Move to Washington ? (Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma: sales, how much, hotel)

[jojo7]

Originally Posted by tallguy250

My wife and I are also considering moving to Washington, possibly the Bellingham/Sudden Valley area - probably for similar reasons, although in our case it would be for retirement. My question to other ex-patriot Californians is how do you stand the winters there? We live in the San Bernardino mountains above 6000 feet and are used to storms dumping 1-3 feet of snow, followed by a couple of weeks of clear days until the next storm. MY understanding of winter in western Washington is day after day of dreary, endless overcast and light to moderate rain. I have no problem moving snow - what do you do about all the rain?

I have been doing some research on Bellingham/Sudden Valley area since I want to buy a vacation/future retirement home and it looks beautiful with everything a retiree or family could want in an area. I plan on spending the summer weekends there and maybe an occasional overnight trip in the spring and fall. I just wanted to mention to you one fact I did learn about Sudden Valley is that is rains more there than it does in down town Bellingham. I talk with a local from Sudden Valley on this forum and she did confirm that to be true but the summers are the same as Seattle, sunny and dry. She also said that even though it does rain more in Sudden Valley than in down town Bellingham, she loves it. If CMKM-Miller is looking for a safe neighborhood, reasonably priced home and great schools, Sudden Valley would be a great choice. Very family friendly with pool, golf, marina, tennis, small beach, play ground, community center and they do plan events throughout the year. Apparently the kids go to the Geneva Neighborhood school which is suppose to be the best school district in Bellingham. It definitely has a lot to offer (all ages) which is why we are going to considerate it as a place for us to purchase.

[ArcticPhoenix]

Originally Posted by CMKM-Miller

My wife and I are considering a move to Washington. We have two young daughters and want to get out of California for numerous reasons. We currently live in Sacramento. Given my career path, I would be looking for either a job with the State or county gov't. My wife works in Communications/Marketing but could venture out. We've both been to Seattle numerous times and absolutely love it. I fear though, we may be priced out of Seattle. One state job I've looked at has a pay range of $3300-$4250/month. Given what we make in California, I currently make roughly 20% more than my wife. My question is, could a young family of 4 survive in Washington on this income with the typical bills (mortgage, insurance, childcare, food, etc). We currently own our home in California and may be able to put 10% on a home in Washington. If we are priced out of Seattle as I fear, what areas are similar. I had seen Vancouver, Longview, Olympia region, Tacoma, Bellingham, Mount Vernon, and Aberdeen on the map but didn't know much about these places. We wouldn't want to move to Eastern Washington as that region seems to dry and warm for our liking. If we're going to move, we don't want the same type of climate. Any advice and answers would be great.

Try the Olympia area.

As far as pay goes, keep something in mind that I don't think anyone else here has mentioned. Washington State has no state income tax. California, on the other hand, has a high state income tax. If you got a job for the same gross pay in Washington as you have in California, your take home pay will actually increase by about 8%. Same goes for your wife.

But I would try the Olympia area if you're wanting a government job.

However, I would caution against moving to Washington if you don't LOVE rain, drizzle, and clouds. Sure, it's one thing to say "You know, it's hot and sunny here all the time, I sure do wish we could see rain once in a while", but it's another thing to actually live in a place where the winters are 9 months long and soaking wet.

That said, most Washingtonians love it here. The state is beautiful, clean, and quite livable, and while I still don't love the winters here (I live in the Spokane area, though and we get a lot of snow here), I enjoy the state. It's quite diverse and I love that there is no state income tax. Property taxes, however, are killer here, and the combination of property taxes and high housing costs are one reason why I don't own my own home... yet.

Have you thought about other areas than just Western Washington, or are you dead set on Washington?

[CMKM-Miller]

My wife and I have also considered Williamette Valley in Oregon. I've taken into consideration the no state income tax. One thing I've put a question into the State on is if they contribute to both Washington PERS and Social Security. If it's only PERS, then there is more money I would be saving by not having a SS contribution.

Maybe someone on the boards can answer that question.

Before I had my current job with a Ca county, we only contributed to PERS for retirement. When I went to the state for work, although my gross is the same, my take home is about $300 less a month. Property taxes are roughly 1%, right ?

I can't imagine the weather bothering us. I love foggy cool mornings and evenings, cloudy weather in general, and the rain. I grew up in SOnoma Co in California. We've been to Washington on 3 seperate occasions and love it.

[onebobkat]

Seattle is very expensive, you might try Lakewood or Puyallup area.

And contrary to everyones belief the weather here is great!! Where else can you live with like 340 days a year being between 40 and 75. We have just a handful of to cold and to hot days.

We have beautiful Indian summers, wonderful springs..and it is beautiful here.

That 24/7 rain stuff is just to keep everyone from moving here.

I was born and raised here, I love the weather, when you compair with 4 feet of snow and the like..this is paradise

[jojo7]

Originally Posted by onebobkat

Seattle is very expensive, you might try Lakewood or Puyallup area.

And contrary to everyones belief the weather here is great!! Where else can you live with like 340 days a year being between 40 and 75. We have just a handful of to cold and to hot days.

We have beautiful Indian summers, wonderful springs..and it is beautiful here.

That 24/7 rain stuff is just to keep everyone from moving here.

I was born and raised here, I love the weather, when you compair with 4 feet of snow and the like..this is paradise

I couldn't agree more! I am from the east coast with hot/humid summers and freezing/snowy winters with almost no spring or fall. Rainy winters in WA are "no big deal" because I know summer will soon follow and summers are like paradise in the PNW.

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by tallguy250

My wife and I are also considering moving to Washington, possibly the Bellingham/Sudden Valley area - probably for similar reasons, although in our case it would be for retirement. My question to other ex-patriot Californians is how do you stand the winters there? We live in the San Bernardino mountains above 6000 feet and are used to storms dumping 1-3 feet of snow, followed by a couple of weeks of clear days until the next storm. MY understanding of winter in western Washington is day after day of dreary, endless overcast and light to moderate rain. I have no problem moving snow - what do you do about all the rain?

.

Bellingham is indeed cloudy a good deal of the time. But that's why you can have Rhododendrons at 49N. That cloud cover and those Pacific breezes raise the average temps by about 30F over what you'd expect at that latitude.
It truly does not rain that much (total precip), but it does sprinkle often. But, again, you're not going to have 200' Douglas Firs in an arid area. Excellent outdoor resources are the main draw for the area, I believe.

[tallguy250]

Allforcats
Great idea! We will winter in California (where we have real winters) and summer in Washington. Actually, I have uttered similar thoughts while watching "flatlanders" skid and flounder around in their 2-wheel drive cars on our lovely snow and ice encrusted roads while we locals drive merrily by in our properly-equipped 4-wheel drive vehicles.

Personally, I don't think I would have a problem with the weather. As long as I have cable, DSL and plenty of beer I'm a fairly easily satisfied guy.

[tallguy250]

Sudden Valley certainly looks like paradise and some of the home price are unbelieveable, based upon California real estate. Our main complaint about the mountains in which we currently live is that no matter which way you look out the window, there is a house right next door. We woul love to find something, maybe on a full acre, where there might be a neighbor down the road, but not right next door. Some of the lots in Sudden Valley do have green belts on one or two sides, so that could be trade-off.

One thing that is a major plus with mountain living is that we have become much closer friends with our mountain neighbors of four years than with our "down-the-hill" neighbors of 20-plus years. Up here we depend upon each other for helping with stuck-in-the-snow cars and clearing each others driveways.

[West coast at heart]

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

Try the Olympia area.

As far as pay goes, keep something in mind that I don't think anyone else here has mentioned. Washington State has no state income tax. California, on the other hand, has a high state income tax. If you got a job for the same gross pay in Washington as you have in California, your take home pay will actually increase by about 8%. Same goes for your wife.

But I would try the Olympia area if you're wanting a government job.

However, I would caution against moving to Washington if you don't LOVE rain, drizzle, and clouds. Sure, it's one thing to say "You know, it's hot and sunny here all the time, I sure do wish we could see rain once in a while", but it's another thing to actually live in a place where the winters are 9 months long and soaking wet.

That said, most Washingtonians love it here. The state is beautiful, clean, and quite livable, and while I still don't love the winters here (I live in the Spokane area, though and we get a lot of snow here), I enjoy the state. It's quite diverse and I love that there is no state income tax. Property taxes, however, are killer here, and the combination of property taxes and high housing costs are one reason why I don't own my own home... yet.

Have you thought about other areas than just Western Washington, or are you dead set on Washington?

Hello everyone. I was wondering if the no income tax, does that mean my take home pay would be higher? Or are there other "taxes" that make up for that?
My wife and I are looking into Mt Vernon area for our move next summer. I am trying to gather as much info before our move.
Thanks,
wc@h

[Ira500]

west Coast at heart,
Yes, your take home pay would be higher. But so would your rent or mortgage payments, and gasoline in the Seattle area is one of the highest in the country, outside of Cal and Hawaii.