Wanting to move from North Carolina to Washington- I have a lot of questions! (Seattle: new home, neighborhood)

[Pahn]

Originally Posted by cmtleo

I read something about rising property taxes, people getting forced out of their homes,

Don't listen to that guy. He acts like some poor guy getting displaced from his home, but he owns two homes for himself and several rental properties. He has the money and is living in a valuable home in an expensive part of town.

My property taxes are about $2100 a year. Reasonable.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Pahn

Don't listen to that guy. He acts like some poor guy getting displaced from his home, but he owns two homes for himself and several rental properties. He has the money and is living in a valuable home in an expensive part of town.

My property taxes are about $2100 a year. Reasonable.

Mine runs $5,500 but it depends on where you live and the size of the house and lot. That seems a lot when I pay it but it's really not that bad considering the house is 3,000 sf and 1/3 acre and we have voted for several assessments such as school bonds.

[cmtleo]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Mine runs $5,500 but it depends on where you live and the size of the house and lot. That seems a lot when I pay it but it's really not that bad considering the house is 3,000 sf and 1/3 acre and we have voted for several assessments such as school bonds.

1/3 of an acre?! Are all homes on small lots like that? That's how it is in Wilmington, no one has a yard to speak of. I mean it doesn't matter for me since I'm a longggg way off from owning a home and needing a backyard, but sheesh!

[west seattle gal]

In urban and desirable areas, yes. In suburbia without personality or very rural areas, yes you can buy more land. You will not see the same kinds of palatial housing with masive yards as found in much of NC, and people do have tiny yards. Also, houses are generally not as well-built here. You will get less for your money in terms of housing, but perhaps more in the way of nature and quality of life -- that is for you to decide. You may want to live here for a couple of years to experience the PNW, but then return to NC once you buy a house and start a family. Another thing to consider -- the college system here is paltry compared to NC -- your children would not have as many inexpensive options once they apply for college. Finally, the PNW is large and somewhat homogenous, though beautiful -- no swimming beaches comparable to NC, Vancouver/Seattle/Portland are similar in many ways, and though polite, the people here are a bit more uptight and reserved than in NC. Even the hippies here are not as laid back somehow....so this place isn't perfect, but at age 22 you should absolutely leave NC for a while and experience something different. If not the PNW, then another place outside of the SE. Once you have kids, your opportunity for travel and new experiences will narrow. So explore life now and don't worry so much about where you will eventually settle.

Though I love a great deal about this place, and we plan to move to Bellingham, for financial reasons I would choose to raise my kids in the Triangle IF NC politics weren't so screwy. The fundamentalists and Tea Partiers have taken over your state. Probably not a bad time to leave for a while.

[Pahn]

I'd not classify the PNW as homogenous. You've got ethnic and cultural diversity. You've got ocean, mountains, high desert, rainforest, gloom, clear skies, mild winters, cold winters, hot summers, mild summers...all depending on what part you visit/live.

[sll3454]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

1. Also, houses are generally not as well-built here. You will get less for your money in terms of housing,. . . 2. Another thing to consider -- the college system here is paltry compared to NC -- your children would not have as many inexpensive options once they apply for college.

1. This generalization is hard to believe. There are plenty of cheaply built houses were built in NC - especially those that went up in a hurry during the "boom."

2. Not disagreeing, and OP probably isn't interested in this, but some other reader may be: I have heard that Washington has an agreement with Colorado that makes it inexpensive for Washingtonians to attend Colorado universities.

[lady fern]

Originally Posted by cmtleo

I love hearing from so many NC ex-pats! Yes, Wilmington was great to me when I was in college and exploring my newfound freedom. But then I got into law enforcement and saw how it really was. Crime is spreading, gangs and drugs are out of control, and it's seeping into the "nice" parts now too because public housing is slowly being etched away.

I don't mind crunchy and granola, seeing as how I'm that way myself. I was told it was very "hipster" and I just like to laugh at hipsters so maybe the people watching would be good too.

You said a short drive to the Olympic Mountains? How short?

And I don't mind cold water. I paddle as exercise and will be in a wetsuit most likely. And if I fall off, it's because I messed up paddling so a shock to my system from cold water would be a good punishment. I will miss ocean paddling at 6am and seeing all kinds of critters, but I think I will be gaining so much more in terms of my other hobbies.

I lived on the west side of Olympia and could be hiking in the Olympics in just over an hour. It's a pleasant drive and the traffic is not bad. I suggest Olympia because it is a fairly central location for Western Washington, decent job opportunities and a youthful community. The rent tends to be cheaper than the Seattle metro areas and the crime is lower than the Tacoma area. It's a good area to start your exploration of Washington if you decide you want to be west of the mountains. Undoubtedly you will find a community that calls to you more so than others and we can only give you suggestions.

I did quite a bit of hiking while living in Olympia. I enjoyed the Olympics as well as the Alpine Lakes region in Snoqualmie (tons of great hikes there). IMO, the hiking felt very different between the two area. The Olympics tend to have a bit steeper more rugged trails while Snoqualmie has so many amazing lakes surrounded by mountains. The north Cascades region is supposed to be amazing as well, but it was just a bit too far for me to go for day hikes. Mt. Rainier has some great hikes as well and is about 2 hours from Oly. I found that summer hiking was a bit annoying with all of the tourists and tended to pick longer trails to get away from crowds (which makes the day a bit long), but the park is a great place to go in the winter for snow shoeing or xcountry skiing and sometimes you feel like you have the mountain all to yourself. You can also head toward Packwood and the St. Helens area for more great hikes which can run you 1.5 to 2 hours from Olympia as well. If you want something right in your backyard, there are the Black Hills. In some states they would be called mountains. It's a mixed use area so you will see mountain bikes, dirt bikes, gun ranges and logging trucks. The trails aren't very well maintained and there has been rumors of methamphetamines being cooked up there so I never used them for hiking. They do stretch from somewhere to the east of Olympia nearly all the way to the ocean so I did enjoy driving stretches back in the day. Some pretty scenes but IMO not the best that western Washington has to offer.

In regards to another poster's comment about Washington have an agreement with Colorado on college tuition...it's been awhile since I did this research but Washington does have an agreement with several western states for reduced college tuition that falls somewhere between resident and nonresident tuition. This can be quite a deal in California where tuition is quite a bit cheaper than Washington (or at least it was last time I looked, it may be worse since their economy tanked).

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by Pahn

I'd not classify the PNW as homogenous. You've got ethnic and cultural diversity. You've got ocean, mountains, high desert, rainforest, gloom, clear skies, mild winters, cold winters, hot summers, mild summers...all depending on what part you visit/live.

Funny. What I meant was that you can't hop into your car and experience a city that is vastly different in culture and landscape. This is in contrast to NC, where you can drive to the deep south and its history, up to the mid-Atlantic and DC, or further to Boston or NYC and the NE. Just trying to compare the two regions -- the PNW is huge & lovely, but a 4-hr drive will take you to much of the same (or rural/dessert areas). To some people this may not be a big deal, it just happens to be something I miss.

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by sll3454

1. This generalization is hard to believe. There are plenty of cheaply built houses were built in NC - especially those that went up in a hurry during the "boom."

2. Not disagreeing, and OP probably isn't interested in this, but some other reader may be: I have heard that Washington has an agreement with Colorado that makes it inexpensive for Washingtonians to attend Colorado universities.

True, there are a lot os McMansions slapped together in the SE. But many of these also happen to have details that are rare or more expensive out here. A 200-300K home in many desirable areas of NC is comparable to a 500K home here. A million dollar in NC is truly a mansion, while here ot may still have a somewhat dumpy look. Huge generalization, but he will notice this difference when/if he moves here.

[cesparza]

I'd like to suggest Prosser, WA. It's between Yakima and Tri-Cities. It's a small town, but it's known in the area for being the "wine-country" of the state, due to having wineries and vineyards and orchards everywhere. We have biking trails and jogging trails, and most of the time we have beautiful views of Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainer. Our winters are easy, our summers are hot (but not too hot!) and our spring and autumns are beautiful due to the blossoms in the orchards and the changing leaves on the trees. We have a very low crime rate because our police department is one of the best. Our houses are affordable, and our neighborhoods are friendly. People always smile and say "Hello" when you pass them on the sidewalk. If you want more action, it's about a 25-30 minute drive to the Tri-Cities area, or a 45 minute drive to Yakima. Do some research and check it out! It's really nice here.