Retiring in Washington with sun and recreation (Seattle, Vancouver: hotels, homes)

[samlyn821]

Hello all!
We are WA natives (Olympia) but have lived all over the world with the military the last 18 years. We will be retiring soon and would like to settle back in WA and are considering the best place. We will have 2 kids in high school, but we homeschool, so the k-12 schools won't be an issue for us, but a good CC or Tech college would be a plus (within a reasonable drive).

We HATE the traffic of the 1-5 corridor and do not want to be on that.

While we don't mind cloudy and rain, a place with more sun and less rain would be a huge plus (such as the Sequim area)

I would prefer to be near the coast.

I would like a good equestrian (mainly English) horse scene.

Near hunting/fishing/snow sports is high on my husbands list.

Places we have considered are the Sequim area, Cle Elum/Wenatchee.

We do not want flat and over dry, so either the western part or close to the mountains.

Thoughts on good small town communities?

Thanks!

[StealthRabbit]

If HS kids... get them close to a CC for RS. (remember to test BEFORE showing up and expecting free College) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Start

I would look to areas near Port Angeles (Sequim will do). Remember... less rain does not = more sun.

Or Silverdale / Poulsbo


or Bellingham (nice CC + U + close to Water and mtns and BC). Ferndale is a nice small town nearby.

Not gonna be sunny in WA! (Of course you knew that).

Can also consider east side (Newport / Near Sandpoint)

[samlyn821]

Thanks! Yes, I am very familiar with the clouds We have thought of Idaho/Eastern WA but afraid it might be too far from the ocean and too dry!

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, you might try to research the equestrian scenes around WA, yourself, and see what locations align with your other interests. The Silverdale/Poulsbo area is nice, without being as isolated as Sequim/Port Angeles. Better job potential for those soon-to-be-adult kids of yours.
Here's this, and there's a Silver Spurs club in the area, as well.
https://www.facebook.com/blueheronequestrian/

Here's a group that's working on putting together a horse park and related facilities on the Olympic Peninsula. It's a work-in-progress.
https://www.jeffersonequestrian.org

[Diana Holbrook]

So... you were from here, but then left, and you're now coming back?

I think lots of people who are hoping for pretty Washington and less rain are banking on Sequim. I am not sure yet, whether they will all feel satisfied once they get there.

I think it's a safer bet to expect clouds and perhaps be pleased when the sun surprises you.

I really like the Onalaska, Toledo, Winlock area for horse people. I call it our local "Big Sky Country" because there are high plateaus up there, with big views and open spaces without being as treed-in as we often are in Western WA. These high and dry areas make for better horse properties than the heavily treed areas, and better than the riverbed lowlands, better drainage, less mud. You get more bang for your buck on a nice horse property with land and barns or even an arena, in Lewis County, than you would farther North.

That far south, I-5 isn't so congested. There is a Community College in Centralia... as well as Olympia, in commutable range.

[ndcairngorm]

A quirky suggestion: Point Roberts. Many people home school their children here because of the border situation, and Whatcom Community College in Bellingham is the natural follow-up for many of these children, with their internet program. Then an easy commute to University of British Columbia in Vancouver for higher studies.

This is a horsey community, and across the border in Ladner is a pretty good horse scene. The town is surrounded on 3 sides by water, and Boundary Bay is a good warmer water swimming area. A bit remote if that bothers you, but virtually right next to Canada and all the activities there. Not sure about the hunting, though (unless you want to rid the town of its coyote and deer population). Point Roberts has more sun generally than the surrounding communities in BC because of the shielding effect of the mountains on Vancouver Island. Summers are a delight, winters are the same old Washington State rain as everyone else.

[Diana Holbrook]

^ Not a bad suggestion either

[PS90]

You might consider Ellensburg.

Although it may be slightly too dry, depending on your point of view, it ticks many of your other boxes - more sun/less rain than Western WA, still fairly close to the coast (about 90 minutes to Seattle, and about 2.5-3 hours to the coast), very much an equestrian area (although more Western than English), tons of outdoor activities, is the home of Central WA University, and is close to Cle Elum (which was on your list, but Ellensburg is much less expensive than Cle Elum).

[StealthRabbit]

'nother thought... Far from WA and far from ocean, but VERY good for horse / college / outdoor activities.

Wonderful WYOMING!.

Consider Powell or Sheridan. (Community College communities) U of WY is $6k / yr for residents!

Sundance, WY and Spearfish, SD are other options. (college towns near Mtns)

My spot in West Gorge SWWA is pretty handy, but better horse activities (hoof health) a tad east (White Salmon to Goldendale). Way too much rain for this prairie kid. (so I leave a lot now that the kids are gone).

To do over again... (from child age 14+, when we returned to WA after living overseas for many yrs... )

We would likely chose NW WA / Birch Bay to Bellingham.

1. Huge homeschooling network https://homeschoolersofwhatcom.com/local-resources/ Whatcom Homeschool
   https://homeschoolersofwhatcom.com/
2. Close to BC, (okanagan, Fruit / veggies / fishing + volunteering... https://www.okanagangleaners.com/)
3. On the ocean (Sound)
4. Near great colleges (USA and Canada)
5. Near Vancouver BC (intl airport + intl community) + great produce in Fraser Valley
6. Good skiing (snow and water)
7. Near Canadian Gulf Islands (where we lived for a while)
8. 2x weekly Access to Alaska Marine Highway
9. Near great Ice Cream!!! https://www.yelp.com/biz/edaleen-ice...-shoppe-lynden
10. Good breakfasts! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...ashington.html
11. MORE... Much more!

(BTW: Lynden (Dutch) can be a bit 'closed' society, but also has some great private school options.) We have good friends / stays in the area, PM if you need some contacts for a 'survey trip'. We always stay with locals to get a realistic flavor of the community.
https://wikitravel.org/en/Hospitality_exchange ... 30+ yrs of excellent stays worldwide, many homeschoolers / farmers / retired military / teachers / librarians. All were valuable learning experiences. We recently did a one yr RTW and only stayed in (8) hotels (early flights). Have fun on your next adventure!

[samlyn821]

StealthRabbit, Thanks for the post, Any idea how easy or difficult it is to cross into Canada there? We lived upstate NY near Canada and there were only a few crossing points that could get backed up. I guess we are spoiled here in Europe just driving into other countries, no stopping...