Want to Move to Washington but I don't know where to move (Seattle: house, neighborhoods)

[allie]

Originally Posted by BDash

Please answer this. I have been on sevral similar groups and no one answered any of my posts.
I want to move to Washington but I don't know where. I need a place with an abundance of Computer programing jobs, a place where it rains 30-40" a year, and ideally close to a city but still in the country. also not Seattle.

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, BY FERRY IT IS 30 MINUTES FROM SEATTLE. BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY!

[tommy pieyed]

Check out bellingham on google, at bellingham,wa. detailed profile, and google images bellingham,wa.

[Sean_Harrington]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I thought of another option. If you don't mid commuting, Aberdeen, WA is 45 min. from Olympia and is the business hub of the WA coast. Nicer homes start at $135k. The huge homes, mansions and estates start at $275. The homes are appreciating at 20%. Most are in the hills and have great views. It's just down the way from the state salmon hatchery, so fishing is the best. It's bordered by a bunch of state forests, wildlife preserves, recreation areas, the Oympic Nat. Forest is just north and the beach is a 20 min. drive. There's lots of outdoor recreational activities. Best seafood in WA. Lots of shopping ( a mall and a few large shopping centers), but also small country town feel. Has a nice litle old town area and a junior college. Schools are average, but improving. 3/4 blue collar population, very down to earth and friendly people. I honestly feel it's the best buy in WA. Another nice city in this area but 10 miles closer to Olympia is Montesano. Less features than Aberdeen, but nicer overall community (still can't beat the Aberdeen Hills IMO). Check out Shelton also. Lots of people from Seattle and CA cashing out and moving to Aberdeen and Monte as of late. Like I said before, if you comute to work in Olympia or Lacey, you can't beat it.

I moved from Los Angeles to CENTRAL ARIZONA, near Payson. It's nice, it's pretty, it's not hot it has snow, it's beautiful, but it's driving me friggin' crazy. There's really nothing to do except get drunk at the many bars, or stare at the trees! People here are mostly city transplants, they are "friendly" but after 2 years + here, I have no actual "friends" here, just LOTS of acquaintances, and I think that is sad.

I have been thinking Aberdeen. I REALLY LOVE the ocean, a semi-small town feel, streets with SIDEWALKS, and an actual down-town area that I could actually WALK TO, and actually DO something. THANKS! I think I should get on this, and see what's up.

I also have noticed house prices, and I see great places starting around 99k, and what I call fantastic at 115K. The grey clouds, and drizzle?? Well, this ARizona mountain life and the FIRE SEASON and droughts have freaked the cheeze-wiz out of me, I long for something moist!!

[elliefrechette]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I thought of another option. If you don't mid commuting, Aberdeen, WA is 45 min. from Olympia and is the business hub of the WA coast. Lots of people from Seattle and CA cashing out and moving to Aberdeen and Monte as of late. Like I said before, if you comute to work in Olympia or Lacey, you can't beat it.

Never ever move to Aberdeen. Montesano is alright if you like the real small town feel but Aberdeen, no matter how hard they try to spruce it up, is rundown and in no hopes of actually getting better. The people are not down-to-earth and you will either have people who think they are better than everyone else or the drug users.

I assume you want to live in Western Washington as eastern Washington is all deserty and farmlands. I would suggest Silverdale or Port Orchard. If you can, Bainbridge Island is beautiful and just a ferry ride over to Seattle.

[elliefrechette]

Aberdeen doesnt have much of a downtown. There isn't anything to do. If you like the ocean, move to Ocean Shores. The houses are still not bad and it's beautiful. Plus the downtown area of Ocean Shores has tons of little shops. It gets busy in the summer but besides that, it's gorgeous. If you dont mind the rain.

[Ryan]

^ Huh?

How many decades ago (if ever) were you here?

Your information is horribly inaccurate.

[topcatone]

see www.ptguide.com ...it is a secret place, heavily wooded in many areas..much less rain, more sunshine than Seattle, yet only 1 1/2 hours away by ferry.

[Ryan]

I agree. Port Townsend is one of the most beautiful cities in the US that I've ever visited. Reminds me of coastal Maine.

[mobilemindstationaryreality]

I'm a Washingtonian, born and raised and I have some advice for areas that are nice to live and not nice to live.

Eastside of Seattle (e.g. Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Duvall, Carnation) are very nice areas. People are family friendly and it's very suburban-rural. But it will cost you. The eastside is one of the most expensive areas in the state to live in. And living in King County adds to your already high taxes. If you can afford it, invest in it though.

Westside of Seattle (e.g. Bainbridge Island, Silverdale, Poulsbo, Bremerton) is a quickly growing area where home prices are going up fast. Bainbridge Island is already extremely unaffordable because most people who live there hop on the 30 minute ferry to Seattle for work. Bremerton and Silverdale are growing rapidly and still relatively affordable. They have a mixter of rural-suburban feel because they were once very rural but not so much anymore. But you are minutes away from water, forrests, mountains and it's a great area! I would recommend Kitsap County to anyone who wants what you're looking for.

South of Seattle (e.g. Federal Way, Kent, Auburn, Puyallup, Tacoma) is an ok area. Federal Way is very crowded though and Auburn feels the same. Kent is a very diverse area where you can find almost anyone. Auburn is somewhat smaller but still kinda feels unsafe. Tacoma is growing a lot but still the east part of Tacoma is very unsafe. North and Northeast Tacoma are great places to live but very expensive. Puyallup used to be rural but now it feels very crowded and suburban. Kind of like Redmond and Bellevue except not as much infrastructure already in place. The small 512 freeway is not enough to carry everyone around during rush hour.

Gig Harbor (northwest of Tacoma and southwest of Seattle, south of Bremerton) is very nice and very expensive and VERY SNOBBY! I grew up there and I will never return. You can find rural property outside the city limits but it's not cheap anymore depending on how far you are from the Narrows Bridge.

North of Seattle (e.g. Lynnwood, Mukilteo, Shoreline, Everett) is a well established area. Lynnwood, Mukilteo and Shoreline are expensive but that's because they are closest to Seattle. Everett is a navy town but it's getting better with prices going up and more development. Snohomish County is cheaper than King County but still pricey sometimes. Can be close to eastside technology centers along Interstate 405.

Olympia area (Lacey, Tumwater) is cheaper and somewhat nice but not close to Seattle. But growing rapidly so more jobs will come soon.

Eastern Washington (closest to Seattle is Easton and Cle Elum along Interstate 90) is turning into a bedroom community. My friend's dad commutes from Easton to Bellevue everyday and that's about an hours drive with good weather. This may seem like a good idea except in the winter time, Snoqualmie Pass can get very snowy and sometimes close to traffic. But some people do commute on it though. Property is a lot cheaper in Kittitas County but it's slowly going up.

Coastal Washington is very very very rainy. A lot more rainy than the Seattle metro area. My friend lived in Aberdeen once and she said the constant drizzle really got to her. It's very blue collar, very Wal-Mart like and not growing that much as a previous post once said. Ocean Shores is a lot nicer but farther from Olympia and more rainy.

Northwestern Washington (Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Ferndale) is nice and getting very expensive. But it rains a lot and Bellingham has high crime rates in some areas.

Southwestern Washington (Vancouver, Battle Ground, Woodland, Camas, Longview) is a mixed area. Vancouver and it's suburbs are rapidly getting more expensive and Clark County is one of the fastest growing counties in Washington. Jobs are coming over from Portland (more taxes) to Vancouver and it's raising everything around it. Battle Ground is still rural but changing. Camas is also kind of a bedroom community northeast of Portland. Woodland and Longview are still very blue-collar but slowly growing. Cowlitz County is cheaper than Clark County and closer to Olympia.

So there's my advice. Not all perfect info, just what i've gained over the years in my experiences around here.

[WazzuCoop21]

Originally Posted by Quantum

What would Oregonians think about the Blue States seceding?

You'd be surprised how diverse both OR and WA are in terms of politics, geographically speaking. For decades the west sides of OR and WA have handedly gone to the Democrats, while at the same time, eastern OR and WA have been handedly going to the Republicans. They are both perfect examples of the almost even split country, in terms of politics. As I had mentioned in another post, there has been talk in the past of eastern WA & OR merging as one state and separating themselves from the people in Seattle and Portland because that population controls 99% of what happens in the state (meaning $$$). People have mixed opinions on this topic.