Charming towns for a creative person (Seattle, Everett: mattress, neighborhood, buyers)

[jacqueg]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Might need to be more 'creative' in your thinking.

There are a LOT of towns in WA and OR mentioned above that are "arty and not rundown and not suburban"

I don't find Taos at all 'suburban' (by it's very nature of not being anywhere near a metro area)

If I were looking for "arty and not rundown and not suburban", I could compile a list of 100 western USA towns in less than 1 hr.

Please do! Having just been priced out of the rundown town of Vashon, I'd love to hear about alternatives!

[PartIrish]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Might need to be more 'creative' in your thinking.

There are a LOT of towns in WA and OR mentioned above that are "arty and not rundown and not suburban"

I don't find Taos at all 'suburban' (by it's very nature of not being anywhere near a metro area)

If I were looking for "arty and not rundown and not suburban", I could compile a list of 100 western USA towns in less than 1 hr.

100 towns that are both arty and not run down? Excellent--I will look forward to seeing that list as well.

[StealthRabbit]

(18) of them upthread, I will be in Colorado and Hill Country TX next week, and back on rt 14 from ABQ to Santa Fe the next week. Plenty of choices either place.

No shortage of "arty and not rundown and not suburban".

Spell out your precise criteria here and you will have realtors climbing all over you.

[Ruth4Truth]

We could use some feedback from the OP, at this point. We don't have a price range, or any idea if the OP would require a job, or if she brings her job with her.

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Yeah, "rundown" and "creatives" tend to go hand-in-hand. That's why they're fleeing Seattle for less "ritzy" places like Tacoma, Everett, etc.

One place that might be shoe-horned into the OP's "tight" requirements is La Conner and environs, although I preferred it when it was still a rundown artist haunt. It does have more "galleries" than pretty much any small town I can think of. Not sure how many artists actually live there any more...

Since when is Anacortes just for retirees? A fair number of creatives do still live there. There is a very successful arts festival there.

Yes, I moved from Anacortes three years ago, and there are a LOT of families and young people who are very active as well as a thriving creative community.

[mistyriver]

If you do look outside the northwest, check out Fort Collins, Colorado.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by mistyriver

If you do look outside the northwest, check out Fort Collins, Colorado.

Monster trucks, guns, nonliberals, and probably dozens of other things OP does not want around.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by PartIrish

100 towns that are both arty and not run down? Excellent--I will look forward to seeing that list as well.

Well, a lot of them, maybe most, will be in CA, and we have yet to hear from the OP as to whether she could afford that.

[NW4me]

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any mention of Ashland in this thread.

It's not in WA, but it's still in the PNW. Very expensive and touristy,
but perhaps the most artsy place in the whole region, thanks to
the presence of the Shakespeare Festival -- multiple theatres,
open most of the year (except winter). Add a state university
campus and a beautiful natural setting, and it probably would fit
most of the OP's requirements, except of course being within
2 hours of Seattle or 3 hours of the Olympics. It's not near
any big city.

[ScottStielow]

Originally Posted by Zima1349

I wasn't sure of the best title since "creative" can be interpreted in many ways. Instead of trying to explain, I will create a list.

Warning: Some will probably find it silly, judgmental, and overly critical.


Sometimes it's easier to say what you are NOT looking for. Here's what I want to avoid:

• Run-down (Port Townsend, Port Angeles, most towns in the Cascades)
• Monster pickup trucks, trump signs, guns... (most towns in the Cascades)
• A suburb (Edmonds)
• A retirement community (Anacortes)
• A military base (Everett)
• Overly "ritzy" (Some parts of Bainbridge)

And, here's what I want:

• Liberal
• Intellectual population (and hopefully a little more interesting than the average bay area tech worker, though tech has some of the best people I've met, too)
• It's possible to go out the front door and go for a nice walk through both town and nature
• Has forests and parks nearby
• There are places such as breweries and coffeehouses where one can read a book or maybe even talk to other humans
• Reasonable commute to Olympics and North Cascades (3 hours)
• Reasonable commute to Seattle (2 hours)

So far the two places I've found are Langley and Vashon. The latter is on the run-down side, but close and I know many musicians live there. I only know Langley from visiting but it looks adorable and close to perfect. Isolation is a concern there, but perhaps it's worth it.

The other alternative for me is to live in West Seattle, but Seattle is just getting too big for my taste...

Just for fun, feel free to suggest places outside of the Seattle area or even outside of America. However, I love northern landscapes and moody weather, so I'd limit this to PNW, BC, Alaska, and parts of northern Europe.

Try Leavenworth.
Maybe not? That is in the Cascades, and I am sure there are monster Trucks up there, tow Trucks and such, that are useful to get you out of Snow if you get stuck.