Another WA state question for CA transplants

[Wilson502]

Originally Posted by Another Place

1st - Where did you find the time to make 13,980 posts?

2nd - Thanks for the points you made, especially about the weather. I have a relative in the East Bay so I'm familiar with bay area weather. How do you compare it with Seattle weather?

In the winter, Seattle is a lil bit colder and definitely more gray and rainy. Stays that way up till May, than its about as warm as the east bay, maybe warmer on some occasions. Our avg highs this yr was about 81F in July & August.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Another Place

1st - Where did you find the time to make 13,980 posts?

2nd - Thanks for the points you made, especially about the weather. I have a relative in the East Bay so I'm familiar with bay area weather. How do you compare it with Seattle weather?

1st - I cruise CD while watching TV to wind down in the evening and have for 4 years.

2nd - As a kid in Lafayette I used to dread the start of school when it was almost always 105. As an adult working in Oakland, we lived in Castro Valley which was much milder but often still too hot for my taste. This has been one of the warmer summers here, and I don't think it went above 82 more than 3-4 days.
I also find it different in that here the hottest part of the day is 5pm, but as soon as the sun goes down it cools off nicely. In the Bay Area the hottest was 1-2pm all the way into the evening and sometimes well into the night. The bay area gets half the rain we do but it was a few days of heavy rain while we get a misty drizzle 8-9 months of the year. It's really not often enough to keep me indoors. In fact, I walk a mile to and from the bus and my waterfront office all year, rain or shone (or snow) and never use an umbrella.
I remember losing some plants and some neighbors having pipes freeze one year in Castro Valley when it fell to the high 20s for one night. Here, we have been as low as 10 degrees for a few days, and may go 3-4 weeks below freezing.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

SO glad to see this post; I agree with a lot of what Trixie '09 says. I do not feel "freer" because there really is such a thing as the "Seattle Freeze" although for me it has been the small town Washington freeze, not able to make friends, a lot of social isolation but yet a lot of gossip & judging at work and in my neighborhood. I never experienced that in over 50 years in SoCal. Also, the vast number of law enforcement ready to pounce on you & ticket you for going 5 mph over the speed limit (and speed limits go up and down constantly, you have to watch it every 5 miles), does not lend a feeling of freedom. Also, there is no Traffic School in Washington, at least not where I live. Traffic fines are how they collect their revenue here. So, in many ways, I feel quite oppressed.

However, I love the weather, it is very beautiful here, the cost of living is very good. The outdoor activities are great. And, the California that I grew up in, no longer exists, except in my mind. So, I am staying in Washington. I just wish I had a friend.

[NoNansea]

Another Place~

That's a resounding "Yes!!" I lived in southern California for all but four years of my life. I am so thankful to be out of there! There are things I used to love about it, i.e. the smell of orange & lemon blossoms, the little things to do such as miniature golf, horseback riding, bowling, drive-in movies, fires on the beach & roasting marshmallows, snakes & sparklers on 4th of July, impromptu camping, sailing, going to P.O.P. or the Fair or Knott's Berry Farm & it's quirky attractions and more.

There are NOT more laws in Washington than California. At the beginning of 2014, California ushered in over 800 new laws. Google it & you'll see. Washington had a grand total of 11. Eleven new laws for 2014. Most drivers in Washington are polite, not in a hurry & actually obey the laws. In California, you pay to park at parks, what few rivers & lakes there are, the beach, camping if you can get a spot. In Washington, I bring my kayak to any lake, no paying for parking, no permit required, no one tells me the exact place I have to put into the water. It's refreshing! And while I don't drink nor promote drinking, there are no drunk in public laws here. That means when you & your friend walk from the bar to your sober friend's car in the parking lot, you won't get arrested. Yes, that really happens in California. And in Washington, I've never seen anyone get pulled over & the cops call for the K-9 Officer so the dog can "alert" & give reason to search your vehicle, as they do all the time in southern California.

Then there are the taxes and the unbelievably brain-dead politicians, starting with Jerry Brown. But I won't get into that!

You do only get three months of warm, summer weather here, if that, but it's so clear & beautiful, it makes up for it a little.