Two Floridians, living in AZ, relocating somewhere in the NW. (Seattle: how much, neighborhood)

[scott and liz]

HELLO

My fiance and I are originally both from South Florida. About a year and a half ago, after two hurricanes ruined Scott's personal training business, we decided to move to Arizona where he would practice Chiropractic, which is his profession. Neither one of us can deal with this desert climate, we prefer dolphins to cactus! Needless to say we are looking to relocate and set our roots...deep, however, neither of us has ever been to the Pacific Northwest. Scott lived in San Diego for a few years and likes the laid back attitude of the West coast We have friends from Florida who have moved to Oregon and they say they will never go back to Florida. Here are a few facts about us;
Scott is 36 and I am 25, we have no children (only a lil kitty), we love beautiful ambiance and can find the most pleasure from sitting on a porch, listening to a little Jack Johnson or Norah Jones, while sipping on some delicious java. We eat only organic and very healthy (not much sugar or junk, stick to veggies, fruits, meats, honey, rice...you get the idea) NEED to be by organic grocery stores or a really great farmers market. We have no need to live in a posh city, however, we will be starting a personal training and maybe holistic health office, so being close to a more affluent neighborhood would serve us well. We want to start skiing, and possibly wind surfing so living in an area with lots of outdoor sports would be awesome. Lastly, I know everyone talks about the rain and the gray, but are there any towns with a little more dryness? We often hear about these "convergence zones", ANY THOUGHTS? Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Scott and Liz

[pw72]

Yes, I think Seattle will fit your criteria. Just be prepared for a totally different climate. 80 is considered hot in Seattle. And yes, it is cloudy and wet from mid-October to the end of March, or April, depending on the year.

[scirocco22]

The Puget Sound convergence zone most often occurs in the area between Seattle and Everett but can vary. This is an area of "stormy weather" so if it's dryness you want, you'd probably want to avoid that specific area and rather choose an area within the "rain shadow." See the following thread from a few months ago:

//www.city-data.com/forum/washi...lt-region.html

Here's a good, descriptive article by Steve Pool, a local TV weatherman, explaining the Puget Sound convergence zone ...complete with maps and diagrams:

What is the Puget Sound Convergence Zone? | KOMO-TV - Seattle, Washington | F.A.Q.

And again, how much of the time it's cloudy and wet is subjective and is the conclusion or the prevailing view of the person expressing the comment. Sure, we can site the statistics but many of us express how we feel from years of living in the area. Granted, I've lived in the area longer than most participating on this forum but I always tell people they can count on it being cloudy and relatively wet from mid-September to the end of June, depending on the year. *shrugs shoulders*

--'rocco