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Location: West Texas [Olympia, Washington in October 2012]
14 posts, read 60,244 times
Reputation: 55
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Hey guys, second post for me on these forums, I want to know what I should be prepared for when moving to Olympia from West Texas in the following months [October 2012, hopefully].
I have been lurking these threads for a while now, reading about people moving to Washington and Olympia. It all sounds very amazing to me, being a West Texas native. I can't wait for the MUCH cooler temperatures, the much more liberal-minded crowd, and the rain/mist/drizzle I have read about.
Here are a few things I have gathered so far; feel free to correct, elaborate, add, correct, or comment on any of these observations [purely from forum comments]:
- It doesn't really rain ALL the time
From what I've gathered, it's more like a mist or a drizzle. Sounds awesome to me. Here in West Texas, it's dry, sandy, disgustingly hot, very crappy weather. - Cost of living is a bit higher than other places
Our current apartment is $615 a month. One of the places I've found online [Capital Park Apartments] sounds very nice, tons of great reviews, and is $675. Gas here in WTX hovers around $3.50 - $3.75 per gallon. How high or low is it up there? - Comcast runs the Internet show
I sincerely hope that this is not the case. We all know how horrible and awful Comcast is. Please say it ain't so. I really only care about internet access. Don't give half a crap about television. - It is so GREEN
Here in WTX, there is only sand, dirt, weeds, dead vegetation, barbed wire, and pump jacks. From what I can tell, Washington actually has trees, grass, water, lakes, rivers, woods, forests, mountains, and other natural features. [I'm talking about West/Coastal Washington here.]
Any advice/comments/suggestions to this very eager West Texas guy that can't wait to move? I LOVE the rain and grey clouds, by the way, so that should not be an issue.
Location: West Texas [Olympia, Washington in October 2012]
14 posts, read 60,244 times
Reputation: 55
Also, I am curious about the grocery stores there. I have lived in Nashville [capital of Tennessee] and Austin [capital of Texas], and both places had great local grocery chains. Tennessee had Kroger, Publix, and a few others, while Texas has HEB. What would be the Olympia/Washington equivalent?
AND I would really love it if there were an In-N-Out Burger and Carl's Jr. I've never had an In-N-Out, but I hear they are the best.
We have lots of microclimates here... Olympia definitely rains harder and more than Seattle.
Gas is finally coming down a bit. I paid $4.20 yesterday. Probably the cheapest I've seen was $4.09... seems they're averaging around $4.19. Gas is always more than the national average-- Reality of life here.
Comcast is here. We do have some other options as well. Qwest (or now known as "CenturyLink") is around. They're the main ones. You could also look into Clearwire.
We do get lots of people who move here from sunny environments claiming that they just absolutely love rain and clouds-- and they're also the ones that are more likely to run out first opportunity they can grab. Honestly, it doesn't really mean anything to us when people make statements like this because it's just fact of life here and it does get annoying. (The rain, I mean.)
Kroger is "Fred Meyers" here. No Publix, or Heb obviously. We also have Safeway, Albertson, QFC (also a Kroger company), Haggens/Top Foods. I've heard rumors of Whole Foods coming to Olympia. Its kinda pointless as you have many Co-ops and Farmer markets options-- do check the Olympia Farmers Market.
Carl's JR is in Lacey. In-n-Out burder has not come to WA (they're mostly CA and SW area)-- though there were announcements of them opening one closer to the Seattle area. We do have Sonic Burger around (in around Tacoma areas) and 5 guys. Chehalis (roughly 30 mins south of Olympia) has Burgerville.
Along the I-5 corridor can be more expensive than other places. For years I lived in the midwest. In comparison, price wise, it is more expensive to live in Olympia (or Seattle and surrounding areas). There are less taxes, which is nice. However, you will find the groceries cost more. Overall, it's not a bad exchange for less extremes in the weather. In comparison, it's a walk in the park. Something you will need to watch out for more is mold. There are some places which will paint over it (without solving the issue of the mold, because it's very costly) and still rent the house, apartment, duplex, apartment, etc. There aren't a lot of places that will do that, but there's enough that I think it would be beneficial to you to be mindful of mold being a potential problem since it causes so many health issues.
I'm glad you like the rain and the clouds...you better! I appreciate Inkpoe's statement and she's spot on. The rain and clouds in Olympia will be a 360 degree difference from what you're used to down in Texas. I actually just moved to Albuquerque, NM because I had had it with the the clouds (the rain itself I don't mind, but not the gray). You will get tired of it towards the end of winter, but hopefully you'll be someone that is able to handle it just fine and you'll get into the groove of it. Good luck! But I can totally understand you wanting to get out of Texas and try something different because it's exactly what I needed and a big reason why I moved.
Olympia is actually pretty reasonable, but you're right that Washington in general is a bit higher than, say, Texas is. Olympia is definitely doable, though. It's when you get closer to Seattle that the price shock really starts to hit. Gas is higher--I just got here to ABQ a few weeks ago and the price of gasoline dropped about 50 cents a gallon. Groceries aren't bad, but as with any relocation you might find certain items you're used to buying either don't exist or the costs are higher. You mentioned grocery stores...I like to shop at Fred Meyer. Their prices seem to be better compared to other stores, and they have a great health food section. I find that Safeway and Albertson's are way overpriced. I believe Olympia has a Top Foods, but it's a bit smaller and I'm not sure of the prices. Sorry, no In-N-Out , but it does have Carls Jr.
Sorry, Comcast does run the show . I have to say, though, that I operate a business out of my home and reliable Internet service is extremely important. Comcast has always worked very well, is fast, and has been reliable. A couple years back I had some major issues with them, but it was mostly because I lived in a very very old building with decaying lines. The whole building needed new wiring. I ended up having to switch to DSL, which in downtown Tacoma was fiber optic and is very fast. That was through Qwest (now Century Link). I also read somewhere that Olympia is supposed to have some of the fastest internet speeds in western Washington, but the award for fastest is, I believe, is more central in cities like Wenatchee and Chelan.
As far as greenery and natural beauty, you're in for a real treat, and no matter what anybody tells you it is a beautiful place! Summers are fantastic.
Although keeping active in the winter did not help me, many people find it very helpful to keep busy in the winter with whatever outdoor activity suits their interests. It can become very gloomy in the winter and keeping busy is important.
Olympia is a great community and this may sound snobby but definitely move to Olympia not Lacey.
Yes...it is gray, it rains, and it gets old. I've been here 20 years and still struggle...a lot.
Downtown Olympia has many cool shops and restaurants (though people from surrounding cities will say downtown is bad...and it does have some issues but the city is really working on it)...and it doesn't take away from the awesome restaurants and shops.
The Port of Olympia is absolutely breathtaking on a sunny day...blue skies, snow-capped mountains, sparkling sound, and the boats in the marina. Awesome boardwalk too.
Comcast sucks. But they are fast and reliable.
If you're looking at apartments you should be able to find some very reasonable rents with amenities and views!
Good luck on your move!
ETA: The Olympia co-op is awesome! Ralph's Thriftway has great deals on good meat (Mondays usually), good produce, and that's about all for there because unless it's on sale it's spendy (at Ralph's). Trader Joe's in West Olympia too.
Hey guys, second post for me on these forums, I want to know what I should be prepared for when moving to Olympia from West Texas in the following months [October 2012, hopefully].
I have been lurking these threads for a while now, reading about people moving to Washington and Olympia. It all sounds very amazing to me, being a West Texas native. I can't wait for the MUCH cooler temperatures, the much more liberal-minded crowd, and the rain/mist/drizzle I have read about.
Here are a few things I have gathered so far; feel free to correct, elaborate, add, correct, or comment on any of these observations [purely from forum comments]:
- It doesn't really rain ALL the time
From what I've gathered, it's more like a mist or a drizzle. Sounds awesome to me. Here in West Texas, it's dry, sandy, disgustingly hot, very crappy weather. - Cost of living is a bit higher than other places
Our current apartment is $615 a month. One of the places I've found online [Capital Park Apartments] sounds very nice, tons of great reviews, and is $675. Gas here in WTX hovers around $3.50 - $3.75 per gallon. How high or low is it up there? - Comcast runs the Internet show
I sincerely hope that this is not the case. We all know how horrible and awful Comcast is. Please say it ain't so. I really only care about internet access. Don't give half a crap about television. - It is so GREEN
Here in WTX, there is only sand, dirt, weeds, dead vegetation, barbed wire, and pump jacks. From what I can tell, Washington actually has trees, grass, water, lakes, rivers, woods, forests, mountains, and other natural features. [I'm talking about West/Coastal Washington here.]
Any advice/comments/suggestions to this very eager West Texas guy that can't wait to move? I LOVE the rain and grey clouds, by the way, so that should not be an issue.
Thanks!
1. It doesn't rain ALL the time, but it rains frequently.
2. The cost of living is high here because the general public/businesses get away with it...shop around, don't frequent the "gougers" especially the ones that pray on the Military (there are a lot that gouge the Military members specifically), and don't be afraid to use coupons...it helps. Oh, and gas is $3.90 to $4.30 depending on where you but it...Safeway and Arco/Am/pm are you cheapest.
3.Comcast is the big one, but I have Clear (Clearwire) and they work great and cost less.
4. It rains all the time...lol....that's why it is so green. Don't worry, when the summer finally hits, all your grass will die.
Stay away from Tacoma, it is a terrible drug area, and very few cops to control the problem. It is safe-ish during the day, but really stay away from the Hilltop area at night....no kidding, just avoid that area. Some parts of Lakewood are bad as well. People will say that the COPS episodes from the 80's and 90's where representative of the former problem, but it never got better, they just where banned from filming there anymore.
Good luck, Olympia is a decent place to live, but be warned, they have a strange hippie and gay population there...very liberal as well.
Location: West Texas [Olympia, Washington in October 2012]
14 posts, read 60,244 times
Reputation: 55
Thanks, everyone! You have been [and I hope will continue to be] very helpful! I guess I am a little worried about the mold. We have a lot of electronics like video game consoles and computers... would they have a problem surviving the moist Pacific NorthWest air [inside the apartment, of course]?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tacomasoldier
Good luck, Olympia is a decent place to live, but be warned, they have a strange hippie and gay population there...very liberal as well.
Sounds good to me. I'm not gay, but I do support equal rights for everybody. And I am a very liberal person stuck in the Red West Texas Desert... for now.
Can't wait to move!
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, but it does have Carls Jr. 
