r/Renton • u/FoggyJack-Props • 9d ago
What the deal?!
We moved here from ABQ not to long ago… and my wife had tried making friends on the Peanut app. Long story short EVERY time she tells anyone we (unfortunately) live in Renton she is immediately ghosted!!
WHY?!
What makes people turn off SO fast whenever this town is mentioned?!?
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u/Zealous_Feather 9d ago
Renton gets a bad rap sometimes, especially around Seattle. Some people think it has more crime or isn’t as nice as places like Bellevue or Kirkland, but honestly, there’s a lot to like. Gene Coulon Park, The Landing, and the easy access to both Seattle and the Eastside are all solid perks.
People on the Peanut app might just be judging based on outdated or exaggerated perceptions. Making friends in the Seattle area can take time since a lot of people tend to be a little reserved. Your wife should keep putting herself out there. Local groups, meetup events, or volunteering could be good ways to find people who actually want to connect. Renton definitely has great folks, she just has to find the right ones.
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u/Allronix1 9d ago
Renton and Kent still have the reputation of being the "trailer trash" parts of King County. If you were white collar, you lived in Seattle or north. If you were blue collar, it was the wilds of South King County.
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u/AffectionateEye5281 9d ago
The wilds of south king county. As someone who has lived in Renton almost all of my fifty years, I absolutely love this 😂
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u/Allronix1 9d ago
You'd also be old enough to remember all the Renton and Kent jokes that Almost Live used to tell.
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u/AffectionateEye5281 9d ago
God, I miss that show.
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u/SnarkMasterRay East HighLands 8d ago
I went to college in Ellensburg and peak Almost live for me was seeing them drive past my parents house on the TV for a Cops segment....
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u/OddfatherPNW 8d ago
Having grown up in Kent, I can confirm the negative bias, but I feel like we owned the Almost Live attention with pride. As such things tend to go, sh!t flows downhill, so we’d pass it along to Auburn.🤣
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u/Caftancatfan 6d ago
Seattleites about the east side: ridiculous bougie boringness.
Seattleites about south king county: ew.
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u/Subject-Exercise3361 9d ago
At least we are not Kent, Auburn, Tukwila or Pacific. Jk (see YouTube for the Almost Live Skit “Cops Mercer Island”). Renton is awesome how it’s centrally located and has access to hwy 169, 167, 405 and I5. - RHS class of 01 .
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u/Due-Attorney4323 9d ago
I'm a transplant from Los Angeles. People do not like to travel. They really keep it local. Rather passive aggressive, where ghosting is common. But I love it here. The trees. Mountain. Nice polite people, if a bit reserved.
Try a meetup. Lots of different groups that do activities. I've found two fun groups in Tacoma. I'm in South King County also, but I find the Tacomans will not travel and I have to go there. There is a curling club that I keep hearing about that seems passionate and fun. I would like to check that out sometime.
I like the Local in downtown Renton. But I have to admit I haven't made many friends in SKC. They tend to live in Tacoma and Bellevue.
Good luck finding your tribe!
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u/No_Hospital7649 9d ago
Man, this is true. One of my girlfriends moved from 2.5 hours away to North Seattle, and she was so excited we were going to be able to see each other all the time.
I had to gently explain that “south of Seattle” and “North of Seattle” are two very different lands. She may as well live 2 hours away still (during some times of traffic, she still does). Living 20 miles apart in rural America is not the same as living 20 miles apart in a metropolitan.
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u/thefuryoffire 9d ago
God, I love the Local. It’s so similar to my old school east coast bars it feels like home.
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u/Due-Attorney4323 9d ago
I had good luck with the Bumble BFF app. Plenty will unmatch with you without a word and ghosting is common. But I made a really good friend out of that app. I suggest that one for making friends in your age group. Although it's more ruthless than a dating app so just be prepared for some shabby behavior I mentioned.
Events scheduled at the Library tend to draw nice people as well. Library system is pretty nice here.
Just some ideas. Welcome to the PNW! 🌲🌲
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u/boba521 9d ago
I live in Renton. Even if you are not into the bar scene try some of the downtown dive bars during the daytime or early evening. Most of the regulars are friendly.
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u/ugotboned 9d ago
I'm becoming one of the regulars 😂. Just moved here from DFW and I frequent Dubtown Brewing, whistle ale house consistently now.
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u/CastleGanon 9d ago
People in Seattle are very weirdly classist, and a part of that is being neighborhood-centric -- as in "everything I need is right here in Greenwood, why would I ever leave?" So when you say you live in Renton, that may as well be a different country to them even though it's just a 20-30 minute drive away.
Unethical life pro tip: just lie next time.
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u/MennisRodman 9d ago
I told two strangers I live in Kent. They both asked me the same thing.
"Why Kent?"
Moved here 1.5 years ago. Sure there's some rough parts, but I'm liking it so far. Helps I don't live in the valley, so...
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u/LilGreenCorvette 9d ago
Traffic is a pain to deal with between Seattle and Renton to be fair, people shouldn’t ghost but that might be what they’re thinking about for future hang outs.
Maybe your wife can mention places she likes to spend time at?
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u/Weasel474 9d ago
The PNW is generally not as friendly as other places. Renton is a nice area, I enjoy living here, you just gotta give it time. Meeting others in-person or with similar interests may help.
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u/thefrq 9d ago
If your wife is on Facebook, she should join the Renton Women's Social Group. Everyone is very nice and fun and they plan local get togethers
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u/MrsC7906 9d ago
This is one of the problems: for those of us who choose not to give Zuck our lives, we miss out on
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u/Professional-Egg-889 9d ago
You could have her state the area of Renton instead of just plain Renton. Like the Highlands etc.
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u/PNW_silversmith 7d ago
Renton is so underrated it’s wild and honestly I’m totally okay with that. I love it! You wouldn’t catch me living anywhere north of the city.
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u/lucrativetoiletsale 9d ago
I moved here from a small town in western Washington, I made friends a lot easier than there but there definitely is a Washington State passiveness with making friends. Honestly hobbies that are similar make it easier as I think the state as a whole is very reserved, look into the "Seattle Freeze" apparently it's a thing and I definitely agree. We aren't as forthcoming with friendship but also overall are not as judgemental in the end of everything in this country.
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u/lil-pierogi 8d ago
Renton mom of two checking in. The peanut app sucks; I have had more success meeting moms at the playground. Try Kiwanis park! I’ve met two really chill women there and we have actually followed up on playdate/storytime/coffeeshop plans.
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u/Sufficient_Chair_885 8d ago
Renton can be an hour and a half drive at times. I’m not doing that unless I need to hit ikea.
I don’t even visit people in the central district and I’m in the north end.
The traffic sucks. The transit is slow AF. What’s the point? I have friends that are way closer. It ain’t you. It’s the location. Get yourself up to the city and the people you wanna hang with might show up, or make Renton friends.
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u/Savings_Impression24 8d ago
My guess is it’s related to being in Renton it’s probably based on distance. Traffic these days can be terrible and 405 is known to be horrendous.
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u/jvrcb17 9d ago
If they're ghosting you based on where you live, they're doing you a favor. Who wants to be friends with people like that?