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Great to see this thread still alive about 7 months after I started it! Thanks laixilindsay for your input... especially nice since you have experience in both places.
By way of an update...
The wife and I did visit both Sequim and Spokane in late Aug, early Sept this year. I was hoping it would help me to sort things out and that I could make some tentative decisions, but I'm afraid it muddied the water further. Here are my latest impressions.
Sequim - Probably since I've been visiting there for 30+ years there has been, and still is, a 'feels like home' factor. I can't be objective... it feels good to me. Trying to be objective however... it has grown a lot in the 3 or 4 years since I last visited, and as much as I like having some of the bigger stores, it does feel less rural and 'small town' than it used to. That, and the fact that it's only going to get worse, is a real negative to me. Also, it was Aug and it rained... really made me feel down about the weather, but then, woke up the next morning and it was gorgeous! So what to make of it? Still confused...
Spokane - First... a disclaimer... I'm not trying to insult anyone... just giving my personal impressions. Please don't take offense! Here's the bad (to me). IMO... Spokane is not a pretty city. Sorry... but there it is. It didn't help that it also rained while I was there, but it struck me as gray, industrial, and not very modern. On the up side... it seemed to have everything you might need, the river and park were very nice, and the people we talked to seemed very friendly. For those of you who know CA, the approach to Spokane from Pullman, reminded me very much of driving into Redding. Gradual climb... increasing number of trees... quite the change of scenery... I liked it!
Bottom line... if I could afford the homes I really liked, I would probably be very happy in Liberty Lake, but to me, Spokane is really just a great resource if I lived 'in the area', not a place to retire.
The surprise - I guess the real wild card in my trip came from the side trip to Coeur d'Alene. We really liked it. Didn't spend much time there (most of a day) but liked what we saw. Really pretty area, nice lake, some cool older homes as well as some nice newer ones, nice cutesy downtown and still an easy drive to Spokane. Also took a quick drive up to Sandpoint and thought it was nice too, but didn't spend any significant time there to explore it enough.
Looking back over this thread, I'm thinking Boise might still be worth a look... I prefer a more forested surrounding than it appears to have, but much of the rest seems pretty good. A plus is that it seems to have a bit better weather than Spokane and northern Idaho... the cold and snow still concern me.
I guess if I had to decide today, Sequim is still my leader, but I still have about 2 years to go... plenty of time to change my mind another hundred times!
Thanks again for keeping this thread alive... I hope other people thinking of the PNW, or living there now, will continue to add to it and it can be a resource for all of us dreaming!
RE: East or West. Washington, I have discovered is a state with a lot of contrasts, both with the environment and also with the people. I too love Sequim and the people there. We will most likely relocate there after a year in Seattle (which I love a lot but my husband craves the forest).
I think if you like both places, Sequim and Spokane, you may want to look into the less visible things. For example, I find a really conservative environment very restrictive. Nothing against the people of Eastern WA, but it is a rather conservative part of the state, especially over in Spokane and into Idaho. Not my cup of tea. I've lived in such areas and found myself with few people to socialize with freely. Found myself always having to keep my mouth shut when issues came up both local and national. And it is impossible to avoid it, no matter where you live issues WILL come up and people will ask you about them.
I can't help it, I'm progressive and I enjoy being around other progressive people. I really enjoy the people of Western WA. I'm new to the state but I find them very open and warm. I guess it's because they feel the same way I do about a lot of things in the world.
So, when all is said and done, if you have positive feelings about both areas and just cannot decide, you may want to look into yourself, and into your neighbors and see which people you would fit in with the most.
I too, am confused and hope to gain some insight from posts. I hope I can help you, as well.
I have lived on Camano Island (another Banana belt of WA) for 13 years, and have been in the greater Seattle area all my life (40 something .
Even here on Camano, I hate the rain and gray. Winters are long, though temperatures are mild. Not many days of snow (3 or 4 per year). On a clear day, there isn't a prettier place to live! I am a flight attendant and have visited many states, and I still love WA! Your San Diego has the perfect climate for me but WAY too many people, too expensive and horrid traffic. Ah...traffic...yet another reason to leave the greater Seattle area. I-5 is a parking lot! Takes forever to get anywhere! However, if you are in Sequim and are retired, no problem! But...don't be fooled, it is still gray many days a year!
We are looking at Spokane, or Chelan/Wenatchee. I have family in Spokane and my cousins are prominent business persons in Spokane (he is a hotel manager and she is a bank partner/commercial loan officer.) They have lived there for years, and according to them, Spokane is coming into its own. They are starting to renovate the downtown (I agree, not real attractive, other than some of the classic brick buildings and churches.) His hotel is one example. It was once run down and now a classy, upscale boutique hotel. Spokane has just broken ground on a billion+ dollar development called "Kendell Yards." (Google it.) It will have a total Urban feel with ground level retail and upscale condo living above. The river is right out front and the Centennial Trail (from Idaho to Spokane...for miles!) goes right through it. Whole Foods is slated to go in! There's some green! I am a leftist and have no fear about that. All my family are liberals, though I know some of the more rural areas are more red than blue.
The snow scares me a bit, but there are more blue skies. Seattle has 38 inches of precip per year and Spokane has 17. I know Camano has around 20 inches, as I'm sure Sequim is close, but it is still gray!
Now...I'm going to toss another one in the pot for you! We love the Lake Chelan area. Costs are higher than Spokane, but not more than Sequim, for sure! Chelan has a gorgeous 55 mile long, clear blue lake and is becoming the Napa Valley of WA. It has a growing wine county with vineyards and wineries abound, tons of activities and festivals, boutique stores, very much a vacation spot in the summer, where Microsoft employees have their second homes. The weather is great. Not much snow, 300 days of sunshine, but hot in the summer,too. (like the Wenatchee weather.) It is 40 minutes to Wenatchee, and 3 hours from Seattle. We love it, but I am afraid I may be bored there in the winter and my hubby still needs to work (he is in the commercial construction industry.) There is snowmobiling, cross county skiing and downhill nearby, but not much else to do. Hence, the thoughts of Spokane.
Spokane has a new convention center, they get Broadway shows, They have an IMAX theater, Riverfront Park, hiking, fishing, they have 3 major colleges near by, as well as the c.c. colleges. They have minor league baseball (the Spokane Indians) and World class skiing and resort life within 1 1/2 hours (Schweitzer Mt. and Silver Mt.) Coeur d'Alene is wonderful! Heck...John Elway lives there! Oprah just bought a condo overlooking the lake, too! Prices have skyrocketed! I say, buy in WA (love Liberty Lake, too!) and visit CDA!
Okay, my novel is done. I've done my research on these 2 areas, but if it weren't so far from family, we may consider Boise, too! Good luck in your quest! Hopefully we will figure out our life-change, too!
Last edited by soggy; 07-08-2008 at 12:57 AM..
Reason: Spelling and punctuation
Since this original posting was several years ago by now HDL has made their decision. But perhaps others are asking the same question, Spokane or Sequim. I've lived in both places, but longer in Sequim than in Spokane. While I see many active over 55 people on bikes, hiking and engaged in community events Sequim can feel pretty isolating because it is so small the the town appears to close down completely after 6 pm in the winter. (and its dark) I've been frustrated by the price of real estate here considering how small the area is and compared to Spokane where the housing costs are considerable cheaper and more varied I'd vote Spokane as the winner in affordable housing that is decent. My relatives in Boise absolutely love it though and it seems less depressed than Spokane.
I want to throw this in about why there is some resentment toward Californians by locals since HDL mentioned it. Some believe that they drive up property values by coming to town with 400K cash to plunk down when the long time residents because of the depressed economy are involved in the service industry serving the Californians driving up property values. In my local experience 9 times out of 10 if someone is ridding my bumper and driving aggressively I check out the license plate and see its a car from California. The road etiquette in the PNW is generally far more gracious than So CAL and so when someone drives like a pig it is alienating.
It is not just real estate or driving, there is the CA entitlement as well. Recently a woman decked out in expensive jewelry and upscale clothing, directly cut in line in front of me at a shop, I was actually placing items on the counter. She was rude to me and the clerk, acted entitled to be as snobby as she wanted to. I watched her get into her Caddy in front of the store, sure enough, CA plates. I knew she wasn't local, it is rare to see a local that is anything less than polite. With numerous encounters of the snobbish kind from entitled CA it is hard to want to see them arrive here. Something to consider, and yet, I know people that came from CA and have been here for decades and been a blessing to the community. Perhaps if a Californian considers moving here they might make some conscious effort to understand local culture and adapt to it.
I just wanted to point out that this thread was actually started by another poster "Counting Down". A gentleman from the San Diego area of SoCal, who was looking for a place for him and his wife to retire to. Since he hasn't posted since 2009 and I didn't see anything in any of his prior posts of where he decided he was going to relocate to, I'm not certain that he will be back to update this thread .
Anyways hc1960, thanks for sharing and hopefully it might help other people that are looking for information on either of these two cities or just the Pacific NW in general !
Best wishes to all ~HDL~
p.s.
Counting Down was also the one that brought up the potential dislike of Californians of which I am vaguely familiar with that subject .
Quote:
Originally Posted by happycamper1960
Since this original posting was several years ago by now HDL has made their decision. But perhaps others are asking the same question, Spokane or Sequim. I've lived in both places, but longer in Sequim than in Spokane. While I see many active over 55 people on bikes, hiking and engaged in community events Sequim can feel pretty isolating because it is so small the the town appears to close down completely after 6 pm in the winter. (and its dark) I've been frustrated by the price of real estate here considering how small the area is and compared to Spokane where the housing costs are considerable cheaper and more varied I'd vote Spokane as the winner in affordable housing that is decent. My relatives in Boise absolutely love it though and it seems less depressed than Spokane.
I want to throw this in about why there is some resentment toward Californians by locals since HDL mentioned it. Some believe that they drive up property values by coming to town with 400K cash to plunk down when the long time residents because of the depressed economy are involved in the service industry serving the Californians driving up property values. In my local experience 9 times out of 10 if someone is ridding my bumper and driving aggressively I check out the license plate and see its a car from California. The road etiquette in the PNW is generally far more gracious than So CAL and so when someone drives like a pig it is alienating.
It is not just real estate or driving, there is the CA entitlement as well. Recently a woman decked out in expensive jewelry and upscale clothing, directly cut in line in front of me at a shop, I was actually placing items on the counter. She was rude to me and the clerk, acted entitled to be as snobby as she wanted to. I watched her get into her Caddy in front of the store, sure enough, CA plates. I knew she wasn't local, it is rare to see a local that is anything less than polite. With numerous encounters of the snobbish kind from entitled CA it is hard to want to see them arrive here. Something to consider, and yet, I know people that came from CA and have been here for decades and been a blessing to the community. Perhaps if a Californian considers moving here they might make some conscious effort to understand local culture and adapt to it.
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