Maybe you visited Seattle once and immediately thought, "Yep, I could live here."
Or maybe you've been here for years and have slowly accumulated enough Seattle habits that there's really no going back.
Either way, this city has a personality.
Seattle is coffee, cannabis, ferries, mountains, neighborhood restaurants, tech, live music, extremely passionate sports fans and people who will happily stand outside in a light drizzle while insisting that it isn't actually raining.
If several of these sound like you, you might have found your city.
1. A Little Rain Doesn't Ruin Your Day
Let's start with the obvious one.
Seattle has a reputation for rain.
But living here isn't usually about surviving endless dramatic downpours. It's learning to continue with your day when the sky is gray and everything is slightly damp.
Eventually, you stop waiting for perfect weather.
You walk the dog.
You go get coffee.
You make plans.
You go hiking.
You stand outside in a hoodie while someone from another state asks why you don't have an umbrella.
If a cloudy day makes you want to get cozy rather than immediately book a flight somewhere sunny, Seattle might work for you.
2. Coffee Is Basically Part of Your Schedule
Seattle takes coffee seriously.
Yes, Starbucks started here.
But Seattle coffee culture is much bigger than one company.
Neighborhood coffee shops, tiny espresso stands, specialty roasters and cafes are everywhere. Coffee can be breakfast, an afternoon break, a meeting location or simply an excuse to leave the house.
If "want to grab coffee?" sounds like an acceptable plan for almost any situation, you'll fit in just fine.
3. You Appreciate Good Weed
Washington voters legalized adult-use cannabis in 2012, and licensed recreational cannabis stores opened in 2014.
More than a decade later, cannabis is an established part of Washington's regulated adult market.
And Seattle has plenty of options.
Today's cannabis stores look very different from the early days of legalization. You'll find Washington-grown flower, pre-rolls, infused pre-rolls, concentrates, vapes, gummies, chocolates, beverages, tinctures, topicals and more.
At Seattle Cannabis Co., we've been here through the evolution of Washington's legal cannabis market.
Whether you're somebody who knows exactly what strain you're looking for or somebody who still isn't entirely sure what a terpene is, you're welcome here.
And no, you absolutely do not have to smoke weed to belong in Seattle.
But if you do enjoy cannabis, you won't exactly be shopping in a city without options.
4. You Think Mountains and Water Should Be Part of a City
Seattle can spoil you geographically.
You've got Puget Sound.
You've got Lake Washington.
You've got the Cascades in one direction and the Olympics in the other.
On a clear day, Mount Rainier shows up and somehow still makes everyone look.
That's one of the strange things about living here.
You can be surrounded by traffic, buildings and city noise, turn a corner and suddenly get a ridiculous view of mountains and water.
If you like having a city and the outdoors within reach of each other, Seattle makes a pretty compelling argument.
5. You'd Rather Be Outside Than Wait for Summer
Seattle people don't necessarily wait for warm weather to do things outside.
Hiking, camping, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, biking, fishing and boating are all within reach of the city.
Sometimes the activity is much less ambitious.
Walk around Green Lake.
Head to the waterfront.
Take a ferry.
Find a park.
Drive out toward the mountains.
The Pacific Northwest gives you plenty of opportunities to get outside, provided you're willing to accept that the weather isn't always going to cooperate.
A rain jacket helps.
6. You Have Strong Feelings About Seattle Sports
Pick your team.
Seahawks. Mariners. Sounders. Storm. Kraken.
Or all of them.
Seattle sports have changed quite a bit since we originally wrote this article, but one thing hasn't: this city gets attached to its teams.
You don't necessarily need to know every statistic.
You'll figure out pretty quickly when something important is happening based on the jerseys, flags and collective emotional state of everyone around you.
And if you'd rather watch the game at home?
That's allowed too.
Get some food, invite some friends over and make an afternoon of it.
If cannabis is part of your plans, consume responsibly and don't drive impaired.
7. You Think Taking a Ferry Counts as an Activity
In Seattle, transportation can accidentally become sightseeing.
Walk onto a Washington State Ferry and suddenly you're standing outside looking back at the Seattle skyline while crossing Puget Sound.
It's a commute for some people.
For everyone else, it's a pretty great way to spend part of a day.
If you're still impressed by ferries even after living here for years, we understand.
8. You Love Trying Food From Everywhere
One of Seattle's best qualities is how much food you can explore without leaving the city.
Teriyaki deserves its own Seattle conversation.
But you've also got incredible Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, Thai, Somali and other cuisines throughout Seattle and the surrounding region.
Rainier Valley is an especially good example of that diversity.
You could spend a very long time eating your way through South Seattle without running out of places to try.
If your idea of exploring a city involves figuring out what you're eating next, welcome.
9. You Don't Need Everything to Happen Downtown
Seattle isn't just downtown, Pike Place and the Space Needle.
The neighborhoods are a huge part of what makes the city interesting.
Capitol Hill doesn't feel like Ballard.
Ballard doesn't feel like Beacon Hill.
Beacon Hill doesn't feel like Columbia City.
And Columbia City doesn't feel like the University District.
Each part of Seattle has its own restaurants, businesses, parks and personality.
We're obviously a little biased toward Rainier Valley, since that's where Seattle Cannabis Co. calls home.
But that's kind of the point.
Sometimes the best part of Seattle is the neighborhood you're actually in.
10. You Like Living Somewhere That Builds Things
Seattle and the surrounding region have a long history of technology, aerospace and innovation.
Amazon grew here.
Microsoft is right across Lake Washington in Redmond.
Boeing has deep roots in the region.
Seattle's technology industry now stretches across software, ecommerce, gaming, artificial intelligence and plenty of other fields.
You don't need to work in tech to live here.
But there's no denying that technology has helped shape modern Seattle.
11. You Like Music With Some History Behind It
Seattle's music history runs deep.
Grunge might be the chapter everyone knows, but Seattle's music identity didn't begin or end in the 1990s.
The city has produced and supported artists across rock, hip-hop, jazz, punk, indie and plenty of other genres.
There are major concerts, tiny venues and everything in between.
If you'd rather see live music than spend another night scrolling through your phone trying to decide what to watch, Seattle gives you options.
12. You're Okay With Things Being a Little Weird
Seattle has a troll under a bridge.
There's a giant wall covered in gum.
People watch fish get thrown across a market for entertainment.
We have an enormous glass museum next to a giant futuristic building next to a 1960s observation tower.
There's an entire neighborhood parade built around naked cyclists covered in body paint.
At a certain point, you stop asking questions.
Seattle is a little weird.
We'd prefer to keep it that way.
13. You Know a Sunny Day in Seattle Is Basically a Holiday
Here's what nobody tells you until you live here:
A beautiful Seattle day hits differently.
When the clouds disappear, the mountains come out and it's warm without being miserable, the entire city seems to collectively decide that indoor responsibilities can wait.
Parks fill up.
Patios fill up.
Everyone suddenly owns sunglasses.
People start talking about how this is why they live here.
Then it rains again.
But for that one afternoon?
Completely worth it.
14. You Like a City That Still Feels Connected to the Pacific Northwest
Seattle has grown enormously, but there's still something distinctly Pacific Northwest about it.
The water matters.
The mountains matter.
The trees matter.
The weather definitely matters.
So do coffee, neighborhood businesses, music, food and the slightly obsessive desire to get outside whenever the sun appears.
And yes, legal cannabis has become part of modern Washington culture too.
So, Are You Meant to Live in Seattle?
Maybe.
There's no checklist that determines whether somebody belongs here.
You don't have to drink coffee.
You don't have to work in tech.
You don't have to hike every weekend.
You definitely don't have to smoke weed.
But if you like great food, neighborhood culture, mountains, water, coffee, music, sports, legal cannabis and a city that isn't afraid to be a little strange, you might feel pretty comfortable here.
And if cannabis happens to be one of the Seattle things you appreciate, come see us at Seattle Cannabis Co. in Rainier Valley.
We're a locally owned Seattle weed store serving adults 21+ with a rotating selection of Washington cannabis.
Stop in, talk to our budtenders and find something that fits what you're looking for.
Then go enjoy the city.
Just bring a jacket.
You probably won't need the umbrella.
