Curious about Washington (Seattle, Spokane, Kennewick: house, live, gangs)
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I think you'd like the Olympia area - very casual, outdoorsy, low crime, good schools etc.
It's a mid sized city with a small town feel. The downtown area offers unique shops, cafes and restaurants, along with lots of art venues, such as theaters and galleries. It's close enough to Tacoma and Seattle for day trips, and it's only 90 minutes from Mt. Rainier, Mt. Saint Helen, Ocean beaches and the Olympic National Forest.
No one place will consistently satisfy you climate-wise in Washington. From what you described, no matter where you go, you'll hate part of the year. I don't think you will find what you want. I lived in Seattle sixteen years and have lived on the east side for over twenty at different times. On the east side, you're going to get rained on a great deal, and it gets darker earlier here than you are used to. On the west side, there are things like cold snaps, in some places a lot of snow, dust storms, and so on.
You'll only have to visit an Indian reservation once, and it will no longer be a treat.
Wow, thank you all for the detailed information. This is making our narrowing down much easier I understand that nowhere has perfect weather year round and I didn't expect to find that here, I am just wanting a good compromise if possible. We don't mind the "mizzle" and the summer's seem like heaven! I just want to find a place where my kids can enjoy themselves, we didn't realize Florida would be so terrible when we got stationed here but with my kids heart conditions make it a nightmare.
I have a sister that lives in Montana and has been trying to talk us into going there but it is too extreme for us...I think Washington looks better for what we are wanting. I will be trying to plan our first visit for this summer to see for ourselves if we could enjoy living there. We are off to Tennessee this weekend for another visit, but I am still very curious about Washington.
As far as the Indian Reservations, I didn't realize you COULD live on one, I was just hoping to visit it for cultural experience for the kids
All in all, you have been wonderful for helping me. Thanks so much, I will continue my research into areas mentioned.
No one place will consistently satisfy you climate-wise in Washington. From what you described, no matter where you go, you'll hate part of the year. I don't think you will find what you want. I lived in Seattle sixteen years and have lived on the east side for over twenty at different times. On the east side, you're going to get rained on a great deal, and it gets darker earlier here than you are used to. On the west side, there are things like cold snaps, in some places a lot of snow, dust storms, and so on.
You'll only have to visit an Indian reservation once, and it will no longer be a treat.
Rained on a great deal on the west side, and cold snaps, snow, and dust on the east side.
The other have given accurate advice, it is a mild climate.
No one has addresses this comment you made though. I'd forget that one.
My sister lived within a reservation in Marysville and couldn't get out of there soon enough.
Some of them have Casinos, others Fireworks stands, but all of them seem to have a lot of trouble with drugs and alcohol and many of their members unemployed. They will have their own tribal police which makes for odd jurisdictional issues for non-member homeowners.
They look pretty much like any ghetto, run down homes with beat up cars, boats, and dead appliances in the front yard. Near the Seven Cedars Casino just outside Sequim there are some tribal visitor centers worth stopping to see but as for the reservations in general seeing them is
a sad experience.
Totally agree- stay a town away from the reservations at least. Don't even waste a day visiting, you'll be disgusted. It is a good example of what handouts do to a society's work ethic. We grew up in western Wa and are relocating to eastern Wa. The issues this side are mainly weather- like dark skies 9 months out of the year. You don't know how it'll effect you or your kids until you live in it. My friends that moved here started feeling it about 4 years in. They want out. A huge portion of the population here suffers from seasonal depressive disorder weather they know they do or not. It is a huge issue. Also central and eastern Wa have much less traffic. We stay away from the interstate from about 3-7pm and sometimes earlier. People are rushed, stressed, customer service is non-existent unless of course you want to go to a bikini coffee stand lol! For raising a healthy happy family with good values I'd definitely stick to central or eastern Wa.
Well, I live in Snohomish County. I think from what I have read of your posts that you would like either Lake Stevens or Snohomish. Both have very good schools and lots of the interests you mentioned that your kids like to do. Both are close to the Mountain passes, close to state parks, hiking, camping, water sports and close to the Puget Sound waterfront. Lake Stevens is centered around LAKE STEVENS! A friendly town and easy access to main hwys for commutes. Snohomish is more of a country town that features many antique shops and is based on the Snohomish River. It is a little bit further of a commute to Seattle than Lake Stevens but not bad to Everett.
As for the Indian Reservations - I don't think they are what you are thinking they are like. Yes, you can live on them - in certain areas. There are nicer areas and there are some not so nice areas but there isn't really anything special to see there. There are, I think two reservations in Snohomish county. Tulalip is the one I am most familiar with. It is in the Marysville Area and actually has some nice neighborhoods in some parts of it. I'm actually in Real Estate so I've been all over this county! I don't believe the Reservation is some place you would want to live. A drive along the waterfront would be nice but that's really about it.
Seattle is about a 30 minute commute from Lake Stevens and maybe 40 minutes from Snohomish.
Hi, I was just browsing your post and decided to tell you about my experiences on the west side of the Cascades in January of this year. My friends and I took the Ferry boat from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, Canada in January of this year. The weather was clear, sunny and breezy. I had on a down jacket and it was too warm. Victoria was blue skies and gorgeous! When I got to the mall, I had to take my coat off because it was way too hot. The entire day was blue skies and a few clouds, a slight breeze, but nothing this southern California girl couldn't handle. The next day it rained, just as the weatherman said it would. I was out and about in Port Angeles, Wa, shopping, running errands, etc. It was not a problem. My waterproof down jacket took care of the temperature and mizzle. It only mizzled in the morning and the afternoon was fine. The sun came out for two hours or so after lunch. The daylight was short, about 7 hours but it was enough for me. If you want long daylight hours in the winter, moderate temperatures all year long, and perfect weather, may I suggest San Diego, California? San Diego, CA has some of the best year around weather on the planet! I'd stay in San Diego but the weather is way too boring! Fairwinds
Wow, thank you all for the detailed information. This is making our narrowing down much easier I understand that nowhere has perfect weather year round and I didn't expect to find that here, I am just wanting a good compromise if possible. We don't mind the "mizzle" and the summer's seem like heaven! I just want to find a place where my kids can enjoy themselves, we didn't realize Florida would be so terrible when we got stationed here but with my kids heart conditions make it a nightmare.
I have a sister that lives in Montana and has been trying to talk us into going there but it is too extreme for us...I think Washington looks better for what we are wanting. I will be trying to plan our first visit for this summer to see for ourselves if we could enjoy living there. We are off to Tennessee this weekend for another visit, but I am still very curious about Washington.
As far as the Indian Reservations, I didn't realize you COULD live on one, I was just hoping to visit it for cultural experience for the kids
All in all, you have been wonderful for helping me. Thanks so much, I will continue my research into areas mentioned.
Look at Wenatchee, Quincy or Moses Lake when you are out here visiting. We have tons of lakes around here. Plenty of rocks to climb and the small towns around here live for school sports. Give that your kids have heart conditions you'll want to stay close to either Moses Lake or Wenatchee for medical reasons.
It does snow here. Sometimes a lot, but if you have the ability to stay put for a couple of days things get cleared out pretty quick.
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I understand that nowhere has perfect weather year round and I didn't expect to find that here, I am just wanting a good compromise if possible. We don't mind the "mizzle" and the summer's seem like heaven! I just want to find a place where my kids can enjoy themselves, we didn't realize Florida would be so terrible when we got stationed here but with my kids heart conditions make it a nightmare.
January, 2011 weather at Port Angeles
