The Seattle Freeze: What Transplants Need to Know

For many of our transplants in this city, relocation is a slow and ongoing process of assimilation and of trying to make Seattle feel like home.

The struggle strikes at the heart of existential needs like acceptance and belonging. It can be hard for people moving to a new city to feel like they belong, and perhaps that is for no other reason than our adopted home is always being compared to the home that we left.

In Seattle well over 50% of the population have taken the leap and relocated for purposes of education, work, finding liberal sanctuary, family, or the incredible air quality. And despite all the valid reasons why people make this decision, relocation is often a very stressful process.

Furthermore the psychological impact is not well recognized or acknowledged. Because so many people in the U.S. do relocate — for reasons such as securing education or employment opportunities — they tend to feel that they shouldn’t talk about their struggle.

Change is a big part of why people seek out therapy. Life transitions such as relocation can have a significant impact on mental health and well-being. It demands a high level of adjustment leading up to, during and after the transition has occurred.

Understanding how we process change, adapt to a new environment, manage cultural differences and find belonging is important to minimizing the stress associated with relocation.

When moving to a new city, you may be in the position of already having connections but for some, there is not a single point of contact. In either scenario it is likely that upon relocation, the contraction of your network of friends and family is noticeable, as is the sense of loss.

Even considering those who are gregarious and outgoing, it is rare that people experience an easy social transition. And many of us find that establishing new connections only gets harder with age.

Humans are social creatures, we come into this world dependent on others for growth and well-being and we continue to need others throughout our lives. There have been several studies conducted on the effects of loneliness on the body and mind.

At Self and Other we recognize and relate to the very real distress caused by conditions of social isolation that people typically experience moving cities. It can be hard to risk being vulnerable enough to reach out for connection, but it is even harder on the human psyche to endure loneliness and withdrawal.

Moving from one U.S. state to another also requires cultural adjustment, and the cultural differences can be amplified when you are moving to the U.S. from another country. The process of finding belonging in Seattle necessitates some understanding of the social and cultural context of the city.

The Pacific Northwest has a strong regional identity. People born here are quick to tell me this fact, and I can hear the sense of pride in their voice when they claim: “Seattle born and raised”. This is a phenomenon that I am unfamiliar with; it may be that there is less regional and state pride in Australia than the rest of the world, but it may also be that it runs particularly deep in America. And the pride can extend beyond a person’s hometown to the neighborhood and community they are a part of, the college they went to or the local organization they work for.

Another element of regional identity in the PNW is reflected in movements like Cascadia, which originally focused on environmental coordination across state and national borders within the Cascade region.

While the idea has evolved to encompass certain shared cultural values and interests, it's important to note that these regional identities exist alongside considerable diversity in perspectives and experiences.

Many Seattleites do express a strong connection to place—whether through environmental awareness, lifestyle choices, or community involvement—which can sometimes create invisible social boundaries.

Newcomers may occasionally sense these boundaries when navigating social spaces, contributing to that initial feeling of being an outsider.

You might have heard Seattleites talk about a social phenomenon called the Seattle Freeze. Some of the conversations on this topic are centered around whether or not it is valid or "real"; trying to determine its validity can undermine a person's very real experience of social isolation so I will steer my focus away from determining any objective truth.

The Seattle freeze has sometimes been attributed to the region's Scandinavian heritage, though this connection may be more folklore than historical fact.

Although this theory persists in local lore, historians and sociologists point to multiple influences including tech industry growth, rapid population change, geography, and weather as equally significant factors.

An alternative conceptualization of the freeze is introversion, that is to say it is not coldness but instead it is a way of being that is less outgoing than people from other parts of the United States.

For transplants there might be an appreciation for a culture in which their boundaries, personal space and privacy are respected. Nevertheless when social needs are not met, people can begin to experience isolation, social anxiety and depression.

In responding to these relocation pressures, people benefit from developing cultural sensitivity and awareness of local norms, which helps them interpret social cues and make sense of potentially confusing social experiences.

By challenging themselves to find creative pathways to connection and community, transplants can gradually transform Seattle from an adopted city into a place that genuinely feels like home.