Well, I am not a native like Cere is and I'm not dissing Seattle but just telling my side of the story.
Seattle normally isn't that friendly. They are kind and unoffensive but in big need of connection with each other. Biznik community is pretty unique in its friendliness. Probably the comfort of getting some information about people from their profiles, testimonials and seeing the photo along with the messages creates a safety net for people to put themselves forward in terms of interacting.
I tell you what, joining Biznik made me miss my social life Turkey a lot less (where we are in constant connection with each other).
So, yeah, we'd love to meet you in person Renee. (Isn't your name the same as that actress' name?).