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Nothing beats the Pacific Northwest.
I agree, as far as scenery and for the most part weather. But while climate and surroundings are important components of being happy, they aren't everything. I spend so much each month on my mortgage (and I certainly don't live in my "dream home"), that there isn't anything left over to save or to spend enjoying life with my kids. So while I expect to be homesick and miss the weather and the scenery, it will be nice to be able to buy a house and still have some money left over each month!
I was always under the assumption the the City of Seattle was rainy, but when I checked with the National Weather Service, they say Seattle averages around 38" of rain a year.
In contrast, the driest area of North Carolina is the City of Asheville. Average rainfall, 38" per year.
The wettest area in NC is Lake Toxaway with an average of 92" of rain per year.
I was always under the assumption the the City of Seattle was rainy, but when I checked with the National Weather Service, they say Seattle averages around 38" of rain a year.
In contrast, the driest area of North Carolina is the City of Asheville. Average rainfall, 38" per year.
lol, it's because all of Seattle's rain is light rain. Imagine 38 inches of rain per year when it all came from light rain. Thats a lot of rain!
NC on the other hand, gets most of their rain from T-storms, which dump a lot of rain in a short amount of time. Then the sun comes out. It is a lot easier for 38 inches plus of rain to mount up here.
In other words, Seattle probably has twice as many "grey" days.
lol, it's because all of Seattle's rain is light rain. Imagine 38 inches of rain per year when it all came from light rain. Thats a lot of rain!
NC on the other hand, gets most of their rain from T-storms, which dump a lot of rain in a short amount of time. Then the sun comes out. It is a lot easier for 38 inches plus of rain to mount up here.
In other words, Seattle probably has twice as many "grey" days.
Gotcha ya. So it's Seattle's 38" of drizzle vs. Asheville's 38" of rain.
Exactly. I never used an umbrella in Seattle even though it would rain for days on end. You could walk a mile or two in the rain with just a hat and coat and not get that wet.
By comparison the storms in NC will dump so much rain so fast that if you are running full speed from your car to your front door you will look like you jumped in a swimming pool with your clothes on.
I agree that Washington argueably has the most beautiful scenery in the US. It's a shame though that you only get to see Mt Rainer from Seattle about 1/3 of the year, because the rest of the time the clouds are so low it blocks the view you have. I do miss the scenery and certain things about that area, but really, how much value does being able to see mountains add to your daily life? It wasn't enough for us to stay there. Housing costs and sunshine were worth a lot more.
Plus esentially anything you can do in WA you can do in NC, and vice versa. There are plenty of places to hike here. You can get to the coast in roughly the same amount of time. You can ski and enjoy snow by driving to the mountains. There are plenty of lakes and rivers to boat on in both states. Granted, every city in NC (including Charlotte) pales in comparison to the city of Seattle (as far as culture), once you get outside of Seattle the rest of the state is like most of the US...full of small towns with not a lot going on.
People on this thread seem to be saying that NC housing is less expensive. Can anyone comment on generally what kind of price differential there is for waterfront housing (or non-waterfront) between Washington and North Carolina?
People on this thread seem to be saying that NC housing is less expensive. Can anyone comment on generally what kind of price differential there is for waterfront housing (or non-waterfront) between Washington and North Carolina?
Thank you.
I only have limited experience of housing in Seattle, but most places in the city, housing was well over $300 / sq ft. Some places over $500 / sq ft. I lived in Wallingford which is about 4 miles north of downtown and houses were around $350 / sq ft in the blocks around me. The further out you go the cheaper they get though. My friend lived in Federal Way and paid around $200 / sq ft. I'm sure housing is much cheaper in the central areas of the state, which if fairly barren. Spokane used to be significantly cheaper but I hear it is getting more expensive as it is becoming more desirable to live there.
By comparison we paid about $108 / sq ft for our house in Cary. The going rate through most of the triangle is between $95 - 150 / sq ft. Some areas are more expensive, like inside the beltline, but you have plenty of areas in suburbs that are under $100 / sq ft.
I think the main difference is that you can get affordable housing somewhere you would actually want to live in NC. I'm sure you can find a place somewhere in WA state that is affordable, but it probably won't be near any jobs or much of anything for that matter. In NC there is abundant housing in pretty much every part of the area that is in that range I stated earlier.
I Live in Maple Valley, Wa. About 40 mi.n outside of seattle. I have lived here most of my life. When the sky is blue there is no place more beautiful hands down. We just don't get to many sunny day's. I could care less if its hot, the gray skys are just hard to take after awhile. We really don't get that much rain ethier, just alot of drizzle. People tend to be more down n the dumps here than other places because of the dark days that we can have months on end.
It is also getting expensive. If you can offord it Lake Washington or Lake Sammamish are both beautful Lakes to live on. Ethier will run you close to a millon for a small decent place On the lake. Living on the Sound can be done a little cheaper if you are willing to live farther outside Seattle Like Olympia.
The Island are very beautiful. Very expensive but if you have the money so worth it!! The ferrys can be a pain in the butt but the sun shines there more often than any where else here.
We are looking to move to NC for a better qualty of life for our daughters. I love it here but it is becoming so liberal, so expensive that we don't seemuch of a future for our kids if we stay. Good luck to you
Very Pretty area. If you do not have to worry about job or schools it is great. We visit Port Townsend often and it is beautiful! Right by Sequim. Port Angeles is adorable to. Not as cute as Port Townsend but you can catch the ferry right there to Vancouver or Victoria. They are all close to each other and the housing is alot cheaper than Seattle.There are lot of Bed and Breakfast you can stay at all along the Penninsula well worth visiting. Not to far of a drive to Seattle or Portland both fun to visit. You can take a ferry to seattle, Cananda, or the San Juans. Very Much a tourist area but not to crowded. Really is a very pretty area.
If I had to choose between the three Port Townsend #1, Port Angeles #2 Sequim #3
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Moving out of Washington
