Im trying to decide what parts of washington to move to need some advice (Seattle: sales)

[octaviarob]

Hi, I am a single mom of three boys, ages 15,12 and 1 and two girls ages 9,5 and I currently live in palmdale CA. I am considering moving to the tacoma ,lacey WA area around July 2014. If you could please list the pros and cons of any parts of washington so i can make a decision on where to go i heard seattle is expensive i dont mind the rain at all i actually would prefer somewhere where it snows alot north of south of seattle is ok i do however want to make sure their are hospitals in the area I am a medical biller and want to also do phlebotomy as well also let me know about the job market and the schools from k-12th grade oh i forgot to mention that my sons love the outdoors and so do I please let me know the pro and cons of whatever area you are in including the job mark3et

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[Hemlock140]

Lacey sounds like a good place for you to consider. Mostly good schools, but be selective about where you live and check locals or a site like Greatschools. It's nice, with a lot of shopping and outdoor activities, but a lot less expensive than the Seattle area. You should find plenty of hospitals and other medical facilities in nearby Olympia. Another area for you would be farther south in Vancouver WA, you could easily commute to Portland. With no WA state income tax, and no Oregon sales tax, you can get the best of both states. Again, you will have good schools but there are also some not as good so be selective about where in the area you live.

[shroom]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

[...] Another area for you would be farther south in Vancouver WA, you could easily commute to Portland. With no WA state income tax, and no Oregon sales tax, you can get the best of both states. Again, you will have good schools but there are also some not as good so be selective about where in the area you live.

Many good thoughts, but OP should confirm the OR income tax laws if she chooses to live in WA and work in OR. OR collects income tax from WA residents if the income was earned in OR: "Residents of other states working in Oregon: Oregon taxes nonresidents on Oregon source income (wages, monies earned in Oregon, income from the sale of Oregon property, etc.)." See: State of Oregon: Department of Revenue: Personal Income Tax

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Another area for you would be farther south in Vancouver WA, you could easily commute to Portland. With no WA state income tax, and no Oregon sales tax, you can get the best of both states. .

This is strongly misleading. With the bridges as they are, there is no 'easy commute' into Portland, unless you work second or night shift. The I-5 interstate bridge is a mess, and the 205 bridge is getting there. The 15 minute run from downtown Portland to downtown Vancouver can take well over an hour at rush.

Plus, if you work in OR you pay OR income tax even if you live in WA. So actually you get the worst of things - WA property tax plus OR income tax. You can do some of your shopping across the river to save on sales tax, but you'll still generally end up paying it for major items.

That said, Vancouver itself has a few hospitals (PeaceHealth, Keiser, etc.). If you can find work on the WA side of the river, it's a good place to live and work. But I wouldn't move here thinking you're going to commute into Portland conveniently and tax-free.