Vancouver or Belingham?

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by diver110

I think the point Texasdiver was making is that Aurora is a (fairly uninteresting) Denver suburb, Ft. Collins a small city, similar in location and size to Vancouver and Bellingham. I can believe that Ft. Collins is more conservative. It is interesting how often politics keep coming up. I am a moderate, my wife a liberal, and neither of us has raised the issue of politics in picking a retirement city. In terms of culture, we like going to plays, art museums, classical music concerts, etc.

Exactly.

Vancouver is largely a nondescript suburb of Portland with a few interesting pockets. But, like Aurora, it largely merits attention by its location next to a major metro area within the PNW, not it's unique qualities. Neither Aurora nor Vancouver would be very interesting places on their own.

Bellingham, like Fort Collins, is a newish medium size college town in the corner of the state with a mix of students and retirees and good amenities like access to outdoor recreation. Both cities are also about an hour from major metro areas so culture beyond what the universities offer is within reach for day trips but probably not daily commuting.

Obviously the politics, climate, and landscape of CO and WA are different. If Bellingham and Fort Collins were identical then the OP would not need to leave CO.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Exactly.

Vancouver is largely a nondescript suburb of Portland with a few interesting pockets. But, like Aurora, it largely merits attention by its location next to a major metro area within the PNW, not it's unique qualities. Neither Aurora nor Vancouver would be very interesting places on their own.

Bellingham, like Fort Collins, is a newish medium size college town in the corner of the state with a mix of students and retirees and good amenities like access to outdoor recreation. Both cities are also about an hour from major metro areas so culture beyond what the universities offer is within reach for day trips but probably not daily commuting.

Obviously the politics, climate, and landscape of CO and WA are different. If Bellingham and Fort Collins were identical then the OP would not need to leave CO.

I think where Stealth was going in comparison has more to do with the subcultures. Boulder is definitely more of the hipster college crowd on the edge of the Rockies. That's where the cool cats want to live while not being in the mountains (Aspen, Vail, Telluride, etc...). It's also more high end and expensive as a boutique type town vs. Ft. Collins. But yes, Ft. Collins is more removed from Denver like Bham to Seattle or Vancouver BC. I'm not sure all that hipness for the younger crowd is as important or even desirable during retirement years. Though there are similar draws to some things depending on one's interests. Is that worth the cost of admission?

Here is another related PNW analogy. We have distant family who've recently retired to Bend which is another very trendy boutique outdoorsy town at the gateway to the Cascades. No real industry beyond tourism, sporting good shops, etc... But it attracts youth and retirees as well who are really into the outdoors like our family members. On the flipside, we recently met a older couple while backpacking in the Eagle Cap Wilderness from Bend who are 'pre-retirement' age. While they enjoy the area and outdoors, they said they would not want to retire there because they are not into the local 'scene.' Bend always shows up on list like this, for example. America’s 20 coolest outdoor towns

Much comes down to personal tastes and preferences, really. I think both could work. We've found creating a weighted list of requirements, deal breakers along with nice to haves to be very useful. Then rank them accordingly. I also suggest renting the first year just to see if it is ultimately where you want to live and invest longer term. It will also help you cherry pick the best locations when you've got boots on the ground as a local vs. from afar. It may take some time watching and waiting for that just right spot to emerge.

Derek

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by diver110

... I am a moderate, my wife a liberal, and neither of us has raised the issue of politics in picking a retirement city. In terms of culture, we like going to plays, art museums, classical music concerts, etc.

Diversity in retiree politics is pretty tolerable / acceptable in western WA, but not so much in OR. (opinionized areas / 'group think' state loyalties).

Your cultural interests stated will have more variety with access to Vanc, WA and Portland (several community concert / theater groups & 20+ colleges, vs Bellingham (venues related to community and WWU (or drive 1+ hrs to Vancouver BC).

for Portland metro area... Look into CMNW.org + Allclassical.org events (Stream it for a few weeks and find out if it fits your desires). Oregon Historical Society is a good resource for local museum events and venues. I spend most Weds in summer in downtown Portland at CMNW and museum / street concerts / Farmer's Markets / Library events / happy hour offerings. Portland Art museum has a great (free) library (next door to museum).

For Vancouver BC...https://onlineradiobox.com/ca/canadaclassical/ and CBC options (We lived on Thetis, Island (very close to Vanc BC by Float plane or boat... 6 hrs by car (multiple ferries)).

For a retiree destination, I would give both locations a solid chance and try. (Rent in each place for a long season (1+ yr)). If you can get access to WWU recreation facility, It might be a winner.

https://www.cityofvancouver.us/messenger
https://bellingham.com/newsletters/
https://biv.com/magazine/retirement-2020

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

...
Obviously the politics, climate, and landscape of CO and WA are different. If Bellingham and Fort Collins were identical then the OP would not need to leave CO.

Identical

Bellingham, like Fort Collins, is a newish medium size college town in the corner of the state with a mix of students and retirees and good amenities like access to outdoor recreation. Both cities are also about an hour from major metro areas so culture beyond what the universities offer is within reach for day trips but probably not daily commuting.

That's about it... (not the level of info you typically make a retirement relocation decision on)

I see FEW similarities between FoCo and Bellingham.

College town with a Costco, near northern border of state (Adjacent to a state / province with better recreation opportunities than the town itself.) Though in Bellingham you can escape via boat. (So you don't have to fight 500k+ 'commuters-to-recreation')

The nature / 'vibe' / attitude of each location is very different from one another.
The colleges are a very different dynamic to the community in each locale.

FoCo gets a few WY shopping commuters. (does not contribute to the traffic problems)
Bellingham gets hoards of BC shopping commuters (to the distain of locals). The volume of traffic / congestion (buying milk and gas) is similar to Denver showing up in Estes Park during first Covid relaxing of restrictions.

I only know about 5 retirees actually in Bellingham. Many more in Ferndale, Lynden, Pt Roberts, Blaine, Birch Bay (Thus OP really needs to 'try-it-on' to make a clear relocation decision.)

Ft Collins... I know many retirees and spend time there with them monthly.

Recreation / OP desires... Ft Collins = minimal. Bellingham = significant (especially if inland waters can become a recreation option).

[mayfair]

I agree the vibes are very different in Bellingham and Vancouver so it comes down to what you want in a town. Bellingham has a stronger identity as a small city vs. a plainer stretch of Portland-area town/burb like Vancouver.

The college is a big part of Bellingham with students working and walking downtown and it has some homeless issues like all PNW towns up I5. Students work in the restaurants and sometimes service isn't great. The scenery is better in Bellingham if you love waterfront (a boardwalk) and a waterfall (Whatcom Falls) in town. There are lakes and rivers and wild, rocky foothills. Lots of scenic drives and incredible beauty around the Bellingham area.

Though Bellingham is liberal, the county gets conservative fast outside of town.

Vancouver has better access to the Oregon Coast.

[mayfair]

Originally Posted by diver110

In terms of culture, we like going to plays, art museums, classical music concerts, etc.

Bellingham has a fabulous art museum- the Lightcatcher downtown. I've seen a few exhibits there and they were great.

https://www.whatcommuseum.org/visit/.../lightcatcher/

[trailtramp]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Exactly.

Vancouver is largely a nondescript suburb of Portland with a few interesting pockets. But, like Aurora, it largely merits attention by its location next to a major metro area within the PNW, not it's unique qualities. Neither Aurora nor Vancouver would be very interesting places on their own.

Bellingham, like Fort Collins, is a newish medium size college town in the corner of the state with a mix of students and retirees and good amenities like access to outdoor recreation. Both cities are also about an hour from major metro areas so culture beyond what the universities offer is within reach for day trips but probably not daily commuting.

Obviously the politics, climate, and landscape of CO and WA are different. If Bellingham and Fort Collins were identical then the OP would not need to leave CO.

Interesting in the least....Bellingham is very Blue, Fort Collins is bright red, yet both similar in many other ways.