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Old 03-18-2012, 07:42 AM
 
5 posts, read 24,045 times
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Hello all, it looks like there is a possibility I will be moving to Whidbey Island and I have a couple questions about living in the area around Coupville. I have found a lot of information about the town, but I would really like to know what it is like for a young family with small children to live there.

I am not too concerned about how long it takes to get to places like Walmart, etc, but I am more concerned about our ability to meet people and find friends for my daughter. Are there any preschool groups, things like tumbling, library time, etc in the area? Or is there a better town to live in that would offer such things?

We come from a small town so I am not used to having a wide variety of convenience and choices of activities, but I still want to be able to meet other Moms in their 20s/30s and make play dates for my daughter. We are also planning on having another child soon--what is the reputation of the hospitals in the area?

Thanks so much.
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Old 03-18-2012, 01:01 PM
 
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We live in Freeland, just South of Coupeville about 15 minutes. My kids are a little older.(high school now)...so I'm not too sure about the pre-schools in Coupeville. However, the Navy Base is in Oak Harbor (12 miles North) and with all the military families I'm sure there are a lot of mom groups, etc. up that way. I would be surprised if there is anything much happening in Coupeville,though.
As for the hospital..I have had 2 grandchildren born there and the maternity care and birthing unit there are very good. They tend to send anything high risk..childbirth or otherwise..off the island.
We have lived here for 6 years..so if you have any other questions..feel free to ask! In general, I think you will really like it. There isn't anyplace else in WA state I would like to live..however, I do miss the sunshine and warmer weather..(I'm from CA..
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Old 03-18-2012, 01:19 PM
 
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Coupeville is quiet. It is peaceful and has a slow pace of life. The kind of place kids can play on the street without worrying about a car driving by. People are friendly and you will probably make friends with many people. The kind of town were everyone knows everyone if you will. It has a nice quaint downtown, with some small local shops.

Coupeville has a small hospital, but Oak Harbor, about 20 minutes away has a bigger one. Everett has the largest hospital in the regional, and rated one of the best in the country.

Shopping can be done in town, like groceries, but it will cost a bit more. Chain stores are in Oak Harbor including big grocery chains like Albertsons. Wal mart is in Oak Harbor as well. The nearest Costco would be in Everett.

There are some neat trails and parks around Coupeville for the kids.


Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajmstudios/5974690767/ (broken link)
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Old 03-18-2012, 04:27 PM
 
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Whidbey Island is beautiful! You will like living here.
[mod]see note[/mod]

Last edited by Count David; 03-24-2012 at 07:15 AM.. Reason: blog promotion not allowed here
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Old 03-23-2012, 07:47 PM
 
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Thanks all. It does seem like the younger families live in oak harbor, but I am wondering if we will feel like we don't fit in since we are not in the military? That's why we are looking into other locations. But, I would hate to move to a small town that has no one for my daughter to play with.
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Old 03-23-2012, 09:27 PM
 
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I think you would do fine in Oak Harbor being non-military. There are alot of neighborhoods with sidewalks, etc. where the kids can play. I'm not sure about that in Coupeville proper..but there are developments around there..Admiral's Cove for one..that I think families tend to live. I believe alot of the military live in "base housing". We chose the south end of the island..for various reasons..but also chose a neighborhood where our kids could go play with friends and I didn't have to drive them all the time..since some people live more rurally around here. Do you have work lined up already? That might determine where you would like to live?
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Old 03-23-2012, 09:47 PM
 
Location: Alamogordo, NM
7,940 posts, read 9,495,584 times
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Hi all. I am not sure if I will be relocating to Whidbey Island but I actually have an interview at the hospital there in Coupeville. So I'll fill you all in as to how it goes. Since my wife and I like to rent I have questions about rental houses.

Are they hard to find in Coupeville? We have dogs (2) and cats (2) but no kids will be with us. We have a grown son but he's on his own. Does anyone know not only who to call or what website to go to but also some rent ranges for 1 or 2 BR rental houses? Since job searches don't always land us jobs I don't know yet if we'll be coming but if any of you know anything about the rental market there in So.Whidbey Island I would be really appreciative of the help.

I would love to live in So.Whidbey Island. I was born in Seattle and raised in Edmonds so I know the mainland like the back of my hand but not so much Whidbey Island. We love the Blue Fox Drive-In Theater there south of Oak Harbor, too. They have go-karts and a decent snack bar and a huge lot to park in. I would be in 7th heaven if I get the job!
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Old 03-27-2012, 07:30 PM
 
5 posts, read 24,045 times
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OK so one more question. According to city data, the median income on the island is about 55,000/yr. Is that a realistic income for a family to live on? That is about what my husband would be making. In the midwest, we would be fine with that, but I know things are more expensive on the west coast.
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Old 04-13-2012, 10:01 AM
 
118 posts, read 261,434 times
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The thing with whidbey island is there are two major income groups Military/defense contractors and minimum wage workers ie: McDonald's, Home depot, and other retail. There is quite a bit of poverty on the island high cost and low wages.

I think $55,000 would be difficult to live on for a soon to be family of four.

Another thing to consider is that whidbey is rural and pretty conservative, not a whole lot in common with Seattle. If you decide to live in the outlying areas expect loss of services such as power outages in the winter and don't expect good cell phone service either.

I've never been to whidbey general hospital but rumor has it that people have died after being treated for paper cuts.

Last edited by NorthwestRepublic; 04-13-2012 at 10:11 AM..
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Old 04-13-2012, 08:37 PM
 
Location: Alamogordo, NM
7,940 posts, read 9,495,584 times
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I've never been to whidbey general hospital but rumor has it that people have died after being treated for paper cuts.

Do you believe that rumor, though, NorthwestRepublic?
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