Most beautiful picutresque town in Washington? (Vashon, Colville: home, employment, living)

[secret_squirrel]

Langley, Pt. Townsend, San Juan Islands.

Why not mention political leanings if that's important to you? Most small towns run conservative. She wants something where she's likely to find people with shared values, rather than being the only "looney lib" in town and not fitting in.

For years, I worked in an industry where my political leanings were a minority. It can be awkward when everyone just assumes you agree and unknowingly criticizes you/your values all the time.

[DelaneyRudd]

Local political culture has more impact on people than national politics. Does the community value business development or public services more? Will the local schools meetings end up being fights over science? What will happen to the local open spaces? It's pretty important to consider.

[Andy]

My nominees:

small towns:

Friday Harbor
Roche Harbor
Eastsound
La Conner
White Salmon
Leavenworth
Chelan
Winthrop/Twisp

Small cities:

Anacortes
Port Townsend

[ukiyo-e]

I live in Port Townsend and I don't think it would suit the OP, who wanted lots of rain. Too dry here - only 19" of rain annually.

[rf80412]

Lots of people on both sides seem to believe that political leanings reflect or even dictate what kind of person you are 24/7. While I'm sure there's some overlap between a person's politics, their values, and even their personality, liberals and conservatives both expect the other to be as bad as their worst stereotypes every moment of the day, to the extent that even basic coexistence is simply unthinkable. And it's not just the people ... both sides also expect the government and the community of places dominated by the other side to make it extremely difficult and painful to live and work there.

[lovingthegreen]

Personally, I know that it is possible to very happy living in a place where most people do not share your viewpoints. With that said, however, as a very left-leaning person I can say without hesitation that I felt much happier in Seattle than I did in a small town near Spokane. Maybe it's just my personality, but it felt so great to finally be around people who actually shared many of my viewpoints after being the odd one belief-wise for a time period.

Honestly, I value being surrounded by those with similar beliefs highly when deciding where to live. I think this may be more because those who are as left-leaning as they tend to be in Seattle are not found in too many places in this country, meaning that I have less options to be among like people than others do.

As far as the OP's question goes, I would have to vote for Bellingham. It is definitely beautiful, tranquil, quaint and liberal. And it rains about as much as Seattle - 38 inches. It is an outstanding place to be if you're looking for outdoors and hiking excursions and want to feel "one with nature." Shopping and dining are obviously not up to Seattle standards but for its size are good. One negative is that jobs may be a question mark here (pay tends to be lower than needed for the cost of living there). And it is way too far from Seattle to work there and live in Bellingham. Maybe working in Everett would be possible, but that would be a stretch.

Also, if you are looking for a house in the country and even more rain, if you were to live out towards the mountains a bit - such as towards Lynden, 15 miles from Bellingham - you will also receive more precipitation, as Lynden averages 62 inches a year. However, as you leave Bellingham and head towards smaller towns in Whatcom County, you tend to receive a much, much less liberal atmosphere than is found in Bellingham.

If you're looking for a town that fits your description but is within commuting distance of Seattle, consider Issaquah. I have no idea if it is liberal, but it is definitely beautiful, has many trails originating from there and rains a good deal.

[Giesela]

Originally Posted by secret_squirrel

For years, I worked in an industry where my political leanings were a minority. It can be awkward when everyone just assumes you agree and unknowingly criticizes you/your values all the time.

Amen to that. One of my biggest regrets was cementing myself into a career where I'm surrounded by a homogeneous political and religious belief culture far more extreme than my own.

[EastCB]

[HometoGeorgia]

I'm baffled by the political aspect of the thread, next to Georgia the entire state feels liberal to me. I guess it will depend on where you're moving from.

OP-the southwest interior below the Olympic mountains will get you the most rain, with Montesano being a nice little town on that stretch, but traffic in/out of the region can be heavy on holiday weekends as city folk head for the coastal region. Also not sure what an acceptable commuting distance is for you, but Olympia would not be unheard of from there.

The burbs around Seattle are going to be expensive and far from having a "country" feel. But if I had to pick one, I always liked the Black Diamond or Maple Valley area, although they've really been built up in recent years. Bonney Lake and Enumclaw are nice too. All are in the rain path coming up from the sw interior and the proximity to the Cascades are great, and the views of Mt. Rainier stunning.

[SmlTwnDude]

I would say check out some of these cities, I checked on a precipitation map and these cities fall in with a lot of rain. Oso, WA which is very small place east of Arlington WA. But it might be too far from the city for your liking about 18 minute drive from Arlington which is a much bigger city then Oso but not as big as Seattle. There is also North Bend which is a good choice very close to the mountains and fairly small, and high annual rainfall. North Bend is also about 16 minute drive from Issaquah which I think is the closest major city area. Or maybe you should try Lewisville which is more southern Washington close to Portland,OR on the WA/OR border. Lewisville has high annual rainfall , close to mountains and forests, small and about 26 minute drive from major cities.