Move to Port Angeles? (crime, house, live)

[Nature Girl]

OOOPS, I noticed we were advised to start a new thread...sorry...and I noticed that tommy dude is "banned" hehe.

[Bishops]

Hello All,
My husband and I are looking into moving to PA, Sequim, or Port Townsend. He is a police officer in Ogden, UT and I am a C.U. manager in Morgan, UT. I absolutely love the ocean and my husband loves the outdoors. We are not big into the night life, but would be nice for a date. We have a 2 year old child, so schools are important to us. I have done some campariables on crime rates, and PA looks like it would be "good clientele" for my husband, but not to live in. How are the schools? House costs? Does the viod of income taxes help?

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by Bishops

Hello All,
My husband and I are looking into moving to PA, Sequim, or Port Townsend. He is a police officer in Ogden, UT and I am a C.U. manager in Morgan, UT. I absolutely love the ocean and my husband loves the outdoors. We are not big into the night life, but would be nice for a date. We have a 2 year old child, so schools are important to us. I have done some campariables on crime rates, and PA looks like it would be "good clientele" for my husband, but not to live in. How are the schools? House costs? Does the viod of income taxes help?

In a recent interview, our sheriff estimated that half the jail population was there as a result of methamphetamine. That's nothing unique, is probably typical of most of the west (and apparently not as bad as Ogden?), but it is also not a pleasant "clientele" to deal with. I salute and thank your husband.

Based on WASL and ITBS test results and dropout rates, schools in Port Angeles are about average, Sequim above average, and Port Townsend below average.

The lack of state income taxes does not help typical working families. It benefits those with higher incomes, but our high 8.6% sales tax shifts the tax burden onto households with average and lower incomes. Your total state tax burden might be slightly higher in WA than it is in UT. Not enough to be decisive, but not a help, either.

Home prices are probably comparable or may be slightly lower here; it's hard to tell, because of all the new construction, especially there.

I just wanted to give you the facts. It is indeed a gorgeous area to live in, with plenty of family-oriented activities and a wealth of outdoor recreation opportunities in mountains, rivers, bay and shore, and a mild climate in which to enjoy it. I hope you'll come out and take a look!

[Just4K]

Originally Posted by straightarrow

It is also one of the few places which still allows manufactured homes.

That is one of the serious flaws about Sequim, or the other rural areas of the Olympic *****ula....too many trailer parks and not enough quality housing.[/quote]

"Trailer Parks" aren't always a bad thing. I personally, don't like to pay rent. If you don't find the place you want right away but want to move there quickly, they offer a reasonably priced way to get settled while you look for your ideal home and a job. Most of the nice ones are permanent and well maintained. The ones that aren't so nice are dwindling quickly. The owners are selling them to developers like they are doing everywhere else.

[citydatauser]

schools in port angeles are old, but port angeles students are above state average on WASL. and port angeles high school has one of the largest variety of classes offered in western washington.

http://www.portangelesschools.org/pa...entsExcel.html

[Oceangirl]

Hi Folks,
Been reading about questions and answers on PA, Sequim, and PT. You get used to saying that when you say all the cities in a sentence. I live in Sequim. We came here because my parenst lived here, now deceased.

We bought 5 acres and home here to do the country life and as Emerson said "go to the wilderness and you will find yourself", well we found out we are BORED. There is very little to do in this town. I tried several clubs, Gem club, square dancing, etc. My dancing partners are old enough to be my dad(70's and 80's) but they are very nice gentlemen though.

We had thought about raising Alpacas or pygmy goats. First year we just watched how the weather worked. Very tall trees on our land fall over every single year from the high winds we receive and we have to chainsaw them up. Lots of snow.
They told us we would have maybe 4 or 5 inches of snow every 5 years or so, nope, one and a half feet every darned year now. We have an 800 foot driveway to shovel to get to the road we live on.We were told how mild and temperate it is here. Well it does have more sun but the winters have been just to much for us. Icey roads, getting stuck in for 2 weeks at a time and not able to drive without a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Only if you live in Sequim town itself where it is flat can you deal with it, it snows a little less, but anywhere else a few hundred feet higher is nasty. And the winds, get used to them.
And then we received our property tax assesment bill. WOW! In the last 2 and 1/2 years we have gone up double. From $325,000 to around $650,000. We cannot afford to even build a barn now. The price of housing here can start at $250,000 for a 1000sq foot semi detatched home if you are of a senior age( I believe those are being built as affordable senior housing). As for the manufactured homes, many are top of line quality and you almost can't tell they are manufactured. But GET YOUR OWN LAND! Many of the older mobile parks are being turned into gated communities now pushing out folks that retired here 10 or more years ago who don't have giant retirement packages. It used to be affordable here. We believe that Sequim will become a resort town, with the S'klallam Indians working on a 7 story restort hotel and 24 hour casino and the housing here being second homes for many folks. I wave goodbye every October to the snow birds I know over the summers.

This is a very rural town but it is changing FAST. All the fields and farms are disappearring, and they want to get rid of our Elk herd ( ther very symbol of Sequim), and they are building new row upon row of fast built housing and yet there is still no affordable housing for anyone working in this town. Do not come here to work, unless, you are in the medical field. That is the fastest growng service industry here due to all the retireds and the new medical buildings coming in. I just read in our newspaper that the city is asking to take off the 35 foot limit for buildings so new condos and apartments can be built. The beautiful views will not be as easy to see, unless you are in the top of one of those new condos I guess. The downtown is so poorly planned that driving thru it is miserable and all the locals take the back streets.

Good things about Sequim, it is quiet, lots of golfing, a few little beachy kind of places, with lots of rocks to walk on and driftwood to look at, not much to do at night but hang out at the S'klallam casino in the smoke and dance to the neat tunes and listen to the comdedians. We had to go back to work to pay for our tax assesment bills and my husband works at the Casino, miserable hours of 4pm till 3 a.m.. I work for Costco. My husband is a retired Deputy Sherriff with a good pension out of California, but it doesn't quiet cover our expenses. We are looking to downsize to a house in town and forgo owning land now. He cannot chain saw trees and work 45 to 50 hours per week. Oh and the pay in this area if you are not working for one of the mills or medical services is terrible. Doesn't at all keep up with the cost of living that seems to be soaring here. Most of the folks moving here are newly retired with loads of money. The beauty here is the best anywhwere, some nice parks in town, but very very slow paced. We both get a whopping 9 bucks an hour. I am returning to school to take learn new skills in office work. I am not really up sure I want to work in medical as a tech or a nurse. I do sell art when I can get a freelance job and have a gallery that sells for me.
continued in next post

[Oceangirl]

Continued from previous post....

As for Port Angeles, we have been considering moving there, maybe. It is more of a working man's town. It is not "ugly" but I would say it looks depressed. At least the downtown core. I work at one of the galleries there on weekends and at this time of year I am lucky to have 3 customers come in. This town closes down for the winter practically. It has a great community college though. It is a walkable town for the most part but is built on a sloping hill. The housing prices at this time are reasonable if you consider $270 to $350 thousand reasonable. For a good home that is. It is not going thru the lightening fast building Sequim is at this time but there are plans to build condominiums on the waterfront area and the Landing( my gallery is in there, two restaurants and the fast boat to Victoria) has been sold and is possibly going to be a smaller version of Pikes Market in Seattle if the owner has anything to say. There are plans to build a new bus station and market place on the waterfront too. I like the more family atmosphere in PA but there is not much to do at night. People here are more happy to read a book in the evenings than go out much. And it gets dark early and for a long period thru winter.

There are some interesting things that happen in PA, such as the Cross Dressers Convention. Makes for very interesting visions for that week. And the Canoe Races and the Art on the Wharf festival.

Hurricaine Ridge is above this town and the sights are to die for but it is mostly accessable in late spring, summer early fall. This year there was a snow avalanche that blocked the road up. Lots of tourists come to see it. Roads get blocked alot in winter here due to falling trees or rocks.

Hiking and fishing and kayaking are available as well as some sailing. There are beaches west of town about 15 miles out and farther.

Unfortunately due to the job climate here most of our college grads leave, unless they fall into the services such as medical, or millwork or teaching or longshoreman. Everything else is mostly retail or office and pay starts at a whopping $8 and hour unless you can run a small office as a receptionist all by yourself and deal with the stress.

Houses there are still affordable NOW. Later who knows? After the Sticker shock of Sequim most folks go look in PA.The homes are mostly remodeled older homes in the city, out side you can still get some land and build but it is getting pricey now. Depends on where you buy land and be careful, you could get stuck in a wetland area with half your land unusable.

Port Townsend was our original choice of place to move to and we could not afford it. We have been looking for the last 9 months there for a home and still we are having trouble finding anything in our price range. If you want to be in the downton area of homes expect to pay top dollar, starting around $400,000 for small or older homes. Everyone wants to be in the downtown core where the artists have galleries and there are restaurants and music. Parking is the pits though so get a home with a garage. If you have a a lot of money and a good retirement then this is a cool place to be. The winters are windy in some parts of it but others are kind of sheltered. It is on a hill too and faces the bay.If you want to check out home prices my sister in law works at this office http://windermereporttownsend.com/ee....php?/windmls/
which is a direct link to the real estate office right in town. She tells me that every summer they get hundreds of people up looking at homes and they go FAST with a lot of hot bidding.

It all depends on what quality of home you want, what you want to do in these towns. All of them are "out of the way" towns. The nearest shopping mall is a couple hours south. People in PT are kinda earthy, hippie, save the whales types, Sequim is mostly retireds playing golf and joining the Red Hat society with younger folks working as support teams, and PA is more of a working town with a mill and the coast guard and shoremen on giant tankers coming and going.

So if you are a financially secure, that is have your own money, or can run a medical office staff team or work in the labs, or run a papermill, or figure a way to make a great living this is a great area. If you like being more isolated with a MUCH slower pace to life with mostly friendly people, this is agreat place. The biggest factor is affordability and that means different things to different people.

Anyone want to buy a 4 bedroom home on land for $650,000? Ask me!

[Villen]

PA is not that bad. Cheaper to live in, great for outdoors people, not too good for people who want the high life (thank goodness) The further west you go the wetter it gets. Port Townsend is great if you still live in the 60's
The biggest negative here is the Californians who came and try to change it to a mini CA. To those that came and fight to preserve it - I salute you

[Patsy926]

Originally Posted by Just4K

I've read the posts regarding Sequim and I was wondering if anyone knows anything about Hendrickson Estates Senior Mobile Home Park.

We have been to Sequim before and plan to retire there. The climate sounds delightful after hot summers and hurricanes in Florida. It is also one of the few places which still allows manufactured homes.

Been to Hendrickson community. Buy a doublewide and enjoy it. Very nice; well kept. Last time there, the community was expanding out with more lots. One could literally walk to the main drag and go to the grocery or wherever. Another beautiful 'senior' park is Parkwood Estates. Definitely worth a look. There are re-sales from time to time and the monthly lot fee is probably over $400/month by now. But a lovely community with a total greenbelt surrounding it. It's right on the Hwy 101 on the left going north towards PA. Check it out.

[ScytheDremora]

Originally Posted by suburbiancat

"No, the city of Port Angeles isn't much to look at".

"As to being dirty or drug use? Hmmmm - you will have that anywhere you go. If people think it is dirty I wonder where they have been living? Port Angeles is a logging & shipping town, so you certainly are not going to see the height of fashion on every street corner. People are very down to earth there and just as friendly as anywhere else. If you go looking with bad-negative attitude, you will get what you are looking for. People will mirror what they see in you."

um ok Port angeles is beautiful to look at thats not to dispute,the pier the trees the mountains.
But as far as the second quote, um it doesnt have anything to do with perspective its about facts, true drugs and crime are evry where but port angeles has an obsurdly high rate of dependancy on very harsh drugs like meth crank heroine ect for such a small area and im apalled at how the wealthy people on the hill think this is a quiate little town with little crime! my partners 16 year old nice was raped and killed, across the street from a friends house a 70ish year old man was stabbed to death by a young girl he let stay to be kind to someone,a cop was shot to death 2 blocks down from where i live when i first moved here a doctor from the local hospital killed his wife with an axe,i hear gun shots often ive had people drive up and ask me where to score drugs (i have a clean record and dont use) ive had someone try to hand me a crack pipe at a local club....and as far as fashon what the hell does that have to do with anything and besides the snobby rich kids here do dress well hell some of the lower class dress well to,my friend found a louis vouiton handbag on top a pile of garbage...but what does that have to do with anything you see the crime i listed above just cause a town is fasionable doesnt mean its clean and lovely!! im moving in a few months and 10 years was way to long of a stay here for me