Area with Similar Trees to England/France? (Seattle, Bellevue: hotels, houses)

[januaryicecream]

Hey Everyone!

I'm new and this is my first post. My husband and I are in our late 20's/early 30's and are looking to move away from Orange County, CA where we've been born and raised. Washington (especially the Seattle/King County area) is one of our top contenders for many good reasons.

This might sound silly, but coming from the desert, I'd love to move someplace that is lush and green and has similar trees to the English countryside or that of France. I think they're mostly chestnut, elm, oak, poplar, and beech trees. Does Washington/Seattle have any surrounding cities that have some or one of these types of trees? Basically, trees that are NOT pine? Nothing against pine; they are majestic and beautiful too.

I'm aware that the trees I'm looking for are probably found on the East Coast/New England but Washington fills almost all our requirements/needs, so if there's a place in WA that meets my tree/vegetation need, we're all set!

Thanks in advance for all the help!

[kyled]

There aren't deciduous forests in the western part of North America...you might find neighborhoods with oak trees lining the streets, homes with a number of different birch, willow, etc..., or maybe farms that grow certain leafy trees but all of the forests here are evergreens, nothing else is native here. For that matter the native forests in France and most in England were cut down centuries ago, the ones you saw were likely planted for paper in the 1800s. Well, I'm sure they were replanting a long time before as well, but the 1800s is when printing became a thing and suddenly they needed lots of fast growing trees.

[januaryicecream]

Thanks very much for your response and the interesting history info Kyle. I feel embarrassed of my ignorance in regards to what types of trees grow in The West!

I'm not looking for forests; more like those neighborhoods with leafy oaks that you speak of. I don't want to live in a forest setting surrounded exclusively by tall trees; living in the woods has always kind of scared me. I prefer wide open spaces and after visiting Switzerland, The Cotswolds in England, and France, I've always hoped to find something similar along the West Coast. When I visited downtown Seattle I really liked the trees planted there...where the all the shops and hotels are. I think they're oak or maple?...

Anyhow, that's okay, trees are a small sacrifice to make compared to the benefits of living in WA. We'll visit our 2nd choice, North Carolina, next year so we'll see if we like it there better. So far Washington is the best on paper!

[Arushan]

You might enjoy the types of trees in/near Ashland, OR. Especially the residential streets. SW OR Probably the highest concentration of deciduous trees on the west coast, with lots of oaks and Pacific Madrones. Not as lush/green as the Puget Sound area but still beautiful.

[Hemlock140]

We actually have very few pines, our evergreens are Western Redcedar, Douglas Fir, and Hemlock (my favorite). The forests here also do have big leaf maples, Vine Maple, Red Alder, and Cottonwoods. Soon we will have a brilliant yellow from the Big Leaf Maples and the lower growing Vin Maples will range from green at the bottom, yellow and orange in the middle to red and burgundy at the top. The only Oak native to the area is the Garry Oak, also known as Oregon White Oak, and they are not very plentiful in Washington. Generally, outside of Seattle and smaller city downtown areas, we have woods of 80-100' tall trees. A neighbor of ours (in Sammamish) moved from Arizona and after the first wind storm had some of theirs cut down because they were so frightened of one falling on the house.

[sean98125]

You're looking for New England. Look at the upper right corner of the US instead of the upper left.

[BellevueNative]

In addition to the evergreens Hemlock mentioned, we do have poplars around, and lots of different kinds of maple trees. Many people plant Japanese maples in their yard. Then there are the random birch and beech trees.

Regardless, you can be assured that the trees here are very different from the trees in Orange County!

[januaryicecream]

Thanks for all the additional replies, guys!

Arushan, love that you were specific with a city. Although we prefer Washington over Oregon, I won't be able to resist looking into Ashland now!

Hemlock: Sammamish is one of our top choices for prospective towns. I haven't yet been able to visit there but based on Google images, the residential neighborhoods are absolutely beautiful and what I'm looking for in terms of landscape. Plus, it seems not every tree is an evergreen there, so that works for me Also, I apologize for using pine interchangeably with evergreen but when I said pine, I meant also evergreen. Now I know the difference though and won't make that mistake again.

Sean: Sigh, unfortunately we can't move to NE because my hubs detests extreme weather (hot & cold). So we have to decide between the right landscape but horrible weather, or better moderate climate but sacrifice on the ideal landscape. That's why I made this thread, in hopes that there would be some pocket of Washington that provided something closer to that of the East.

BellevueNative: Oh yes, Japanese maples are lovely and I do see quite a bit of those when looking at pics of WA homes. Also, I will have to find those random beech trees and build my home next to it! Hehe. And yeah I'm sick of palm trees. I don't think I'll miss them!

I guess when it really boils down to it, I have to decide just how important this issue is for me. Washington has great pay, cost of living (better than OC anyway), moderate weather, and it's still on the West Coast which is convenient for our families in CA. Perhaps over time evergreens will grow on me.

[portlanderinOC]

I see plenty of trees other than evergreens growing here. That and there are a lot of old houses here, many of the more residential areas of Seattle remind me of the East Coast.

[Iconographer]

To me, Seattle's Madison Park neighborhood has that feel to it.