California or Washington (Santa Rosa, Arcata, August: renting, homes, employment)

[CLIMATECRAZY]

Would you choose California or Washington to live in?

The areas in California would be the SLO county area or the Northern areas of California.
The areas in Washington would be only King County .

Where would you choose and why?

[Ultrarunner]

I would choose Western Washington if you love lush green landscapes and having thousands of miles of the Puget Sound Coast Line to explore.

I would choose Northern California if that is where you need to be for your career. Two things I don't like are the reoccurring threats of draught and water rationing along with wild fires.

[tchick]

Washington baby!!! It is SO beautiful!!!

I was not impressed with my visit to Southern California. I would love to live in Seattle!!!

[Kingsnkali]

Depends on what you want.

If you're more into sunshine, pick California. If you don't mind several months of cloudiness and rain, go for Seattle.

You need to make a summer and winter trip to all the areas you mentioned to see for yourself. Seattle in June or July can be a postcard of beauty. The same place will be quite dreary and gloomy for much of the winter however.

Same with California. The place looks dry and brown in July and August while the other times of year are quite green.

[CityGirl72]

I'm from California (Southern and Northern) and I moved to Seattle - I WANT TO GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA

To answer your question - you need to give more details to your life.

What can you afford? Are you buying or renting? Do you have children? Do you like warmth and sunshine - or do you like cloudy (all year long) and misty rain constantly?

What places in California do you like best - all you said was No Cal...

What do you like to do? Does cold or wet weather (non stop) keep you indoors? DO you get depressed easily or before in your life?

[leavingcali]

I haven't lived in Washington, but I have visited Seattle several times. It is beautiful there, but you do have to contend with horrible traffic, lots of cloudy gray and rain, and lots of people (in the city). Still, it is gorgeous. It is also expensive.

Northern California is similar in weather to Seattle (if you're on the coast). I lived in Arcata, CA for about 14 months or so, and there are long periods of gray and rain. It is very lush and green there, but also isolated and depressing (for me---endless days of rain and gloom do that to me).

I love SLO. It is a lot sunnier than the above mentioned places, and it is a fun, beachy, laid back town. If affordablity isn't on the top of your list, than I would chose SLO. There will be more jobs available here than most of Northern CA (I guess this depends on what you consider Northern CA. I am thinking that you mean coastal No. CA since the other areas you mention are coastal, and I consider Santa Rosa and everything above it as Northern, although that is certainly debatable). Seattle probably has great employment opportunities...and is probably a bit cheaper than CA.

[CLIMATECRAZY]

What I am looking for is :

Forests not to far away if not up close and personal..
Mountains not to far away if not up close and personal
Rolly Hills for sure are a must in the town...
Water near by be it ocean or lakes
I would like to have as close to 4 seasons as I can get, but to be honest the more sun out of that 4 seasons would be best as our family suffers drastic S.A.D. problems.
I would like to have neighborhoods that my kids can ride their bikes as safe as can be expected down the sidewalks.
I am NOT looking to keep up with the Jones's , but I suppose if I wanted to I could fairly easily.
I am just looking for a Humble Wholesome Down to earth area to raise my kids with more to offer in their futures as well as having the sun to help with the SAD.
We only can choose from VAFB , BAFB, EAFB all in California or Kent, Renton, Tukwila or Seattle areas of Washington.
I really like what I have seen in the SLO county as well as the Santa Barbra County areas... There are some really cute SMALL towns in the areas and that is what I would like to have for my family... however I like the looks of some of the small towns in King County Washington as well.
It is a hard call and I have been doing as much research as I can via internet... Any information, Photos of the "REAL" life in these areas and not cropped doctored pictures would be great.

I would be using a prepatory school or Christian school for our kids. As of now they have homeschooled for the last 5 years..

Again thank you and I hope that you can shed some more light on to these areas for me...
I love to hear all that you have to say even if it isn't exactly what I would want to know...
Its all good to know

[leavingcali]

Due to the SAD problems in your family, I think you will have to eliminate coastal No. CA and all of Kings County. I think the SLO area would actually be a great fit for you. I don't have any pics...I am so bad at taking a camera with me when I travel. However, I can tell you that I feel very safe there, the weather is much better for SAD sufferers, although you won't really experience a traditional 4 seasons there. You can drive inland for skiing and mountains. If money isn't a big issue, then I think that area of CA will be a nice fit. There are cute little downtowns around, things to do, nature, beauty, etc. SLO is a college town--it has a junior college and a university, but I didn't feel like it was a crazy, party, sex and drugs everywhere kind of college town--it's more wholesome, laid back, surfer/beachy atmosphere. If I had the money, I would live there and raise children there.

[CityGirl72]

I second - stay out of King County

I never had been depressed in my life, my family has no history of SAD or depression. But I moved here and I've got it - it's been the worst three years of my life and I now am on medication just to live here. And I'm a peppy happy perky person - I never would have expected it to happen.

[BearBranch]

Agreed. I lasted three years in Seattle. The bleakness of the weather became really heavy.