Hey,

So my wife and I have lived in the same area of Oklahoma our entire lives. We are younger, do not have children, and both have good experience and degrees in Healthcare. We are tired of living here and have decided to make the move to Seattle or one of the surrounding suburbs/cities. I was wanting to get some information and suggestions from the locals. Neither of us have ever been to Seattle, but we both have some relatives living in the area so we won't be totally alone.

While we do have the ability to support ourselves, we are not wealthy and have heard horror stories about the cost of living (especially compared to what we are used to). From what I gather living in Seattle itself sounds unlikely due to cost, but we are willing to be in the suburbs or the surrounding cities. We would most likely rent an apartment or house until we got settled and were sure it was where we wanted to be. What are some of the better (and most reasonably priced) areas to live? Are there any areas we should specifically avoid? What should we expect in terms of rent? We own a 2,000+ sq ft, 3 bed 2 bath home right now and we spend about $1,200 a month on our mortgage (just for comparison).

Also, what are some of the more reputable health care providers and hospitals? Searching Google, I came across The University of Washington Medical Center and Virginia Mason as well reviewed hospitals, but are there others that come to mind?

What is the traffic like in Seattle?

Any other information you can provide that can help us make the most of our new journey?

Thanks in advance.