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Old 02-02-2017, 10:22 PM
 
Location: Shelton, WA
329 posts, read 466,433 times
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Last summer we spent a week driving all over OR and last week I was in WA for almost week driving all over.( and it never rained LOL)
Trying to decide where to retire this summer..
BOTH are amazing and beautiful..
But the thing I noticed the most was there are way more trees surrounding WA than in OR.
The other is that WA has lots of little lakes EVERYWHERE and OR has raging rivers everywhere..
We are deciding between Eugene area and Olympia area.. But really leaning towards WA now, Love all the trees and mountains..
When I looked at the map it really jumped out at me..WA part is all green and OR has way more "open spaces" ..
What do you notice are the differences between WA and OR, or do you? ( besides taxes LOL)
Attached Thumbnails
What are the biggest differences from WA and OR?-fullsizerender-1-.jpg  
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Old 02-02-2017, 10:52 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,481,229 times
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I decided on Olympia...

Was just there last week and in Washington you can pump your own gas! (Sorry but I started a thread on this)

No personal Income Tax in Washington is a plus for many...

Washington is not inexpensive and my biggest fear has been Property Tax.

The climate and area agree with me... and if you are into outdoor things the Sound and National Parks are quite amazing.
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Old 02-02-2017, 10:52 PM
 
17,186 posts, read 12,046,139 times
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Why not both? Live somewhere along the southern WA border and reap tax advantages of each state. And have the coast, rain forests, mountains, and desert all available in an easy day trip.

The gas thing is odd, but gas is also usually significantly cheaper on the OR side even with the "full service".
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Old 02-02-2017, 11:25 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,639 posts, read 57,683,287 times
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Your pic, just indicates that OR has more Farmland in the Willamette Valley, WA has more forests on the we_tside, but arable land is north (Mt Vernon to Lynden). Olympic Peninsula traps a lot of moisture, due to marine exposure on 3 sides (Rain Forests). WA has bigger WET mtns (in South Central),

Oregon cascades are pretty dry on east side. I think you will notice the same as you look north to BC, (more forested that WA).

(Border dweller for 35 yrs, offices / employment / teaching / advising in both states) cross border 5-10x / week.

BIG differences: (YMMV)
basically.... WA is driven (coffee drinkers and career / business builders)
OR is more laid back, less 'driven' +/- (Beer and Birkenstocks )
  • Legal / political system (WA is a Community Property State, (+/-) OR is not)
  • Taxation (No income tax WA (+/-) No sales tax OR) WA has HIGH death tax (low threshold). Run scenarios for your specific situations, as a retiree, your obligations will be very different than a wage earner.
  • Economy - very different
  • Civil Funding - very different
  • Freedom for expression of thought; EXTREMELY different. WA is live and let live, accepting of conflicting views; OR you MUST think and act and VOTE like them, or you will be shunned / dismissed.
  • Both states have minimal political representation for their 'other' counties. (WA 3 counties control the vote, 36 counties live with the consequences) hence, hundreds of businesses, employers, and farms from WA & OR must flee to ID every yr.
  • Property taxes can be significant in either state (be careful where / what you buy)
  • Eugene can be foggy / damp in winter, Olympia has more breeze / air movement.
  • 100% public Access Beaches in Oregon is very nice for recreation / viewing. Very pretty soils at surf.
  • https://www.google.com/search?q=nort...w=1462&bih=747
  • https://www.google.com/search?q=hug+...IBygC&dpr=1.25
  • WA coast is beautiful, but more rocky / driftwood in the few places you can access it.
  • WA... Puget Sound / San Juan Islands / north Cascades / Okanogan / Pend oreille / Columbia R / Palouse / National Parks / Monuments / Scenic reserves are pretty exhaustive, but OR has very nice spots and treasures too.
I will remain a boarder dweller, as it works out VERY well, especially with PDX (and <$50 flights to SUN) only a few minutes away. 20+ colleges for events (or EDU), more food trucks that you can visit, and quite ez traffic / 30 minutes to anywhere in Metro and 30 min tons of recreation, 1 hr to skiing or coast.

I will change my domicile / Estate designation to SD and retain my home and investments in WA. (I'm not home much since I retired.) OR remains a nice place to visit, a few times / day or week. (Same with Colorado, lived there for 30 yrs, but now better to visit, than to live)

Last edited by StealthRabbit; 02-02-2017 at 11:33 PM..
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Old 02-03-2017, 12:22 AM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,481,229 times
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Can you expand on the high Washington Death Tax?
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Old 02-03-2017, 10:02 AM
 
Location: Bend OR
811 posts, read 1,054,591 times
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We bailed on Western WA(after living there 31 years) and retired to Central OR.

Traffic is a nightmare in pretty much most of WA now. That was a major point.

Housing was cheaper in Central OR, but that is somewhat dependent on area.

I can adapt to not getting out of the car to pump gas. But I do avoid busy stations and check my gas cap regularly. Its a silly rule but easy to adapt to.

WA scenery cannot be beat....if you can get to it through the traffic. And the hiking trails are generally much more steep and rugged in WA to get to the spectacular scenery, which was already becoming an issue with my knees at the front end of retirement.

Central OR has a lot more "old man trails" available for my retirement years.

You can drive right up to the lakes in Central OR and plop your kayak into them. WA lakes require a tough hike to get to most of them.

The REAL ocean coast (not just the Sound) is easier access in Oregon. Most of the WA coast is tough to get to and rugged (albeit beautiful). And much is controlled by the native americans with some access issues associated with that.

Yes there is income tax in OR. We went with an investment company headquartered in OR, and it had a nice way to shelter our investments from state income tax. We are also having a very frugal retirement budget, thanks to age discrimination prematurely ending my career in WA, so we don't have much income to tax.

We got tired of the dark, gray, damp winters in WA, that run from September through the 4th of July.

Just keep in mind, everywhere will have tradeoffs.
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Old 02-03-2017, 10:06 AM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
14,390 posts, read 11,891,309 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner View Post
Can you expand on the high Washington Death Tax?
Estates over $2 Million

https://www.legalconsumer.com/inheritancelaw/?ST=WA
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Old 02-03-2017, 10:13 AM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
14,390 posts, read 11,891,309 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by therese marie View Post
What do you notice are the differences between WA and OR, or do you? ( besides taxes LOL)
Taxes is a biggie! And the gas thing

I may have more time later to respond, but quickly I'll say the sheer amount of waterfront and boating culture is greater in Washington... Due to our lakes and to Puget Sound.
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Old 02-03-2017, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Shelton, WA
329 posts, read 466,433 times
Reputation: 449
Thom52
I would love to move to Bend, but have friends that live there and they say it is getting out of control too.. Everyone is moving there, housing cost are super high and its on the other side, so little too remote for them.. Oh and they said they winters are just too cold and too much snow..That is the reason we decided against Spokane and No Idaho... lots of snow LOL
So I ruled that area out.. but its beautiful..
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Old 02-03-2017, 10:53 AM
 
735 posts, read 866,824 times
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Drive diesel and you can pump your own gas, there is a loophole for truckers, but I use it every time I am down there. It's just peace of mind knowing that the right fuel is going into the tank.

WA, right now, is the more attractive place to live, which means slightly higher COL, but it also means that it's attracting better doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, etc.. Olympia would put you into a drive-able distance for specialists at the UW/Harborview, a top rated medical school.

Taxes might actually be better in OR because in retirement you income usually drops, but you're still buying roughly the same and a sales tax is a regressive tax. You would have to crunch the numbers to see what works best for your household.

It's a tough decision, if possible I would recommend spending more time in each place and seeing which one feels better.
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