Life on South Whidbey? (Seattle, Olympia: schools, living, move to)

[glomer]

Following on my previous post, we recently relocated from rural Northern CA to Seattle, and, after several visits to the area, are considering a move to South Whidbey. I'd love to hear from folks who live or have lived there about daily life, local resources and challenges, etc. We have a 5-year-old, so schools are our biggest concern. Thanks in advance!

[prosin]

I can't reply to life on Whidbey as I don't live there. But I live on the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula, which faces similar challenges to living on an island.

The biggest challenge we have is transportation out of the immediate area. While we have most services within a 1/2 hour drive, it is nice to take a trip to somewhere else once in a while--to a zoo, to Mariners games, to the Cascades, to museums we haven't visited before, etc.

We have three ways off the peninsula: ferry (expensive), bridge (no toll), or long drive on Hwy. 3 southbound toward Olympia. We are a little more fortunate here because our bridge (Hood Canal) is nearby. Other South Whidbey residents can chime in, but I'd imagine the drive across the island to Deception Pass, while beautiful, can get old after a while.

And we know the ferry is becoming prohibitively expensive. Service interruptions are not uncommon due to the age of the boats and the weather. And let's face it, when the ferry workers union is upset, suddenly staffing shortages occur, which further upsets the schedule. Not a great situation if you have a rigid job schedule.

If you live decide to move to South Whidbey and live near the ferry terminal, learn the offloading schedule. You can save yourself several minutes of anguish sitting in traffic if you can time your outings just right.

This kind of life is not for everyone and does take some getting used to. But you are wise to ask about the challenges beforehand.

If I had to work in Bothell but wanted semi-rural, I'd look at Duvall and Snohomish/Lake Stevens.

You said in a earlier post you were from semi-rural Bay Area. Does that exist anymore? (Santa Clara Valley native here)

[glomer]

Thanks so much for your reply! I have colleagues who commute from Clinton to Bothell and they assure me it's possible, especially since I have an irregular schedule and generally only have to commute two to three days a week. That said, I know the challenges re. transport and (relative) isolation are very real, so I appreciate your honesty! We have considered Duvall, etc., but I found that area to be more suburban than I expected, and I am really longing for the Sound. Thanks again for your feedback!

P.S. We moved from the western edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, so it was about as rural as the Bay Area gets!