Does it seem a little more crowded around here, lately? That's because it is. Last month we passed along a report about the US cities and states that are contributing new residents to Seattle. The folks over at Sparefoot added an update.
Since 2000, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area has added 700,000 people. Considering that Seattle's population is only about 666,000, we've effectively added another Seattle to the Seattle area. Throw in the fact that growth has been happening north in the Everett-Bellingham corridor and farther east in Issaquah through Carnation, and the growth is even larger.
No wonder traffic is getting congested and housing is getting more expensive. Supply can't keep up with demand.
While many of the new folks are coming from the West Coast and Chicago (but few from the Deep South), about 20% have immigrated from outside the US and most of them are from Asia.
Without a doubt, the interest is driven by money. The Seattle area has some of the best jobs, and best job growth in America.
One consequence and measure of the area's appeal: renting a U-Haul to get here from New Jersey costs $3,054, but heading back only costs $1,124. Without that eastbound price incentive, we might end up with massive parking lots of discarded trailers. Has anyone checked the parking situation in Tukwila, lately?
· Seattle Moving Trends [Sparefoot]
· Where Are All These Seattle Newcomers Coming From? [CS]
· Seattle Has the 2nd-Worst Evening Rush Hour Congestion in America [CS]
· Seattle Still Has 10th Most Expensive Median Rent in U.S. [CS]