Vashon Island ... anything you can tell me (Seattle: homes, homeschool)

[orangeblossom]

Originally Posted by offwego-herewecome

We are also considering moving to Vashon - the island sounds wonderful with something for everyone. I've noticed there are not a ton of rentals available -- looked in the local paper & craigslist. Any other suggestions? Are there any realtors that specialize in rentals?

We are moving from Sonoma, CA with 2 small kids under 5. We are from NY originally, not native Californians...Another area we are considering is Gig Harbor or towns on K. Peninsula and maybe Olympia - but the 50" of rain per year in Olympia makes me a bit reluctant. I know we've been spoiled with weather in Sonoma the last 6 years, but frankly I am sick of several over 100+ days in the summer and sometimes in April.

Is Vashon bike friendly and can one walk between shops, etc. or is everything spread out?

I would love some more sunshine around here! I know the grass isn't always greener.

Yes, I love Vashon. I used to have friends that lived there and they really liked it ( they leaned toward the hippie side).

Gig Harbor is pretty quiet. A friend of mine lives there with her husband and they enjoy it. I grew up in Port Orchard,which always seems to be growing each time I visit. ( which is a few times a yr) There is now a Home Depot where there used to be a horse farm.

[Busterboo]

Okay, I haven't lived at any of those places but have visited several times. All are picturesque, and really beautiful in the summer.

Gig Harbor is just outside of Tacoma, which would probably be your economic base. The only negative I know is that there is only one connection between Gig Harbor and Tacoma, the Tacoma Narrows bridge. (Interesting historical note, an old one blew down in the 30's or 40's in a windstorm & was caught on film - google Galloping Gertie to watch it). This bridge is brand new and toll, and absolutely packed during rush hour - I leap past those crawling commuters as I head for my boat. Oh, and the crawl is miles long, sometimes extending to the middle of Tacoma - I've seen it.

There's a boat from Tacoma to Vashon that is much smaller and faster than the Seattle boats - the 1.5 hr thing refers to trips around Seattle. My commute is via the Tahlequah run from Vashon to Tacoma and it's a beauty and a pleasure to take. If your husband hooks up in Tacoma it could be quite viable for him.

Bainbridge Island is more established middle class suburban than Vashon (Vashon still feels rural) but very pretty. It's more expensive. You take ferries to Seattle, but there's also a bridge to the west (away from Seattle) so you can get off the island when the winds are too high to permit ferry runs. It's not really a feasible alternative to the boat commute, tho, because the drive around is too long.

Bainbridge has a better car and driver ferry to Seattle than Vashon does, because it spills you out downtown, whereas the Vashon run leaves you in W Seattle with a bit of a drive to get downtown. Vashon has a passenger only ferry that goes downtown.

Port Townsend is another matter altogether. A very pretty historic port town full of shops and Victorian gingerbread houses on a steep hill. But you would not be in the Puget Sound greater Seattle area up there - it's too far away. But you could have sunshine.

Google the rain shadow. It will show you maps of the Sequim - Port Townsend - San Juan Islands area; there are parts that get only 10 inches of rain per year. Lots of local retirees up there who don't want to leave western Wash but want sunshine. The Olympic peninsula is mountainous and blocks the winds coming off the ocean, so they dump their rain west of the mtns and it's sunny and dry to the northeast, where Pt Townsend is.

If you don't need to be near a big city I would definitely consider that area - it's pretty, charming, close to Canada, still cheaper than Bainbridge, comparable with Vashon, I think.

Be sure not to tell anyone you came from California, tho, eh?

[tindo80]

I have always wondered (maybe someone can answer this on this thread), are power outages a really serious problem on the island? Also, is snowfall a big problem, since there is easy no access the Seattle for road cleanup?

[gnab gib]

So, reading back on this thread, I see that the ferry to downtown is passenger-only. Can someone tell me which services from Vashon are car ferries? The information isn't terribly clear on the WSDOT Web site.

[Ira500]

Vashon to Fauntleroy( West Seattle) is a car ferry , as is Vashon to Southworth.
Also, the the other Vashon ferry from Tahlequah( south side of the island) to Point Defiance Tacoma is a car ferry.

[gnab gib]

Thanks, Ira!

I'm really hoping Vashon works out for us as a destination. I know the commute might be tough if my wife and I get jobs in Seattle, but I can't think of a place in the area that would suit us better. The more I read about it, the more I find to like about it.

Is there any talk of adding a car ferry from Vashon to downtown Seattle, or are there logistical or political issues that would prevent that from ever happening? Why is there currently only a passenger ferry to downtown?

[Ira500]

There didn't use to be any Vashon ferry to downtown. Some Vashonites who miss the passenger boat take the ferry to West Seattle and then get on a connecting Metro bus into downtown. It's kinda long, but people do it. Vashon folks are good socializers.

[nfdsouza2001]

Vashon is not totally disconnected from the rest. When I missed the boat I turned around and went to Port Orchard. The only drawback is the afternoons when there is "skip" in the schedule from everyhour to a two hour wait. If you stay in the middle of town everything is walkable/bikable. The olympic penninsula around port angeles is ok except if you work downtown. In the kitsap area poulsbo is nice so is silverdale and port orchard around mc cormick woods.

[JustCallMeTC]

One thing to be sure of...that you can handle living with the inconvenience and costs associated with the ferries. They can both be very significant and a rather meaningful hassle to boot.

May want to rent for a while to test drive that idea. At least with Braindamage Island (Bainbridge), you can drive off the rock if need be when they shut down the ferries or on holidays when the lines are insane.

[gnab gib]

Originally Posted by JustCallMeTC

One thing to be sure of...that you can handle living with the inconvenience and costs associated with the ferries. They can both be very significant and a rather meaningful hassle to boot.

Thanks. Definitely something to bear in mind. I see that the cost of driving a car back onto the island every day could get costly.