Possible move to Forks, WA in 5 years or so (Seattle: house, tornadoes)

[kmbjbb]

My family and I are thinking about moving up there sometime around 2018 or so.

We have lived most of our lives in Central or South Florida. We had time in Columbia, Missouri.

Here are the issues we have that are prompting this move.
Husband - heat makes mild cardiac issues hard. Extreme cold with 6 feet of snow, chills him too much.
Myself - heat and constant temperature changes make my fibromyalgia harder. Steady temps are easier. I get hot way too easily and cannot deal with it.
Son - gets hot way too easily. Has very pale skin and pale pigment in the eyes. They burn before his skin.
Daughter - same cardiac issues as hubby. Gets hot too easily.
My mother - elderly, gets cold easily, but loves to bundle up. Easily adaptable. Dementia and terminal illness and may not be around long.

Now, I am total deaf and will be having a service dog. I have fibromyalgia, neuropathy, and other issues. I am on disability, so will not need a job. Hubby has minor cardiac issues that are controlled by diet and exercise. He will most likely take early retirement if he can. His job history is in manufacturing, warehouse and now security guard. Son is currently 18 and will be looking for his first job soon here. He has vision problems and a hearing loss as well as asthma. Daughter is currently 19 and has learning disabilities and speech issues. Son and I have a ton of allergies, but they are mostly medicine and environment for him, medicine, food and environment for me. Daughter and hubby have seasonal allergies. Mold and mildew for us is not a major problem, it just stinks, no allergies.

We are prepared for the wet conditions. We are prepared for the cooler temps than we are currently living with. We are prepared for the change in fashion and layering clothing. Heck, we had 13 winters in Missouri, we layer with great care. As for the wet conditions, we've dealt with hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding rains, and just 3 solid weeks of constant steady downpour. We can deal with it.

Yes, we did watch Twilight and we have all the DVDs and books. Are we hoping for a Twilight type of life? No - we know it wasn't real. We know it wasn't filmed there and we know that the town is known for it since the book was based there. Was the Twilight series what made us think of Forks to live? No, not at all. I had asked lots of friends about different places with the kinds of temperatures we were looking for. We did not want to go to Canada. Not sure why I am not wanting to go to OR, but I like what I have heard about WA and hope that it will work for us.

Just wondering how things are these days. A number of friends are telling me that it will be a change, but are mostly positive with a few reservations, and we've had one person here in my town that says "Slit your wrists before you consider it". That's a little extreme, right?

[poopskooper]

Well, if you've read through some of the other threads on Forks here on this forum, I still have to ask WHY?

Remember, Forks is a very small and isolated town with a depressed economy. That means very few, if any, job opportunities.

Being as isolated as it is, it is also far from specialized medical facilities. It sounds as if medical facilities may be more important to your family than most others.

There are plenty of other places in the northwest that would probably fit your needs and desires more than Forks. So I ask again, WHY Forks?

[Inkpoe]

Yea, I will never understand why people zero in on Forks (then insists that Twilight has no bearing) when you have such great towns like Port Angeles, Poulsbo, Port Townsend nearby. Heck, even Sequim would be a better choice.

[Seacove]

I agree - why Forks? There are so many places on the Olympic Peninsula that would be more convenient to medical facilities. And it's not like Forks comes to mind for anyone unless they are Twilight Fans. The population is only 3K. Why would you want your kids to start in such a depressed economy?

[kmbjbb]

I know it was my husband wishing for Forks. He wants small and quiet. As far as the medical needs, hubby and daughter only need to watch the food and exercise. Mother, we are not doing much except the every 3 months seeing a doctor palliative care. She will be doing (if we can) Hospice at Home.

My kids spent ages 2-15 in a town of only 800-1200, so this is a move up for them. They HATE this big city of 100,000 of the rudest, inconsiderate people.

I guess I made a mistake about asking. I want to be somewhere where there is little to no snow, moderate temperature changes and little to no sun or heat.

[Seacove]

It's not a mistake to ask but for people that have actually been to Forks, it's always a mystery when we see posts from people wanting to move their families and children there when there are so many truly beautiful and charming places on the peninsula that would seem more logical, preferable and economically sound. Five years is a good amount of time though so who knows.

[poopskooper]

I don't think that any of us are trying to give you a hard time about this. Personally, I'm just curious as to WHY?

There are so many more sensible places in the NW, Washington in particular, that would logically meet your needs in better ways. There are hundreds of smaller towns that feel like they are in the middle of nowhere that would give you just as much of what you're looking for, in my opinion.

All of western Washington might have the type of climate you're looking for. Sure, Forks does get much more rain than other parts of the state and is surrounded by rainforest but western Washington in general has a very mild marine climate.

For instance, those of us who are currently in western Washington are enjoying overcast skies and temperatures in the low to mid-60s (just past noon on Sunday 7/21). Here it is in the heart of summer where most of the nation is suffering from horrid heat.

No, you don't have to feel bad for posting but as I say, I'm just curious as to why you are so adamant about Forks when there are so many other places that would seem much more logical.

I'm sure many of us can give you suggestions on similar sized towns where you'd probably fare much better than in Forks. But hey, I like Forks, don't get me wrong. However, like I say, I don't understand why people would want to live there.

If your husband or you and your husband can get away for a week to visit Forks and see a few of the alternatives, that would give you a better understanding. To make or not make a move to the opposite end of the country just on what a few people say on a message board without first visiting, would not make any sense at all.

Keep asking questions. Try to be specific and I'm sure a lot of people who participate on this board can give you their ideas to maybe clear up some misconceptions.

[amaiunmei]

Just for the medical reasons alone, you should probably consider living close to a hospital, even if it is only for a year or two.

Harborview in Seattle is the only level one trauma center for four states: Montana, Alaska, Idaho and Washington. I understand that you do not want to live in a big city, but if something goes wrong, it helps to know where to go.

I'd recommend a smaller city on the Olympic Peninsula to start (Sequim or Port Angeles).

[kmbjbb]

I may get him to agree to Port Angeles or possibly Sequim. We are used to fishing and marine stuff being here on the ocean in West Palm Beach. We joke that hubby was born on a boat.

In 4 years, we have not had to go to the hospital for anything. Mother sees her doctors every 4-6 months. Hubby sees his every year as does daughter. We do not need trauma centers or state of the art medical center. In our 20 years of marriage, hubby's been in a hospital once, and 2 ER visits, I have had 2 hospitalizations only for having children, and 2 ER visits. Daughter has had 3 ER visits in 19 years and son has had quite a few while growing up, but none in the last 8 years.

Hubby chose Forks due to the proximity to the ocean. We currently live within 10 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and like to just drive along it. I know it's going to be a little harder there possibly to drive along the beach line, but he's happier along a coastline.

He feels that Forks being a little lower on the economy side will be better for him as then he won't feel like the odd man out. Everywhere we've been, he's felt out of place because he has less education, less money and I'm not sure how to word it, but he would say "less smarts".

I have not been able to go outside my front door for the past few weeks except for the runs to the grocery and even then, I had someone start my car first. The heat here is unbearable and not easy for me to deal with. Daughter is sleeping most of the day and up most of the night to get away from the heat. Hubby took an overnight job so he's not dealing with the heat. Luckily, our house is built in a way that we don't get the humidity inside and the A/C keeps us very cool with ceiling fans and floor fans running.

We currently have a Category 5 rated home for hurricanes. Category 4 rated windows that need no storm shutters. Category 5 rated doors on the home. 10 inch thick concrete floors and 11 foot ceilings. Our home has survived with no damage previous to being a home, all Florida storms since 1979. It used to be a huge 3 bay garage for boats.

Why would I want to leave this house? It's like living in a concrete box, and the box was set into the middle of a desert with high humidity. Not quite sure how to describe it.

[sequoias]

I agree with the comments above...Sequim or Port Angeles is a better choice with more access to medical needs. You and your family have many health issues so it's a good idea to have a access to the medical center/hospitals. I don't think Forks would be a good choice, it's a depressing town just like Aberdeen, WA. I live in a small town here and I hate it. I prefer to live in a big metro area with tons to do and activites with many job opportunities.

I would recommend visiting WA state for 2 weeks and get a better idea what it is like there and what they have there.

Harborview hospital is a very busy hospital in Seattle that serves all of WA state for specialized trama care. I do wish they have other major hospitals in the far west of WA state and in East WA state and other states, too.