Navy Family moving to Gig Harbor, have some concerns (Olympia: best cities, Valentine's day)

[Navyfam4]

We are a Navy family moving to Gig Harbor WA. I can see that Gig Harbor is about 20 miles from Bremerton Naval base. Just wondering if they tend to get many military families living there? Is the rain that bad there? People make it seem as if there is NEVER any sun there until spring and summer. Can someone give me an idea of the seasons there. For example in the winter on average do you get 1-2 sunny days a week? None at all? What are the wetest months? What months are nice weather?
Also, I can see that the community is predominately white and although I am of European decent and considered "white" I am olive complexion and my husband is actually half white and half Mexican, so our children are only 1/4 Mexican. However we have a hispanic last name and because of the way we look it is always assumed we are 100% Hispanic. Not that there is anything wrong with this. We lived in a place prior to this where a lot of the white population did NOT like all the Hispanic families that were moving in. So, in every situation at school people assumed my children were 100% minorities and that is all they saw them as and not in a good way. I hope that Gig Harbor community is not like this. I know that everywhere you go there are the people that do think like this, however I hope it is few.

[StealthRabbit]

There should be no racial issues in the areas you mention. The west coast is very integrated and I seldom see or hear of issues, especially in the Puget Sound area. Kids and DH will be well accepted in the community. WA culture is very much 'not-into-your-personal-business'. I consider it a non-issue, and have lived on a few continents myself, often as a minority. Your family will likely be considered an ASSET to the PNW community, at least that is how most of us feel. Diversity brings an opportunity to learn from each other. (this gets out of hand too, with special interest groups FORCING their style of diversity down your throat, an issue in Oregon, but not much in WA.... except for Olympia)

Sun is infrequent during the months of Nov - March. MAYBE a glimpse every week, but potentially 100 days of rain in a row. (just as summer brings ~ 100 days of sun in a row).

August is the driest, and June through October is decent, mid-April through May ~ 50% soggy, but nice flowers to brighten your day. The first week in November is often real rainy to get you prepared for winter. You better have EVERYTHING under cover by 1 Nov (especially firewood). Leaky cars will get moldy, moss grows on the roof PLEASE get a home with large south facing windows and NOT in a forest. You will be much happier. Dress code in wet WA / OR winter is Helly Hansen Raincoat and a pair of water resistant shoes. Your family will learn to be active in the rain. Get some long underwear for sitting in the rain watching little league and soccer games. Outlet shopping malls a haven for deal seekers - Deals - Northwest Military - Ft Lewis Ranger - Military News, Events & Community Centralia Outlet Mall - Store Directory (Helly Hansen) I saved for 15 yrs to buy mine (~$75) it was stolen in the first week, DON"T let that happen !

Plan a couple trips to CA, NV, AZ in winter. Sacramento is a very good and cheap destination ($50 flight) to get a dose of sun. It is fun to go to SF for Christmas Shopping. Desert flowers are available by March in a couple other cheap destinations (LV and Palm Springs). UT national parks are another spot to enjoy sunshine in winter (tho it is cool there). I also hit Colorado and UT for dry sunny winter trips (great for a Valentine's Day escape). Eastern WA is also a close escape to better weather, but it has gray winter skys, (not like CO and UT). The Oregon Coast can also be fun in winter (storms) and summer. It is 100% 'public' and ez access. The best (scenic) coast in WA is in a NA reservation.

You don't mention kids age, but if they are approaching High School they may appreciate the opportunity to use http://www.k12.wa.us/runningstart/default.aspx (broken link)

[finernfrogfur]

Hi, I am also considering a move to the Puget Sound area. I've found these two websites to be helpful. Best Cities ~ just type in what city /state and it gives an overview Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed. This site locates registered sex offenders ~ it says for "Snohomish", but I've used it all over Washington Snohomish County Sheriff's Office OffenderWatch® sex offender management, mapping and email alert program.

[lizbeth mullin]

I live in Gig Harbor, have resided here for 14 years. You asked if there were many navy families here. I can honestly tell you, not many. The drive to the base from here is 24 miles and it is slow going through Gorst into Bremerton, because of this, and due in part to the ferry traffic this drive can take as long as 45 minutes each way. That, along with the relatively higher cost of living in Gig Harbor, most Navy families are located in and around Port Orchard, Bremerton and Silverdale.
Nobody cares what your nationality is here, people are small town friendly with an eagerness to befriend everybody, its a tourist destination, so that brings lots of folks in and around, mainly its your character, your alliances and your involvement in the community here that determines your acceptance and your happiness living here. The answers to the weather perceptions here, are Yes it rains, yes it can be gray and yes it can be this way for days, just like it is in many other places, but the views here are outstanding, the temperatures are mostly moderate and when it is nice here it is very very nice, when it is ugly here its not so bad, grab a book, find a cozy spot in one of our dozens of coffee places and relax, meet mingle and join the rest of us who find ourselves cloaked in hoodies just going about our lives as if it were sunny outside, its the disposition inside that you can control, not the weather outside...welcome to Gig Harbor, Chapel Hill is an awesome place to meet folks, great youth groups and adult actiivities in a wonderful warm inviting enviroment. Tell 'em Liz sent you...

[Sobefobik]

You've already got some good replies here, but I want to confirm that I really don't think you'll have any racial problems. Folks in Washington are really open and pretty friendly. I have lived in Gig Harbor, and it's a really nice town with nice people. I went to Gig Harbor High School and knew quite a few Hispanics, Asians, etc. I never heard of any issues at school or kids being treated badly/differently because of it.

I'm probably not the best person to ask about the weather because I don't like it (but not everybody is as bitter as I am about it ). Stealthrabbit gives a really good explanation of the seasons and so forth. I strongly second the thought of getting a house with south facing windows for light, and definitely not a house in the forest! If it's in a forested area, which many parts are around here, try to get a spot that is cleared a bit to let light in.

DO NOT expect to see the sun every week. That is not guaranteed, although it does occur on occasion. It may not rain every day, but you're going to get those cloudy days for most of the winter. In my opinion, we basically do not have a spring. Yes, flowers do come out, but there's not a definite spring.

Here's a link to another thread on weather that goes into more detail:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/washi...e-weather.html