A little bit about Whidbey Island... (Seattle, Redmond: real estate, how much, houses)

[kalimara]

My husband has been eyeing a job at the Naval Station in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. He spent some time there as a child and always wanted to move back and now the possibility of returning has surfaced with this position. We've been thinking about it for a while, and I had some practical questions about the Island and life there, that my husband, bless his heart, living there as a kid, can't really answer. He just remembers loving it and wanting so badly to live there one day-which is great, but far from practical. I work as psych nurse practitioner and was wondering what possibilities exist on the Island as far as mid-level practitioners go. I know the Naval Station has a hospital that hires civilian nurses/practitioners, but are there any other medical centers on the island beside the Navy? Do options exist to work off the island or is that just way to impractical?

And what are the main differences between each of the towns? Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Freeland, Langley...do they differ greatly in terms of amenities, character, schools (we have two almost school-age kids), housing prices, etc.? I know they differ in terms of population, but aside from that is one more family friendly than the rest. My husband lived in Coupeville and loved it, but that was some time ago. Is everything on the island in one school district? Are the schools decent? I'm a big proponent of parents getting involved in school in order to have success in the classroom, but it's nice to have a good district to begin with. As for housing, we're looking to spend no more than $600,000-at the absolute max-for a 3/4 bedroom home.

Also how about travel to the mainland/peninsula? Is Port Townsend the closest peninsula city? What is the ferry situation like? Easy, frequent, depending on weather? I've lived in rural areas for most of my life, but I have never lived on an island before and so am not entirely sure about transportation on one.

Basically I'd just like to know a little bit about life on Whidbey. I know there are specific communities within the island as a whole, and I'd love to hear about each of those. And I figure there's no better place to go for information than these boards, so thank you!

[Ira500]

Some fun Whidbey facts, in no particular order:
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There are three school districts: Coupeville, Oak Harbor, and South Whidbey. South Whidbey is perceived to have the best of the three. Towns that the South Whidbey school district serve include Freeland, Clinton, Bayview, and Langley...The Oak Harbor school district serves Greenbank.

Oak Harbor has a large military presence, and less of the charm of a Coupeville or a Langley..It still has nice views and nice houses but also lots more fast food joints and chain stores...Oak Harbor is generally accessed from the beautiful Deception Pass bridge, which on the other side is near Anacortes, a fairly large city for those parts...

Freeland has some eateries and stores, but outside of Oak Harbor the " biggies" are Clinton, Langley, and Coupeville. Clinton would be too far to commute to Oak Harbor. It's a big island....and then it's a matter of personal preference. I love Langley and I like Coupeville. Langley might be a little artsier than Coupeville and might have better restaurants, but they are both pretty and historic. Coupeville's a little closer to Oak Harbor, and has a better school district than Oak Harbor....If you have a dog, Whidbey has a bunch of off leash areas throughout the island, including a spectacular one on the beach at Double Bluff beach.
You won't have to spend anything close to 600,000 dollars for a nice 3 or 4 bedroom on the island, unless you insist on waterfront. Oak Harbor is the least expensive of the Whidbey cities...You might want to go to a site like redfin.com and enter criteria you're looking for to see what's out there. You don't have to register to use their site, and it's fun and user friendly.

[kalimara]

Ira, big thank you! Seriously that was great information and precisely what I was looking for. Now you said Whidbey is a rather larger island, which after looking at the maps I can definitely see, but how is commuting around the island? Is getting from point A to point B pretty easy? Good roads and the like? And I thought of one more questions as well, what are the winters like on Whidbey? I understand Whidbey is located in the northwest, so I'm assuming it's pretty wet and relatively rainy, but how much snow does the island get come wintertime? Does it get any? Thank you again.

[Ira500]

Whidbey Island has a varied climate. The island gets very little snow, just as Seattle gets very little (except for Dec 2008), usually just a few light snowfalls of less than an inch....But some of Whidbey is in the Olympic rain shadow, which means it gets a lot less rain. Langley gets more rain than Oak Harbor...Oak Harbor probably gets around 20 inches of rain, about half the rainfall of Seattle...not that it's a tropical paradise. It does have a lot of cloudy, cool days, quite a bit cooler than Seattle in the summer.
Roads are fine on Whidbey, but if point A is Clinton and point B is Oak Harbor, it will be a long drive.

[lunamay]

Oak Harbor- Very politically conservative. Cheaper housing prices than the rest of the island (for the most part). Good schools. By far the largest town on the island. Oak Harbor has the only big box stores on the island.

Coupeville- Smaller town feel. More farming in Coupeville than anywhere else. Moderate politcal beliefs.

Greenbank- not really a town. Very rural.

Freeland/Langley/Clinton- Very liberal politically. Pretty easy to get to Seattle via ferry. Much more expensive than the rest of the island, especially if you want acreage. Almost no chain stores, but you can still get the things you need.

All school districts are good on the island. All areas are family friendly, but there are fewer families on the south end of the island due to real estate prices. The hospital is in Coupeville, so you can get there pretty easily from anywhere on the island.

The ferry to Port Townsend does not run nearly as frequently as the one to Mukilteo. Not a big deal if you plan ahead though. Yes, many people commute from the south end of the island to Seattle. The roads on Whidbey are well maintained and safe.

[JustCallMeTC]

Deception Pass is one of the most incredible place you'll ever see. The park is really nice too. Take a walk across the bridge. LOL That always gives me the willies big time.

[roadfamily6now]

The island has changed a lot in the past 15 years. I know that we dont like it anymore. How long has it been since your DH was there? I think a small trip to check things out would be a good idea before planning a full blown move.

[Bestemor]

Generally, this is true. Having lived on the south end of Whidbey, I can tell you that they can get enough snow to make travel difficult on the roads--wasn't it just last winter this happened? Black ice is a problem on some roads, too. Personally, I wouldn't live there if I had to commute off island. Great people on Whidbey, though, and I'd move back in a heartbeat!

Originally Posted by Ira500

Whidbey Island has a varied climate. The island gets very little snow, just as Seattle gets very little (except for Dec 2008), usually just a few light snowfalls of less than an inch....But some of Whidbey is in the Olympic rain shadow, which means it gets a lot less rain. Langley gets more rain than Oak Harbor...Oak Harbor probably gets around 20 inches of rain, about half the rainfall of Seattle...not that it's a tropical paradise. It does have a lot of cloudy, cool days, quite a bit cooler than Seattle in the summer.
Roads are fine on Whidbey, but if point A is Clinton and point B is Oak Harbor, it will be a long drive.

[Idunn]

All advise offered sounds relevant to me, but then I've only been on Whidbey once, and then unfortunately only as far south as Oak Harbor.

Deception Pass, by the way, is marvelous. Then also, the possibility of driving off the island without taking a ferry, if you're headed in that direction. My understanding the Mukilteo ferry is regular, a relatively short hop across. I've never used it, but another ferry, which was fun, but if you use such an option it will define your commute, both in cost and time.

While I could certainly see living on Whidbey island, as suggested, you and your husband might want to visit before deciding. There is just no way it is going to be as convenient as Redmond, WA, or something else on the mainland, when it comes to popping into Seattle. But if largely content to remain on the island, it might be really nice.

You might also wish to research similar threads on Whidbey. One of the issues I've run across previously that of wind during some of the storms, and enough power outages to make them a factor of life.

[roharajustification]

My husband and I just put an offer in on a property on the south end. Whidbey is lovely. I think if you like small towns you would love Whidbey. South Whidbey only has about 20000 people. If you are into big town amenities you might not be so inclined to be happy on the island (especially on the south end). Oak Harbor is a different story. It is a bit more city than the south end. I think the wind storms are fun. We had a great power outage when we were on the island Halloween weekend. All I can suggest is get a really good generator and a good wood stove.