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Have you considered Leavenworth (mountain town with bigger Wenatchee nearby)?
Or maybe Roslyn or Cle Elum? Those towns are at least closer to I-90.
It doesn't rain enough there, or I would consider. Plus, my wife hates the bavarian theme that Leavenworth has. While Leavenworth is my IDEAL type of town, if it rained more I would simply tell my wife "You're going to have to deal with it." But, I believe I read it rarely rains. I know it snows plenty, I'll have to read about it a little bit more, to see if the snow makes up for the rain. But, I also read it's always very sunny, I love cloudy days. Here in Joaquin, Texas I long for the clouds, and the rain which never comes.. EVER!
I've pretty much had my mind made up on Bellingham, but of course since I haven't graduated yet I'm still keeping my options open for potential places to go. One thing is for sure, I'm getting up there, SOMEWHERE. More than likely it will be Bellingham. Perhaps there is decent real estate that is "Isolated", and close to the mountains, near Bellingham.
I'll check out Port Angeles as well. It seems like only Alaska has what I'm interested in, however that is entirely out of the question. I prefer Washington in general as far as everything else goes. I also don't like the "permafrost", or isolation of Alaska.
Port Angeles combines a decent sized town with a good mountain backdrop. Nearby Hurricane Ridge is goregous.
From photos Lamplight shared, Bellingham looks like it has good views of mountain scenery, though not that close to the mountains themselves (except some foothills).
Port Angeles looks beautiful, as does Hurricane Ridge. The mountain views in Port Angeles looked nice from what i have seen.
Is there a "rainy" side of Port Angeles, or a more rainy residential area of Port Angeles, or homes located near Hurricane Ridge?
Port Angeles looks beautiful, as does Hurricane Ridge. The mountain views in Port Angeles looked nice from what i have seen.
Is there a "rainy" side of Port Angeles, or a more rainy residential area of Port Angeles?
It drizzles a lot there. If that's not enough rain for you go west of town. Wettest place in the country (about 130 inches of rain). I can't imagine anyone moving there for the weather.
It drizzles a lot there. If that's not enough rain for you go west of town. Wettest place in the country (about 130 inches of rain). I can't imagine anyone moving there for the weather.
Those pictures were absolutely gorgeous. I could see myself living there for sure.. But could you clarify on where the wettest place in the country is at in Washington? I do love drizzling rain if you're speaking of Port Angeles, but west of Port Angeles you say it rains more?
I'm not sure if Port Angeles has what you want. There's a hospital, or at least a medical center (not too far from photo #3 I think), but it might be tough to find a job. Dunno really. Not a whole lot going on, and it's a bit touristy, but it's easy to walk around the downtown and there enough stores / restaurants to be functional. One plus is there's regular ferry service to Victoria, BC (100,000 people with a metro of 300,000), about 1.5 hour trip. Beautiful city, compact and enjoyable to explore.
You're not going to be living in the mountains. If you don't like hiking, you're not going to see that much.
Port Angeles is in the rain shadow of the Olympics, so it's a bit drier. Hurricane Ridge is somewhat drier than most of the mountains, it's also in a bit of a rain shadow. Much of the same elevation on the wet side would be underneath a glacier. But it's still drizzles often and gets rather cloudy, maybe even a bit more than Seattle. Summers are cool even for Washington standards. West of Port Angeles, get increasingly wetter, going from 25 inches to over 100 inches. I'd think you're a bit nuts to live in the wetter areas for the weather. Cloudiest place in the 48 states, cold often heavy rain. Summers aren't too wet, but the rest of the year is a horror. Coming from Texas, you might not realize what you're getting. It's a temperate rainforest:
Going east it gets drier. Here's a couple of the mountains:
Thanks for all of your informative posts, just to clarify, I understand how wet, cloudy might be conceived as miserable for some, but I've had enough of it. I'm originally from Houston, TX, where we would see tons of rain. I moved to Joaquin, where it's a constant state of DRY. My home is actually situation in the Sabbine National Forest of Texas, so I'm used to hiking(not up mountains), but hilly area's, sure. My backyard marks the beginning of the national forest here. So I'm definitely used to forests and isolation, the nearest cities are an hour away any direction you choose to go, East or West.
Fortunately, for me though, I find wet, cold weather much more pleasant to be in. Although the coldest it usually gets here is around the 40's, during the latter Winter months, I still much prefer it, and I also prefer Winter fashion. Here, where I am currently, so far since April, we have consistently seen 100 degree temperatures, with little to no rain, but plenty of humidity to go around to make it feel even MORE HOT. So, as you can imagine, I am in one extreme here, but I feel that this extreme is a lot more uncomfortable to be in than in Washington, especially considering I have very fair skin. I don't tan, I burn. So I try to stay indoors, and avoid the sun and heat as often as possible.
It's my dream to be in a predominantly cloudy, wet weather winter area and a moderate summer area. Which seems to just about sum Washington up, at least most of Western Washington. I love forests, mountains, and enjoy outdoor activities. My wife and I fit, young people, so hiking, biking and things like that will be something that we take part in very often. We also want to promote a more healthy lifestyle to our son who was just born June 12th. Being in Texas though, it's so hot that it's hard to want to get around and go outside. Even in the Winter, temperatures are often in the 80's, and sometimes higher around here. It's truly awful.
Maybe you can see my longing for a different scenery much more openly now. I like to frolic in the rain, I also love driving in it. I'm sure I will enjoy it quite a bit, while 100 inches per year IS a bit excessive, I don't think we would enjoy THAT very much, but a nice even upper 30's, 40's, annually is awesome, especially when it's consistent, drizzling all day type of weather.
P.S., I love the pictures you took of Vancouver, I always liked Vancouver, but I hear it's insanely pricey and has a tendency of driving others into poverty, so I was told on the Canadian boards.
Thanks for all of your informative posts, just to clarify, I understand how wet, cloudy might be conceived as miserable for some, but I've had enough of it. I'm originally from Houston, TX, where we would see tons of rain. I moved to Joaquin, where it's a constant state of DRY. My home is actually situation in the Sabbine National Forest of Texas, so I'm used to hiking(not up mountains), but hilly area's, sure. My backyard marks the beginning of the national forest here. So I'm definitely used to forests and isolation, the nearest cities are an hour away any direction you choose to go, East or West.
Fortunately, for me though, I find wet, cold weather much more pleasant to be in. Although the coldest it usually gets here is around the 40's, during the latter Winter months, I still much prefer it, and I also prefer Winter fashion. Here, where I am currently, so far since April, we have consistently seen 100 degree temperatures, with little to no rain, but plenty of humidity to go around to make it feel even MORE HOT. So, as you can imagine, I am in one extreme here, but I feel that this extreme is a lot more uncomfortable to be in than in Washington, especially considering I have very fair skin. I don't tan, I burn. So I try to stay indoors, and avoid the sun and heat as often as possible.
Wow! Spewed, I thought I was one of the few and the proud who loves cloudy grey weather! All I can say is that I TOTALLY relate! My family and I currently live just outside of Oklahoma City and I absolutely detest the summers here, infact climate wise.. it's the pits.. way to much sun and believe it or not.. boring weather much of the time, but every so often, some of the thunderstorms we get can be downright terrifying, accompanied by tornadoes of which we have dodged many, and hail that i have personally witnessed at about 5" in diameter (size of a large grapefruit). I'm very, very ready for a change but the Mrs. is adamant on staying as we have both of our grandkids here.. that alone is worth it of course but the weather as I said really stinks here in Oklahoma.
As for your inquiry on rainy spots, if you don't mind smaller towns, consider Forks, which is not far from the Hoh rainforest which is part of the Olympic National Park and pretty close to the ocean..(about 15 minutes away). Forks averages about 100 inches of rain a year. Employment opportunities are few and far between in Forks but recently the Twilight movies have brought in a little extra tourism. Aberdeen and Hoquiam are other areas to consider for your rainy, cloudy fix.. but those towns have a depressed economy and I've read far more negative posts than positive here on CD about those towns. I think the perfect fit for you would be a place on the Kitsap Peninsula where you have places like Poulsbo, Kingston and Port Townsend, the latter I think you would absolutely fall in love with. These places average about 25-40 inches of rain a year but averages about 175 cloudy days a year and only about 20 to 30 clear days. What's so great about Washington state is the diversity of the climate. Port Townsend to Sequim you get maybe closer to 20 inches of rain per year but as others have posted, just a drive on down to Forks which is about 2 hours away, you average about 80 more inches.. also Hurricane Ridge as stated.. is a magical place which also gets it's share of moisture (and copious amounts of snow too!) I would seriously look into those towns.. real estate prices are reasonable but I would recommend you rent the first year your there to make sure its a good fit for you and the family. Port Townsend would be my first recommendation for you based on reading your earlier posts as it's a very progressive, health and outdoor minded community, not to mention one of the prettiest towns in the Northwest. Below is a map of the annual rainfall amounts for the state of Washington in case you have other ideas across this wonderful state. The best of luck in bringing your dreams to fruition!!
It's my dream to be in a predominantly cloudy, wet weather winter area and a moderate summer area. Which seems to just about sum Washington up, at least most of Western Washington. I love forests, mountains, and enjoy outdoor activities. My wife and I fit, young people, so hiking, biking and things like that will be something that we take part in very often. We also want to promote a more healthy lifestyle to our son who was just born June 12th. Being in Texas though, it's so hot that it's hard to want to get around and go outside. Even in the Winter, temperatures are often in the 80's, and sometimes higher around here. It's truly awful.
Maybe you can see my longing for a different scenery much more openly now. I like to frolic in the rain, I also love driving in it. I'm sure I will enjoy it quite a bit, while 100 inches per year IS a bit excessive, I don't think we would enjoy THAT very much, but a nice even upper 30's, 40's, annually is awesome, especially when it's consistent, drizzling all day type of weather.
Yea, I can get that you want cooler, wetter weather and the climate of Western Washington might be a good match for you. But going for the wettest, cloudiest, coolest place in the region is a bit much. Also, since the summers are so cool and rain is generally more frequent, less rain is needed to keep the vegetation lush (25 inches is semi-arid in Texas not so much in Port Angeles). And the same amount of rain will feel like more in Washington, because the rain is of a longer duration but less intensity than back home.
Yea, I can get that you want cooler, wetter weather and the climate of Western Washington might be a good match for you. But going for the wettest, cloudiest, coolest place in the region is a bit much. Also, since the summers are so cool and rain is generally more frequent, less rain is needed to keep the vegetation lush (25 inches is semi-arid in Texas not so much in Port Angeles). And the same amount of rain will feel like more in Washington, because the rain is of a longer duration but less intensity than back home.
Thanks for the information. I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm not sure why you think I want to be in the wettest climate in the continental United States. I don't think that I've ever said that, but I did say that it was a bit excessive for my tastes, and also said that I was more interested in something like 40" per year, or around that margin. But thanks, I will continue to look around!
Thanks for the information. I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm not sure why you think I want to be in the wettest climate in the continental United States. I don't think that I've ever said that, but I did say that it was a bit excessive for my tastes, and also said that I was more interested in something like 40" per year, or around that margin. But thanks, I will continue to look around!
Perhaps I didn't write that well, I was thinking earlier when you asked west of Port Angeles. My impression was that further west was a horror of a climateand the locals liked to hype it a bit, so when you said west, my thought was you want that. There's barely anything there on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, anyway.
Anyhow, I see what you mean. I think Bellingham is 40" or so, but as I said going by precipitation duration rather than amount might be more meaningful. Good luck finding a place in Western Washington!
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My family and I currently live just outside of Oklahoma City and I absolutely detest the summers here, infact climate wise.. it's the pits.. way to much sun and believe it or not.. boring weather much of the time, but every so often, some of the thunderstorms we get can be downright terrifying, accompanied by tornadoes of which we have dodged many, and hail that i have personally witnessed at about 5" in diameter (size of a large grapefruit). I'm very, very ready for a change but the Mrs. is adamant on staying as we have both of our grandkids here.. that alone is worth it of course but the weather as I said really stinks here in Oklahoma.
