Thinking of moving to Western Washington State (Seattle, Vancouver: to rent, insurance)

[illinichick357]

My husband and I are considering a move in a couple of years. We have done a lot of research and have decided that the only other part of the country we might even like to live in is near the Northwest Coast, either Western Washington or Oregon. We would like to consider somewhere near the Olympic Penn, as we love the outdoors (even in the rain and cold) and would like to have those activities such as hiking, boating, etc to do with our daughter. (Right now we live in Southern Illinois with the Shawnee National Forrest close by, but are pretty isolated to much of anything else)

We would prefer a smaller town, less than 25,000, but with decent schools and lower crime. But of course cost of living and jobs are a big concern. The cost of living is nearly a crime here(compared to what the rest of the country seems to have to deal with), we bought our house for less than $45,000 three years ago, and it's a great house with a basement. My husband would prefer to work in warehousing and I don't really care what I do, as long as it's a job, I don't want to do anything close to what I'm doing now(I'm a counselor in a rural health clinic). Some commute wouldn't be awful, you have to drive 30 min here to get to a grocery store, and an hour or longer to get to a mall. We drive 3 hours to take our daughter to the doctor three times a month in St. Louis. We would also prefer to rent something with no lawn care rather than buy. Right now we are researching Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend, and Bellingham. Bellingham sounds great but I'd like to be on the Western side of Seattle.

What are your opinions of the area in regards to those things?

[LMB]

Illinichick, we are also from downstate Illinois, and now live west of Seattle (on North Kitsap Peninsula). Of the towns you mentioned, Port Angeles or Bellingham would probably be the better fit given your interests and needs, but you should definitely visit and check out other towns in this area. There are so many choices and all have advantages and disadvantages, depending on individual wants. The outdoor activities you mentioned wanting to be close to are available throughout the entire western WA region (OR too), so wherever you decide to land you will be near water, mountains, forests, etc. In addition to Bellingham and Port Angeles, be sure and check out Olympia, as well as Anacortes and Mount Vernon.

My husband & I originally chose Kitsap Peninsula because we wanted to be fairly close to Seattle where much of our family resides, yet live in a quieter, less populated area, but surprisingly (to us) we find ourselves driving over to the Olympic Peninsula nearly as often as we go into Seattle. We love living here "in the middle" as it's so convenient to both.

Good luck with your search. You've come to the right place! The posters on this forum are very knowledgeable and helpful.

Lynn

[StealthRabbit]

I'd give Lyden / Ferndale a look. (especially if your Daughter is of school age, and her social contacts are important). As nice as Port Angeles is... we have friends who encountered very tough 'lifelong' issues with their kids when they moved there. Socially there are some 'quirky' places in the PNW, often in previous 'logging' strongholds. Seems to be a different culture, and far polar from the more conservative Farming types. (which I prefer). There are often accentuated alcohol / meth / petty crime / teen pregnancy / family violence issues. More work for "rural health clinic", but according to my friends in the business... much more painful counseling / health situations. They recently said that some of the major 'cases' in an ag based poor region, wouldn't even be a blimp on the radar in a rural logging region.

I think the NW WA economy (near Bellingham) will be more resilient for jobs / wages / quality of life going forward in the 'new economy' (JMHO), your mileage may vary. (BC camping can't be beat)

The sea Kayaking around Bellingham, and the Gulf Islands Is SUPERB. The Strait (Port Angeles) can be really rough, as many a CoHo passenger will attest.

[illinichick357]

Thanks for your replies. A friend of mine that lives in Seattle thinks Olympia is a little "icky" (his word not mine). I don't know anything about it, but we will look into the other towns you mentioned. We are also looking at Portland, OR. But right now are pretty much decided that we want to visit Port Angeles or Sequim the most.

Our daughter is young, she will be about Jr. High age by the time we move. I think that kids can encounter tough issues wherever you live. We live in the weirdness hole of Illinois. The meth problem here is one of the worst in the country, makes sense since the primary industry in downstate Illinois is farming. We actually moved from our home in the deep country to the county seat three years ago because of the meth problem, not that it made much difference. And looking at crime statistics online, our crime rate makes some of your areas look like nothing. In the last month we have had two murders, multiple suicides, 30 or so robberies/break ins, 2 car thefts, and more traffic accidents due to drinking/drugs than I can count, and rape, sexual assault, and child endangerment is so common that most of the residents here have became desensitized to it. Counseling here is a nightmare, it's an extremely depressed region where half the population is out of work, lost insurance, loosing unemployment, and barely feeding their families. It's hard to see everyday. (btw, our town has a population of 5500, so that crime rate is staggering considering)

I've never been in a kayak, but I've always wanted to. That is one of the first things I thought of, so I'm glad you brought it up. I'll keep that in mind.

You both gave us things to think about and again I really appreciate your responses.

[StealthRabbit]

If Portland is still on your radar, add 9% income tax, and the potential expense of private school.

You might add Camas, WA to your list of WA inquiries. It is 1.5 hrs to OR coast (Very nice), 1 hr to Skiing and 20 min to Columbia Gorge (Spectacular hiking / scenery). 10 min to Columbia River. Decent canoe, kayak, sailing, and power boat options. Fishing is right in town and nearby. A big benefit is 10 min to NICE small and well served airport (PDX), and 20 - 30 min to Portland culture (+ many, many higher ed options). Jr College is 20 min away in Vancouver (I know lots of Camas kids who did/do 'Running Start' program.) Camas has a pretty decent social culture, and not the meth issues of nearby Skamania County.

If your daughter is in the performing arts, these are impressive local options.
http://www.cytvanport.org/
http://www.metroyouthsymphony.org/

[bigolwoody]

If you love the wet and cold,then this place is for you.I have lived in both Olympia and Shelton and I don`t think I would want to raise children there.Check out Squimm(I have bad spelling)It only gets about half the rainfall and more sunshine and its close to all the great outdoor spots.Check out Columbia river gorge,its still one of the most beautiful areas in the whole country,hiking,skiing,backpacking,waterfalls,fishi ng,history,it has it all.Go in summer or early fall and its very colorful and impressive.Camas was mentioned above and its a nice suburb but its expensive and starting to get a bit crowded and I believe unemployment for clark county might be around 11% ?Good Luck with your visit and move.

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by janb

Socially there are some 'quirky' places in the PNW, often in previous 'logging' strongholds. Seems to be a different culture...There are often accentuated alcohol / meth / petty crime / teen pregnancy / family violence issues...some of the major 'cases' in an ag based poor region, wouldn't even be a blimp on the radar in a rural logging region....

Loggers are a wild bunch alright, some think they are a lower species, closer to apes, which is why they like to work in the woods and climb trees. I once wrote a book about the subject called "The Hoquiam Chainsaw Massacre", but some guy in Texas stole my manuscript. But that's a story for another time, in the meantime I think I'll get drunk, shoot some meth, beat my wife, burglarize my neighbor, and impregnate my teen aged daughter.

[Ira500]

I think I'll get drunk, shoot some meth, beat my wife, burglarize my neighbor, and impregnate my teen aged daughter.

But please don't burn down the trailer.

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by Ira500

But please don't burn down the trailer.

Trailer's already burnt down.
I tried to tell my old lady that cooking meth was a man's job, but she wouldn't listen.

We're staying in the back of an abandoned furniture store.
Come on down, there's plenty of room.
There are lots of these places around.
They have convenient central locations and the rent is free.

[Ira500]

Talk about outsourcing, you can't even make a living anymore:

Mexican 'Ice' Replaces Home-Cooked Meth in U.S. : NPR