Seattle attracts a lot of people, and they often have sticker shock because they didn't do enough research. And, a lot of people feel entitled to live in the hippest neighborhoods very cheap.
That said. The writer needs to contextualize this. In 2001, the year I went to college, the Twin Towers fell and a plane crashed into the Pentagon: being someone who had read some history, I was sure that day that, attackers being intelligent, a wave of guerilla attacks would go off against major military and civilian targets. Surprisingly, that didn't happen.
In 1983, deep fear of the USSR was playing out.
In 1974, the US was in Vietnam. Many people were dying constantly, and it was on the TV nightly.
In 1968, campuses rioted. Bewilderment set in over the nation.
In 1961, the Soviets/East Germans put up the Berlin Wall.
In 1948, the Cold War started.
In 1939, WW2 started.
In 1932, FDR became president, in a profound economic situation far worse than what we've seen since.
I could go on. The future is scary. But since it happens regardless of our personal choices, our best bet is to keep a stiff upper lip, our chin up, and wade into the stream, keeping a weather eye out to maximize our luck surface.