Wanting to move from North Carolina to Washington- I have a lot of questions!

[sll3454]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

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.

Five years ago when we were house-hunting in Western NC, the houses were not well built. A contractor friend there later told us about the kinds of problems he was having to fix in expensive lakeside houses - major foundation issues. We also bought a rental in the Triangle area. Most of the houses we looked at in the Triangle were not well built, and most of the houses we looked at here were, so your comment surprised me. Maybe it's because you're in Seattle and I'm an hour away, where the prices are lower. Or maybe you're a little homesick.

Sorry, OP. You've already said you're not looking to buy a house.

[CarlB328]

People everywhere, bad traffic all the time

That pretty much rules out Western Washington, plus the cost of living is too high for most young people.

[cmtleo]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am flying out to Seattle on November 1st and take my public safety test November 2nd! I will be staying in the area for four days- visiting Olympia, obviously, and maybe going hiking. Does anyone know of a cheap place to stay? Better yet, does anyone have any very hospitable friends in the Seattle or Olympia area? ))

I am very excited! Even though I will be there visiting at the end of fall when it is colder, I might as well get the experience of cold weather under my belt at some point and see how I handle it. I'm sure I'll be fine.

YAY!!!!!! This is actually happening!!

[Hemlock140]

We normally don't get snow, freezing fog or black ice that early, I remember one bad snow around Thanksgiving. November is when we get most of the damaging windstorms, and you most likely will experience plenty of our rain. If you can imagine living with what you experience for about 5-6 months you should be OK.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by cmtleo

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!

That's considered a large lot. In our neighborhood they are all 10,000-13,000 but the newer developments are all 5,000 sf. newcomers lately seem to prefer not to do yard work and apparently don't mind having the neighbors look into their house and yard. Just passed some new homes today in Kirkland "from the high 800s" where you barely have room to walk between the houses. We do also have plenty of homes on acreage but unless you get way out in the country they will be well over a million. Land is expensive, developers are greedy, and we have a countywide urban growth plan that favors infill over sprawl.

[A.C.E 2007]

Originally Posted by cmtleo

Hello! I am a 22 year old college graduate currently living in Wilmington NC. I came here for school from a small town in Western NC in the "foothills" of the mountains. I came here for the beach life and now I am leaving because of the beach life. I'm ready for something different!

Due to my newfound love of mountains, lakes, and all things outdoors, I picked the Northwest. I figure now is the time to move across the country while my parents are still young. I have several outdoor hobbies- hiking, trail running, paddle boarding, etc. So I would like to move to a town that has a lake or some sort of body of water, with trails and mountains in very close proximity. The closer the better. Here, the tallest hills we have are manmade on top of an old landfill. That doesn't cut it anymore!

I also want to live in a "small town." A quiz I took recommended Kent WA and said the population was 40k, but I actually found out it was over 100k! Not okay with me. Wilmington NC's population is over 100k as well and I can't stand it. People everywhere, bad traffic all the time, and absolutely no nature. It's just all concrete. Bah!

Now due to the fact that I am only 22 I am obviously poor and flying out to Washington to visit will require some time and planning and lots of money. I would like to already have a list of places I want to visit before I start making these plans- Olympia was first on my list but after some research it kind of seemed like another concrete city to me. I just want GREEN! Everywhere. Is it possible? Can it be done? Green, crisp fresh air, mountains/lakes/mountain lakes, running/biking trails everywhere? Can you help me out?

People my age would be cool too. Not a necessity, but it would be nice to have friends in their 20s. Educated friends, that is. In my hometown everyone my age is uneducated-the ones that left for college never came back. I imagine that's the case in many small towns. But oh well.

As far as weather is concerned... I come from an area that gets very little snow. The less snow the better, although I know that's a long shot in Washington. I accept that.
Summers where I live are very hot and humid. A cooler summer would be refreshing.

I work in law enforcement and plan on making it a career, which is handy because every town has a police/sheriff's department. Just have to pick my favorite towns and play the waiting game to get in on the hiring process.

I appreciate any help you can give! Thanks so much!!

Hi cmtleo! I too live in Wilmington, NC and am looking to move to western Washington State. My family and I are tired of the oppressive heat, and the smothering humidity! I hope it all works out for you. We are going to continue our search and hopefully we will be able to make our trek out there soon!
Amber

[cmtleo]

Originally Posted by A.C.E 2007

Hi cmtleo! I too live in Wilmington, NC and am looking to move to western Washington State. My family and I are tired of the oppressive heat, and the smothering humidity! I hope it all works out for you. We are going to continue our search and hopefully we will be able to make our trek out there soon!
Amber

Hey Amber!! That's awesome! I actually just got the call that Bellingham is hiring police officers now, so I have to start planning a trip for the end of September! I'd love to email you to talk more about you and your family's views on Washington, etc. Can I PM you with my email address?

And everyone else- looks like it'll be down to Bellingham and Olympia. As of now it'll just be whoever decides to hire me first!! Anyone in Bellingham want to let me crash on their couch for a few days at the end of September and be my tour guide? Haha