Looking to relocate from SoCal to Washington in the near future. (Seattle: sales, house)

[daydreamer3686]

My boyfriend and I are looking to relocate to Washington in the near future. We currently have a 1 year old daughter and do not want her to grow up in the area where we currently live. My parents would be coming with us since I am an only child and they are getting older and it is harder for them to take care of things now. We are looking for an area that has jobs for administrative work and construction since those are the fields we are currently in. Plus a community with decent housing prices and family oriented. We have never lived in the snow so the least amount of snow possible. Do you have any recommendations or thoughts?

[OGTSO]

I moved to Spokane, Washington from Orange, California in 2010. Do not consider Spokane if you want very little snow. It can snow a ton here in Spokane. I am speaking as a former Californian who never lived in the snow. I realize that Spokane does not get a ton of snow compared to many other places. The West side of the state of Washington generally gets less snow, but even Seattle gets snow on occasion. I have heard that the Tri-Cities area gets less snow too, but it gets very hot in the Summer. The Tri-Cities area is south and west of Spokane. Good luck!

[daydreamer3686]

Originally Posted by OGTSO

I moved to Spokane, Washington from Orange, California in 2010. Do not consider Spokane if you want very little snow. It can snow a ton here in Spokane. I am speaking as a former Californian who never lived in the snow. I realize that Spokane does not get a ton of snow compared to many other places. The West side of the state of Washington generally gets less snow, but even Seattle gets snow on occasion. I have heard that the Tri-Cities area gets less snow too, but it gets very hot in the Summer. The Tri-Cities area is south and west of Spokane. Good luck!

How do you like Spokane, WA compared to California?

[OGTSO]

I like Spokane. I came here because I pursued a high paying job in the same field that I worked at in California. I live North of Spokane in an area called Wandermere (it is near the Wandermere golf course). I am halfway between Deer Park and Spokane, but still in Spokane county. I live on 10 wooded acres with a 2800 sq ft house. I can't see any neighbors from my house and you can't see my house from the road. I lived in tract housing in Orange. It was a nice house in a decent area, but a small lot. I never lived in snow before I moved here and it was a huge adjustment for me. The biggest problem is that you never know if it is going to snow a little or a ton. The weather forecasters have no idea either. Just about two weeks ago the forecaster said 2 inches or less and I woke up to 6 inches on the ground. You might think this is no big deal, but the roads are a mess and the people drive like idiots. We have not been warmer than about 30F for the last few weeks. Everything is iced up considerably. Many people including my wife find the short amount of daylight/ lack of sun in the Winter depressing. It does not bother me as much, but I noticed last weekend when we had bright sunny days it kind of did cheer me up a bit. It was still 20 degrees outside, but the sun was out shining for several hours, which we had not seen in a while. The positive side is that Spring Summer and Fall are very nice here. I am not a big fan of heat and the Summers here have not been very hot(compared to Orange, Ca) so far. The evenings always cool down considerably from the daytime high temps. Any other specific question I can answer, just let me know.

[Hemlock140]

I would recommend the Tri-Cities area, especially Richland. They get maybe 8" of snow but the rest of the year is closer to the weather you are used to than the Seattle area, and far more affordable. It's also a growing area where there is likely to be more businesses moving
and more construction work in the future. Moses Lake is mentioned also in the article below, but it's pretty far away from anything and they get more snow and colder in winter.


Tri-Cities, Moses Lake among nation's growth hot spots - Spokesman.com - April 5, 2012

[buyandsell509]

I would agree that if you want to avoid snow at all costs, avoid Spokane. OGTSO is right on. It's nice having all four seasons, and each are beautiful, but winter can be a bit much some seasons. If you decide that snow might not be that big of a deal to you, I would highly recommend giving Spokane a closer look. Many great schools here from K-12, and a great place to raise a family. Administrative work should be abundant and relatively easy to find, and there is demand for construction labor. However, this demand varies greatly from trade to trade, and I have many friends who have a ton of work during Spring, Summer and Fall, but have to be laid of for months at a time in the winter. That can be quite trying on the family budget without proper planning. Tri-cities may not have such a slump in work during the winter in comparison. Lastly, housing is very affordable, and there are plenty of great neighborhoods to choose from for the first time buyer budget or renter. Hope that helps. Good luck!

[lady fern]

If you want to avoid snow, stay west of the mountains and south of Seattle. Of course this comes as a trade off. The climate on the western side is very mild with it really not getting too hot in the summer but the winter is very wet. The annual precipitation in inches is less than many places, but I think when I checked last Olympia gets somewhere around 220 days of rain/year. The clouds and mist/rain can get depressing for some. Personally I would prefer snow.
Eastern Washington tends to be more affordable as well and I would imagine there would be jobs in Spokane. If you want to stay west of the mountains, I would suggest branching out from the Olympia area. Being the state capital there should be administrative jobs and I would imagine as much construction work as anywhere else in the state. If I had to pick an area to relocate to at this point it would probably be Tumwater or south Olympia. Tumwater should be a bit more affordable. Be aware that it still snows on the west side. Seems like there is one good storm every year and it tends to dump when it comes. Often is gone within days though but it is a mess when it happens. The one good thing about living in an area that gets constant snow is that the city is prepared for it and actually plows. You will notice an absense of plows on the westside of the mountains. Maybe Seattle is better for that.

[StealthRabbit]

for your needs / desires
1) Tri Cities
2) Olympia region
3) Vancouver / Portland (remembering that OR has 9% income tax if you have to work or live there, BUT there are jobs in Vancouver and culture in Portland + no sales tax and a VERY nice CHEAP airport to escape to CA when you need sun. ($39-$59 Oone way to Bay or Sacramento. $47 to San Diego on 'Hobo' (Spirit)