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Old 01-21-2011, 03:30 PM
 
Location: Georgia
7 posts, read 9,511 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi everyone,

I have read a lot of posts here in these forums and I am hoping that I will get some responses.
I am thinking about moving to Washington or Oregon. I was born and raised in Germany and from what I have seen and heard I think I would love it up there. I do not want to move into a big city. I love the outdoors and I know I will love the weather up there.
I will be moving there with 2 of my children and I would like to live somewhere with good schools and a good job market.I know finding a job might be kinda hard right now, but I am really set on moving.

Thank you so much for any ideas you may have.
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Old 01-21-2011, 11:05 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,165 posts, read 80,329,413 times
Reputation: 57039
Small towns don't have jobs. The jobs are in Bellevue and Seattle, or Portland OR. If you are up to a commute of 45 minutes or more, there are a lot of small suburban and rural areas within that distance that have good schools. In Portland area look at Riverdale and Sherwood. In Seattle area
look at Sammamish and Issaquah.
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Old 01-23-2011, 12:46 AM
 
690 posts, read 916,937 times
Reputation: 608
I met some Germans living in Oak Harbor, WA which was founded by the Dutch. Life on Whidbey Island reminded me of living in Germany. There was also neat little German Tourist town called Leavenworth, WA similar to Helen, GA where you can get a decent hefeweizen.
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Old 01-24-2011, 12:11 AM
 
15 posts, read 24,450 times
Reputation: 10
Hello.. I will start by asking what kind of weather do you like & temp? Also what kind of job were you & your wife would like to get? Reason for my weather question is on the west side of the state during the summer it can be anywhere from 70-75 (avg) durning the summer & hotter on the east part of the state (Washington) & during the winter, it almost guarenteed the East half will get snow, while it's a hit & miss for the west side to get snow.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mybusylife View Post
Hi everyone,

I have read a lot of posts here in these forums and I am hoping that I will get some responses.
I am thinking about moving to Washington or Oregon. I was born and raised in Germany and from what I have seen and heard I think I would love it up there. I do not want to move into a big city. I love the outdoors and I know I will love the weather up there.
I will be moving there with 2 of my children and I would like to live somewhere with good schools and a good job market.I know finding a job might be kinda hard right now, but I am really set on moving.

Thank you so much for any ideas you may have.
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Old 01-26-2011, 08:37 AM
 
3,695 posts, read 11,342,499 times
Reputation: 2651
bsjoe is right - the jobs are in Seattle, Bellevue and Portland. You just aren't going to find much work in other areas.

Bellingham is a nice mix of a smaller town with great access to the wilderness, and if you miss things like a cosmopolitan international feel and good public transportation you're an easy drive from Vancouver, BC
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Old 01-26-2011, 09:12 AM
 
22 posts, read 36,724 times
Reputation: 11
I'll echo the above due to the coversations I've had over the years with family members that still live in the area. Even going about 20 years back the major business/job corridor was Bellingham south to Tacoma, then Olympia and Portland with military bases and contracts strewn around. Since that time with major closings of paper mills, aluminum plants, military and other major/minor regional downsizing, it's compressed the job market even more.

Unless you have a portable career and/or income, it's going to be difficult to just uproot and move to the area and find what you are looking for unless there is someone you can live with for awhile while you get stabilized.

Even with my portable income and no children I know this move is not going to be easy. I can remember feeling depressed a good part of the time I lived there due to the lack of sunlight and now I'm trying to balance that considering the fog cover east of the mountains(at least that burns off). Good luck to you and I hope you can make it work.
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Old 01-26-2011, 10:05 AM
 
Location: Olympia
1,024 posts, read 4,125,318 times
Reputation: 846
I'm also born an raised in Germany and have settled with my family in Olympia. Olympia is a medium sized town located at the southern tip of Puget Sound. It's the capitol city of Washington and offers lots of cultural amenities, such as festivals, concerts, theaters, galleries, etc. The Olympia school district has excellent schools. Olympia has an active German Club (www.germanclubolympia.com), and Lakewood (30 min.) has a German school where children can learn German on weekends and during the summer.
The big employers in the Olympia area are the state government and the federal government, with Joint Base Lewis/McChord 12 miles outside of town.
What I love most about Olympia is the fact that it has an authentic and walkable downtown with unique shops, cafes, restaurants and a wonderful farmers market.
Hopefully you'll get a chance to visit Olympia and see for yourself.
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Old 01-26-2011, 10:15 AM
 
22 posts, read 36,724 times
Reputation: 11
Sandy just reading your post reminded me of my visits to the Olympia Brewery when I was younger.
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Old 01-27-2011, 01:51 PM
 
Location: Washington State
129 posts, read 351,513 times
Reputation: 71
Quote:
Originally Posted by mybusylife View Post
Hi everyone,

I have read a lot of posts here in these forums and I am hoping that I will get some responses.
I am thinking about moving to Washington or Oregon. I was born and raised in Germany and from what I have seen and heard I think I would love it up there. I do not want to move into a big city. I love the outdoors and I know I will love the weather up there.
I will be moving there with 2 of my children and I would like to live somewhere with good schools and a good job market.I know finding a job might be kinda hard right now, but I am really set on moving.

Thank you so much for any ideas you may have.
What industry are you in? That does make quite the difference in figuring out where are the jobs. Contrary to popular belief on this board, there are jobs to be had on the eastern side of the Cascades. There are also a lot less people and a plenty of wonderful parks to enjoy.

What size of town are you looking for?
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Old 02-20-2011, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Georgia
7 posts, read 9,511 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you so much for all your replies. I will check out some of these cities. To answer some of the questions: I like 4 seasons, I don't mind the freezing or the rain. Like I said I grew up in germany and I miss that type of weather. As far as the size of the town, that depends. I am not a big city girl, if I can find a job in a bigger city and then live a little outside town, that would be fine.
As far as jobs, I have been in a management position for a retail store for the last 8 years, I have also done administrative work. I am open for a change.

Thanks for all your help
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