Biggest reason Seattle was cooler then versus now is because anyone could afford to live in the city. Now you have to pull down six figures. Tacoma is a cooler place to be these days.
That ain't it. Anyone can afford to live in Aberdeen today. Still, not very cool.
Tell me more about when Aberdeen was ever a population center. It is 100% it. It's why Bellevue has never been cool.
I, for one, appreciate the high cost. It keeps out the riff raff and indicates a strong economis. That is, if you still believe in free market economis.
For the record I completely agree with you on that.