Wanting to retire in WA, but not sure where

[DogLvr]

New to the forum! No one place is perfect, if it was, it would be too crowded! :-) I'm sure everyone has things that matter the most to them but I for one cannot wait to leave WA and head back to No. CA. Born in Santa Clara county, lived near Chico (loved it but kids & grand kid are now closer to Sac) and left Fairfield for the company move to WA (would NOT move back to Fairfield) I have been living in Mount Vernon/Anacortes, WA
(1/2 between Seattle & the Canadian border) for the past 8 years and I have but one warning for anyone thinking about relocating here - don't compare rainfall stats thinking you can get a feel for what the weather is like. I think the stats for here say 30" of rain a year. That means a drizzle on most days and the days it isn't drizzling, it is just gray, gray, gray. From Nov. to Jun, it looks the same at 4 PM as it did at 10 AM. Local folklore is summer starts after 4th of July- it is true and Fall coolness & rain comes in mid-Sept. Nuts - never lived where I had worry about a rainy picnic in July!! People here get soo excited about a week of sunshine, they cherish their summer and try to cram all the festivals, parades, etc. into a 6 week period. 2.5 months left for us here, we have bought a home in El Dorado county, SE of Placerville below the snowline. We should be there by mid-April. Use to vacation in the area, so it is familiar to us. Yes, your power bills are high, but there are always pluses and minus of any place. Our unleaded gas is still high - 2.70 to 2.79 a gal. Winter & shoulder season heating costs are high, traffic south on I-5 to Everett or Seattle is as bad as any in Sac area, state controlled liquor stores are a different experience, think about timing buying your margarita fixings with about the same work hours of the DMV. But, having said that, people are mostly friendly, the weather makes most people stay inside on evenings and weekends, so neighborhood socializing was more limited, they are very polite and it is beautiful place, very green as you would expect and the water is wonderful to look at. So, if damp, drizzle and shortened days of sunlight won't bother you, grab a sweater and move on up.

[washinton native]

kid - from what you wrote above, you should look into wenatchee, washington.

[randytami]

i am from eastern wa. and omak and twisp up in that area is soooo beautiful.
i am currently in alaska, and have been for 25 years.
in april we will be moving to back to wa. maybe puyllaup.
good luck

[rima007]

Hi,
We moved from Ca. about 11years ago, and have settled in a small private neighborhood called Beachcrest in Olympia. We love the feeling that we are in the country but only 10min to all the big shopping chains. Our neighborhood has nature trails, private beach and is surrounded by a golf course. Happy hunting!!!

[beanpod]

What is the area like politically? I have noticed the more liberal and progressive places offer the best for biking and alternative transportation, like trails.
Gas prices are only going to go UP so I want to live somewhere where I can WALK where I need to and the place is geared to human beings, not cars.
Is Aberdeen super right wing and sprawl all the way so without a car, you
are nowhere? Thanks very much.

Beanpod and Fava Bean

[beanpod]

Ha. This is kind of funny. We are from the NorCal foothills too and thinking about
moving to WA--Sequim area...not sure. But we want to live ecologically now and are sick of driving to get to town. Want a place where we can walk and ride our bikes to get around. Good mass transit. Excellent urban planning. Bellingham and Portland, yes but not sure we can handle the weather and Bham folks were kind of hostile to us when we said we from California. Bellingham is NOT excited about growth. My husband applied for a job with the county and city and is very very qualified and did not get even a phone call. Someone on the inside there told him that
unless he has a WA address, he will never get a call for an interview. Weather was tough while we were there. So Portland and Bellingham are kind of off the list...Anyway, sounds like the foothills folks are escaping the growth and sprawl and moving to WA. Hope we don't drag it all up there.

Beanpod

[scirocco22]

That's ok, beanpod, a lot of it has already been dragged up there. A few more won't hurt.

It's been happening for decades. That's why I said in previous posts that Californians may possibly outnumber the native Washingtonians now.


Thanks.

--'rocco