbanknight

Not sure about now, but when I visited in 1994 Redmond was the bicycling capitol of WA and the velodrome was public (part of a park, and anyone could ride on it when not in use for training). Nice area, too.

greenstork

Aside from some traffic, Seattle doesn't feel anything like LA, the two don't compare. Seattle has 3 major highways and a number of moderately sized state routes. LA has dozens of major highways -- urban area stretches for miles and miles. In Seattle, the city is downtown Seattle and downtown Bellevue and everything else, including major portions of Seattle outside of downtown, feels very suburban. You bike for like 10 miles outside of Redmond and you're on country roads and 15 miles later, you're climbing up some of the most beautiful mountains on the west coast, you just can't do that in LA.

I live in the city and bike to work, therefore I don't spend any time in traffic, which doesn't really exist within the city limits anyway, aside from every town's normal rush hour roads. If you live in Redmond or Kirkland and work in Redmond, you won't spend any time in traffic either. If you live in Seattle and work in Redmond, or vice versa, then yes, you'll spend some time in traffic.

All that said, I'd never live on the Eastside, where Redmond is located. It's a suburb, home to Microsoft and other affluent communities. I have nothing against affluence, but the eastside isn't the place for me. To raise a family maybe, or retire, but I just can't live in the suburbs.

Seattle and the Northwest in general is a superb place to enjoy the outdoors. You're within a 3 hour drive of like 8 distinct geologic zones -- there's really no other place in the country like it. Redmond is on a lake, you can kayak there, and Puget Sound is only 20 minutes away. Skiing opportunities abound, XC and downhill. And it's a great place to bike year round. Redmond has miles and miles of really nice bike paths. Given your interests and hobbies, the Northwest seems like a good fit for you.

zippyh

I think there are many Eastsiders that would beg to differ.
Redmond to Kirkland or Redmond to Bellevue can be pretty bad during rush hour.
And Redmond to Issaquah is pretty horrific.

G_Sup

The Lake Sammamish trail was the one I was referring to in my earlier post. A very cool trail indeed!!! 95, don't let me scare you about the weather. As mcoomer said, he's from San Diego and he loves it. I have family from CA that live up there and love it. Me personally, I just have to have a bit more Sun is all. Some of my best times took place up there...and if you love fishing...oh how I miss REAL fishing! LOL

G_Sup

+1 on that one. I lived there over 16 years ago and traffic was horrible on the eastside...and that was THEN. One thing that I will agree on from another poster is that you definately can travel very small distances to get out of the hustle and bustle of the Eastside. Like I said earlier, Washington is absolutley steller when it's sunny and clear...one of the prettiest areas in the world under sunny conditions. I still go to Lake Cushman in the Olympics every summer for our family reunion and the area reminds me of something out of a movie it's so beautiful.

drdhsimon

i lived there for 3 years, and the weather bothered me (I grew up in Miami). Check out https://www.cascade.org/Home/ for cycling. Lots of rides all over town, different lengths, different speeds, very well organized, every day of the year.

mcoomer

I've lived up here (in Sammamish, on the Eastside) since 1998 and I can't imagine myself living anywhere else. I came here from San Diego and believe it or not, when the weather is nice up here it's better than southern California.

Where I live, I can be out of town in only a few minutes and there are miles and miles of good roads to ride. It's generally not very hard to find a good group to ride with but if you want to go solo you don't have to worry too much about motorists as they do seem to be a bit more aware than others places I've lived.

BTW...don't let the fact that it rains from October to March scare you off the Seattle area. All you have to do is pick up a mountain bike and ride the hell out of it till the skies clear up. You'll be in great shape when you hit the road and be able to climb like a goat.

Mike

the beef

Seattle/Redmond's great. If you're in Redmond you'll have easy access as well to the Burke Gilman Trail and the Lake Sammamish trail, both excellent bike trails. The Lake Sammamish loop coming out of Marymoor Park in Redmond takes a scenic route around the lake with options to extend the trip out into the countryside. Go for it.

Dick Rhee

Hey,
I moved to Seattle from the Northeast in 2001 without having ever been to this area. I lived in Albany, which should only be a couple hours from you I think. I moved here in December and the first thing I noticed were that the winters are EXTREMELY more mild than from back home; I haven't had to own or use a snow shovel since I moved here. The people here are generally more pleasant as well.

Anyway, I hate the winter and the NE's sweltering summers, so the more mild, yet somewhat grey climate is a welcome change for me. Cycling is indeed better, and while I've never gone, I've been told that there are good ski resorts about an hour or two east. Hiking in this area is quite good as well.

While I have sworn off ever moving back to the Northeast, my girlfriend and I have decided that living in Seattle is too expensive if we ever hope to buy a decent home in the near future. Chances are that we will be moving to Portland in the next couple of years. Anyway, good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.

95RPM

This is great stuff...I am glad to read so many responses, with personal experiences and all.

I have spent some time using google maps to pan over the area, and it does look beautiful. Yes, it is not that far from, say, Sammamish, to areas east that have less development and great looking terrain. I've tried to spot the trail around the lake. Not sure if I have picked it up. I wonder how a commute between Carnation and Redmond would be. Is it possible to cycle a route between those towns? Or, between Sammamish and Redmond? Where I live, there is no way car commuters and bicycle commuters could coexist. And, if you have ever lived in the land of steady habits (CT), you know how you would be greeted at work if you showed up in cycling gear.

To Dick Rhee: I'll bet Albany has temps a bit more extreme than where I live now. Long Island Sound moderates the winter cold and the summer heat just a bit.

the beef

What the heck happened to the order of the posts? I got quoted at '2:14' on a post I made at '4:20'. Scary.

G_Sup

Yeah, same here.

zacster

I lived in the Seattle area over 20 years ago and would go back in a heartbeat. I wouldn't live on the eastside but would move back into Seattle proper. The eastside is typically suburban, although fairly well to do at that.

I do remember that bike riding the roads on the eastside was no picnic, there usually wasn't anyplace to ride out of the traffic lanes. This may have changed as the PAC NW has become very bike friendly. I wouldn't know though. The Sammamish trail was great, but you can't count on it for commuting. But anything would be better than bike commuting in NYC where they can't seem to figure out a way to keep cars off the one bike trail there is.

The cycling is great there, the weather isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. You don't shovel rain as they would say.