Ban on non compostable straws. We have straws in Seattle and I can assure you they function just fine. Is anyone really going to make the choice between Dallas and Seattle based on straws?
Now the homeless thing, yeah, that's a major pain in the ass. Walked out the back door at work on Monday and almost tripped over a dude in a santa hat taking a dump on our loading dock. It's outta control.
OP, people in Seattle are generally friendly but in no way are they outgoing or engaging. Classic Seattle scene is a coffee shop with 30 people in it, all of them with headphones on looking down at electronic devices, with no one talking. My personal favorite Seattle scene is 3 or 4 people at the grocery store all jammed up with their carts, unable to move, just standing there awkwardly, totally stuck, because no one will even look up and make eye contact. They all just stand there looking down, mumbling incoherently, and not moving because they are all too passive to take initiative and work through the situation. If you are a real people person you may find that though.
Have you visited Seattle? If not, now is an excellent time to do so. Low 40s and drizzle almost every day in the 10 day forecast. I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. If you think that's bad, just wait 3 months till March when it's still 40 degrees and drizzle every day. Summers used to be bulletproof here but lately we've been having massive forest fires and choking smoke that fills the air from July through August.
As others have said, cost of living is very high. My house doubled in value in 4 years. A 1 bedroom apt. in the city can set you back $2k/month.
I do like the city but having spent 30 of my 44 years here, I'm starting to long for something else. The city is feeling dirty, over crowded, expensive, and not very friendly.
I find the car culture here to generally suck. There are enthusiasts but they are outnumbered by self-righteous Prius drivers about 100:1.
The city cant seem to put in bike lanes fast enough. Turning 4 lane arterials into 2 lanes for cars and 2 for bikes. Downtown is even worse. Many streets now choked off into just a single lane for cars and the rest for busses, bikes, planter boxes, homeless tents, and generally anything but cars.
So yeah, Seattle. I'm clearly burnt on the place. But if you are in your 20s or early 30s, come on out. Join the rest of the herd that's moving here. See what all the fuss is about for 3 to 5 years, then plan to escape back someplace warm, clean, and friendly.