East Coast to Pacific Northwest: What it's like + Ocean and Snow anywhere? (fit in)
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I'm 34, I grew up in PA and lived there my entire life. During the past year however, after struggling so much with mental health and a relationship back home, I somehow found the courage to travel on an Eat Pray Love kind of journey. I came dangerously close to suicide on three occasions and I never would have imagined coming this far and moving to places I do not know anyone, and how amazing life can be.
Leaving PA, I first went to what was always my special place, Traverse City in Northern Michigan. A life long love of the ocean however convinced me to drive across Canada to Nova Scotia and I really enjoyed it there and stayed for a year. A border in between my old life and a new country really helped me find myself.
I could not stay in Canada any longer without gaining PR status, so I came down to Portland, Maine at the end of Feb. I tried my best to fall in love with it here, and I even explored much of New England including NH and MA. As much as I love the ocean and taught myself to find the positive in whatever I have in the present, I just do not feel like Maine is my home.
I'm considering what it would take to immigrate back to Canada, however I'm very curious about the Pacific Northwest. I've been lucky to see many places, but never there.
The ocean has healed me and I do not think I can live without it now. Second to that is snow, I do adore winter and I've been having a hard time convincing myself there are choices in the PNW with the ocean and snow. It's also difficult to discern from research online what it's really like to live there and what options exist for someone like me.
Despite previously owning an animal rescue farm back in rural PA, I've grown to really love culture and people, and action such as live music and fun events. I'm kind of a Jack Johnson / Jason Mraz type person and I do not really fit in always. I'm blessed to be able to work from anywhere though, that's been the one constant in an otherwise nomadic life lately.
Since I was feeling directionless lately, I figured I'd post here which I've read often in the past. Thank you everyone!
I've often wondered the same thing about the Pacific NW, Novanav. After being born and raised in extreme Southeastern Pa. (about 50 min. to an hour to NJ beaches), I know what you mean about the healing effects of the ocean. From what I've read, the coastal areas of Oregon, for example, are not quite the same as the east-coast shoreline.
Maybe your post would elicit more comments if it were posted in the Oregon or Washington forums. Either way, I'll be watching, too, to see what answers you receive on your question.
Good luck with your next move, though, whatever you decide!
Well the snowiest coastal city would be Bellingham, WA just south of the Canadian border. It's not very large with only 89,045 people, but it is a college town with a fairly good sized downtown plus a small port. Also even though it's the snowiest, it's still lacking in snow compared back east, it only gets 10.4 inches per year with only 5.8 snowy days on average. Portland Maine on the other hand gets 61.9 inches per year with 27.7 snowy days per year. That being said the mountains are not far and they are among the snowiest in the world. However, Bellingham is technically not a coastal city since it's in a bay and not on the open ocean. The actual Pacific coast has very few sizable towns and their winters are much milder so snow is very rare there, It's got some of the worst weather too since the winter storms are much more powerful on the coast with a lot more rain and wind.
Also our winters are very cloudy and gloomy and I'm not sure if that will be a good thing for you. Seasonal affective disorder is a serious problem here in the PNW particularly for non natives. Perhaps living along the great lakes would be a better place since their winters are not as dark and gloomy as here.
I also thought of Bellingham. I used to live there a million years ago. I agree with the above about the weather there. It's an easy drive to Canada, too, or you could even take the ferry. I used to go up for the day with a friend, and we'd rollerskate around Stanley Park. Maybe you could find a Canadian to marry, and then you could become a Canadian citizen
It's an absolutely beautiful place with the islands. It's actually pretty cheap to just ride the ferry all day, if you don't take your car. I used to take my daughter for a day trip and we'd just ride the ferry round trip. Back then, we had to drive down to Anacortes, but I understand there is a ferry stop right in Bellingham now.
There is also a lot to do because of the university. And lots of outdoor recreation, like kayaking, hiking, etc. We used to hang out by the water with friends and catch crab for dinner.
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