I went to UW, and lived in Seattle for 6 years. It was miserable. The city's natural surroundings are gorgeous, but it's always cold and damp so you can't really enjoy it (unless you particularly like that kind of weather).
For about a year there was a fantastic hiking trail that started about 50 feet off my front yard. I think I walked it once...
Like you, I moved to California. Night and day difference.
Similar experience, lived in both Seattle and Portland. There is a lot to like about the Pacific Northwest and I loved living there the first few years. But as the years passed I got a bit more depressed.
Had to pay a lot more to move to California, but the sunshine tax has been worth it for me.
Same. Lived in Seattle for nearly a decade. Then I moved to San Francisco (which itself isn't known for being sunny or warm) and it was like I moved to LA. Such a dramatic difference to my mental well-being.
I grew up in a fairly dark, cloudy place and never thought anything of it, but Seattle broke me. I'm extremely sensitive to sunlight now.
For about a year there was a fantastic hiking trail that started about 50 feet off my front yard. I think I walked it once...
Like you, I moved to California. Night and day difference.