Jeff Uprooted: 20 Years in Seattle

Two decades. 7,300 days. 247 full moons...

Today marks the 20th anniversary of my arrival in Seattle. It was an exciting idea and a dramatic transition. The ensuing adventures and friendships made it a great success. After all these years, Seattle feels like home.

Scroll down to see 20 photos, one from each of my years in the Pacific NW.
Click on any photo to enlarge it.

My late Aunt Peg, who inspired me
to move to the PNW (1997).

June 1, 1995: I drove from Missoula, Montana to Seattle, Washington. I had finally reached the Pacific Northwest after a meandering road trip across the U.S. I vividly recall the strangely wonderful terrain of eastern Washington; the spectacle of the Columbia River Gorge at Vantage; the lingering snow on the dark green Cascades as my old car struggled up and over the mountains.

A little bit farther and I was at the end of my journey: the interstate highway I had been following for weeks came to an abrupt halt. At the Kingdome.

At a party I threw on my 10th
Seattle anniversary (2005).

I arrived without a plan. I didn't know anyone. I didn't have a job lined up. I didn't know where I was going to live. What could possibly go wrong?! Luckily, I had one lead: the number of a friend of a friend. The payphone call I made when I arrived produced a couch to crash on and enduring friendships.

What pulled me across the country? Hard to say exactly after all these years. But my vague wanderlust found a focus in the Pacific Northwest. My aunt had moved from Chicago to Vancouver, B.C. a few years earlier. I had a good feeling about a place that had managed to lure such an amazing woman.

Of course, things were a little different when I first rolled into Seattle. Most people didn't have cell phones. We rented movies from video stores, like the "recent" hits Sleepless in Seattle and Singles. The Experience Music Project and Flagship REI store didn't exist. Seattle had two daily newspapers. There was no Ferris wheel.

There were fewer people. Migration to Seattle has continued apace. Since I arrived, the population in the city has increased by more than 25% — upwards of 130,000 more people, with their attendant and cumulative impacts.

I've enjoyed a lot of 'firsts' in this place. To name a few: My first skiing, snowshoeing and summer snowball fights. My first glaciers. My first volcanoes and ancient lava flows. My first kayak and sailboat trips. My first microbrews. My first public transit. My first monster truck jam. My first recycling experience. My first birding trip. My first place without roommates — eventually, and at only one of my six different Seattle addresses so far.

While I call the place "home," I realize that people make it so. Specific and special people I've been lucky enough to know. My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who welcomed, befriended, listened to, comforted, helped, taught, challenged, commiserated with, celebrated with, shared with, worked with, played with, supported, trusted and accepted me.

I recently took to the road, embracing adventure and change away from this city. Scratching an itch. Good times. But I missed Seattle, and I never lost touch. Now I'm back to begin the third decade and a new chapter.

And so I say to my old, my new and my future friends: May the next 20 years bring us all connection, progress, contentment, fun and joy.

Here are 20 photos, one from each of my years in the Pacific NW.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.