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Old 04-17-2016, 01:59 AM
 
175 posts, read 200,963 times
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Please tell me how these places compare in terms of weather, cost of housing, demographics, general feel, scenery, hospitals, shopping.

(Is that too much info to ask for ? )
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Old 04-17-2016, 08:13 AM
 
Location: Lake Country
1,961 posts, read 2,236,694 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CuppaTea View Post
Please tell me how these places compare in terms of weather, cost of housing, demographics, general feel, scenery, hospitals, shopping.

(Is that too much info to ask for ? )
I am sure you will get answers from some of the very helpful folks here on C-D. But if you do an advanced search on C-D using each town as your search word and search in the WA forum you will get as much information you need and likely more than you will get on this thread.
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Old 04-17-2016, 10:28 AM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
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That's a lot of homework for a Sunday!

Your odds of someone actually having living experience in all four of those places are not very good.

I have lived in Olympia most of my life, and have been to the others, but never lived there.

All are in Western Washington, so it rains a lot in winter, is nice in summer. The scenery is green, the people are fairly casual and wear a lot of flannel. You'll find the same stores in all of them, and modern hospitals. We aren't the frontier out here.

Sequim is a bit of an outlier in the group. It has oddly drier weather stats and a bit of an older demographic? Fairly isolated from major employment centers.
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Old 04-17-2016, 10:42 AM
 
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It is better if you let us know what your budget is for housing, your job requirements, if you have children, etc., that way answers can be tailored to what you need and want.

Generally speaking all the cities are pretty great, but depending on where you coming from have high COL. Edmonds is great, but ferry traffic and the trains can create issues, prices are not cheap and traffic during rush hours to the freeway can be rough. Olympia being the capital means that there are opportunities for government jobs, there is a....unique college, which has kind of made it's own little pocket community. Olympia is also much bigger then Edmonds, so depending on how far out you want to live housing prices are going be a big variable. Sequim is pretty far out, you will pay a premium for living out there and the rain shadow effect means that there can be water issues. Vancouver is living the best of two worlds, live income tax free, shop tax free down in Portland. Issues, it's a bit more grimy and has traffic issues, also depending on where you live housing is expensive.

These of course are broad strokes of very large areas, so like I said, it is best if you let us know a little more of what you are looking for.
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Old 04-17-2016, 12:26 PM
 
175 posts, read 200,963 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by perigee View Post
It is better if you let us know what your budget is for housing, your job requirements, if you have children, etc., that way answers can be tailored to what you need and want.

Generally speaking all the cities are pretty great, but depending on where you coming from have high COL. Edmonds is great, but ferry traffic and the trains can create issues, prices are not cheap and traffic during rush hours to the freeway can be rough. Olympia being the capital means that there are opportunities for government jobs, there is a....unique college, which has kind of made it's own little pocket community. Olympia is also much bigger then Edmonds, so depending on how far out you want to live housing prices are going be a big variable. Sequim is pretty far out, you will pay a premium for living out there and the rain shadow effect means that there can be water issues. Vancouver is living the best of two worlds, live income tax free, shop tax free down in Portland. Issues, it's a bit more grimy and has traffic issues, also depending on where you live housing is expensive.

These of course are broad strokes of very large areas, so like I said, it is best if you let us know a little more of what you are looking for.
Ok, thanks for this. It sounds like I'll rule out Sequim. So the other 3 are left to investigate.

I'm single and looking to rent a nice house in a pretty neighborhood. I'll be running my own business from my home office and will be looking to buy somewhere in about 2 years.

I want a good sense of community, kind of suburban I guess, with clean air and beautiful views and mild weather. I'm from Chicago, so I love a neighborhood feel,but I hate the hot, humid, then cold, scary weather here. I want to be able to go out and walk my dog and enjoy it all the time. Big stores like Target are a plus, as are smaller ones.

I wouldn't mind a college nearby either. And a nice vet, good hospitals, and of course to feel safe in my community.
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Old 04-17-2016, 02:04 PM
 
735 posts, read 864,623 times
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What is your budget for renting and buying.

I would say Edmonds in the most beautiful with a great little downtown area, but you pay a premium to live there. Our Stealthrabbits are traveling around the world, but do an advance search for Portland/Vancouver, they posted some great info about the area. Olympia is nice, green hills and buildings that just seem to pop out when you're traveling down I5.

As far as crime and such, compared to big cities back east, both are relatively safe, most crime trends towards property crime. Best bet would be to come out and talk to people living in the neighborhoods that interest you.

Check out craigslist to see what the housing market is like.
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Old 04-17-2016, 02:51 PM
 
Location: Bellingham, WA
1,422 posts, read 1,915,697 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CuppaTea View Post
Ok, thanks for this. It sounds like I'll rule out Sequim. So the other 3 are left to investigate.

I'm single and looking to rent a nice house in a pretty neighborhood. I'll be running my own business from my home office and will be looking to buy somewhere in about 2 years.

I want a good sense of community, kind of suburban I guess, with clean air and beautiful views and mild weather. I'm from Chicago, so I love a neighborhood feel,but I hate the hot, humid, then cold, scary weather here. I want to be able to go out and walk my dog and enjoy it all the time. Big stores like Target are a plus, as are smaller ones.

I wouldn't mind a college nearby either. And a nice vet, good hospitals, and of course to feel safe in my community.
Why not add Bellingham to your list? It's about 1.5 hours from Seattle, and actually quite a bit closer to Vancouver, BC. My wife and I considered the same towns before moving here (minus Sequim, instead Bainbridge Island) but were quickly won over by this place. Spectacular views, more of a distinct flavor with a neighborhood feel, and more amenities and transportation options in town. Feels kind of like a mini-Seattle or mini-Portland with many breweries and some influence from Western Washington U. Anyway, it sounds like Bham would meet a lot of your criteria.
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Old 04-17-2016, 03:08 PM
 
175 posts, read 200,963 times
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Originally Posted by bartonizer View Post
Why not add Bellingham to your list? It's about 1.5 hours from Seattle, and actually quite a bit closer to Vancouver, BC. My wife and I considered the same towns before moving here (minus Sequim, instead Bainbridge Island) but were quickly won over by this place. Spectacular views, more of a distinct flavor with a neighborhood feel, and more amenities and transportation options in town. Feels kind of like a mini-Seattle or mini-Portland with many breweries and some influence from Western Washington U. Anyway, it sounds like Bham would meet a lot of your criteria.
Thanks! I will do some research on Bellingham. It sounds lovely.
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Old 04-17-2016, 03:11 PM
 
175 posts, read 200,963 times
Reputation: 293
Quote:
Originally Posted by perigee View Post
What is your budget for renting and buying.

I would say Edmonds in the most beautiful with a great little downtown area, but you pay a premium to live there. Our Stealthrabbits are traveling around the world, but do an advance search for Portland/Vancouver, they posted some great info about the area. Olympia is nice, green hills and buildings that just seem to pop out when you're traveling down I5.

As far as crime and such, compared to big cities back east, both are relatively safe, most crime trends towards property crime. Best bet would be to come out and talk to people living in the neighborhoods that interest you.

Check out craigslist to see what the housing market is like.
Thank you. It sounds like I couldn't go wrong with any of these places.
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