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Dendrite,
I never thought about the paint issues with all the rain. Good Point!
I am just looking for a small town for a new start. I realize that I may not stay in Aberdeen. Home is what one makes of it. It is also what you want. Here in TX we have a lot of HOA's. Actually, I think that is all that is being made. With HOA's you have to have permision to do anything to the outside of your house. Sure, drive through and they look nice, but you lose character with the homes, since you only have 3-4 models to choose from.
I have a friend that live in a HOA and once when he first started his business, he was so tired...he went to the wrong house on the next street over thinking it was his! It took him a few moments trying to unlock the door to realize that it was the wrong home. He also tried to plant a tree in his backyard and the HOA made him take it out because it was not on the list of "acceptable" trees."
The reason many people have a bad impression of Aberdeen/Hoquiam is that the only route through town is Hwy101 which runs through the oldest and most run down parts of town, much of which is also on the flood plain.
It also runs through downtown of both towns which have an abundance of old, dilapidated and vacant buildings. Unless you live here or have reason to venture off the beaten path that's all you will see of the area.
As far as work, the only viable industry is medicine. There is a large retired population in the beach towns with no medical facilities so they all come to Aberdeen.
However, the hospital in Aberdeen is known as "The Slaughterhouse" so for any serious or involved medical procedures, Olympia is the nearest resource.
While many doctors, lawyers, and "original families" do live in the "mansions on the hill", many well paid professionals commute from several of the towns to the East where, until recently, new development has been running rampant.
You mentioned earlier in this thread that you were looking for employment in nursing. I don't know anything about the hospital in Aberdeen, nor the other facilities in Grays Harbor that might be looking to hire a nurse (SNF etc.)
I would hazard a guess that living in Texas and living in Aberdeen would be as different as night and day- at least the parts of Texas I've visited (dry desert like vs. wet, damp, green). For instance, my wife and I travel back and forth between our homes in the high desert of SW Idaho and the Olympic peninsula. Even when the outside temps are the same at each location, I still seem to feel cold the first few days I'm in WA (even in the summer!) until I adjust to the humidity difference.
Have you ever visited western WA? If you're seriously considering Aberdeen (or Bellingham, or...) as a place to live, might I suggest that you book a hotel in town for a couple of weeks this month (Dec) or next month in January. Come, wander around, try it on for size. See what you think. You could also check out the rental house offerings and actually see what your budget would "buy" in this neck of the woods. Stop in to the hospital, chat with the nurses there (you'll find them friendly!) and hear it "straight from the horses mouth" how people in your field like working at the Aberdeen hospital.
Why come for a visit this time of the year? Dec and Jan tend (traditionally) to be the grayest and rainiest months on the peninsula, and if you can handle it in January without growing mold () or having a case of SAD kick in, you'll likey do fine the rest of the year. Although so far this month, the weather has been pretty nice here!
A lot of folks who live in Aberdeen commute to Olympia for work (and shopping and car service and...) as there is a greater diversity of job offerings in the capital city (many times paying better for jobs of a similar nature as well). You'd have to figure in a commute if you did this, which may not work well for a single mom.
Dendrite LOL... yes Tx and Wa are totally different. I was actually born in Auburn, but havent been to WA since I was 13. And even then it was only for summer visits with my dad.
I am home health and CNA and already figured a "commute" for work. Though I have to say, the hour or so trip to Olympia, isnt on my top ten list. I have looked at housing and jobs in Olympia and still, the rent is so high there. My sis points out my wages will be higher...but I am going to guess not right off bat. When I finish school next year I will be an administrator with medical billing..So hopefully will get a better job with better pay and make communting a little easier.
I have no intentions on buying anything right now. I have already checked out rental properties and figured I would spend a couple of weeks in a hotel first. I have a friend in Aberdeen that is going to school that I can use as my eyes and ears.
I have thought of this for a long time. I just want a small town. Of course the hazards of a small town is no jobs.
This has been 3 yrs in the making. So I am quite ready.
I really hope that I like it there.
Thanks for all the input.
Sounds like I made my mind up already. And if it doesnt work out...I always have a place to go to..my sisters.
It is a depressed timber town. No way to get around that. There are a lot of empty storefronts downtown and it does give the place a kind of dilapidated look. And whoever pointed out the effect of the rain, and more to the point, the almost constant wind out of the west on painted surfaces was right on the money! It cracks, it peels, and sometimes it mildews. It is not, at first glance, a pretty place. But that's all surface stuff, and you can find stuff to ***** about anywhere, if you look for it.
At second glance, there are plenty of "pretty" places in Aberdeen, or nearby. There are several nice parks--if your kids are playground age, you're in luck. One of our favorite outings (I'm a single mother of four, most of them mostly grown now) is down by the river--rivers. There is a walkway that runs along part of the Wishkah and along the Chehalis for over a mile. We see both shorebirds and song birds there, and sometimes otters or sea lions playing in the river. We like to start at the Wishkah end of the walkway, meander our way along the river, maybe stop for donuts at the grocery store there (they have an upstairs dining area with the most breathtaking view) and finish up at the playground, which is very nice and only a few years old.
There are other parks & playgrounds, and some neighborhoods are also nice for walking. (Of course, there are a couple of neighborhoods to avoid, too.) If you like beaches, they are a short drive away. Westport has beaches, a marina (play "spot the sealion"), and a museum which shouldn't be missed; Ocean Shores is more touristy but has miles of sandy beach to enjoy and we drive out of the way for Dugan's Pizza there. Go north and the rain forest and Olympic National Park are right up the road.
There is a YMCA, fairly new and with a big pool and a cool waterslide (according to the kids--I don't slide myself). There is Little League baseball and a soccer league. There is a skating rink and a skate park, and even a bowling alley. There is a nice library--it is smallish, but is part of a larger library district so you have access to any book in the system.
The schools are good--maybe not the best school district in the world, but definitely not the worst. I have had kids in elementary school, junior high and high school here and there have been good, caring teachers at all levels. Several of the schools have after school programs (as long as the funding holds out) and there are active bands and even a small but dedicated orchestra program at all 3 levels (starting in 5th grade). There is also a community college here.
You won't see a lot of "big name" music groups come to play out here (except sometimes at the casinos), but the local music scene is pretty busy--as you might expect of the town that gave the world Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. There is an active community theater, also, if your interests lie that way.
We have two Starbucks and quite a few independent latte shops and stands (have to mention that since I have a caffeine habit). One of the independent shops also sells gourmet popcorn. Pretty much everybody is friendly--I can only think of a couple of truly unpleasant people I have encountered here.
There is some crime in the area, but I have never been a victim in the over eight years I have lived here, aside from my house being "egged" a couple of times. My father lived here for almost 18 years and was never a crime victim. He used to leave his car unlocked in the grocery store parking lot and never had anything disappear out of it. I'm not that bold but have been known to leave my door unlocked while running quick errands and have never had problems doing that. We're in a decent but not fancy neighborhood, within walking distance of the high school and one of the elementary schools, a park with playground, and a couple of grocery stores and downtown.
The hospital here has a mixed reputation--though I have never heard it referred to as "The Slaughterhouse!" Personally two of my kids and I have had to make various trips to the emergency room and the care we received was fine. There are people in town who would rather drive all the way to Olympia rather than try to go to the emergency room here--it can get crowded sometimes. My most recent experiences at the hospital involved my father, who died recently of lung cancer. The nurses and technicians and social workers and such were all very nice and very caring. The doctors were more of a mixed bag, especially the emergency room doctors (we made numerous visits to the emergency room). Some of them were exceptional, some of them were forgetable, and at least one of them was a real jerk--but he might have been having a bad day, because on a different visit he was fine. The oncologists were top notch, and that includes the staff at both the main oncology clinic and the radiation clinic as well (the radiation clinic has an angel serving as a nurse on staff). The end-of-life care my father got was caring and compassionate. I won't say the hospital is perfect, but I don't think it deserves the bad reputation it seems to have in some circles.
Anyway, this has been a good place to raise kids. Nice neighborhoods (real small town neighborhoods, not suburban sprawl, either--if there is a HOA anywhere in town I have never heard of it; I despise them, having lived in one before). Decent stable families. Good schools. Activities for kids & grown ups. With my father gone, I am ready for a change, but I don't regret the years we have spent here at all.
Also, I know you said you would rather rent than buy, but I have to say that real estate in town right now is a buyer's market and you might at least consider the option. Prices here are a lot lower than they are in other parts of the state.
SingleMom, if you have any questions about being a single mom in Aberdeen that I somehow managed not to answer, I would be happy to hear from you.
I have always thought the potential for the Aberdeen/Hoquiam/Ocean Shores area was great. Somewhere it all went wrong. In the 1960's, there was an effort to turn Ocean Shores into a great resort area. Never happened. Another thread, perhaps.
But even Aberdeen/Hoquiam seem to be lost in a past era. There is so much potential here. Access to the beach, mild climate, (yes, I know, very cloudy most of the year). And not far from the Pugetroplis if you need the big city. I hope they can turn it around. It really is a desirable part of the NW, but both the private sector and local government must take a more aggressive approach to attracting new business and residents.
I like it just the way it is and I would like it better if the tourists would go elsewhere.
If you think development serves anyone except those who directly profit from it, take a look at California and the Oregon Coast.
I beg to differ. This type of attitude keeps the area from growing, increasing unemployment, and keeping everyone's income down. You compare the Oregon Coast. Frankly, most people are doing a lot better there than in Aberdeen/Hoquiam. However, if yours if the prevailing attitude, then best of luck. You will most likely end up in the same place you are now. If that is what you want, so be it.
Fair enough. I will never challenge that line of thinking. I just think there is so much more potential for your area. But if residents are satisfied with the status quo, that's all well and good.
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) or having a case of SAD kick in, you'll likey do fine the rest of the year. Although so far this month, the weather has been pretty nice here!
