Southerner possibly moving to Oak Harbor (Seattle, Federal Way: renting, condo, homes)

[ThePatrioticBlonde]

Hi all,

Please let me start this thread with a request for no bashing. I'm posting this because I legitimately have some concerns and I don't know where else to find the information that I need and I truly hope that this doesn't come off sounding judgmental as that's not the way it's intended.

I come from a very conservative area of the bible belt and aside from two and a half years in Long Island have lived here for most of my life. My husband has been offered a job in the Oak Harbor area and we are trying to determine whether or not he should take it.

My concern is not the political change in climate i.e. conservative to liberal as I know Seattle is one of the most liberal cities in the country and I dealt with a similar political climate in New York. My worry is raising kids in an area where marijuana is openly sold and used.

What people do to their own bodies is their own business and if it is legal in your state, then so be it. My concern is in regard to raising my kids with the anti-drug values that I've always tried to impart while living in an area where it's condoned and please don't say that "drugs are everywhere" because living in an area where it's openly sold and marketed is much different than living in an area where drug use is discouraged.

I guess my main question is, is the pro-pot climate the same in Oak Harbor as it is in Seattle? And what, if any, advice can anyone with kids who feel what I'm saying offer in regard to advice?

Thanks so much in advance.

[Hacker1234]

In my experience raising kids anti drugs is a bad idea. Once it's a common thing and not a cool thing. There will be less chance of abuse.

[grega94]

Originally Posted by ThePatrioticBlonde

Hi all,

Please let me start this thread with a request for no bashing. I'm posting this because I legitimately have some concerns and I don't know where else to find the information that I need and I truly hope that this doesn't come off sounding judgmental as that's not the way it's intended.

I come from a very conservative area of the bible belt and aside from two and a half years in Long Island have lived here for most of my life. My husband has been offered a job in the Oak Harbor area and we are trying to determine whether or not he should take it.

My concern is not the political change in climate i.e. conservative to liberal as I know Seattle is one of the most liberal cities in the country and I dealt with a similar political climate in New York. My worry is raising kids in an area where marijuana is openly sold and used.

What people do to their own bodies is their own business and if it is legal in your state, then so be it. My concern is in regard to raising my kids with the anti-drug values that I've always tried to impart while living in an area where it's condoned and please don't say that "drugs are everywhere" because living in an area where it's openly sold and marketed is much different than living in an area where drug use is discouraged.

I guess my main question is, is the pro-pot climate the same in Oak Harbor as it is in Seattle? And what, if any, advice can anyone with kids who feel what I'm saying offer in regard to advice?

Thanks so much in advance.

I can't say much about Oak Harbor, or Whidbey Island, but I have been to neighboring Camano Island (those two make up Island county) and it is a very beautiful, quite, peaceful semi-rural area. One thing to keep in mind that the more rural the place gets the more conservative it gets in WA (except for eastern WA which is mostly conservative)

Island County (Oak Harbor's county)
Clinton: 49.26%
Trump: 43.39%
Johnson: 5.45%
Stein: 1.90%

King County (Seattle's county)
Clinton: 72.32%
Trump: 21.78%
Johnson: 4.11%
Stein: 1.78%

So as you can see Island county is much more moderate than the very liberal King county.
If you want to look at other county results you can look at this link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United..._(state),_2016

as for schools or drugs I can't say much, but I did grow up in Federal Way (a suburb of Seattle) and there was a drug problem at school and there would always be those few kids that smell like marijuana, and the teachers would never say anything. But I never did drugs and didn't hangout with that sort of crowd, so I think that if you instill good values into your kids they should be fine.

[Hemlock140]

There are only two pot shops on the island, both in Oak Harbor. I wouldn't worry about it. The law prohibits use in public, and while the Seattle police ignore it and people do smoke pot openly on the sidewalks and in the parks, I wouldn't expect that there. Also, probably due to the naval base, Whidbey is one of the more conservative areas of Puget Sound, almost 50% Republican.

[leastprime]

I would be GUESSING that because Whidbey NAS is adjacent to OakHarbor, that the use of pot is probably lower than in Seattle. I doubt that flyers want their mechanics to be smoking pot at anytime. I also guess that OH, has are far fewer and low density of homeless, mentally ill, and destitutes than Seattle.

[homesinseattle]

Hi Blonde, Although Oak Harbor could be viewed as possibly a bit more conservative because of the military presence, you will find that most peoples' attitudes toward this are pretty "libertarian". Marijuana is viewed as really no more dangerous than alcohol or prescription drugs, and has become a significant source of tax revenue. In my research just now, I found one dispensary in Oak Harbor proper, here is the link: https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-in...a-recreational

[robrath]

Originally Posted by ThePatrioticBlonde

......
I guess my main question is, is the pro-pot climate the same in Oak Harbor as it is in Seattle? And what, if any, advice can anyone with kids who feel what I'm saying offer in regard to advice?....

I can't offer parenting advice on this, but keep in mind that your kids will most likely see advertisements on billboards, local newspapers, and just general driving around (guys waving/spinning signs with either MJ or weed).

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Hi Blonde, Although Oak Harbor could be viewed as possibly a bit more conservative because of the military presence, you will find that most peoples' attitudes toward this are pretty "libertarian". Marijuana is viewed as really no more dangerous than alcohol or prescription drugs, and has become a significant source of tax revenue. In my research just now, I found one dispensary in Oak Harbor proper, here is the link: https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-in...a-recreational

Yep, and not just current military personnel in the Oak Harbor area, who revolve in and out, but lots and lots of military retirees, many from the South and other more conservative parts of the country, who've remained or come back to stay. You should have little trouble finding others who share your vibe.

[Canamlian]

Originally Posted by ThePatrioticBlonde

living in an area where it's openly sold and marketed is much different than living in an area where drug use is discouraged.

Yes, it is different: abuse tends to be lower, as well as criminal activity typically associated with drugs.

[Ira500]

Oak Harbor is a military town. While there might be a pot store or two, the city of Oak Harbor is more conservative than the rest of Island County. And as Grega94 pointed out above, Island County as a whole is much more conservative than Seattle's King County. I don't have any actual numbers, but I would guess that Trump got more votes than Clinton within Oak harbor itself.
I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal. Despite marijuana being legal here, most places here are not all that different than most other places. Whidbey doesn't have all that many people on the whole island, and Oak Harbor does not have an atmosphere where pot is being promoted. It's also the side of the island with the better weather. Less rain, and a little less hot during the summer. It's really pretty between Oak Harbor and Coupeville.