Poulsbo, WA (Seattle, Port Townsend, Sequim: living, to move, train)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by mayfair

I have yet to hear anyone not like Poulsbo. Other than the ferry ride to the mainland, I don't think it has many downsides.

I'd considered adding "proximity to ferry to Seattle" to the list of positive features for Poulsbo, in an earlier post to the OP. Since they won't need to commute there, but might like to go on rare occasion for a special event, it seems like a plus. It all depends on one's perspective and needs.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Seriously, if you want more sunshine, you need to start looking at towns on the east side of the Cascades.

[wolfdog]

The Olympic Rain Shadow effect.
How are the politics in Poulsbo?

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by wolfdog

The Olympic Rain Shadow effect.
How are the politics in Poulsbo?

Poulsbo "leans" left, with just under 50% voting democrat. Far fewer republican and a fair percentage, about 13% independent. Poulsbo would probably be even more left if not for the military people living there that work at the nearby (8-9 miles) Naval/Submarine bases.

[happygrrrl]

Poulsbo/Seabeck is going to be pricier than where you are now, and just as cloudy & gray, but I hear you regarding the planned drug rehab clinic in Sequim. And yes, Poulsbo is very cute.

Also, you might still have difficulty with medical care. I have a neighbor who goes to Silverdale for specialists because he can’t handle the trip to Seattle and he still has a problem getting an appointment, especially with Medicare, just a heads-up.

[lucy1965]

Dorie, where did you have lunch?

Poulsbo is lovely! Here are some things to consider:

If you need to take a car to Seattle, you will be competing for drive-on space on the Bainbridge or Kingston ferries; if you are trying to travel during the rush hour periods, you could find yourself waiting a while. There are also delays to be factored in, especially in summer during tourist season. Breakdowns like the Puyallup being hit by lightning last week, or the pandemic, can take the service down to one boat and then you're waiting at least an hour between crossings. As Ruth said above, you don't need to commute so it won't be a daily source of teeth-gnashing, but the planning to get across for medical appointments can come to weigh on people.

Cell phone service can be spotty and fibre internet is not readily available.

Winter storms can and have taken out the power in some areas for days. Depending on where you're looking, space for a generator/wood stove would not be too outlandish.

The nearest hospital is in Silverdale, about a 15-minute drive. (Edited to add that if you don't already have something like an Airlift Northwest subscription for air ambulance transport, it's a good investment: $80, covers six people in the household, and you don't want to find out after you've had to be flown to Harborview that your medical insurance will only cover $200 of the cost.)

Above posted with a disclaimer: I've loved living in the area, but we're planning to move in the next year for location reasons. My daughter and her family are in Coupeville, my spouse's company is WFH until at least July of next year and has offices in Vancouver BC, so being in the Mount Vernon/Anacortes area is looking like a better fit for us.

[LogaKoga]

I spent most of my teen years in Kitsap County. When I lived there Poulsbo was OK, but a bit of a backwater even for Kitsap. It was fairly rednecky. I haven't spend much time there over the lat 20 years so maybe it's changed, but when I lived in the area most restaurants and other amenities were lacking. It's not a bad area, but fairly boring, but if you're retired it might work for you.

[mayfair]

Originally Posted by LogaKoga

I spent most of my teen years in Kitsap County. When I lived there Poulsbo was OK, but a bit of a backwater even for Kitsap. It was fairly rednecky. I haven't spend much time there over the lat 20 years so maybe it's changed, but when I lived in the area most restaurants and other amenities were lacking. It's not a bad area, but fairly boring, but if you're retired it might work for you.

Yeah, every ruralish area in WA is rednecky. That's a given.

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by mayfair

Yeah, every ruralish area in WA is rednecky. That's a given.

...and thank God for it. Never mind.

I prowled real estate around Poulsbo early September, just for giggles, and took a couple mile urban-crawl hike around town, one side to the other on the waterfront. It has a high appeal to me for no reason I can pin down, with proximity to Seattle with patience... meaning wait times for ferries. Wouldn't try it around commute hours, and never if I needed to be somewhere at a certain time. I've been a motorcyclist my entire adult life and that's an option part of the year for ease of on/off. Else I'd walk on. Seattle would be a great place to visit...once in awhile. Then get the hell out of there. Could see that being a weekend thing.

Might buy a condo out there around Poulsbo in eight years or so, but lots will happen between then and now so it's an up-in-the-air plan. There are major upsides for the future living around here, mainly our abundance of water. Maybe there, plus somewhere in Venice FL, do the snowbird thing: split this place November first, and come back May first. Live a minimalist Studio-lifestyle in both places, I don't need much space it turns out. Just a thought. And Poulsbo is definitely kicked back with some great views.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Blondebaerde

...and thank God for it. Never mind.

I prowled real estate around Poulsbo early September, just for giggles, and took a couple mile urban-crawl hike around town, one side to the other on the waterfront. It has a high appeal to me for no reason I can pin down, with proximity to Seattle with patience... meaning wait times for ferries. Wouldn't try it around commute hours, and never if I needed to be somewhere at a certain time. I've been a motorcyclist my entire adult life and that's an option part of the year for ease of on/off. Else I'd walk on. Seattle would be a great place to visit...once in awhile. Then get the hell out of there. Could see that being a weekend thing.

Might buy a condo out there around Poulsbo in eight years or so, but lots will happen between then and now so it's an up-in-the-air plan. There are major upsides for the future living around here, mainly our abundance of water. Maybe there, plus somewhere in Venice FL, do the snowbird thing: split this place November first, and come back May first. Live a minimalist Studio-lifestyle in both places, I don't need much space it turns out. Just a thought. And Poulsbo is definitely kicked back with some great views.

This is pretty good, for a thinking-out-loud plan, though I wouldn't choose FL for an alt location . But I suppose it's affordable, compared to CA. AZ, as you probably know, is popular with some Seattle-ites & NW people, especially Tucson, which is cheaper than the Phx area, but IMO AZ is BO-ringggg!

So, whatever. What I'm thinking, along with some friends wanting to move back to the NW, is not to "snowbird", but to "smoke-bird"; have an alternative location for the late summer/early fall fire season. And btw, the days really aren't hardly noticeably longer in the southern parts of the US, than in Seattle winters. South FL may be an exception, since it's further south than SoCal, AZ, NM, etc. But there's hurricane risk, there.