Vashon Island ... anything you can tell me (Seattle, Tacoma: real estate, rentals)

[gnab gib]

Can someone give me a sense of what Vashon Island is like? My wife and I visited Seattle last year but never made it out there. We got to Bainbridge, but not Vashon. Is it anything like Bainbridge?

Just wondering, because my wife applied for a job on Vashon Island. We're hoping to move to Seattle this year, and we were wondering what Vashon was like, in case she gets the job there.

Also, what is the commute to Vashon like from downtown? It's accessible only by car ferry, right?

Thanks for your help!

[Ira500]

I actually prefer Vashon to Bainbridge, and I like Bainbridge.
Bainbridge Island is wealthier than it's neighboring communities, Vashon isn't. Sure, there are some very wealthy folks on Vashon too, but from what I hear it has water issues, and as a result, there has been less development. That's a two edged sword, depending on what you like. Vashon seems a little more rural, and little more hippie, a little more ramshackle. In short ,my kind of place.
You can only get there by ferry, but the south end of the island has the Tahlequah ferry which goes to Tacoma, right next to Point Defiance park. From the north end of the island are ferries to downtown Seattle, West Seattle, or Southworth, near Port Orchard. The ferry to downtown Seattle is passenger only, and fast, taking about 20 minutes. From West Seattle, there are connecting buses to downtown Seattle, or it's about a 20 minute drive to downtown from the Fauntleroy( West Seattle) ferry dock. Lots of Vashon people do some of their shopping in West Seattle ( or Tacoma, I suppose, if you live on the south end of the island), but Vashon has stores, supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, apple orchards, artists, and sheep too!

[VeronikaW]

I have a friend from high school that lives on Vashon. He said the house he bought had never had a locking door and he regularly leaves his car keys in his car, that's how safe it is over there. He says the people are super friendly, he knows all his neighbors, and he loves it there. He also likes to tell a story about how after he first moved there, he was walking down the street, saw a guy, and asked him if he knew where to get some pot, and the guy pulled a bag out of his pocket and gave it to him. LOL

I think he did tell me that there's not really anything on the island that is 24 hours, which personally would not work for me, since I have two very small children, and I need access to at least a 24 hour pharmacy.

V. =)

[pw72]

Vashon and Maury Island are also home to several radio transmitter towers, probably the biggest concentration in the metro area. Has something to do with being near the water, and right between Seattle and Tacoma.

[JupiterFire]

I love Vashon. My older sis lives there. Last time I visited we saw deer eating from her trees outside, and her neighbors have horses and donkeys. It's quiet out there, and the nighttime is so dark--you will sleep better than ever! The people seem really friendly. They hold a strawberry festival each year which is a good chance to see a lot of the local artists and craftsmen. In town there is a wonderful tea shop that serves lavender mochas--sounds weird but they are delicious. The only pain is taking the ferry to West Seattle, but if you work there you won't have to worry about that regularly. Oh and it is super safe!

Good luck

[gnab gib]

Wow, the safety aspect really appeals to me, So do the dark, quiet nights ... and the hippie aspect, too.

Sounds absolutely wonderful! Thanks for your input, everybody. This may be one place where we look for housing, if we ever get out there this year.

[Busterboo]

Hey gnab gib -

I've lived on Vashon for almost 20 years and it's heaven. Unfortunately, we have to sell and move because we're retiring and made the mistake of taking on too big a mortgage.

Development on Vashon is limited by water supply - no one knows how big the aquafer is and the authorities are conservative - which suits everybody already here becasue it stays rural. So don't buy land and assume you can build; also lots of dips and hollows and wetlands, so you'll be restriced by wetland laws. Better to buy house already here.

People here are wonderful - they're not just friendly, they actively believe in taking care of their neighbors, the neighbors kids, the animals, the planet - there's a real ethic of care here.

But if you are a Republican you will be in a distinct minority - easier to handle if you're very wealthy, but if you're with the hoi polloi you're going to be very very lonely.

There's lots of artist activity, a ballet school, community theatre, many potteries and artist studios, several galleries, a weird festival in August where kids and grownups build huge huge puppets in weeklong workshops then parade through the town and put on strange skits that nobody gets but everybody enjoys - called Islewilde. There's also the more standard small town fest of Strawberry Festival, where there's a parade, food, bands, folk art, etc.

And there's lots of civic or political activity. We have a film society and festival, music in pubs and coffeehouse, political clubs, horse clubs, quilter's guild, sportsman's club & shooting range, country club and small golf course, very active Audobon society (we have close to 50 species of birds visit our yard), seniors center, teen center, and on and on.

A score of restaurants from Subway Sandwiches, through Indian, 2 Mexican, Chinese, Vegetarian, and several kinds of American. NO MOTELS! But several bed and breakfasts.

It's what you would expect a rural island within a 15 boat ride to a major city to be. Full of well-educated and creative people in a gorgeous setting of woods and farms.

It's not so hippy anymore - a lot of the workers have been priced out, and the marginal income enjoyed by many hippies doesn't allow you to live here very easily any more. Still, I believe it has not yet become Bainbridge.

But the island is still mostly woods, with homes and little farms tucked away. There are not a lot of public beaches, because WA state allows private ownership of the beach to some point below the water mark, and waterfront homes ring the island wherever they can get a purchase on the cliffs. Still there is one really great beach, where station KVI allows use of their land under the transmitting tower, and old lighthouse beach, and several others.

There are fantastic hikes around the island, through the woods and a few small ponds or lakes, and great bike riding. This island is absolutely beautiful.

It's less monied than Bainbridge and more remote, so still less developed.

[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?

[Busterboo]

Vashon is VERY bike friendly - our classic landmark is the bike that was left in the tree, so the tree grew up around it. 20 years ago you could take a little path and look at it, but it's been loved to death. So many souvenir takers it's not there anymore. Look up Berke Breathed's Red Rider book - I've forgotten the title, but Red Rider is in it. Kid's story about the bike in the tree.

There is a town core of maybe 5 square blocks where most of the businesses are - but not all. 2 supermarkets, clinics, bike shop, cafes, couple bookstores, tea shop, coffeehouse, lumber yard, hardware store, library, drug store, etc. - it's small town America. We have a thrift shop that supports the island clinic that people travel to the island to shop at - it's the bees knees.

We're part of the King County Public Library system which is supposed to be one of the best in the country, and it is excellent. Schools also excellent, with students coming over from Seattle to go to our public schools. Very high graduation rate and kids go on to good colleges. Constant struggle against the drug culture, tho.

Vashon has small town feel with big city sophistication. If you spit in any direction you're likely to hit a lawyer. The town itself isn't that pretty, needs more trees and flowers, but the island setting is so lovely that I think the Chamber of Commerce just hasn't gotten around to it.

It's true there are not a lot of rentals - but Vashon is a summer destination so when the summer people leave you can pretty much always find a 9 month rental in the fall. That could get you started here, so you could see if you like it. The population swells by almost a third in the summer as the summer home owners come over - you can always tell who they are because they have fancier cars, dress better, and are rude enough to play their radios in the ferry line. And they leave their shopping carts in the middle of the aisle.

This is a biker's destination. Both kinds. Lots of windy roads going up and down hills, but also lots of flat rides once you climb up to the island's spine. Beautiful bike, horse and hiking trails through the woods.

If you can get over 2 things you'll love it here: the climate and the ferry ride.

The climate - what can I say? It doesn't rain 9 months of the year; it oozes about 6, and glowers the rest of the time. We get a little snow in winter that melts in a few days, often have a spring that extends from the end of February to May. Really lovely - BTW Seattle in April is show-stopping with miles of flowering trees and acres of tulips. But summer is dry - that's right, we have an annual drought from July through September. This year we've started early, all June has been sunny and dry.

There are no bridges and you have to budget 1.5 hours to get anywhere - to wait in line, to wait while they load, 15 minute ride, then wait to offload. But that's all right with us - puts you in a real Zen state and keeps out the riff-raff. Plus there's always a chance you'll see whales during the ride, Orcas or pilot whales, lots of sea lions, herons, eagles, cormorants and so on.

Another thing about the ferry ride - it contributes to security on the island. We are virtually crime free. Sometimes a few kids knock over mailboxes or cruise the cars in the ferry parking lot, but that's about it. We haven't locked our door in 20 years. I know a shopkeeper who lost a jacket to a shoplifter, but she spotted it in the ferry line and got it back. And some kids came over joyriding and shooting a gun out of their car - ya, the cop was waiting for them when they headed home.

On the other hand, the island population is getting less diverse as real estate prices have gone up. It's always been overwhelmingly white (well, since the Europeans took over - this used to be a fishing camp), but it's becoming increasingly middle class, more's the pity. K-2 skis used to be built here, but they moved to China and we lost a lot of our blue collar folks. And I have't seen a tie dyed shirt, dreadlocks or purple hair for quite a while.

But our politcs and green and blue. A friend came to visit us during a campaign season and arrived very concerned because all he'd seen on the road were Republican campaign signs - but that's because the Dems just don't need to bother. Our Congressman is Democrat Jim McDermott, who routinely gets re-elected with 85% of the vote - hey, even better than Ahmadinijad. Our Senators are both Democrats, our Governor is a Dem, state house and senate are both Dems. Now that's glory for you.

So despite your first line, there really isn't something for everyone here.

[offwego-herewecome]

Thanks so much for your informative reply and info, Busterboo. Wow, a lot to digest and consider. I'm heading up for a visit very soon- right now we have Gig Harbor, Vashon, Bainbridge, Olympia and Port Townsend on the list. I didn't realize the 15 minute ferry ride would be an hour and a half.... Zen is great if you are not in a rush to get anywhere, but that's a bummer if one is commuting to Tacoma or Seattle & you "miss the boat". Not sure where my husband will work yet. He's a chiropractor and would have to build a practice from scratch & work within an existing office. He's open to anywhere within a reasonable distance. I am able to from home (video editor, research/write, sell online, etc.) - I could also consult or work outside of the home part-time...

The lack of crime on Vashon is very appealing since we have young kids. We are looking for some diversity both in race and socio-economic...and in politics. Do you have experience with any of the other areas I mentioned above?

Climate is an issue, but from both my visits to W. Wa and discussing & researching the weather - we're willing to give it a shot to have a better quality of life. Sonoma is sunny most of the time (about 18" a year precip - although droughts are more common), but very expensive to live here - so who gets to really enjoy the good weather? And CA in general is getting way out of hand and out of whack financially speaking.

"What I meant about something for everyone" was more on a personal level for us from what I have read - my son is 4.5 and into Dinosaurs and there's a Dino Camp for kids and my husband is a gun collector - who also enjoys shooting at the range - I noticed Vashon has a sportsman's gun club on the island - that was a surprise. We're all beach/water/kayak people and love the sea/wildlife.

Thanks again for your post, -- it was really helpful.