Might be moving to Montesano, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor, any advice or area info (Spokane: rental)

[Botany_gal]

I have a really good chance at getting a job in Montesano and I'm looking for advice and information about the area. I'm from the Vancouver area but have spent the last 5 years in the Spokane/NE WA area. I'm no stranger to the rain but my boyfriend hails from eastern WA and isn't so sure about moving west. He's a contractor and wood worker who specializes in remodeling and finish work. Would he be able to find work in the Montesano area? It looks like Olympia really isn't that far and maybe he could find work there.

Is the rain really that bad there?

Does anyone have general info about the area, economy, etc.

We are in our late 20s / early 30s with no kids (and no plans to have them).

We both agree it's a beautiful area with lots of outdoor recreation opportunities but any extra advice on fly fishing, hiking, running and hunting is appreciated.

Thanks!

[CrazyDonkey]

Olympia gets 51 inches a year, Montesano/Elma/McCleary gets 68, Aberdeen 84. Olympia benefits some from the Olympic Mtn's "rainshadow". The summers can be great, if sometimes short.

Google says it's 40 to 50 minutes from Olympia to Montesano at 7am.

[Botany_gal]

To clarify: I've already gathered tons of information from Google and Wikipedia and would appreciate some local knowledge.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

I know someone who retired from LE & lived in Montesano, then moved on. I've been there, camped in the state park outside of town. It's a cute little town, well kept houses, but like a lot of these cute little towns, no work...probably have to try Olympia, or you have to Know Someone. That is what we had to do.

And yes, the rain is that bad...that's what makes it so green.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Botany_gal

To clarify: I've already gathered tons of information from Google and Wikipedia and would appreciate some local knowledge.

I grew up in Aberdeen. As far as the "wetness" is concerned, which is mainly what you were asking about, the "rainshadow" (or the lack of it) is the story - anything south or west of Olympia gets wet pretty fast. The further west, the wetter.

His best chances for work would be Olympia.

What are your other concerns?

[Olympian2]

Originally Posted by Botany_gal

I have a really good chance at getting a job in Montesano and I'm looking for advice and information about the area.

Monty is the county seat of Grays Harbor County. It is "OK" as far as small towns in Washington can go, but there is a lot of Sheriff's Deputies traffic hauling in drug trash from Aberdeen and Hoquiam to the county jail. There are decent folks there, but I will suggest a better option later.

Originally Posted by Botany_gal

I'm no stranger to the rain but my boyfriend hails from eastern WA and isn't so sure about moving west. He's a contractor and wood worker who specializes in remodeling and finish work. Would he be able to find work in the Montesano area? It looks like Olympia really isn't that far and maybe he could find work there.

Grays Harbor County currently generally only offers infrastructure type jobs: law enforcement, "corrections", bureaucracy, minimum wages, perniciously pathetic healthcare "provider" scams and such. Your boyfriend would fare better with a job in Olympia.

Originally Posted by Botany_gal

Is the rain really that bad there?

The rain is bad only if you think that rain is bad. I think that you would find the wet season cloud cover to be more of a problem in Western Washington in general than measured rainfall.

Originally Posted by Botany_gal

We both agree it's a beautiful area with lots of outdoor recreation opportunities but any extra advice on fly fishing, hiking, running and hunting is appreciated.

Thanks!

The Wynoochee Lake and Dam area would likely interest you. They are accessible from Montesano. But I would suggest that you consider Elma as a place for relocation rather than Montesano. Elma is a short and easy drive to both Monty and Olympia. (Be especially careful driving between Elma and Olympia. The WSP trains there developing sneaky tactics.)

[CrazyDonkey]

Southwest Washington has always had a resource-extraction economy, which was hit hard when the supplies of old- and second-growth trees, salmon, clams, oysters, etc., began to run out. Foragers, many immigrants, are now stripping the forests of desirable mushrooms and mosses.

The future is probably in recreation and tourism, but the short "high" season and wet/dark weather the rest of the year has tended to mitigate against that. The result has been economic and social regression, not progress. Meth addiction has hit the area hard and property crime has proliferated.

Montesano, despite being the county seat, doesn't have much rental housing. It is an idyllic little town, but you'll likely have to buy to live there. As earlier said, Elma and east will give him fairly easy access to the Olympia job market.

On the other hand, if you want to be more adventurous, you could consider moving to the coast, itself, to Westport or Grayland, for instance - if he's a "handy" guy, and mechanically inclined, he might be able to get work doing repair/maintenance on the fishing/charter/whale-watching fleet, for instance. Increasing density/congestion in the South Sound area and a much improved economy in that area could lead to increased recreational and tourism development along the coast, creating more economic opportunities there. For instance (basic digs, but the ocean beach is a short walk down the road):

1345 S Forrest St, Westport, WA 98595 | Zillow

https://www.google.com/maps/@46.8739...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Or if of a mind to buy ($165,000 includes 2 bedrooms and a 24x46' shop):

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/16...d/?view=public