water view retirement - where oh where -rain shadow? (Seattle: real estate, Home Depot)

[rauscs]

My wife and I will (hopefully) be retiring in 5 years or so, and her only 'requirement' is to have a place with a killer ocean (or sound or ...) view. Seeing whales would be a dream. We're thinking in the rain shadow areas, as we aren't used to rain, but that is negotiable. It would be nice to be within an hour or two of a big city (Seattle, Portland?). Don't need acreage, but would like space for a big workshop/garage and be no more than 40 minutes from a home depot (my 'requirement'), Price under $500k for a 2/3 bedroom, 2000 sq ft+ would be great. A friendly, well-kept (but not snooty) neighborhood with some sort of artistic community - nice as well.

We've been researching Whidbey Island, and Port Townsend, but are going to be up in the area next week and are looking for ideas. Suggestions on friendly, knowledgable realtors that we can "get the ball rolling" with (if it is acceptable on the forum) would be helpful. Suggestions? Thanks in advance, Steve (and Corrie).

[TotalFat]

I've heard the town of Sequim mentioned a lot with regards to rain shadow and retirement. We hit a couple wineries in the area a few years back but I don't remember much about it. This article mentions Sequim a lot:
What Is The Olympic Rain Shadow? | KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Seattle, Washington | F.A.Q.

[eskercurve]

If you want to be within an hour or two of the big city, and have a drier climate, try Eastern WA, beyond the Cascades. It is very arid there, I was actually shocked when I first came here since I had always expected to encounter my first tumbleweeds in the deserts of Arizona or someplace like that, NOT Washington state. But there you go. Of course, you won't have a water view where you live (unless you move to Moses Lake, lol).

And even though Sequim and the areas just East of the Olympics may be drier, it is by no means dry. They still get a significant amount of rain a year. One thing I've noticed is that you don't want to go north of Seattle because that's where the confluence is. Seattle proper tends to be drier than just north of it, even as close as Lynnwood. I used to commute north on I-5 in the mornings and more often than not it would be raining when I left my workplace in Everett and by the time I drove back home to my place in Seattle, it wuld be sunny. The flip side of that is, you will still get potential for not seeing the sun for weeks on end in the winter and property is uber-expensive in Seattle. Definitely more affordable the more West you go.

[Ira500]

Sequim is the " epicenter" of the rain shadow, getting less rain than anywhere else in Western Washington. I never particularly liked Sequim, it sort of lacks personality. Port Townsend gets slightly more rain, and is funky/cool.
Coupeville on Whidbey Island also gets significantly less rainfall than Seattle, and has it's charms.
Anacortes is another town worth checking out. The San Juan Islands are also in the rain shadow, but wouldn't make the "40 minutes to Home Depot" requirement.

[sean98125]

There are big box retailers like Home Depot about fifteen miles from Anacortes in Mount Vernon and Burlington. But if you shopped there you'd miss out on the more knowledgeable staff at Sebo's or Ace in Anacortes itself.

[rauscs]

We did pass through Sequim / Port Townsend last year and that's what I came away with - Sequim seemed on the surface like it did lack personality. Port Townsend seems really cool, but is it TOO hippie dippy, or am I just being an old fogie? We'll check out Anacortes, thanks.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by rauscs

We did pass through Sequim / Port Townsend last year and that's what I came away with - Sequim seemed on the surface like it did lack personality. Port Townsend seems really cool, but is it TOO hippie dippy, or am I just being an old fogie? We'll check out Anacortes, thanks.

I'd take hippie dippie over gangy bangy any day. There are plenty of smaller towns in the state that have real gang problems.

[Ira500]

Don't forget Port Angeles. It's the edge of the rain shadow. As you go west it gets much rainier, but Port Angeles itself is less rainy. Pretty, but still has that " working class, fishing town" kind of feel, with a tiny bit of the hippy-dippy thrown in.

[sean98125]

Is western Washington really a good choice for retirement if you don't like rain? Even if you're in the rain shadow you'll still have a lot of gray days, and in the winter the days can be pretty short.

[Idunn]

You've picked a good general area to fit your desires, if your idea of good weather matches that offered in western Washington. Places such as Sequim, the San Juan islands, are in the rain shadow of the Olympics, receiving far less rain than a town such as, say, Forks. But you should still be prepared for a good deal of cloud cover throughout the winter. As far as precipitation alone, this map may help:
Precipitation Map for Washington

In price and view it is possible to find what you are looking for. Whidbey island, for instance. Oak Harbor has a Home Depot, with relatively modest real estate prices. But if you might like that, something more removed, such as Coupeville or Langely could prove the better match, depending. Then again, Poulsbo is a lovely town, if not as good for whale watching, with a Home Depot as well. Some areas, particularly if on the water, and not just a view of, will prove too expensive. But there remain many options within an area generally drier. Access to that you prefer, either daily or on occasion, will be a factor, with any ferry ride scenic but slower.

If these communities all share the similarities of Puget Sound, as you've already discovered each with its own distinctive character.