Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Helloooooo....
My husband and I are considering a move to Olympia from Ft Collins, CO.
We're looking for some opinions from those of you who live there or who have in the past. (We are in our early 30's and are planning to start a family soon if that helps).
We're ready to bust out of Ft Collins for the following reasons:
*It is SOOOOO roasting HOT there that it's almost too miserable to go outside and have any fun in the summer. It's a lot like living in a desert!
*Traffic is really becoming congested, and people here tend to brake all the way down the interstate for no apparent reason - even when there isn't anything or anyone in front of them!
*Job opps for me are pretty much nill unless I want to commute 2 hours a day. (I'm a writer and want to work for a publication or publishing company).
*People (in our experience) have been really flaky. we've both lived in other states and neither of us have ever had problems making friends until we moved here. (example - people will call us and make specific plans to meet up w/ us...then just won't show up or call. Next time we see them, they act like nothing ever happened and they invite us out again....the process repeats itself. We've had this experience with various people...and that seems to be the attitude around here in general.)
Anyway - here are our q's.
(I know - the never-ending "rain" question)...We LOVE rain, but have never lived somewhere where it rains pretty much continously. Does this tend to get depressing, or do you get used to it? Do locals tend to "hibernate" during the really rainy periods, or do they still go out?
Are people friendly & un-flaky? Is it easy to make friends?
Can you recommend any good gyms/churches in the area?
Are there any job opps in the area for writers? My husband works in the construction/engineering industry. He also used to be a commercial diver. Any opps for that industry?
I read somewhere that there are charter flights to Cali for a nominal price?? Any truth to this? Are the beaches w/in driving distance the type of beaches you can actually swim at during the summer??
How does the area compare to OR if you've lived there too?
Thanks if you read all the way thru this. Any suggestions or opinions at all are appreciated....take care!
Just returned from visiting friends in Olympia. I think it is a great area for families. My friend is a stay at home Mom and she says she is very socially busy with tons of play-dates, having coffee with other Moms. I think it would be a great place to live. It rained one of the days we were there and it was still very pleasant. My friends live in a Northwest Contemporary style house which has loads of windows and vaulted ceilings, which brings in a lot of light....even when it is gray out. I think that having a light filled house is important for it not to feel dreary. Let me know if you have any other questions I might be able to answer.
I think that having a light filled house is important for it not to feel dreary.
You are so right! This is very important. Many houses are either in the trees or with low cielings and situated so not much light gets in during winter. Don't underestimate the effect this can have... (I'm speaking from experience).
You are so right! This is very important. Many houses are either in the trees or with low cielings and situated so not much light gets in during winter. Don't underestimate the effect this can have... (I'm speaking from experience).
Here's a great Northwest contemporary style home we saw this weekend (on a gray-rainy day) and it did not feel dreary at all.
DON'T DO IT!!!!!!
We moved to Olympia from So. California last August. We too were looking for a change of lifestyle, one that would take us away from a high drug and crime rates, hot-smoggy-suffocating summers, ugly-snotty people, and over-priced housing and utilites (july electric bill was over $700 for a 1500sqf home and not a peak month for summer). When we drove up last year we were thought we were in heaven!! The weather was nice......it was in the 90's but there was a breeze, unlike the hot smoggy over 100 degrees we were used to. The scenery was beautiful......I could go on and on about how absolutely gorgeous it was. We thought.....We are going to be so happy here and our kids were going to thrive!! We couldn't wait for the rain, we never got rain where we came from. WRONG!!!! Within a couple of months the rain started in and it was fine for awhile. I have two children, a 7 year old and a 2 year old. My 7 year old was miserable. She was used to playing outside everyday and soaking up the sun. It was virtually impossible for her to get any exercise or even go out to play. Even school was awful, many inside rainy day recesses. By the time March came it was still raining daily and we couldn't wait for spring. Spring finally came in late June, still raining nearly daily and there was no sign of Mr. Sun. It was really depressing. We had all put on weight (nearly 20 pounds each for me and my husband.) We decided this was INSANE!!!! We started doing like everyone else, walking in the rain. It sucks!! We are now into summer and I can honestly say we didn't have a summer. We had a couple days of gorgeous warm weather days but not enough to satisfy your mind and spirit. It has literally rained these last two months off and on. Our family came to visit the middle of July for a week. It rained 2 days before they got here, the entire week they were here, and continued for another 3 days after they left. Needless to say we did zilch!!!!! It is the end of August, making it a full year since we've lived here and we are ready to pack up and go. We need more balance in the weather department. Our kids need not to be couped up for 9 months out of the year. The statistics here show that children are more likely to become obese and have learning disablilities due to all the boredom eating and television they fry their brains on. So, if your loaded in the financial department and can afford to take your kids to Chuck E Cheese everyday to play or can affort to build them a huge gym attached to your home, go for it!!!! I recommend that keep researching. Besides, there is lots of mold issues here.
Beaches suck too. About 100 miles from here and it is never warm enough to swim in and you'd never in a million years dream of lying that type of beach sand. Sorry to sound so negative, but if you weren't born and raised here, you'll hate it!!!!!
Hope this helps.
I am rereading your post and want to respond to your other "q's".
Drivers here are a nuisance too. They are not the brightest or most aware drivers you'll ever see. There are a lot of "hoopties" or a really old rusted out cars that have alot of mechanical issues like faulty electrical causing break lights not to work on the road also.
People here are friendly but alot of Liberals. Sometimes far too liberal for younger generations. Lots of protests take place around the Capitol building. Issues we have had to sheild our kids from, the gay marriage protest, the hemp fest this last weekend, and lots of anti-war demonstrations with inappropriate signs and slogans. I believe in freedom of speech and agree and disagree with lots of worldly issues, but some images and slogans are damaging for our younger generation.
We still have not found a church we are comfortable in. Lots of stiff collared churches to choose from in all denominations. Our family has still not found a modern, uplifting, family-oriented church that has plenty of activities or is fun. But we have faith and come to believe that we have to continue our walk with him even if the church isn't custom fitted to our liking. We have always attended a Baptist church before moving here and currently we have been going between two pentecostal churches. Evergreen Christian Community Church and Faith Assembly in Lacey. Evergreen has a fabulous Women's bible study, the ages are mostly in the upper 20's to Mid 30's with a mixture of all other ages. I love this group of women. Alot of the women in the studies don't even belong to this church, they come from churches all over the city, I love that about this group, christians coming together. You'll be sure to make a friend or two or three!! We did visit Westwood Baptist, it is very nice and the people and programs are fabulous....the pastor is just not our style.....that is us though, may work for you, I don't know what your beliefs are.
Jobs should not be a problem. Tacoma is approximately 22 miles away and Seattle is approximately 56 miles away. Not bad.
I know nothing about charter flights.
Plenty of gyms, lots of gyms.
Military bases, Fort Lewis and McChord are about 15 to 20 miles away.
Okay shopping. A mall with a Gap, Gymboree, Children's place, Amer. Eagle, JCPenney, Sears, Target, Wal Mart, K Mart, Old Navy, World Market, Costco, Kohl's, Ross, Marshall's, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.
People here seem to be "Simple". They take "okay" care of their homes, the cars most people drive are not newer....they are mostly in good running order, lots of liberals especially down town, some homeless, lots of kids and young adults here can be seen dressing strangly......punk rockers, purple, pink, blue hair, lots of piercings, crazy clothes and hair styles, hippies, etc.
As for OR. Never lived there, but a friend of mine in his early 40's lived in Astoria all his life until this past year, says it is very similar to WA.
Hope this helps. I'm sure I will get blasted by Olympians or born and raised Washingtonians for writing all this. But, sorry, IT IS TRUE!!!!
Gee, the other day a friend and I were commenting on how much we've enjoyed the rainy summer. Seems more normal and comfortable to us than the usual three months of heat and drought!
And please do keep it up with the Washington bashing. We need to discourage more people from moving here .
Quote:
Originally Posted by btrainbolt
Hope this helps. I'm sure I will get blasted by Olympians or born and raised Washingtonians for writing all this. But, sorry, IT IS TRUE!!!!
I personally would find it preferable for children to play outside in mist and light rain than the smog and intense heat and sunshine that we have in LA. I think it WOULD be very difficult to live in WA's climate if you decided the kids couldn't play outside during the winter. As a kid we lived in NorCal and played outside all the time in cold, misty, rainy weather....even camped in it. If the kids have the proper attire I don't really see what the problem is. ????
Hi, I like Olympia and the western counties...You might consider Shelton..I understand it's a bit warmer and sunnier there, and only a short drive south to Olympia. We are in Elma, about 30 miles west of Oly and its a short hop to Oly to shop. They have everything we are looking for there... Find a house with skylights and use lots of lighting and keep busy...Kids thrive anywhere. We are also from SoCal and our boys are adults now, still in Nor Cal and this is a good spot for us. Another plus, from Shelton it's a short drive to Bremerton, hop the ferry and in an hour you are in Seattle near pike market, the stadiums, everything. And don't forget the latte's and breve's! And I never tire of the trees!!!
Good Luck, you might try renting first so you get a good idea of the areas you want. My cousin and husband live in SW Oly, off Littlerock and around 83rd...just south of Costco and Fred Meyer. They have a few acres, its like country in the city. It's very nice. Montesano and Elma are very nice, also..many live here and commute to Olympia. Oh and don't forget the farmers market at the Olympia Port Thurs - Sun...you can't beat fresh washington fruit and veggies...and the berries..yum! You should give it a try anyway!
I have mixed views about WA. I have lived in many places, having moved around so much in the military. I've been here 2.5 years and I'm ready to leave. I live in between Tacoma and Olympia. Tacoma is very crime-ridden and I found Olympia to be "depressing." Summer really doesn't come around until July and the rain starts up again in late Sept/early Oct. As the previous poster said, we've hardly had a summer this year. Your friends visited on one of the very few nice days we had here. The constant rain/drizzle for months on end is ridiculous. I mean, honestly, how much can you do outside in that sort of weather? I grew up in Chicago where we had some pretty nasty winters with snow and the slate gray sky. Yes we played in the snow but we still had sun. Storms would dump and blow over. Here they stall and stay. Just remember that. It is a steady, mist, drizzle type of blanket.
Drivers here are very wreckless. Lots of running red lights, tail-riding etc. I remember visiting Texas this past summer and pulling off to the side of the road to take pictures of some wildflowers. At least 4 different drivers pulled over to see if I was "okay" and if I needed help. That would NOT happen here.
I find people here to be insular and cliquish, even at church and social groups. It is hard to break in.
I love the mountains and the hiking here and get away when I can. Again, I"ve done it when the weather doesn't look that nice becasue your only other option is staying inside. There are some things aside from hiking I love about WA. Where else can you simply walk around and pick blackberries? The fresh fruit and flowers are awesome. Lavander and other beauties in front yards. Beautiful trees. The weather is nice closer to the Cascades but then you have the heat. It isn't for everyone. Of course you have alot more diversity here. Olympia is very liberal. If you are not prepared for that or can't deal with it, I wouldn't even bother. And be prepared to be slapped up against your neighbor in the housing dept.
To me the con's outweigh the pros, which is why I am planning on leaving. If you don't like it you can always move again. I would take some time to visit up here if I were you. I'd take at least a week during the winter and spend some time knocking around Olympia and get a taste for it. Then decide. I would not move here in the blind.
Cobolt
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. 
