I've only lived in Seattle for 21 years so take my comments with a grain of salt. My view is that it's no longer the city I moved here for, but it's still a great place. Your stereotypes differ from mine. It's more like the exponential growth of Amazon ruined the community, traffic is horrendous, housing prices are nuts, and lots of people take a passive-aggressive attitude towards things that they don't like.
@Swedjen2 's comment about pro-American decals is off base. People will
key your car for a crappy parking job, but not for what stickers it has. And I've seen plenty of cars with stickers that would be right at home in Wyoming.
The winters are a drag, at least for me. For a couple months there's only 8 hours of daylight and that weighs on my mental health. The upside of that is you can get to the ski slopes in 45 minutes, snowshoeing trails in 30, and people remain active no matter the conditions. Every February I ask myself "Why do I still live here?" Then every April through October I ask myself "Why would I live anywhere else?" The summers are spectacular, although in recent years the amount of wildfire smoke has put a damper on things.
Seattle has a wealth of culture - the art, music, food, festivals, theater, and films are wonderful. You will never be bored. The neighborhoods all have a distinct feel. I have lived in Wallingford, Fremont, Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and Mount Baker - have loved them all for different reasons.
Look at total cost of living. Amazon pays well, but home prices here continue to rise fast. Everything here is more expensive. There's no state income tax, but sales, real estate, and property taxes are all high, as well as car registration and insurance. You may earn more in the jungle but a bigger percentage of your salary will go towards expenses. Some of these expenses are high no matter where you live in the region because they are statewide.
I bought a house close to a light rail station, so I never drove for work before the pandemic. My train ride to downtown was 12 minutes. Don't even think about commuting by car. The geography of the city constrains mobility, parking downtown is exorbitant, and I get frustrated most times I drive in the city. During the nicer months I ride my bike most places. I could ride to work in 25 minutes. Transit is pretty good.
The access to outdoor recreation is unbeatable. There is such a wealth of stuff to do - both in the city and nearby and in the Cascades. It's paradise.
There is a large and active Rover community. The indie shops are great, there's a lot of socializing around the Rover scene, there is excellent access to trails on public lands, we have the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route, and the opportunities to explore in your Rover are extensive.
There are clubs if you want that.
If I was in your shoes I'd ask yourself if you really want to work for Amazon. My wife is a therapist and most of her clients are Amazonians. There's a reason for that. Working there is mentally and emotionally crushing (but they can afford her rates, so thank you!). I've had several friends take jobs there in eager anticipation and then leave in disgust. I encourage you to investigate the corporate culture before you move out here. It's a long way to come and a major life change to make. Do what you can to find out if you'll be happy in the job. None of the other wonderful things about Seattle will matter if you can't enjoy them because the hours are long, or if your work makes you miserable. But if it does, I can recommend a very good therapist.
This is all within 2-3 hours from Seattle:
