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I've lived in New England, NYC, NJ and will soon be moving to Washington state at the end of June. My question is to those who have made a similar move, how do you like it out there?
I made the move with a huge, long residence in the Rockies in between, but can advise this, IF you are talking about western WA:
Just because both places have seashores does not make them similar. The climate is very different, with wetter winters and drier summers. Summers are less hot and winters are less cold. Politically, the area influenced by Seattle and Portland are in a class of their own. Nuff said about that.
The west in general has far fewer secondary highways than the northeast does.
Sales tax is very high, although not compared with NJ's.
Property crime is above the national average.
Without knowing which part of WA you are thinking of, it's hard to make generalities.
Agree with pikabike that WA itself covers some pretty diverse terrain/climate/politics, so it matters whether you're talking about the northeast vs. Pullman, or northeast vs. Seattle.
I moved to Oregon having previously lived in CT, NJ and different parts of NY. I love it here. I love the scenery, the weather (yes, the rain too), the relaxed lifestyle, the politics, the people. I was meant to live here.
I miss a few things. Good bagels. The sharp cynical humor of the people. I miss the grit sometimes. And I miss the better school funding. I'm glad I grew up there, but I'm glad I moved here.
I made the move with a huge, long residence in the Rockies in between, but can advise this, IF you are talking about western WA:
Just because both places have seashores does not make them similar. The climate is very different, with wetter winters and drier summers. Summers are less hot and winters are less cold. Politically, the area influenced by Seattle and Portland are in a class of their own. Nuff said about that.
The west in general has far fewer secondary highways than the northeast does.
Sales tax is very high, although not compared with NJ's.
Property crime is above the national average.
Without knowing which part of WA you are thinking of, it's hard to make generalities.
Depends on what you like about New England. I like that part of Tacoma (and over into Gig Harbor) where there's a lot of boating in the landscape and lifestyle. Reminds me (generally) of lots of places on the New England coast.
Certainly differences - much less snow, bit more rain. And in terms of population/density the only thing in New England like the Seattle metro is Boston. Tacoma is more affordable than Seattle, but it's still not cheap.
If I had enough money, Gig Harbor is one of the places I'd want to buy a boat and retire, probably over returning to New England. Tough call, but only because I do still have more friends in New England than Seattle.
Anyway, if you can handle being a 6 hour flight away from home, and the traffic in the Seattle metro, I think odds are decent you'll adjust pretty well.
I've lived in NJ (30 years), MA (3 years), and Portland (22 years). I love it; the adjustment was easy.
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