Census: Yup, Seattle is different from rest of state

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published May 27

SEATTLE -- Census data confirms the suspicions of many Washington residents: Seattle is, well, different.

Compared with people who live in other regions, residents of Washington's largest city are least likely to be married with kids, least likely to own their home, and most likely to shack up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. You're most likely to see a Generation X-er, age 20-34, in Seattle, and least likely to see kids younger than 10.

But if that data reinforces Seattle's stereotype as the black sheep of the Washington family, consider this: the polar opposite of Seattle in these demographic categories is not the traditional farming area east of the mountains. It's the suburbs on the east side of Lake Washington.

There, in the eastern suburbs of King and Pierce counties, you'll find the people who are most likely to be married with kids, most likely to own their homes and least likely to shack up. The rest of the state, according to the census data, falls in between.

Single city

"If I was single, I'd live in Seattle," said Cara Corson, mother of three. But good parks and schools and quiet, leafy neighborhoods drew her family to eastern King County. She relaxed one recent sunny afternoon at Lake Sammamish State Park, where squeals from the playground and music from teen-agers' radios filled the air.

"It's a great place to raise kids," she said.

Meanwhile, Alice Hill, 19, feels just as comfortable living with her boyfriend in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, where she stood on the sidewalk handing out fliers for Laughing Buddha tattoo parlor.

"Seattle is a whole lot more accepting of weird things -- or alternative lifestyles, I guess," said Hill, whose pierced nose, mohawk and all-black ensemble blended into the crowd on Broadway.

While the Gap store on Broadway sells the same capri pants as the Gap in Bellevue and Spokane, and the same movies play in the multiplexes, the Census reveals some of Washington state's diversity.

The median age ranges from 32.8 in the middle of the state -- kept low in part by a large number of Hispanic families -- to 37.6 on the Olympic Peninsula, a popular retirement area.

In central Seattle, only 13 percent of households are traditional nuclear families, married with kids. In the rest of the state, the average ranges from 20 percent on the Olympic Peninsula to 28 percent in the middle of the state. Eastern King and Pierce counties stand out with a 31 percent share of nuclear families.

Statewide, most people own the homes they live in. The numbers range from 60 percent to 68 percent. But in Seattle only 49 percent own their homes. In eastern King and Pierce counties, 74 percent own the home they live in.

Too different?

Do these demographic quirks affect the way people live? Some politicians think their way of life is so different, they shouldn't even be in the same state as Seattle.

"I see us steadily losing out on our lifestyle and not being able to continue our customs and our culture," said state Sen. Bob Morton, R-Orient, who has proposed making Eastern Washington its own state.

He says his constituents have their own style of work and play.

"We enjoy getting up early in the morning, staying out until the sun is set at night, not an 8-to-5 schedule," he said.

Other Eastern Washington residents attribute cultural differences to their traditional reliance on agriculture.

"It is a different, faster-paced way of life, with more arts and cultural events" in Seattle, said Bev Schuford, who grew up in Spokane and now lives in Moses Lake, where she and her husband own a paint and glass store. "Your surroundings play a real important part in what kind of lifestyle you lead."

But she thinks the similarities are greater than the differences. Her sister in Poulsbo has the same kind of family life she has in Moses Lake. She disagrees with the notion of splitting the state.

"The two sides need each other," she said.

Age factor

Rural sociologist Annabel Cook at Washington State University says age is the biggest cultural divider between Seattle and the rest of the state. Central Seattle has the largest portion of young adults aged 20-34 -- 30 percent of the population, compared to a state average of 21 percent.

"King County is a magnet for young adults who want to get away from the more traditional areas where they grew up," Cook said. "That's where I think the lifestyle differs."

Carrie Shell, 23, agrees. She works at a women's homeless shelter in Seattle and lives in a house with a bunch of other young activists.

"There's a lot more opportunity here," she said.

As those young adults age and have families of their own, Cook said, they move to the suburbs -- or back to the traditional small towns where they were raised.

Acceptance

Other lifestyle choices, such as unmarried couples living together, remain more acceptable in big cities such as Seattle, she said. Eight percent of households in Seattle are unmarried couples, compared to 6 percent statewide.

"We've never had too many problems," said Ronnie Perkins, 26, a production manager at the Seattle Gay News who lives with his partner of four years. While some of his own family members refuse to recognize his relationship, he said he feels accepted in his city. "Family means something way different in the 21st century."

Despite the differences, the more traditional areas of Washington are slowly getting used to unmarried couples, at least straight ones, Cook said.

"It's becoming more acceptable over time," she said. "It's one thing to condemn your children, but it's much more difficult to condemn your grandchildren."

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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