Another Person asking about Forks :) (Seattle, Port Angeles: houses, living, restaurants)

[SEAWEED]

I may have a job offer in Forks and have read all the posts etc. and feel I pretty much know what i am getting into. However, the one question that sticks out in my mind is about community. I am a single woman in her 40's, I surf and am very active outdoors. The job, if I receive it, is integral in the community as well. So I am wondering how lonely will I be? Are people social? or will I be on my own completely? My mother is looking to come retire in the area with me if it worksout so I will have her but I am really looking to become part of the community and wonder how well received that would be. My political views are what you would call liberal conservative I guess, and I am pretty normal whatever that means. Easy to get along with, maybe a little shy.
Anyway I would really like to hear anyone's honest feedback on this Thanks

[Dendrite]

Hi Seaweed:

One of our homes is in PA, not Forks but we have friends there and have spent a fair bit of time in and around Forks over the years.

Originally Posted by SEAWEED

I may have a job offer in Forks and have read all the posts etc. and feel I pretty much know what i am getting into.

Great! So I assume you've visited there at least a few times and have a visual image of exactly how far Forks is from "civilization" as well as the overall look and feel of the town?

Originally Posted by SEAWEED

So I am wondering how lonely will I be? Are people social?

Perhaps a little at first. After all you're moving to a small town where you don't know anyone and they don't know you. I think you'll find the people as sociable as any other small town- perhaps even a bit more so. Why? Because Forks is nearly at the end of the earth () and this being the case, townspeople by and large only have themselves or their neighbors to rely on. So if you're willing to take the first step in making new friends I think you'll do just fine. People in Forks are hard working, down to earth people and if you're the same way, you'll make friends over time. Despite this, IMO the people who are happiest in the small towns of the Olympic peninsula do tend to be somewhat self-sufficent though-

Originally Posted by SEAWEED

The job, if I receive it, is integral in the community

Perfect! This will be a great way to meet people in Forks, become involved in the town and make new friends!

Originally Posted by SEAWEED

My mother is looking to come retire in the area with me

Has she been there? Does she realize how far Forks is from pretty much everything? How little there is to do there at times? There are no opera houses or five star restaurants in Forks, let alone a Wal-Mart or a Home Depot. It's also quite a trek to services from Forks (specialty medical care and so forth). The prolonged gray and rain of its winter weather can take its toll on some people, particularly those who like to see the sun shine at least a few days a week (a month? ).

Even though it gets way less rain where we are in PA, the damp dark gray winter weather still gets to us after a while (particularly my wife- and she grew up in Seattle!). So we simply leave for 3 or 4 months every winter and head to sunny locations (preferably somewhere with turquoise water and white sandy beaches!... )

Originally Posted by SEAWEED

My political views are what you would call liberal conservative I guess

You'll be fine. Interestly, much of WA state is actually fairly conservative politically- at least once you break out of the I-5 corridor.

Good luck with your new adventure!

[SEAWEED]

Thanks Dendrite
Yes I am pretty self-sufficient, and have mostly lived in small coastal towns but seems to get harder to make friends as we age, but I am glad to hear that Forks neighbors help each other out, and I am definitely down to earth , I think my mom is looking at the Port Angeles area but still thats close (enough ;P)
Well anyway its all speculation at this point, but I like to be informed before I have to make a decision, so as to make a real committment to things.
Is PA Port Angeles?

[SEAWEED]

?????? anyone Bueller Bueller?

[Idunn]

I've actually been to Forks, with the feeling you have not. More so than other locals, the old adage to visit a place first before moving there is applicable. And not because the town might not suite you, or a lovely place in its own right, but due remote location will be, and what you turn to, like it or not. Port Angeles is the closest town of any size, at about 1.5 hours distant, and the drive may seem longer than that. Forks will provide your day to day needs, Port Angeles decidedly more so, but shopping for major services will be far more removed in places such as Silverdale or Seattle.

The Olympic peninsula is a beautiful place. In some respects paradise. If it suites one, and a living made, it could provide a wonderful life. But there is a decided difference between towns only on the periphery, such as Poulsbo, more exactly Sequim, or Port Angeles, and the farthest reaches in such as Quinault or Forks. In weather, in the vast amount of rain or not, in society, in practicality, in the life found.

I would not for a moment discount or seek to dispel your dreams. But it would be advisable to visit a place first to see if they could ever exist there.

[SEAWEED]

umm thanks? again I am not worried about the remoteness, I have lived in far more remote settings, more curious about the town character itself. and despite what some may think, an hour away from a sizable town is not wilderness LOL, well maybe if you grew up in the city it is