Considering South Whidbey Island - Questions (Seattle, Oak Harbor: crime rates, vacation home, theater)

[CarawayDJ]

Originally Posted by AADAD

Thanks both. Caraway DJ I am wondering if you experienced anything like Mainlander's troubling time there? We are aiming for Coupeville or between there and Langley. We also liked the community of Freehand. Either place would be fine with us. We have several tasks to accomplish here in San Diego before leaving North and by September we will be in the bidding for a home I reckon. I feel bad that Mainlander's experience was simply bad and I wish him and his the best in their new journey.

I didn't have any of Mainlander's experiences. I'll rate Mainlander's recounts in order:

Some basis in fact but exaggerated a good bit:

Drugs. There are no more drug worshippers than anywhere else in the PNW but they really stick out on South Whidbey. They are there though. It's not like there are only artists and authors living there. I lived in San Diego too. I was in Sunset Cliffs. There is a small pocket on the island that will remind you of what you'd see in OB.

Property Crime. Perspective is everything. It has gone up but shouldn't be considered something you need to worry about any more than anywhere else. There ARE plenty of people who still leave their doors unlocked. It's not a myth. I knew one person who experienced a burglary. There were certainly more but I only knew of one.

A total crock of $%#&:

- That the island has a culture of dishonesty.

- That they prey on new arrivals.

- That the people there try to get over on you like a bunch of vultures.

- That he's already had several break-ins and he barely had time to unpack. Seriously, he makes it sound like he moved to Oakland. No way that was truthful.

Coupeville is a very nice town but you are already leaving the charm of South Whidbey. South Whidbey has a different vibe and it is diminished by the time you get to Coupeville and completely gone when you go north. Freeland is still very much South Whidbey. When we left we knew we would probably never experience another community like South Whidbey. It's special. Creative and interesting people seem to be attracted to the place like moths to a light. One of our friends was a great violinist who has been in several Hollywood soundtracks and also in the Portland Orchestra. One day out of the blue she ran into her mentor/teacher from years ago who lived back East. He had moved to South Whidbey too. This is just one of countless such stories to be found on South Whidbey.

[Mainlander]

CarrwayDJ, the only sh*t I see here is your attitude. Your arrogance is staggering. Because you lived on the island for a short period of time you're the absolute authority on the experience of every other person that has lived there past and since?

Does the sun revolve around you as well? I'm sure in your mind it does. My words may have been a bit heated/angry (for obvious reasons) in my first posts but true nonetheless.

It seems you still haven't bothered to look at any of the links that were posted to this thread. You also seem content to keep asserting that your OPINION is more valid than factual data. Lets all bow down to the master of the universe who has graced this thread with his mighty truth.

1)Fact: Whidbey has less officers per resident than any county in the state

2) Fact: Some residents have been burglarized up to FIVE TIMES

3) Fact: Whidbey has a property crime rate FAR higher than the large city of Seattle, three times higher than "safe" communities in WA, and 63% higher than the national average.

4) You say: "- That he's already had several break-ins and he barely had time to unpack. Seriously, he makes it sound like he moved to Oakland. No way that was truthful."

Actually Oakland also has a LOWER property crime rate than Whidbey Island. Before you go around calling people liars, do some research, the internet is your friend.

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

You can blather on all you want and spew your antagonistic drivel but you can't deny facts. A wise man once said:

"A skeptic will question claims, then embrace the evidence. A denier will question claims, then reject the evidence."

Intelligent people absorb new information and choose to adapt from there, as AADAD and MyNameIsMom did, they don't continue to stubbornly hold on their version of the truth despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary.

Of all of the people that have posted on this thread I wish you the most luck, because with that personality you're going to need it.

[AADAD]

Oh for gosh sake. You're both entitled to your opinions which are based upon experience. You're both right. There are clearly more property crimes and Caraway did not have that experience. Since you are interested in evidence why not get a map or number of crimes per location. Now that would settle this thing...until then puhlease.!

[Mainlander]

I've never questioned his experience, yet he has repeatedly called me a liar. Call me crazy but that isn't something I take kindly to!

[AADAD]

Originally Posted by Mainlander

I've never questioned his experience, yet he has repeatedly called me a liar. Call me crazy but that isn't something I take kindly to!

ok, I can hear that. Can you get a map without revealing yours? Call the Sherriff office for us. love to see it.

[Mainlander]

I wonder if such a map even exists? They don't seem too keen on keeping accurate data do they? Or at least they don't seem to want to share it if they do have it. One thing I can say is that the Sheriff does seem open to working with people individually. At a few recent community crime meetings he gave out his personal mobile number so since he made that available to the community, I'm going to give it to you now, a soon to be member of the community. He's a nice guy and can probably answer your questions better than I can. Here it is:

***Edit, I realized I probably should not post this so I just messaged you.

You can also call the office, but it isn't so easy to speak directly with him when you do that. Here is a link to the Island County Sheriff's office website that has all of the office numbers and email addresses.

https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Sheriff/Pages/Home.aspx

The Sheriff's office also has a Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/IslandCountySheriff

[AADAD]

https://islandcountygis.maps.arcgis....5ab9b&level=10

This is the map.

[AADAD]

And how to get to it.

http://islandcountygis.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html

Thanks to Mainlander. I had a chat with the Sheriff.

[Mainlander]

Great work! Thanks for posting, very helpful.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by MyNameIsMom

I'm having a real hard time finding feedback from people about schools and life there (for kids), which makes it all the more difficult to know if it's a good idea or just a pipe dream.

Not a lot of people there. Langley and Coupeville are the largest "towns". I'd guess more retirees than families these days - the ferry can be a tenuous commute. Most population and families are up by Oak Harbor.