Interesting - I moved from VA (Originally from PA) to Seattle a bit over 3 years ago, and my experience has been pretty different.  However, I work downtown and live on Shoreline, which is quite different from Bellevue.<p>I&#x27;ve found Seattle quite friendly to newcomers (Some friends visited and it took 3 days before some stranger didn&#x27;t cover their drinks when out for dinner), and open and welcoming to me on multiple levels (as a tech person, as a board and RPG gamer, and as a geek in general, not to mention as someone far more socially liberal than Virginia was kind to).<p>That said, I&#x27;ve learned there are a ton of neighborhoods here, each with their own flavor and style, and I&#x27;ve only &quot;known&quot; a few of them.  Woodinville is not Freemont is not Bothell is not Bellevue.