Asian in Port Angeles (Seattle, Kirkland: low income, 2009, for rent)

[ccca]

Hi. We are moving to Port Angeles in November 2009 and would like to know if people there are welcoming to Asians. I have a 3 year old kid and would like to know if there are any good Catholic schools there. We're also looking for a house to rent. Any suggestions for good locations and how much is the typical rent? thanks.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by ccca

Hi. We are moving to Port Angeles in November 2009 and would like to know if people there are welcoming to Asians. I have a 3 year old kid and would like to know if there are any good Catholic schools there. We're also looking for a house to rent. Any suggestions for good locations and how much is the typical rent? thanks.

Good Morning ccca:

The population demographics on the peninsula tends to fairly homogeneous but I think PA is as welcoming as any other small town in NW WA. Depending also on where you're moving from, are you ready for the weather here? (grey winters etc.)

Queen of Angels is the parochial school in town. Here is the URL: HOME_PAGE

Pretty much anywhere in town is a "good" location. You'll be able to tell if it's for you once you actually begin to look for a place to live. Finding a home to rent is typically not the problem, rather finding a job is (depending upon your skill set and job requirements). Off the cuff a typical 3 bd. 2 bath home (ballpark) is going to run about a $1000 a month. You can find older smaller homes for $800 or $900 a month and new construction for $1200 or $1400 a month. At least this will give you a price "range" to think about.

Check out the other threads on the board for more detailed info on Port Angeles.

Hope it helps!

[psprague]

My wife is asian and she came from a country where being a certain type of asian made you a second class citizen. She has never said she has had any negative experiences (of that kind) here in Port Angeles.

[j_k_k]

Yeah, I don't perceive it would be much of an issue. I doubt you'd be stared at nearly as much as if you were black, for example. Most whites in cities of any size in Washington, it seems to me, have had plenty of time to get over seeing Asians as a novelty. It would probably be different in a very small town. Plus, PA has ferry service to Victoria, so it has direct foreign contact on a regular basis. That gets people used to some diversity, which can in turn help non-foreign persons such as yourselves. On top of that, there is a significant Indian community in the region--Lower Elwha, I think. A guy I lived near in college was a Lower Elwha from PA.

[ccca]

Thanks for all your reply. Really appreciate them. Do you know if there are any good furniture stores in PA? I am thinking if i would bring all my stuff to PA rather than buy new sofa, dining table and nice bed in PA. Is it expensive to buy these in PA compared to other states like Seattle? Are there any good shopping place near PA or any outlet stores around the area?

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by ccca

Thanks for all your reply. Really appreciate them. Do you know if there are any good furniture stores in PA? I am thinking if i would bring all my stuff to PA rather than buy new sofa, dining table and nice bed in PA. Is it expensive to buy these in PA compared to other states like Seattle? Are there any good shopping place near PA or any outlet stores around the area?

It will depend upon your definition of "good", which really will be defined by your taste in furniture (Thomas Moser, Ethan Allen vs. WalMart "Private Label") as well as the degree of selection you are looking for.

PA has Angeles Furniture. There is also Bargain Warehouse. (yeah, I know... Bargain Warehouse?!?... ) These are not to be considered recommendations, rather a simple stating of the furniture shopping options in town.

If more selection is desired, you'll likely drive down to the mall in Silverdale. Depending upon the tier of furniture you're after, prices can be similar to those found in Seattle and surrounds. Are you a Costco member? There is the Costco furniture store in Kirkland?

Sequim is (becoming) the "big-box store" town. They have Costco, Home Depot, Pets Mart, WalMart super store with more "brands" popping up on a seemingly daily basis. The Sequim Costco occasionally has furniture, mattresses etc. as well.

If you're able, you may want to bring your current stable of furniture, get settled and then replace specific items as you deem fit.

Good Luck!

[ccca]

Thanks Dendrite. What exactly is the weather right now in PA? Also, if we are coming from San Francisco to PA in November, are there flights direct to William Fairchild airport or do we need to go to Seattle first then take the bus to PA? i don't have a clue as to how we can get there.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by ccca

Thanks Dendrite. What exactly is the weather right now in PA? Also, if we are coming from San Francisco to PA in November, are there flights direct to William Fairchild airport or do we need to go to Seattle first then take the bus to PA? i don't have a clue as to how we can get there.

Well... let's take a look. Right now in PA it's:

Port Angeles Inn, downtown Port Angeles Washington Any of the usual weather sites (AccuWeather etc.) can give you forecasts.

Do you mean for a visit or to stay? Typically one would fly in to SeaTac (SEA). I suppose you could use Kenmore Air ( Kenmore Air | Flying the Pacific Northwest Since 1946 | Welcome to Kenmore Air ) to then fly in a small plane from Boeing Field (not SeaTac) to Wm Fairchild. Fairchild is a small city airport, not really a destination per se.

Option 2 would be to ride the Olympic Bus line ( Olympicbuslines.com ) from SeaTac to PA.

Option 3 would be to rent a car at SeaTac and drive yourself. I think most people coming for a visit would choose the latter.

Enjoy the trip!

[ccca]

Thanks Dendrite. Will definitely check out the best way to get there. By the way, can you let me know which neighborhood is really good ? I am looking at houses for rent around the East side (somewhere in East 5th street). Do you recommend this? I want a good neighborhood for my kid. i want to know which places to avoid which might not be safe as i have read in some forum that some places in PA have high rate of drug abusers. Not sure if this is true so i would really appreciate your thought on this.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by ccca

Thanks Dendrite. Will definitely check out the best way to get there. By the way, can you let me know which neighborhood is really good ? I am looking at houses for rent around the East side (somewhere in East 5th street). Do you recommend this? I want a good neighborhood for my kid. i want to know which places to avoid which might not be safe as i have read in some forum that some places in PA have high rate of drug abusers. Not sure if this is true so i would really appreciate your thought on this.

There really isn't a "bad area" per se in PA. Well, perhaps the Four Seasons Park development but it's not really "in town". Some of the homes closer to the older part of downtown are needing a bit of TLC but I think you'll find most of the area reasonably neat and tidy. Let's see... what else? There is low income multi-family housing below the airport that can provide for some interesting reading in the local paper (Peninsula Daily News) from time to time but overall I believe you'll be very safe pretty much anywhere in Clallam county. It's still largely small town, traditional values America here.

FWIW, the most exciting thing that has ever happened in my neighborhood was waking up one winter morning to a cougar napping up in a tree in the neighbors yard. Fish and Game came and got him (that was the most fun part to watch! ) Ummm... I frequently have deer in my yard. Hmmm... what else? Oh, my neighbor had a chimney fire once that the Fire Dept. came and put out. Anyway, you get the picture!

Remember, PA is a hard working, blue collar town and I think you'll find most people here friendly and down to earth. They pretty much roll up the streets at night as most residents get up to go to work in the mornings!

When you're looking at possible homes to rent, stand in front of the house and look up the street to your left and down the street to your right. If you like what you see, odds are you'll be fine. When you're out and about house hunting, if you see neighbors in their yards, stop and say hi. Ask them how they like the neighborhood. That might help your comfort level as well. Also, depending upon which part of E 5th you're looking at, you could be close to a small park (Webster) that your kids could play at.

Also depending upon the ages of your children, you could swing by the appropriate level of school for your kids, talk to the teachers, and get their input as well.

If you're really unsure about where to live, stop in and talk to one of the property managers in town. I'm sure they'd be glad to toss in their $0.02 on neighborhoods. Off the cuff a couple that come to mind are James & Assoc. and Landmark Properties. Pick up a street map of PA at the Visitor Center (downtown by the ferry terminal) or get one from one of the property managers, realtors etc. It will help keep you organized and allow you to "see" what else is in the area of the homes you're looking at.

I know you've heard this before but if you're planning to work, I'd make sure you have a firm job lined up before you loaded up the U-Haul. Moving to town and then trying to find work can be challenging in this economy.

Enjoy your new adventure! I hope my "perspective" helps!