Can't get the Olympic Peninsula out of my head... (Seattle: for sale, 2013)

[anticloud]

Well, my husband and I both really. We visited twice in 2013 (March and August) and just fell in love. We even looked at houses while we were there. Now we find ourselves about to put our house up for sale with plans to move to western North Carolina and every other day we find ourselves peeking at houses on the peninsula.

Besides being 3,000 miles away, I find myself preoccupied with the impractical aspects of living there and the lack of things for my six year old son. The crime kind of bothers me too. And it is different, really different from where we are now (which also adds to the allure). But I assure you if I were there right now, I would probably not be able to leave. I have spent years dreaming of the Olympic Peninsula.

Anyone else out there feel this way?

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by anticloud

Well, my husband and I both really. We visited twice in 2013 (March and August) and just fell in love. We even looked at houses while we were there. Now we find ourselves about to put our house up for sale with plans to move to western North Carolina and every other day we find ourselves peeking at houses on the peninsula.

Besides being 3,000 miles away, I find myself preoccupied with the impractical aspects of living there and the lack of things for my six year old son. The crime kind of bothers me too. And it is different, really different from where we are now (which also adds to the allure). But I assure you if I were there right now, I would probably not be able to leave. I have spent years dreaming of the Olympic Peninsula.

Anyone else out there feel this way?

I hope you understand how the weather is in the Olympic Peninsula compared to Western North Carolina. Expect 9-10 months of cold, drizzly and overcast weather. It is very beautiful. Yes, the smaller towns have a consierable amount of what I consider "hick/hillbilly" crime. A lot of drug addiction, theft and burglary. There is a huge issue with meth production in the rural parts of Washington. Being so rural and heavily vegetated combined with being close to a major seaport, Canadian border, I-5 (major drug trafficking route) are reasons this activity is more prevalent here than other places. The bars and such are fairly seedy in many of those smaller towns. Avoid places like Shelton and Aberdeen like the plague. There are some nicer places like Sequim and Port Townsend where many of the wealthier retires go, but you do pay a bit of a premium. You also have to realize how isolated the Olympic Peninsula would be. There are no sizable towns there like you would have Asheville. Port Angeles is pretty grimey and backwatery. If you want anything like a city you would have to drive hours into Seattle.

You could consider living in Olympia which is not on the Olympic Peninsula but more or less the gateway to the Peninsula or to some it may be consider the beginning of the Peninsula. Olympia would offer some town amenities and keep you not too far from civilization. Also, Olympia probably has the lowest crime rate in the area.

[homesinseattle]

Yeah, straight up gorgeous. Drive to Neah Bay, hike to Shi Shi Beach and Point of Arches. I did that many years ago (and a number of times since then) camped there, I'll never forget it. Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches

I know Asheville, Western NC. I almost moved there once years ago, one reason I didn't is "Asheville's Dirty Little Secret". It's not on the tourist brochures but there are incredibly high respiratory illness and asthma rates in Asheville, I guess the pollution from the huge coal fired plants in Tennessee comes right over the mountains and settles in the valleys of Asheville. Great food/festival culture and gotta love that Scottish roots mountain bluegrass music though.

For some, Port Townsend is a very good choice. Gorgeous historic architecture, lots of music and theatre, a strong boating culture, in the "rain shadow" so less rain than Seattle. Port Townsend isn't a horribly long trip to Seattle and is actually on the Olympic Peninsula, though not at the coast.

[anticloud]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Yeah, straight up gorgeous. Drive to Neah Bay, hike to Shi Shi Beach and Point of Arches. I did that many years ago, camped there, I'll never forget it. Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches

I know Boone and Asheville, Western NC. I almost moved there once years ago, one reason I didn't is "Asheville's Dirty Little Secret". It's not on the tourist brochures but there are incredibly high respiratory illness and asthma rates in Asheville, I guess the pollution from the huge coal fired plants in Tennessee comes right over the mountains and settles is the valleys of Asheville. Gotta love that Scottish roots mountain bluegrass music though.

Really? I didn't know about that. I honestly don't really care for Asheville proper. We have our eye on a lot of the smaller towns around Asheville. But none of it compares to our two months of exploring the Olympic Peninsula.

[homesinseattle]

I like Brevard a lot, used to go to Sliding Rock as a kid, my God that was thrilling and ice cold. I'm a Miami boy originally (living in Seattle 28 years now), if you can believe it I learned to ski in NC.

[anticloud]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

I hope you understand how the weather is in the Olympic Peninsula compared to Western North Carolina. Expect 9-10 months of cold, drizzly and overcast weather. It is very beautiful. Yes, the smaller towns have a consierable amount of what I consider "hick/hillbilly" crime. A lot of drug addiction, theft and burglary. There is a huge issue with meth production in the rural parts of Washington. Being so rural and heavily vegetated combined with being close to a major seaport, Canadian border, I-5 (major drug trafficking route) are reasons this activity is more prevalent here than other places. The bars and such are fairly seedy in many of those smaller towns. Avoid places like Shelton and Aberdeen like the plague. There are some nicer places like Sequim and Port Townsend where many of the wealthier retires go, but you do pay a bit of a premium. You also have to realize how isolated the Olympic Peninsula would be. There are no sizable towns there like you would have Asheville. Port Angeles is pretty grimey and backwatery. If you want anything like a city you would have to drive hours into Seattle.

You could consider living in Olympia which is not on the Olympic Peninsula but more or less the gateway to the Peninsula or to some it may be consider the beginning of the Peninsula. Olympia would offer some town amenities and keep you not too far from civilization. Also, Olympia probably has the lowest crime rate in the area.

Yes. I guess I should have said that when I say Olympic Peninsula I am talking about Port Townsend, Sequim, and the forest and beaches and incredible beauty. I love the overcast. It was quite cold, windy and rainy when we first visited and we loved it. I have bad photosensitivity and can never really go out much of the summer here without feeling terrible and getting rashes.

I hated Port Angeles and Forks, but the area around Forks was amazing. We drove up the Peninsula from Portland once and besides the Aberdeen area, it was awesome.

[pikabike]

Crime in places like Sequim and Port Townsend exists, just as it does anywhere. That said, take the normal precautions most people do, nothing special needed. It's not like living in a big city, where anonymity hides a lot of hinky activity.

This means that you lock your house and car doors when you are not there or out of sight from them, keep valuables indoors and out of view, use a locking mailbox or get a PO box (by the way, most residents do neither), don't blab about vacation plans in earshot of anyone who is not your intended audience, tell your kids not to take gifts or rides from strangers, tell them not to let strangers inside the house (unlikely anyway), don't share your passwords, etc etc.

Oh, yeah, don't socialize with addicts. Duh.

[homesinseattle]

Port Townsend has the added benefit of having a ferry to Whidbey Island, also not too far to drive to Port Angeles and hop the ferry to Victoria BC. It's pretty dramatic where the Straits of Juan de Fuca meet Puget Sound. Interestingly, the reason the architecture is so old for this region (lots of 1850-1880 Victorian homes) is Port Townsend was a town that developed before the railroad came, many ships went there and it was supposed to be the big town for this region. Then the railroad came to Seattle and changed all that, which ironically is why Port Townsend's cool architecture survived relatively intact, as it didn't have the urban economic pressure to modernize

[anticloud]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

I like Brevard a lot, used to go to Sliding Rock as a kid, my God that was thrilling and ice cold. I'm a Miami boy originally (living in Seattle 28 years now), if you can believe it I learned to ski in NC.

Skiing in NC? Hmm! Interesting!

And Brevard is our favorite... maybe because of all the rain or the white squirrels... I love Pisgah Forest near Brevard. We visit the river there often and the waterfalls are wonderful. The drive from Brevard to the SC border actually reminds me a bit of Washington with all the mossy trees and green everywhere.

[anticloud]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Port Townsend has the added benefit of having a ferry to Whidbey Island, also not too far to drive to Port Angeles and hop the ferry to Victoria BC.

I never got to ride the ferry, but that is a pretty cool benefit.