Anyone live in San Juan Islands? (Seattle, Everett: apartment, rent, condo)

[springlady]

What's it like to live there year round? What's the weather really like? Where do you shop for groceries? Are there jobs outside of tourist jobs?

Thinking of buying an existing business but want more information about the lifestyle, pros and cons.

[Elidea]

I grew up in the San Juan islands (orcas) so I can try to give you some sort of perspective.

1. Whats the weather really like? It is similar to the rest of the northwest for the most part but can get very very windy in the winter. The power goes out all the time, and that can also effect businesses unless you have a generator.

2. Where do you shop for groceries? On Orcas Island there is a grocery store called Island Market. Its the only real supermarket type grocery store on the island. It is about the size of a QFC. It has everything you need including a deli, but the prices are marked up more than you would find off island. I'm sure that San Juan Island also has a store like this. Lopez and the shaw may not though. There is also a natural foods market where you can find a few things but its very small. There is a convenience type store in each little town on the island. We also would usually take a trip off island and go to costco about once every 2 months and stock up on non perishables, go to target, clothes shopping, etc. because there is NONE of that on the islands.

3. Are there jobs outside of tourist jobs? Not too many. The economy really thrives on tourism, or service jobs like island essentials, the grocery store, convenience store, maids... The few teachers that are needed, the few Doctors, dentists, internet and phone service etc. There are some wildlife type jobs. But I would say the majority of jobs are in tourism and service.

The people-- The people in the San Juans are really their own breed. And there is a funny mix of people there. Not much ethnic diversity at all. You have the bajillionaires and you have the island natives and not a whole lot in between. There is not much of a middle class on the island which makes for a weird demographic. There are a lot of outdoorsy people which is cool. The people also tend to be sort of sheltered. You especially notice this growing up and going to school there.

Speaking of school.... I don't know if thats a factor for you or not. The San Juans are a great place to raise young children, maybe up to the age of about 10-12. Junior High and High School-- not so much. There is very little diversity and the kids tend to be very sheltered to the outside world. The high school is small which is nice in a way but I hated it. It was very hard for me to find friends that I cliqued with. There are some great teachers though, and some not so great ones. The schools are good in terms of academics and the high school is modern. (Orcas Island) Because there is not a lot to do on the island for older kids, some turn to drugs and other stuff out of boredom.

If you've been there before you know that its absolutely beautiful, the air is so clean and fresh, you can see all the stars in the sky.

During the summer tourism months the ferry system can be a huge hassle and you may have to wait several hours to catch a ferry in either direction. Winter is not so bad but watch out for a rocky boat!

There are several places to eat out on the islands with some great food. Obviously, not the same hours or selection you might find off the island though.

I hope this helps. Let me know any other questions you have.

[Here]

Thanks for the insight Elidea

[BJSinger76]

Question about jobs: Is it feasable to live on the island and ferry to the mainland for a job?

[marlisk]

My husband's family is an old island family, and I moved there with my family when I was 15 to finish high school, then came back to start our family a few years after college.

It is feasible to live on the island and commute, but it depends where you will be working on the mainland, and what your schedule would be. Both my Dad and my Uncle did this for a while to their jobs in Seattle and Everett, respectively. My Dad actually lived in Seattle for 3 and 1/2 days to do this and spent the remainder of the week on San Juan. My Uncle commuted 4 days per week (meaning he took the ferry there and back each of those days) but it grew pretty tiresome for him, as it did for my Dad, who eventually became a contractor and would be gone for chunks of time rather than weekly. However, it must be said they both had children at home, which makes a big difference.

That said, if you could do it 2-3 days per week and work at home the remainder of the time, that would work. Or, if you were to commute to Anacortes/Mount Vernon, that would be easier too. I hope I didn't give you too much information. Let me know if you have further questions and good luck to you!

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by BJSinger76

Question about jobs: Is it feasable to live on the island and ferry to the mainland for a job?

As the prior post stated, sure it's "feasable" but having done this type of commute as well (Kingston-Edmonds), the real question is: would it be "practical"?

For example, let's say you live in the Friday Harbor area and take the ferry to Anacortes for your job in Annie/MV/Oak Harbor etc. The crossing time is about 70ish minutes one way or more than 2 hours of sitting on a ferry each work day. Then you have on load/off load times to factor in as well. The problem is, this is not the worst of it. On a good day, wait times for the ferry can be "reasonable". On bad days (which generally translates into work days or holidays), waiting in line to get on the ferry can cost you upwards of a few more hours. I've waited over 4 hours on some occasions (holiday traffic) to board the ferry. Now do this 4 or 5 days a week, month after month. Trust me, it gets old very fast! Once you're off the ferry you're still not out of the woods as you then have to contend with commuter traffic on the "mainland" as you drive to your job.

That's why many people simply rent an apartment off island near their job and work several days in a row and then "go home" to the island for a stretch of several more days- just like Marlisk said her father did.

FWIW, it's not just "islanders" who use this commute avoidance strategy. My bro-in-law lives on Camano Island and is an engineer at Boeing. He rents an apt. near Boeing and simply stays there 4 days a week and then goes home to Camano the other 3, rather than fight the commute each work day.

My $0.02-

[West coast at heart]

Very good points. My wife and I had been looking at the islands as a possible place to live. This could change/limit things a little.

Thanks for this thread!

wc@h

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by BJSinger76

Question about jobs: Is it feasable to live on the island and ferry to the mainland for a job?

the basic answer is: not for a sane person ... or one who wishes to remain sane for long ...

however, if you are an "island personality" and really really want to try the isolation and are attracted to the character you see on websites and such, there are a few angles to consider for finding a paycheck to support your dream/experiment:
1. walk-on the boat (no waiting in horrible car lines ... many hours long sometimes before you even get to the water time) ... pay for [monthly] parking on the mainland near the terminal and leave a car there ... sorry, nothing can be done about walking from the boat to your car in the 6 - 8 months of semi-to-fully-miserable weather.

2. consider Lopez Island instead of San Juan or Orcas ... Lopez is smaller, quieter, and pretty flat (you can bicycle around) ... so there is even less to "do" there in terms of social / entertainment activities ... BUT, Lopez is only 40 minutes on the boat to Anacortes on the mainland -- where you MIGHT be able to find some work (and not too far to Mt. Vernon where there is more work possible)

3. consider some of the smaller islands in Puget Sound that have little, local, county ferries, rather than the State Ferry System service ... islands like: Lummi, Guemes, Anderson (in the south Sound) ... the commute times and lines are relatively short ... trade-off is that the character of these islands, where lots of people commute to mainland jobs daily, is more of a "bedroom" community than a truly self-contained island culture.

4. consider some of the islands that have actual bridges: Harstine Island (south Sound -- commute to Olympia or Shelton), Marrowstone Island (commute to Port Townsend), Camano Island (commute anywhere up and down Interstate 5), or huge (really big) Whidbey Island, which IS a whole world of its own -- and where you could find work in Oak Harbor or one of the other smaller towns --

Whidbey has a ferry at its south end that lands near Everett which is on I-5 just north of Seattle about 40 minutes ... has a bridge on the north end that is not far from Anacortes and over to the Interstate ... Whidbey has it all -- but it is not the storybook isolated island you probably imagine. Nonetheless, it is pretty well protected by preservationists and remains farm/forest in character to a considerable extent.

Be prepared for how expensive any/all of these places are ... as one poster mentioned previously, the islands are loaded with $ bazillionaire $ properties ... they dominate more than us locals like, but it is what it is.

Also be very prepared for the depressing (!!!) weather most of the year. It is the price we pay to be here ... if the weather was really nice in a place like Puget Sound and the San Juans, heh, only the richest of the rich could afford to be here.

Take the list of island names from above and start Googling!

good luck

[Barbie33]

There is not a lot to do on the island. It is small and if you are a teen you wouldn't want to come here. Same if you were a mother with teen children. Same with all of the islands. It is very beautiful here and a great place to visit. Coming and going on the ferries gets annoying and it costs quite a bit. Unless your rich then you don't have to worry about anything. But its also very time consuming. If you like shoping and going out alot. This is probably not the place for you. But like I said it's great to visit and come back every now and then. As I was saying about the teens, pretty much all of them on the island do drugs and party. There is nothing else to do. The school is small and a alot harder than other schools. There are sports, but they are really small teams. If you grew up here it would be easier because you know everyone. But when I moved there when I was about 16 and I found that most of the teens are sheltered and know nothing about the real world. And a lot of them seem to be very immature. All of the ones that I had talked to had said they don't like living there all that much or would like to experience what its like in a bigger school. Although I will say that almost everyone on the island are nice people. But they do talk. And they're definitly their own kind of breed.

[tropix]

Hi all,
Just found this thread - some of which is kinda old (2007-8), anyone care to update? Anything change that much?
I currently live in Hawaii and am looking for a place to retire - definitely can't afford Hawaii on a social security check - and have always wondered about the SJIslands. I like the outdoorsy lifestyle.
Part of being a "small community" is the knowing/caring about/helping your friends and neighbors, but another part is the downside of, as one poster put it, people being "sheltered," "immature," and "knowing nothing about the real world?" I think that kind of comes from being in a limited geographical area and close to parents/relatives all the time - so you don't really have to grow up and mature because they can always save your okole if you get in trouble. I don't mind people not knowing what's going on in the "real world" -- hey, we're not all connected to a computer 24/7 - but I really don't like the insular way of thinking that's very prevalent in Hawaii. They dislike haoles (can't tell you how many times I have been the most qualified applicant but didn't get the job because I'm white and not "local"), and, although I am lucky to have friends of many different ethnicities, as a stranger, you are always treated badly unless you stay in the tourist areas. There's a lot of prejudice here, unfortunatly. Is that true in SJIslands also?
What's the cost of living like? I have a condo in Honolulu that I would sell for approx. $300,000 - would that buy a decent house? I want a yard again!
Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks.