Time-lapse shows Seattle’s massive growth

I was born in Seattle in 1969 and except for a few years attending school in Europe, I have always lived here. It used to be a relatively quiet, safe, clean, and reasonably affordable place to live. But, over the past decade, things have rapidly changed- we have a horrible homeless problem, large numbers of people addicted to heroin and meth, legal pot, insane traffic, and an ex-mayor accused of abusing underage boys. Some of these issues are just part of life in the big city, but how much has the incredible growth here contributed to some of the more visible problems? I used to love living here, and I could afford it. But, for the first time in nearly 50 years I am wondering if I would not be happier taking up residence somewhere else. The following video shows the amazing growth over a 3 year period captured from a camera atop the iconic Space Needle.

SOURCE

Ricardo Martin Brualla, a VR/AR engineer at Google in Seattle, and a former PhD student at the University of Washington, has pieced together a 3-year time-lapse video with footage shot from a 360-degree webcam mounted on the top of the Space Needle.

With old buildings going down and new ones coming up, the video is an almost cartoonish representation of the massive growth taking place in Seattle, and particularly around the urban core and South Lake Union neighborhood where giant tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Google have set up shop.

I have been.

Too many hipsters, too cold, too rainy/dreary, too many taxes to enjoy life there. #1 suicide capital of the world..why? Depression - Likely lack of sun light.

I would say move to Texas, but honestly people suck now just about everywhere.

I'm moving to Lake Como Italy when I sell my business and shacking up in a place with relatively few people around. I've simply had it.

a reply to: seattlerat

I used to always comment how clean Seattle was compared to San Francisco, not anymore.

I think the biggest problem is the homeless situation. I hate to go into Spokane anymore for the same reason. I think they are just bouncing around between Seattle, Portland and Spokane.

These are very young people too. It is not like these are areas with no job markets. Unfortunately I think drugs are the major problem.

I thought I was playing SimCity2000 for a second there!

Cool post!

a reply to: Butterfinger

beat me to it... its amazing how much perception of time changes by watching something like this.

a reply to: seattlerat

That's a stunning amount of growth in such a short time. Each floor of those towers will cost around $10 million. Seattle's lucky to have it all on camera too. Every town and city should be recording the changes for the historians of the future.

I bet three years in four minutes isn't fast enough for the times. People will be skipping through it and wishing they'd done a ten frame gif instead.

But, for the first time in nearly 50 years I am wondering if I would not be happier taking up residence somewhere else.

Sit tight and wait for your property value to soar before moving away.

Seattle. I see a New Chicago in the making.
The boom before the bust.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: seattlerat

Sit tight and wait for your property value to soar before moving away.

They've already soared, but if you sell, you're in an inflated market. If you like where you are, all this means is soaring property taxes, though WA is lower than lots of states at 1% plus special levies. Sure, if you want to move to Alabama or Michigan you'll probably make a killing, but if you want to stay home (And this IS home) it's not a good thing.

Good thread. I left CA for Texas for much of the same reasons you're considering leaving Seattle. I was there in Tacoma and Yelm from 1982 to 1985. I encountered aggressive homeless people in Seattle and bad traffic. Some things don't change but just get worse.

In 2012 Texas canceled property/school taxes for 100% disabled vets. I'm allowed to drive most toll roads for free along with other benes. Also, I can carry a concealed firearm if I wish without CA hassle. However, we do have other problems so it's not paradise like summer heat for one. The answer is a pool which I'm building. My best,

a reply to: Kandinsky



Heh heh... What are you trying to say? Heh heh... (I watch most youtube videos at higher speeds, including this one, which I watched at double/2x speed.)

a reply to: schuyler

I quite like Seattle from what I've seen over the years.

Shows the decay of being a liberal state,pretty soon someone has to work to support intrastructure,they rely off federal aid,and bite the hand that feeds them,trying to do same to Calif

a reply to: Oldtimer2

Really? That's what you got from the video? LOL

Now I can imagine people in their time complaining about Atlantis because of their size and technological advancements. "Look at those progressive hippies, growing their city & getting better infrastructure! Who needs taller buildings anyway? Psssh, we're doing just fine here with our mud huts, foraged foods, and camels. Hmph!"

I guess some people will complain about anything.

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
a reply to: Oldtimer2

Really? That's what you got from the video? LOL

Now I can imagine people in their time complaining about Atlantis because of their size and technological advancements. "Look at those progressive hippies, growing their city & getting better infrastructure! Who needs taller buildings anyway? Psssh, we're doing just fine here with our mud huts, foraged foods, and camels. Hmph!"
,
I guess some people will complain about anything.

You clearly miss the point. Taller buildings does not equate to a better infrastructure. It equates to an infrastructure that can't handle fast growth. Where traffic was passable a few years ago, it is intolerable today. And those "progressive hippies" have responded by closing off traffic lanes for bicycles, taxing residents, "helping" the homeless and therefore creating more of them, and allowing a more crowded environment which leads to more crime. Coupled with rising housing prices means rent increases that have driven out people who once could afford to live here..

Yes, people do complain about a deteriorating lifestyle and being forced from their homes.This was once a pretty nice place. It still is if you don't look too hard and don't actually have to live here. But if you care to take a closer look you'll find an intolerable urban jungle.

a reply to: schuyler

I agree. Look at the bay area. Tremendous growth has only caused more problems. Massive amounts of homeless, horrible public transit, relentless traffic, sickening wage disparity, ungodly rent and property costs, air pollution, dirty streets with homeless feces and urine, and more. Growth is not always good.

originally posted by: SR1TX
#1 suicide capital of the world..

The city with the top suicide rate in the United States is Las Vegas. Seattle doesn't even crack the top ten.

originally posted by: schuyler

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
a reply to: Oldtimer2

Really? That's what you got from the video? LOL

Now I can imagine people in their time complaining about Atlantis because of their size and technological advancements. "Look at those progressive hippies, growing their city & getting better infrastructure! Who needs taller buildings anyway? Psssh, we're doing just fine here with our mud huts, foraged foods, and camels. Hmph!"
,
I guess some people will complain about anything.

Yes, people do complain about a deteriorating lifestyle and being forced from their homes.This was once a pretty nice place. It still is if you don't look too hard and don't actually have to live here. But if you care to take a closer look you'll find an intolerable urban jungle.

Ah, it took you long enough to get to the point. You think that metropolises are intolerable but many people like myself do not. The real estate developers and landowners don't either, especially when property values are drastically increasing due to the new developments. Business is booming yet people always find something to complain about.

Also, you might want to reread the comment I responded to. How the hell is a growing infrastructure a sign of decay? Look at actual decaying infrastructures in shrinking Midwest cities. Those abandoned buildings, unkempt lots, and drastically reduced economic activity are signs of "decay", which is the opposite of what's in the time-lapse video.

The post I replied to even linked this to being a liberal state, as if real estate development and the construction of buildings is a liberal/conservative issue. Also, the actual developers in the video may be private companies which don't need federal aid to complete their projects (unlike what the post I replied to implied). And of course, cities like Seattle and states like Washington always raise part or all of the money needed for their infrastructure projects through taxes and by issuing bonds (depends on the project). Hence my mocking comments about Atlantis.

Some people seem desperate to find something to complain about. Which is funny to me since they'll turn around and complain about undeveloped countries, as if the lack of the infrastructure in the time lapse-video is proof of the inferiority of those countries.

At least I have a point. What is yours again? By all means come live in Seattle. Good luck finding affordable housing. The 200 square foot 'coffins' are all the rage now. The average home price is $674K, up 18% since last year, and that's for a very mediocre house--nothing fancy, maybe a 1900's Craftsman with a single tiny bathroom located beneath a freeway bridge. Average rent is $2400 and climbing fast. Seattle sales tax is 9.6%. Good luck getting around, unless you believe mass transit is a blissful way to travel. After all, it's free in the downtown area, but be careful where you sit (if you can get a seat.) There might be a nice pool of vomit there because of all the classy riders. And if you go out at night, be sure to stay in a well-lit area where there are lots of people around. You really don't want to go exploring alleys or down by the viaduct. Let your nose be your guide. The smell of urine should be a clue. But Seattle gun control sure works. There's a tax on every bullet sold now, so naturally gun crime has increased. $70,000 is considered a poverty-level income here now. So unless you're in the top 25% of income earners in the US, you might want to rethink moving here. You might wind up in a tent in a church parking lot, where urine is not the worst smell there. Yeah, sure, come to Seattle. It's a paradise of urban living.