Pacific Northwest alternatives - re: lack of sun (crime rate, vacation home)
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I love the Pacific Northwest, and could easily see myself living in Seattle one day. That said, when I've had to occasion to visit in the winter, I have hit a couple multi-day stretches of no sunshine... which I could handle, but more sun is better, clearly. On day 4 or 5, you do start asking when will the sun come back out?
I know the drizzle/weather helps contribute to the PNW's beauty, so is part of the equation. Nonetheless, what city would be the best alternative to a Seattle while still being as close to the PNW as possible in every other way, but have a little bit more winter sun??
You could live in Sequim Wa. with only 15in of rain a year and 300 sunny days a year. The rain drops on the Olympic Rain Forest and the clouds split and go around the valley in sequim. Its on the Olympic Peninsula but accesible by ferry from Seattle to the peninsula. Its the dryest spot in western Wa and sunniest.
^ fair enough, but that's really not commutable to Seattle. Making it into town would be more of definitive excursion. If I wanted all the benefits of living in or near a world-class type major metropolitan city like Seattle, would I get that in Sequim?
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Spokane: You'd still be in the the Pacific Northwest in a fairly sizable city, 4-5 drive to either Seattle or Portland and Eastern Washington gets a lot more sunshine year round and warmer summers. There are also some beautiful lakes and mountain areas in Northern Idaho within an hours drive of Spokane, some of the best lakes in the West. The city also has a pretty nice and active downtown. I once took a short hop flight on Southwest between Seattle and Spokane for like $75 roundtrip, got there in 45 min and it was a very scenic and beautiful flight with Mount Rainier at eye level much of the way.
Spokane: You'd still be in the the Pacific Northwest in a fairly sizable city, 4-5 drive to either Seattle or Portland and Eastern Washington gets a lot more sunshine year round and warmer summers. There are also some beautiful lakes and mountain areas in Northern Idaho within an hours drive of Spokane, some of the best lakes in the West. The city also has a pretty nice and active downtown. I once took a short hop flight on Southwest between Seattle and Spokane for like $75 roundtrip, got there in 45 min and it was a very scenic and beautiful flight with Mount Rainier at eye level much of the way.
Well here is a good map showing the mean hours of sun in December. Maybe you should try tri cities. Its the only place in the State of WA with really good sunshine.
This threadlink better explains Sequim's "sunny" days... Sunny Days in Sequim? Its a bit fraudulent to sit there and act like it's completely sunny in Sequim, it's not. Still cloudy as hell, but at least it gets some sunbreaks.
Unfortunately OP, if you want a city like Seattle... you'll either have to take the bad in as well or look entirely at something else. Portland, OR pretty much has the same weather as Seattle (there are some minor differences, but it wouldn't matter much to an outsider). Tri-Cities suck... Its got the best economy of the state, but only because of the Nuclear plant... very family oriented, but just no flavor, very bland (the wineries is one of better aspects of it). Spokane is a nice town... but personality-wise, nothing like Seattle. Boise is a very nice town... a lot of Seattleites and PDX'ers moved there. But like Spokane, it doesn't quite have the whole cosmopolitan, world class thing down just yet.
^^ thanks for the map. From a weather/geography standpoint, I guess you're right and that sums it up. There is no real comparable domestic US city with same weather/geography and cosmopolitan city, but more winter sun.
Denver would be great, if it wasn't so brown/dry.
I guess there's Hawaii..
No, in all seriousness, I'll just have to make millions and spend May-September in the PNW in my vacation home... !
Well here is a good map showing the mean hours of sun in December. Maybe you should try tri cities. Its the only place in the State of WA with really good sunshine.
It's a shame...if you want a good amount of sunshine in the NW it seems you have to avoid the valley altogether (which is no doubt more beautiful than eastern wash/oregon). Spokane has a higher crime rate than the average in Washington and it's right-leaning too (which can't be said of the rest of the major cities in the Pacific NW): the city voted 44.1 to 55.9 percent against same-sex marriage in 2012...which is terrible. The city voted by 4pts, though, in favor of pot legalization, funnily enough.
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