Another western WA retirement question (Seattle, Tacoma: condos, to buy, taxis)

[StealthRabbit]

1) Where in Seattle area is family?
2) Do you use / need VA medical?
3) Lake / river fishing or ocean preferred?
4) Airport needs / preference?

Are you 'active retirees' for next 20 yrs (under age 70)? (Consider slightly East (Wenatchees / Chelan) you may get a lot of winter dreary escape visits from your Seattle kids. and not have such a huge adjustment (and more golf)

or

Are you wanting a place to settle in for next 20 yrs?

Camano Island, Stanwood, have been recommended This retirement village has been recommended to us.
Warm Beach Continuing Care Retirement Community | Senior |Stanwood, WA

Poulsbo is very nice. Ferries tolerable, but schedule driven and can be a pain (On weekends)

Peninsula? Check your golfing options.

[WJK993]

Thanks to all for the replies so far. I would rather not say where my grandkids are exactly right now (although that was probably a rhetorical question), one reason being that the family may move somewhere else in Seattle before too long. I appreciate the tips about north, west, etc. areas of the city and proximity to other towns.

Similarly, I don't want to get into details about DH's health problems, but excellent idea to consider nearby medical centers. Seems like most senior living communities tout medical proximity right up there with golf courses, for good reason.

"Best to avoid the Peninsula at all then as it will have more rain." So is the Sequim rain shadow a fallacy?

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by WJK993

"Best to avoid the Peninsula at all then as it will have more rain." So is the Sequim rain shadow a fallacy?

Not at all. A very real meteorological phenomenon for the area. The problem tends to be the assumption that goes along with it. Some people read less annual rainfall and assume that this also means more annual sunshine. (BTW, I'm not saying that you do. ) Rather less annual rainfall simply means less total rain in a given year versus some of the surrounding areas such as Seattle. The amount of gray can be and often is about the same but YMMV. If you're coming from a high desert region that boasts sun much of the year, be aware that the lack of winter sunshine in our area can be a problem for the psyche of some people.

OK, now to your question- IMO Sequim, PA and PT would very nicely meet your criteria with one exception: You stated that you wanted to be within an hour or two from Seattle. Most of the peninsula is outside of that range, particularly when traffic is factored in, as mentioned above. Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Port Orchard etc. might be considerations unless family is north of Seattle. If so, then I agree it would make more sense to look in that direction.

[509]

Almost everybody that has the opportunity to leave...does so and moves to eastern Washington. It makes no sense to retire in western Washington when all those folks retire in eastern Washington!!

It is difficult to even find a eastern Washington native anymore in eastern Washington. They are all coasties!

Anyway, we sold our large four bedroom house with pool to a retired couple from the coast. They wanted the house to draw the grandkids over the mountains and the house was large enough for everybody to have their space. The parents appreciated the ability to drop the kids off for a entire week!!

Golf....outside of Quincy there is a golf course. A farmer thought it would be funny to use pivot irrigation and build a golf course on his farm. The joke was on him as business boomed with coasties bringing over RV's and spending the entire weekend playing golf. I talked to a few and the cost and wait times plus the bad weather in western Washington limited their golf time so they just drove over the divide! Anyway, not sure how popular golf is these days. It might not be a problem in western Washington.

If you need a high-tech infrastructure eastern Washington is the place to be. The central Washington counties have all had fiber delivered to the home since the turn of the century.

Then the weather. Between Thanksgiving and President's Day it is just as awful as western Washington in terms of clouds. But right after that time period the weather is much, much, much better east of the divide. That is why there are traffic jams leaving Seattle for eastern Washington every Friday and the reverse on Sunday as people try to get back to western Washington.

Why bother with the mess in western Washington if your retired?

[perigee]

509, not everyone hates western WA, we get it, you do and while it's great to point out the benefits of living over the mountains you don't need to use hyperbole in every post.

I have lived and traveled all over the country and the world and I could move to eastern WA if I wanted to, but it's not for me or any of family or friends. I like visiting and they're thinking a mid to late June opening for hwy 20, so I might be heading over in a couple months, but it's always a relief to come back and see all the trees. Just got back from a bike ride and sure it was sprinkling off and on again, but it doesn't bother me, clothes can be changed and I am pretty waterproof.

All that being said, OP I was actually going to ask if eastern WA could be an option, you are lower in altitude, I am guessing it's slightly less arid, I90 is a straight shot to Seattle and something just on the other side of the pass might be something to think about. Maybe Easton?

One more thing to think about the ferries is that in summer the lines can be looooong. I think most routes you can have reservations, but those might get snatched up quickly.

Olympia might be something to look into, depends on how patient you are with traffic.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by lisa4travel55

Best to avoid the Peninsula at all then as it will have more rain.

I wasn't thinking about the ferry as an option. But still, whatever google maps told you, add extra time for traffic. Lies!!!! Haha

Large parts of the Olympic Peninsula do NOT get anywhere near 100 inches of rain per year. The rain shadow places, namely Sequim and Port Townsend, get less than 20 inches per year, and there are plenty of towns in between those and Forks' level of raininess.

Talk about lies! OP, look up climate and precip data for Olympic Peninsula towns you are interested in. For proximity to Seattle, you would not live in or near Forks anyway! You would need to be farther east than that, which means part of Clallam and Jefferson Counties, Kitsap County etc.

For ease of getting to Seattle, you might actually find the ferry BETTER than driving, depending what part of Seattle. For instance, the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle runs often, is huge, and is walking distance from some housing on Bainbridge. However--and this is a big however--it isn't cheap or even moderate in housing cost.

[xani]

Originally Posted by WJK993

Thanks to all for the replies so far. I would rather not say where my grandkids are exactly right now (although that was probably a rhetorical question), one reason being that the family may move somewhere else in Seattle before too long. I appreciate the tips about north, west, etc. areas of the city and proximity to other towns.

Similarly, I don't want to get into details about DH's health problems, but excellent idea to consider nearby medical centers. Seems like most senior living communities tout medical proximity right up there with golf courses, for good reason.

"Best to avoid the Peninsula at all then as it will have more rain." So is the Sequim rain shadow a fallacy?

Oh golfcourses don't mean medical care especially quality one/specialists being available nearby at all....not here.

[WJK993]

Originally Posted by xani

Oh golfcourses don't mean medical care especially quality one/specialists being available nearby at all....not here.

What??? You misunderstood me. I said that senior living places usually list certain amenities to entice residents. Golf courses are one, medical centers are another, as are shopping, water views, etc.

When I mentioned Forks, of course I was not thinking of living there. It's too far from Seattle, too small, and too rainy. I do, however, get a laugh from the Twilight fans who think they could move there and have a big city experience or see sparkly vampires.

509, wow, you really hate western Washington. According to you, every retiree has fled the area for the lovely shades of brown and gray that are the Quincy/Wenatchee area. No thanks. You couldn't pay me to live there.

Anyway, thank you to all who have posted helpful replies. Any opinions on Gig Harbor?

[Ruth4Truth]

Bellingham is within your drive time window, but it's Rain Central. Port Townsend would be nice, but between driving + the ferry, it would take longer to get to Seattle than you want. You might consider some flexibility in that regard. People like Poulsbo--it's much closer to the ferry. The ferries don't outright cancel service but rarely. A low tide can mess up the schedule, though. You could try someplace just the other side of the mountains, like Leavenworth. It's within your drive window, and is on the dry side of the mountains. A bit too touristy, but it's the concept of the western edge of Eastern WA that I'm suggesting. Lake Chelan is farther than your window, but gorgeous!

Being flexible with some of your criteria could really open up some intriguing possibilities.

[509]

Originally Posted by WJK993

What???
509, wow, you really hate western Washington. According to you, every retiree has fled the area for the lovely shades of brown and gray that are the Quincy/Wenatchee area. No thanks. You couldn't pay me to live there.

?

Ok...I tried warning you!!

Do post your eperiences after two years in western Washington. But bless you for at least trying to live over there.