Gig Harbor.

[mthomson]

You may be interested in seeing some photos of Gig Harbor at the Gig Harbor, WA group page on Flickr! (http://www.flickr.com/groups/660491@N21/ - broken link)

[Vykki04]

Originally Posted by allforcats

What are your reservations?

Well, everyone I talk to tells me the same thing. "You're gonna hate the rain". As of right now, I LOVE the rain! But people have the misconception (I'm realizing this through these forums) that Washington rains the same way it rains here, but ALL the time.

[hotshawt]

I agree with allforcats......but my two cents worth. Since you are from Kern County, you experience rain much like I did in the Phoenix area. Doesn't rain that much, but when it does, it comes down in torrents. Driving here in the rain is much easier than driving in the desert in the rain. Since it is more frequent, there is not so much time for the oil and tire rubber build up. I personally don't think it is as slick as Arizona. Rarely does it rain as hard here as in Az. With most of the rain coming Nov-May, the days are shorter. And here on the Kitsap peninsula, not all streets are lighted. Country driving, short days and rain can take some getting used to. As for snow.....thankfully, it doesn't do so too much. I still need a LOT of practice at that. Usually I just stay home til it melts. You couldn't get me to move back to Arizona for anything. I even keep a hammer in my golf bag to drive my tee in the ground on a sunny day (40 degrees) in February when the ground is frozen.

[cabocurtis]

I have spent time in dryer climates and most of my life have lived in different parts of Washington. Currently we have a vacation cabin near Gig Harbor and live in Seattle. The climate is definitely cooler than your area but you benefit from unbelievable low humidity summers and cool nights. The freezes and snow are rare. I have played golf in cool dry days in February and been rained out in June but generally the weather is pretty consistent season to season. This year to date rain is less than 17 inches total about 4 inches off the normal. Most houses have no need for air conditioning and heaters are really needed at night for about 4 months out of the year. The global warming predictions for the northwest to be slightly drier and warmer winters. For what you describe I think Gig Harbor and Bainbridge are close as schools are both excellent. Gig Harbor is adding retail and a full fledged hospital and an easy jaunt to ruston way across the bridge for restaurants and point defiance park. Also I would give an edge to Gig Harbor for having more space, easy non commute traffic to the airport and other parts of the state with the new bridge to Tacoma. If you really are dependent on a Seattle job the Bainbridge would likely be more appealing with the ferry commute easier than driving. You can take a train daily from Tacoma to Seattle via Sound Transit but that is about an hour each way. Good luck on your decision.