Quality Of Life (Seattle, Edmonds, Bremerton: crime rate, Home Depot, property tax)

[elmjon]

My Wife And I Are Planning On Moving To Whidbey Island Or Port Townsend. As Retirees, We Would Appreciate Knowing Advantages And/or Disadvantages For Both Areas. Property Tax Info Would Be Helpful, As Well As Crime Rate And Services For Seniors.

Thanks.

[the dufferz]

I don't live in either, so I can't help with the property tax question.

Past that, here is my take.

Kingston is the easiest to evaluate.

Drop dead wonderful place, beautiful, quiet, crime rate probably pretty low (depending on what you are used to). Very historic for the area. Down side is commuting... anywhere. Ferry ride if you want to get to seattle, either you drive for 30 - 45 minutes to Bremerton, then take a 1 hour ferry to Seattle, or you take the Kingston Edmonds ferry (30 minutes) then drive to seattle (times vary between 30 mintues and an hour, depending on time of day).

As I have told others, living in Kingston means a change in how you view time. You time is set based on the ferry schedule.

You can drive around since it is not an island, but you are looking at a 2 hour commute at best.

Whidbey island: This is the largest Island in the lower 48. Divide the island into two parts. The north part is Oak Harbor. There is a heavy population of military here. It is "easy" to get off the island on the north end. The Deception Pass bridge is a non toll bridge and has a spectacular view when you go over it. The downside to getting off on the north is that the road is a two lane road. Get behind a putter, or try and leave at the end of a holiday weekend, and you are in for a slow go.

The "south" part of the island (really it's the thin middle section and south) starts around coupville. Things change around here. Laid back, country feeling throughout. The south end of the Island is Clinton. This is where the ferry is to get across to Mukilteo (20 minute crossing). I suspect that most people looking to retire migrate to the south of the island, but I am not sure.

While is hard to visualize that you are on and island when you are there, you must understand that it is an Island. You may find minimal services for seniors, and medical facilities may also be limited compared to what you would want.

Either way you go, both places are very nice.

[elmjon]

Many Thanks For Your Info. We Live In Santa Fe, So Crime Rate Is Fairly High For Such A Small City (pop 68,000). Wa Is So Inviting, Compared To The Southwest.

Enjoy Your Area. Hope To Be A Part Of It And Contribute A Little Back.

[navymom]

Hi...

My husband and I are thinking about a move to Whidbey Island also. We are in So. CA right now and it is just too crowded and crazy!

We have been to Whidbey several times and will be going there next week to gather more info.

I know that for 2006 property taxes are running at $8.89 per $1,000 assesed value. That figure is down from 2005 ($9.10).

I know that several towns have senior centers...notably Oak Harbor in the north and Langley in the south.

As you know, Oak Harbor is very near the Naval Air Station. It is a nice little town for the most part. Coupeville which is just south of Oak Harbor is quite charming and seems ideal for retirement. Very quiet most of the year. There is a relatively new hospital in Coupeville also.

I'm not very familiar with the south of the island. It has the advantage of being closer to Seattle (by ferry) if that is a priority to you.

The island has a free transit service. Buses run pretty regularly along the main highway with limited service on weekends and holidays. Nice deal though if you don't feel like driving.

If you choose the north part of the island (you might check Anacortes also) it takes about 30 minutes to get off the island and the main towns there are Mt. Vernon and Burlington. I know you can find more expanded services there. That is where you will find Costco and other major name stores. Oak Harbor does have a Wal Mart and K Mart...also I believe it has a Home Depot or something similar. I thought the grocery stores were a bit pricey on the island but during the growing season they have several farmer's markets.

Lots of nice beaches and quiet streets to walk on throughout the whole island.

Hope some of this info helps. Be glad to share more with you when I return from my next visit. Let me know if you have more questions and I will try to find out while I'm there.

[jabm67]

My mother-in-law lives in Port Townsend (she was raised there and retired back to there). Very pretty place, sort of an artsy community, that prides itself on defying large corporations. Fairly large retiree contingent. I can't answer questions about property taxes; that's not something we talk about much. You'll get the smell of pulp mill fairly often, depending upon exactly where you are.

My wife and I are planning on retiring there ourselves, but that's a long way off (I just turned 50).