Snow in Western Washington? (Seattle, Spokane: employment, buy, schools)

[Niack]

Hi there!

I have lived in Washington my whole life in spanaway area. I love snow, but in Spanaway we do not get enough snow for my liking. I was wondering if there is any place in Washington that has quite a lot of anual snow. I do not wish to move out of Washington, so i am hoping that I can find a snowy town/city here. I understand it snows a lot in Eastern Washington, but that is too hot for me and brown. Is Baring or Index a good choice? I want a place where it snows so much it gets annoying. Thanks for everyones help!

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by Niack

I want a place where it snows so much it gets annoying.

I love you!!!! I love snow too!!
According to this past winter's reports on the local 5:00 news, any place near a pass, in a pass, or at 1,000 ft was able to get really annoying snow!!! Hahahahaha!!
I think, Niack, it depends on the elevation. In my 20 years here, that's been my conclusion. Maybe you could grab a topographical map and figure out how you could work and still live at elevation? Cle Elum and Roslyn come to mind as my favorite snow-laden places, but there's little else there besides farms and profound beauty. So how would you manage work?

[Niack]

Thanks for the help! It is so depressing for a snow lover to live in a place like Spanaway. This past year only like 1/2 day of snow and no snow closures! Makes me want to cry! That is true about Cle Elum and such. I was hoping for a city/town in Western Washington, where more jobs are.

[allforcats]

Well actually, in Bellevue, Redmond, even more in Issaquah there's snow almost every year. Not a heck of a lot, but there are also lots of jobs, esp in Bellevue/Redmond.
How about working in Seattle/Bothell/Redmond, and driving up to Arlington on the weekends? This year, because it snowed for so long and so late, everything was closed up in Carnation in April!

[Ira500]

North Bend gets more snow that Spanaway or Seattle, and certainly Index would.

[ochoco]

Originally Posted by Niack

I want a place where it snows so much it gets annoying.

LEAVENWORTH!!! Snows so much I left! Average 90 inches per year. Usually has significant snow depth by Thanksgiving and usually lasts into March.

[PNW Proud]

Any place with high elevation and you're at home!

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by Niack

I want a place where it snows so much it gets annoying.

You're probably not going to find anyplace like that in western WA, the settled area is just to low. There are plenty of places that get snow every winter, but unless you consider a few times a year that still melts off in a couple of days annoying, I don't think you'll find it.

Anywhere in the foothills above about 800 feet will get snow several times a year, but it's not going to stick around very long at those elevations. We're at about 850 feet and got several inches of snow several times, but other than that really long cold spell in February it never lasts more than a couple of days.

Go to index. wa - Google Maps and click the Terrain button, you'll be able to see the elevations there. Index and Baring are in the bottom of the valley, around 800-1000 feet. You'll see plenty of snow up in the mountains but they aren't going to get a lot that sticks very long in town. Even so, it would be a lot more beautiful place to live than Spanaway.

[springshades]

A good chunk of Eastern WA is brown for much of the year, but you might want to visit the Spokane area at some point. It's not like the more desert climate of the center of the state. They get something like 25-30 inches of precipitation a year (not a whole lot less than Seattle), and about 4 feet of snow per year. It does get fairly hot compared to Western WA, but it's quite green there.

Also, even small differences in elevation make a pretty big difference. The hills in and above Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Puyallup, etc all get noticeably more snow than their respective valleys. Bellingham is another spot that tends to get more than the average for the state.


If you just want to SEE snow, then from Spanaway take highway 7 (Mountain Highway) partway towards the park. You're not that far from places like Ashford that get a bit more snow. Buy a season pass to the park, and you can just keep driving until you see white.

[Pawsnfur]

Originally Posted by ochoco

LEAVENWORTH!!! Snows so much I left! Average 90 inches per year. Usually has significant snow depth by Thanksgiving and usually lasts into March.

I want to relocate to Washington State. I would like to find a small town where is snows, has a change of color on the trees, and decent summers. I also need to be sort of near a town large enough to offer employment for my husband ( no more than an hour away). Property would be prefered, we have four kids and pets, horses would add to this dream. Great schools are a plus. ???? Please feel free to refer me to other open forums for info, thanks. I've got to get out of this humid place they call Florida.

-Apryl