Decent, affordable towns in Western Washington (Seattle, Spokane: home, safe area, casino)

[PS90]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

It's interesting that people easy of the mountains always talk about "eastsiders" and "westsiders", while here on the west, no one does.
It's almost like the western population isn't even aware that the east exists.
With all of the population being on the coast, people to the east have felt like they are without power in state elections, with the liberal west making the decisions, mostly in contrast to what they want. Of the places mentioned,
if I had to move, I'd go with Mt. Vernon. Small, old downtown, midway between Seattle and Vancouver BC, easy access to the islands.

LOL! I completely agree. When I moved over to Western WA, I was amazed at how little the people over there knew about Eastern WA, which is in stark contrast to what people living in Eastern WA know about Western WA.

Makes sense though, since people in Eastern WA hear tons about the populated area around Seattle in politics, events, sports, etc., while people in Western WA have no need to know anything about us over here on the dry side.

It took me a few months to realize the the "East Side" that the news anchors and meteorologists on Seattle network TV were talking about was Bellevue, not Eastern WA.

[elkotronics]

Having been born in Seattle, raised in Edmonds and a Boeing worker for 20 years+, I spent most of my life on the "coast", the west side. I have noticed some people on the east side here avoid the coast like the plaque. They don't like the crowds, they don't like the bustle, the high prices, etc. I have lived on both sides of the state and I see good in both places. The east side shows a resemblance to Arizona and New Mexico, states my wife and I have lived previously in, too.

The west side is busy, but I was thinking I might like a place like Anacortes or Port Townsend. It's ending up that I'm getting work in the nation's breadbasket (Kansas) and I won't get that opportunity. But having lived in Forks, WA, many, many years ago and experiencing some of the west side's most remote locations like that, I thought a compromise in size and location would've been nice to experience. I'm getting so close ta retirement now (6 years away) that I'm feeling all set ta settle in to the Kansas job and work my last half a dozen years out and just retire.

Then, I've thought of Anacortes, WA, or Bisbee, AZ, as possible retirement locations. Or back to Alamogordo, NM, and the familiarity of the south-central NM desert. We'll see. But to not stray off of this topic, those two, Port Townsend and Anacortes, stood out to me as decent, affordable western Washington towns to live in. The truth might actually be different, of course, regarding mostly real estate and apartment/house rentals.

[katjonjj]

If it were me, I'd opt for Aberdeen or Mt. Vernon. Marysville has turned into a cesspool. If you work in Marysville, you could find affordable housing in surrounding towns like Arlington or Everett.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Some of the nicest people I've met in WA are "eastsiders"...can't say the same for "westsiders"....they make me feel like an "outsider"!

[elkotronics]

Some of the nicest people I've met in WA are "eastsiders"...can't say the same for "westsiders"....they make me feel like an "outsider"!

This is where we have to watch out that we're not making "sweeping generalizations". Remember in school when the teachers were trying ta teach us not to do that, for many reasons? One of them being that you can't put all people in to the same mold, or generally the same mode or type of thinking.

I would probably prefer a smaller part of western Washington to live in. I grew up in Edmonds and I can't find anything solid or a real good reason ta knock my place of upbringing. Not perfect, crowded with people, yes, but a beautiful smaller western Washington town to grow up and enjoy the beautiful evergreen trees, geraniums, roses, picking raspberries and blackberries and...yes, salmon berries!

Some delicious huckleberries were available, too. I can still smell the huge cedar trees in the U of W forest next to my parent's property in north Edmonds. I would take my Honda 70 out in to the woods and just splash crushed cedar all over the place as I accelerated in to turns.

I have nothing but good things ta say about Edmonds. About as good a place a boy could find ta grow up in. When the Sonic's came the fun picked up even more. I smell a New World Order Seattle Supersonic's team coming ta town, people. Yes!

[Angry-Koala]

I vote for Vancouver, or possibly Mount Vernon or Bremerton. Avoid Aberdeen, Chehalis and Centralia. All three have frequent flooding, and as another poster mentioned above, you would have a tough time selling your house if you decided to move.

[sll3454]

If OP wants to attend sporting events (other than rodeo-type), Mount Vernon is not the best choice. Seattle and Vancouver (BC) don't look far away on the map, but they are.

[Dirtysouthjay]

I did actually check out the Mt. Vernon/Burlington area when I went to explore Anacortes. I liked Burlington because they had a store called "Target" and a place called a "shopping mall" with a JC Penny!!! I mean coming from Moses Lake, anywhere on the west side will seem like a lush rain forest to me. As far as location goes my mind keeps going back to Longview/Kelso. I drove through that area on the way back to Moses Lake when I visited Long Beach. I mean, it was totally a blue collar town, and there is nothing wrong with that, but geez everyone slams the town in all the online forums I read. There has to be some pros to live in that area. I will definitely follow the suggestions of everyone who suggested Vancouver. I will probably spend a weekend there coming up and drive around the area.

[StealthRabbit]

I have friends who live in Kelso. They have nice houses, families, and neighborhoods.

I did a lot of research to buy distressed commercial properties in Longview. (I didn't buy them)
That was 10 yrs ago and they are MORE depressed today.

I'm blue collar, (28 yrs of night shift in factory), but... Longview is not a spot for me. I find myself in Portland 3-5x / week hunting parts, going to classic concerts / events / and hunting other treasures. Too far to do that from Longview. I like living in the Columbia Gorge, Crisp WIND!. Nice cloud watching weather. (and 20 min to PDX, which I used 3x this week).

[CrazyDonkey]

It's a pulp mill town. The wind must have been blowing the other way:

Longview, WA | KapStone

Try Centralia...