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(25 posts)

Where have all the West Seattle Natives Gone? whaaaa!

Started 8 months ago by nottellingyoo
Latest reply from JoB

nottellingyoo
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My son is in his second year at Lafayette Elementary. The school I went to when I was a kid. I am having a really hard time making friends there because: one, I'm a young mother (I was 23 when I had my first son) and two, I'm actually from this neighborhood. I believe this makes me a little more eccentric, a little more laid-back, and quirkier perhaps. I didn't discover this disconnect between the modern day WS and the old WS until I got boo'ed off the bike lane on Alki by a bunch of spandex wearing yuppies as I was "urban mushing" with my husky dog. Guess that wasn't status quo enough for the yups.

I have no problem finding my kind in the local bars at night. But why am I alone at the school I grew up in?!?! All the other mothers I've met are from somewhere east of here. I remember in the 90's we had the Californian influx, but at least they were more similar culturally.

Anyhow, this is nothing more than a rant. Anyone else share my sentiment? Makes me want to move to White Center. That's how bad it is! WHAAAAAAAA!!!!

Posted 8 months ago #
Bonnie
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I guess I don't know what you mean. I didn't grow up in WS (Burien so not far) but I've been here 21 years. My husband grew up here and I know lots of people with young children who grew up here and are still here.

Posted 8 months ago #
nottellingyoo
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@Bonnie. Thanks for your reply. What area of WS are you/they now? I think my experience has a lot to do with the price of homes in N. Admiral as well. I bet if I went just 4 miles south, I might find more people that are from West Seattle.

Posted 8 months ago #
2 Much Whine
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Did you do co-op pre-school? We did and we met a majority of our friends through those programs. The first few years at Schmitz Park we knew a ton of parents and kids because of that. Sadly, now the kids are into high school so I'm sure we're too old to relate to your situation any more. We do have a couple of awesome babysitters, though, if you ever need one. It might not be that the long time residents are gone - just too old for your tastes? It's funny, I've had people make comments while on the bike path and I didn't ever attribute it to the whole community or to spandex yuppies - I just listened and responded accordingly. Maybe you're having a bad day and you need a yarncore attack?

Posted 8 months ago #
datamuse
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Beats me, I'm from Washington DC. ;)

However, my next-door neighbor is living in the house he grew up in. We're in Highland Park, maybe there's something to your observation on moving south?

Posted 8 months ago #
JanS
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I'm from the east coast, but have been in West Seattle longer than you've been alive, nottellingyoo. I also live in the Admiral District, and I am not rich monetarily. My daughter went to Lafayette, Madison, and WSHS. My ex graduated from WSHS. I know people who have been here longer than me, many natives, and I have great friends who have only been here 6-8 years or so. It is what you make of it, I'm finding. Maybe you could just "enlighten" some of the non-natives as to what you know about the area.Maybe they're feeling like they don't fit in. And those spandex wearing, bike riding folks who were rude to you on Alki? Probably from Ballard/Bellevue :D West Seattle doesn't have a lock on rudeness, for sure. :)

Posted 8 months ago #
Kimberley
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No clue, do they have to be natives and have to have kids? I've met plenty of cool mums with kids who go to Lafayette through watching a friend's son play baseball and she's much older than me and I don't even have kids. I'm not from here either, am from England via Boston via D.C. and have met plenty of people in the N. Admiral area who don't seem to be stuck up.

Posted 8 months ago #
Bonnie
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We live in Fauntlee Hills. Our next door neighbor grew up in the house that she lives in now. My husband grew up in the Admiral area and we bought our first home in the north end of WS and then moved to Gatewood and then Fauntlee Hills. I know people who have lived in WS all their life who live in Genesee, N. Admiral and a few other areas of WS. BTW-there are stuck up people everywhere...not just N. Admiral. But I bet 9 times out of 10 they are not stuck up they just are quiet or don't know how to approach people.

Posted 8 months ago #
miws
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Native Wesseattelite here, coming up on 53 years very soon.

Lived all but approx 4.5 years here. The relatively short stint away was around 40 years ago when I lived over on the Kitsap Peninsula during my Junior High years.

As many here know, I'm currently living at Nickelsville. In trying to keep a little humor in my current situation, I tell people that I'm still in West Seattle. Barely hanging onto the eastern edge, but still in West Seattle! ;-)

Mike

Posted 8 months ago #
dmk
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I'll be 48 in November and lived in WS all my life... My son (24) and I both went to Schmitz Park and Madison. I still live in the house I grew up in next to the same neighbors who lived there when we moved in when I was 10 years old. I love living and working in WS.

Posted 8 months ago #
waynster
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Well lets just say I was born in the old west seattle hospital on california ave does any one remember where it was I do. My great-aunt, grandmother and all her kids all rasied in WS as was I and my siblings. Sadly most now reside in forestlawn now....

Posted 8 months ago #
marianne
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I was also born in the old West Seattle hospital in the junction (but do not remember my stay there):) ! Live in Admiral about a mile from where I grew up. Husband raised here also. We are in our 50's so would be much older than the OP. But yes, some of the old time West Seattlelites are still around.

Posted 8 months ago #
Jiggers
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They went when the New Luck Toilet closed down...lol

Posted 8 months ago #
bsmomma
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I live in the North Admiral. Have lived in the general area since 1983. I have a kid at Lafayette. I'm not stuck up or a yuppie. I don't know many people anymore. They all moved away. I blame the lack of neighbohoodness on the tall wood fences. Really, I do. :)

Posted 8 months ago #
2 Much Whine
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You can blame it on whatever you want but we're likely just a few blocks from you and are friends with many of our neighbors. We do the block party thing each year and while we don't go camping together or anything like that we know just about everyone on the block (and most of us have fences).

Posted 8 months ago #
cha
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Hey--it is not the people from out of town. It's people from Seattle, it's the natives. This town breeds introverted people who find it difficult to interact--it's not exactly snobbery, but the end result is clique-ishness and indifference. I grew up in Seattle and have now returned after ten years with my outgoing preschooler. After a year of trying to meet people, during which I feel I have put out a lot of effort and gotten very little back, I would not label the Admiral/Lafayette area a strong community. My feeling of isolation is only compounded by the uneasy sense that I am regarded as a non-native, since I only confess to having recently moved here (not grown up in this city). Laments about non-natives only reinforce this perception for me. This neighborhood is parochial and insular.

Posted 6 months ago #
cha
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Hey--it is not the people from out of town. It's people from Seattle, it's the natives. This town breeds introverted people who find it difficult to interact--it's not exactly snobbery, but the end result is clique-ishness and indifference. I grew up in Seattle and have now returned after ten years with my outgoing preschooler. After a year of trying to meet people, during which I feel I have put out a lot of effort and gotten very little back, I would not label the Admiral/Lafayette area a strong community. My feeling of isolation is only compounded by the uneasy sense that I am regarded as a non-native, since I only confess to having recently moved here (not grown up in this city). Laments about non-natives only reinforce this perception for me. This neighborhood is parochial and insular.

Posted 6 months ago #
Jiggers
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Its called "The Seattle Freeze." Most people here like to live like trogladytes.

Posted 6 months ago #
JanS
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hmm...I am a "not-native". I grew up on the east coast. I met a man ( in New Jersey) who lived in West Seattle. We married in 1974. Now divorced, I still live, and work, in West Seattle. I live in the Admiral District. I consider West Seattle my home, and don't think I'd want to live any place else. Maybe it's the longevity, who knows. I have found this to be a wonderful giving , caring community. Because of the West Seattle Blog forum, I have made some lasting friendships, just by reaching out and engaging people. It's getting time to have another meet-up, whether for drinks, or just coffee. Maybe another coffee and cupcake thing would be good. Whatever we do, cha, I encourage you to come meet us. We are all ages, and welcome new people. Always good to put a face on a name on here :)

Posted 6 months ago #
JoB
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i had forgotten the cupcake meet-up we did last year.. with the pic with santa :)

Posted 6 months ago #
hellonwheels206
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West Seattle is really a wonderful part of Seattle to live in. It is like any place else...you have to be open to putting yourself out there and meet people you feel a connection with and it will happen. Where are all the WestSeattle Natives?? Well, they are alot of my friends that are dying off....so just be patient and in about 10 more years there will be a lot of "20" year natives around that will make up old "West Seattleites".....and they will be great!
I have met many of them all ready...new additions to our community....nice people are drawn to this area.....because it is a "nice" area!.....with nice people..pretty simple!
I grew up here and then lived away for 20 years...and came back....I love it, but many of my schoolmates never left the area...and it is typical of any community where those bonds are made that they tend stay in their comfort zones, but not today. Our community has been enhanced with a diverse, interesting bunch imports...celebrate them! It's a lot more interesting and stimulating!

Posted 6 months ago #
JoB
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I have only been here for 4 years...
but in that 4 years i have met and connected with enough people that i don't want to move..

hellonwheels206 is right...

making connections with other people really is all about you.
like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it.

Posted 5 months ago #
Donna Ryan Photography
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I just found that photo - it is still at the store waiting for pick up :)

Posted 5 months ago #
hellonwheels206
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Hey! Look at that!! JoB proves my point!!! Never knew that you were a "newbie" and I really enjoy your posts!!
Thank you for enlightening so many of us and trying to enlighten a lot of those that are hard to get to thinking other than attacking!

Posted 5 months ago #
JoB
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Donna Ryan Photography..

thank you!

i will stop by and pick it up...
maybe i can talk DBP into posting it for me.

hellonwheels206...

aw shucks
thanks

Posted 5 months ago #