Where are the hippie towns? (Seattle, Bellingham: co-op, how much, organic)

[evaofnc]

Where are the towns around Seattle with the crunchy, hippie vibe? With the vibrant downtown full of funky, friendly shops? For those familiar with NC, towns like Carrboro, Pittsboro, or Saxapahaw. Thanks!

[RotseCherut]

Olympia is about the only real hippy town I can find in Washington.. More of the "real" hippy towns are in Oregon, where I grew up, along with Northern California. Washington is a much more reserved state and tends to be a bit more hipstery/grungy/blue-collar/redneck or just plain Scandanavian Liberalish. It doesn't have that free-spirited, open-minded, cross-cultural, free-your-soul, let your hair/dreadlocks down type of vibe that you would see in many Oregon towns.

I lived in a town called Eugene, Oregon that is probably, along with Eureka, California, the hippy capitol of the USA. It was one of the most common places for the Grateful Dead to do their tours and many Deadheads settled in that town. Sadly, I believe Oregon is changing a bit due to the influx of people from the East Coast and around the country who are trying to transform Portland and other Oregon towns into places like where they came from.

I was just in Portland last week and was amazed though at how much more laid-back and hippyish the vibe is compared to Seattle, which is more mainstream and much more formal and less funky (if we can use that term). Even being away from Oregon for 2 years, has made me forget the differences from where I am now. Actually, Seattle is one of the least hip and least culturally diverse/enlightened/funky places I have been. People seem very serious, professional and mainstream and tend to fear or, at least, lack understanding of people who are a bit exotic and outside the cultural norms of the city and behavior of people in the state of Washington.

[Ruth4Truth]

The Fremont area of Seattle used to be that way, not sure if it still is. Olympia, and parts of Bellingham? Otherwise, you have to look in Oregon, California and northern New Mexico for hippie towns. Asheville, NC, too.

[RotseCherut]

Don't forget Missoula, MT and Burlington, VT.. Missoula is indeed a refuge for hippies in a state that is otherwise, very non-hippyish. Bellingham is surprisingly not very hippyish. It is like a mini-Seattle, although a bit rougher in mindset. It is indeed a real backwater town. The people there are just too reserved, grungy, non-free spirited to be considered hippies. I would say Bellingham is more of a grungy and hipstery town. Walking around with dreads, hemp necklaces and a tied-dye shirt in Bellingham will get you many strange stares. I dressed up in my turban and robes in Bellingham and it caused a massive shock to people in the town, whereas in a town like Ashland, Eugene or even Portland, nobody would look twice. There is also somewhat of a punk element to it. It just doesn't have the cool, hip, free-minded culture you would see in an Oregon or Northern Cali hippy town.

Ashland, Oregon use to be quite a nice communal hippy like town, but now it is infested with retirees and California yuppie types who have pushed out the original types of people who lived there and transformed the town.

I've yet to see any real hippy types in Fremont. At night, Fremont seems to just be infested with snotty, club people and aggressive drunks. During the day it is very metro and mainstream like many other areas of Seattle. I shop and hang out in Fremont and there is absolutely nothing hippy about it. The Hawthorne district of Portland use to be quite hippy as well, but is also somewhat transforming into what the Fremont has become today, although still has some remnants of the original inhabitants.

[seattlenextyear]

Fremont is the most like Carrboro in Seattle itself: bars, shops, grad students, etc. The Winslow area of Bainbridge Island has cute local shops and hipster restaurants.

It's a tough comparison, the other towns you mentioned are extremely rural compared with the Seattle area. I don't remember Pittsboro having much besides the General Store cafe and a bunch of tiny vintage shops. Not exactly "vibrant" or "hippie" at all.

So if you're actually looking for very small towns with 10 vintage clothing stores, a food co-op and a local brewery... maybe Mt. Vernon? Downtown Snoqualmie?

[branh0913]

Please tell me so I can avoid those areas. Can't stand hippies

[Inkpoe]

Vashon Island.

[seattlenextyear]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

Vashon Island.

Yes! That's the closest so far!

[007jamesbond]

Vashon Island for sure.

[eskercurve]

The folks of Whidbey Island are hippies, but they're the delicious organic good-for-you sorta hippie and not the militant, leftist, in-your-face, ban the bags! sorta hippie. Great coffee roasters out there too.