Scouting Bellingham for retirement in 2018

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by NextStage

Dendrite can you tell me more about the Fraser Valley effect? What type of impact are we talking here?

Luckily hubby already has plenty of good Gore-Tex I'm actually headed out tomorrow for a new raincoat. It was on my radar anyway but seems particularly timely now!

OP, there were a couple of Bellingham threads just a couple of months ago, one of which went into detail about the Fraser River effect, and other factors affecting B'ham weather. Do a search; you'll find the comments on all aspects of life in B'ham informative.

I just thought I'd mention that if you have a good retirement nest egg, you can retire to Canada. You could make Vancouver your home, if you might be interested in that option. Check out Canadian Immigration or embassy websites. It doesn't take much to buy your way into Canada as a retiree, unlike most of Western Europe.

[NextStage]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, there were a couple of Bellingham threads just a couple of months ago, one of which went into detail about the Fraser River effect, and other factors affecting B'ham weather. Do a search; you'll find the comments on all aspects of life in B'ham informative.

I just thought I'd mention that if you have a good retirement nest egg, you can retire to Canada. You could make Vancouver your home, if you might be interested in that option. Check out Canadian Immigration or embassy websites. It doesn't take much to buy your way into Canada as a retiree, unlike most of Western Europe.

Thanks Ruth! I did a google search on the term but didn't get a lot of obvious hits. Never ocurred to me to search here.

I've read a lot of the Bellingham threads here - particularly the ones over the past couple years. It was actually a search for Bellingham that lead me to City-Data! I probably missed any comment about the Fraser River/Valley effect so I'll search again.

We've discusssd retiring to Canada as well. Right now the primary stumbling block is Medicare/medical coverage. The cost of real estate also looked high although I'm not familiar with the areas that would give us what we're looking for. I've looked at the Immigration website and remember something about a buy in/investment plan.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by NextStage

Dendrite can you tell me more about the Fraser effect? What type of impact are we talking here?

Cold, dry modified arctic air pushes through the Fraser River Valley (British Columbia) south into Bellingham.

As Ruth mentioned above, several threads on CD that discusses this effect on the weather in B'ham.

[perigee]

February isn't the worst time to visit, though it will start to give you an idea of what to expect during winter, but by that time of year the clouds tend to be higher and the days are noticeably longer. Just realize that short gloomy days are the winter norm, just did a quick google search and you're looking at an hour less of daylight and of course significantly less sunshine throughout the day. I have spent plenty of time in SFO and even with fog and all it's unique weather, compared to the Pacific Northwest it is very sunny, too sunny for my liking

Compared to CA, when we're in drought you might laugh, but a bad winter with low mountain snow can put water restrictions on the table, so even though you'll enjoy all the green trees, can't promise that you'll escape drought issues. Of course I am sure you realize that, but in case a green lawn in August is a defining feature in your retirement thought I would throw that out.

Bellingham has been a magnet for retirees for awhile, so a lot of people put up with the negatives Retire in Bellingham, Washington

Come up for a visit and I would suggest if you guys do think you might want to retire up here, rent for the first year, take your time to experience and explore the area before buying.

[perigee]

The Vancouver real estate market is insane, it's so bad they threw an extra tax on foreign buyers in an attempt to cool prices. If Canada is on the board for potential retirement locations maybe look at other cities.

[CrazyDonkey]

Northwest weather is complicated, with the Puget Sound basin in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains (80 to 150" on the west side to 20 to 40" on the east side). There are convergence zones between Seattle and Everett and between Bellingham and Vancouver. We're generally very temperate. Most of our snows are dustings or brief slush-and-melts, but occasionally we can get real blizzards and/or deep-freezes (Fraser Valley Effect, etc.).

Let me begin by noting a key point: it is difficult to get lowland snow around Puget Sound because the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound are relatively warm (around 50F). It is easy for us to be mild and wet and frequently we are cool and dry. But to be cool and wet is very hard, demanding a rare configuration of pressure and winds. As a result, snow is the most difficult forecast problem in our area.

See: Cliff Mass Weather Blog

In general, Bellingham is a bit colder, wetter, and windier than Seattle, although more similar to Seattle than Vancouver. Snows can be more frequent and deeper, especially north of Bellingham, if the convergence zone slips south. (Note: I was born in Bellingham and lived there later for about four years as an adult.)

My sister lived in Sacramento and when I visited her there, in Feb-Mar, I froze my butt off. I was happy to get back to Seattle's generally mild, if drizzly, winter weather.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by NextStage

Thanks Ruth! I did a google search on the term but didn't get a lot of obvious hits. Never ocurred to me to search here.

I've read a lot of the Bellingham threads here - particularly the ones over the past couple years. It was actually a search for Bellingham that lead me to City-Data! I probably missed any comment about the Fraser River/Valley effect so I'll search again.

We've discusssd retiring to Canada as well. Right now the primary stumbling block is Medicare/medical coverage. The cost of real estate also looked high although I'm not familiar with the areas that would give us what we're looking for. I've looked at the Immigration website and remember something about a buy in/investment plan.

Real estate in Vancouver has finally settled down, after they passed a tax law to discourage foreign (=Asian, mainly) investors. It also depends on the part of town you're interested in. But it sounds like you have that in mind as an option.

Oh, and I meant to point out earlier, that dreary, rainy weather will soon become a blessing rather than a curse, as the SW dries up, and water supplies generally become iffy. The NW, incl. BC, will have no worries in that regard, except for the dry summers that have been predicted and are already beginning to manifest. What we used to think of as hideous weather will come to be appreciated as a life-sustaining gift.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Real estate in Vancouver has finally settled down, after they passed a tax law to discourage foreign (=Asian, mainly) investors. It also depends on the part of town you're interested in. But it sounds like you have that in mind as an option.

Oh, and I meant to point out earlier, that dreary, rainy weather will soon become a blessing rather than a curse, as the SW dries up, and water supplies generally become iffy. The NW, incl. BC, will have no worries in that regard, except for the dry summers that have been predicted and are already beginning to manifest. What we used to think of as hideous weather will come to be appreciated as a life-sustaining gift.

Because our summers are relatively dry, our water shortages are generally due to low snowpacks, not lack of rain.

Warming temperatures could mean more rain, but less snow.

More Rain, Less Snow for U.S. Winters | Climate Central

[NextStage]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Because our summers are relatively dry, our water shortages are generally due to low snowpacks, not lack of rain.

Warming temperatures could mean more rain, but less snow.

More Rain, Less Snow for U.S. Winters | Climate Central

California is actually very dependant on snowpack as well - probably even more than rain. There's always at least one or two photo ops a year when the Governor goes to the mountians for the snowpack measurement.

Water here has been a very political issue for decades. It tends to be controlled mostly by lobbying and $$. Perigee, I'm happy to report that having a green lawn hasn't been on my priority list for years! What does worry me though is watching hillsides turn brown in May rather than August, watching trees die after years of sustained drought and seeing the fire season move a bit earlier every year. Conservation is encouraged but very little political or educational action is taken. It's frustrating. Our current front yard is currently trashed. I could find 50 companies that would come out and lay new sod for a reasonable price. Finding someone who really knows Xeriscaping and can develop and execute a plan is close to impossible. One would think that there would be encouragement (possibly even financial incentives) to install gray water systems but finding info on that is difficult as well.

CrazyDonkey, that article was interesting and not at all surprising. I'm not that familiar with OR or WA winters other than what little I've read - but I'm pretty familiar with the Truckee/Tahoe area winters. What the article says about winters over the past 65 years is very true in that area. It's not only sad but frightening as well. You can tell this is a bit of a hot button issue for me.