Lots of trees and rain, liberal, low religiosity and affordability...does it exist? (Seattle: renting, house)

[PS90]

Originally Posted by Paulygirl12

Again, I'm not big on densely populated areas. I've traveled 120 miles 4 or more days a week for employment (and don't recommend it). A thirty minute or so commute would be tolerable. I live in the sticks, so I'm used to having to travel for my needs.

I've considered Oregon, but if the forum on this site is of any indication, the job situation is pretty dire there. And honestly, I find Washington more appealing.

There are lots of areas like this around Western WA that are cheaper than the Seattle area, but as I mentioned earlier, the further and less populated that you get from Seattle the more "middle-of-the-road" the political views are, not liberal. And some of those places are actually very conservative (even in Western WA).

Maybe consider somewhere like Port Townsend? Not sure about jobs, though.

[Cinebar]

Originally Posted by Paulygirl12

Under $150,000. It seems the only thing that can be had in that price range is a small trailer (or RV) with no land. I would probably have to rent.

Again, I'm not big on densely populated areas. I've traveled 120 miles 4 or more days a week for employment (and don't recommend it). A thirty minute or so commute would be tolerable. I live in the sticks, so I'm used to having to travel for my needs.

Lots of places for sale for under $150,000 in Lewis County.

My son and his girlfriend just bought a great little farmhouse on eleven acres for $130,000 and my neighbor's place is for sale (two acres, two greenhouses, nice house,) for $142,000.

My other son and his wife rent a decent one bedroom apartment in Centralia for $550.00 a month.

Of course it's not as liberal as I would like but I pretty much keep to myself anyway.

As far as jobs, Lewis County supposedly has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state but when the I.T. job opened up at the local school, only seven people applied. Go figure (my son ended up getting the job, though, so that worked out - less competition for him).

Again, though, Olympia/Lacy/Tumwater is not a terrible commute from Centralia/Chehalis and there is probably a better job selection there. There are also some nice farmer's markets, etc. (I've heard, anyway. I don't get up there much myself).

[GreenThoughts]

I am so glad I saw your thread. I feel like I'm in the same boat except I'm in Alabama. I've lived here all my life but I'm getting ready to retire and want to escape the heat and the oppressive religious environment. I'm looking into the Vancouver area. I'd love to hear about where you settle. It will be at least a year before I can move there.

[Pahn]

Blaine, WA might suit you (of course, I'm a little biased).

It's about 20 minutes to Bellingham. It's quite affordable. And it's got all that PNW weather that you so desire. House prices here are certainly more affordable than Bellingham.

[west seattle gal]

You could get a condo in Bothell, Shoreline or Snohomish for that price. You could rent just about anywhere. Seattle craigslist is a good place to look, in addition to the classifieds (Seattle Times) or using real estate companies. You could buy a house in the Sudden Valley neighborhood in Bellingham, something I plan on doing, but jobs are an issue -- they have a lot of retirees and a strong healthcare system, but the population is <90K and employed mainly at the local university, in healthcare, or in the service industry. My husband and I plan to work in Everett, a 60 mile commute one way. Since Bellingham is extremely liberal, artsy, and somewhat granola, you may find there is a huge demand fo message. Many people prefer alternative healthcare in our region. Great things about Bellingham are the focus on buying/producing locally and the amazing trails and nature. It is beauiful.

Another option to consider is living on an island, such as Bainbridge or Vashon, though I'm unsure if there is affordable housing. You would probably want to rent for a year in order to explore your options -- Seattle would be a great choice for the first year, in order to explore the Puger Sound.

Have you also considered Portland, OR?

[StealthRabbit]

So if you want WA and under $150k, just stay away from suburbia.

I have bought 3 rural places all within 20-30 min of Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA all were under $100k and came with house, shop, barns, gardens, fences, well, septic.

BTW: WA is a much better choice than OR for many reasons, BUT if you are ultra-liberal and must live with your own kind, then Oregon is PERFECT.

[Rob Allen]

The job situation in Oregon is not as dire as it was a couple of years ago. The problem for a massage therapist is that we have half-a-dozen massage schools in Portland, and the graduates tend to want to stay here.

[mev]

You really can't get more liberal than Port Townsend!

[willowkim]

Port Townsend, WA. Hands down.

Liberal, artsy, lots and lots of alternative health folks of all varieties -- so you'd be all set as a massage therapist. Also full of entrepreneurs. There is a fair amount of spiritual stuff but not in the mainstream religious sense. Sweet Victorian seaport town, and if you're looking for affordable, you just have to be willing to be a little bit out of town. Plenty of clouds and rain on the Olympic Peninsula. Not a lot of people, but enough to make a living and make some friends. Some live music and other kinds of things for a little entertainment. Some good restaurants. Lots of outdoor stuff, hiking, kayaking, etc.

40-45 minutes from Silverdale, with a mall and big box stores, should you ever need them.

And yes, summers do NOT get hot. 90s are a rarity. A couple weeks of 80s maybe. One summer -- 2011? -- we got no summer at all. I was miserable but it would suit you just fine! :-)

Way better than Portland if you want a more small town feel. Seriously, I read the first few lines of your post and was like, "She needs to move to Port Townsend!!"

Feel free to PM me if you want any more info. We lived for 10+ years in Port Angeles, a few towns further west, and are in the process of moving back there.

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by NewYooper

All of Western Washington and Oregon should do fine on the religiosity and liberal/conservative thing. There are religious people there as elsewhere, but they don't get in your face about it. Most people out west are pretty tolerant about political views.

If you want liberal, Eugene and Olympia are best choices, but Eugene doesn't have very many trees. It's in the middle of a large plain and you have to drive for miles to get to any kind of forested area.

Olympia fits your description in every way except for affordable housing. It's really a lovely place with lots of beautiful scenery and lots of misty, grey days. If you are willing to commute a bit, or consider alternative housing, (mobile home, tiny house, condo, etc.) you might be able to afford a place there.

Some other places that you may want to consider: Sequim and Port Townsend, WA; Florence, OR (lots of outdoor recreation nearby); Eureka, CA (watch out for tsunamis though). None are as liberal, but they have other pluses.

Just an FYI...Sequim (and even Port Townsend), in the Olympic Rainshadow, are comparatively dry. Way less annual rainfall in Sequim than the typical PNW areas. Some cactus grow there and lawns can be brown for a time in summer. The new Dungeness Water Rule limits the amount of outdoor watering for some areas.