Is there a town similar to Boise? (Seattle, Spokane: transplants, real estate)

[bikingcutie]

Our family is looking to move out towards Seattle from Boise. We are originally from Dallas metroplex, moved to Boise many years ago. There are many things that Boise has going for it. I love the small town big city feel. I love all the activities outdoors and accessibility on the greenbelt but it is definitely a bubble and among our 4 children we are raising a transgender child. Even though some aspects of Boise is progressive and liberal (mainly from transplants from CA, OR and Seattle) it is still very conservative religious unaccepting of the LGBT community. We need more resources and more of a larger community to be apart of instead of my child only seeing people on TV or facebook videos that are like her.
I have thoroughly enjoyed not driving in traffic everyday as we did in DFW, we live inside Boise 20 min from downtown with no freeway needed. As for the weather I have realized summers in Boise are too hot and smokey! I do not mind rain and overcast, I think...
My question is there a place near or around Seattle that is truly LGBT friendly, more importantly a transgender child, that is similar to the feel of Boise. I have enjoyed living in Boise and not being in the suburb as we were living in Plano outside of Dallas years prior, just a sea of endless suburbs jam-packed with people. We also have other children so safety and schools are also important. My husband will need to find a job, currently it is not from home, so commuting is a factor. We want to come up for a visit but trying to narrow down areas to look at. So many places to see!
I have read some stuff on Redmond, Kirkland, Edmonds, Tacoma, and Bellingham. All seem nice, good access to parks schools healthy grocery stores arts/music foodie scene etc...
I would love some insight or opinions. I have no idea if there is a place that exists in Washington or if its fairy tale place only in my mind.

[StealthRabbit]

Fairy tale places in WA that I would look for (with your priorities) I'm sure there many others (Smaller towns)

Olympia - Careers in Higher edu and state gov
Fairhaven (South Bellingham) - Careers in Higher edu (3+ institutions)
Walla Walla (for an eastside climate and much closer to Boise (if that is important)) - Careers in corrections / rehab / higher edu (3+ EDU institutions) + alternative energy hub (wind / solar / sustainability)

Apart from CA (Arcadia / Far Northern CA + Davis...) ... also consider parts of NM (ABQ, SF) and CO (Boulder / Lyons / Ft Collins) as western states in USA accepting / embracing diversity in communities.

[Foreverking]

Belligerent, Eugene Oregon, Seattle area, any of these work. Would primarily recommend Eugene Oregon to get what you get in Boise. Eugene is a liberal hub, has wonderful trails, and outdoor activity. A great college atmosphere. Bellingham works well too.

[Seacove]

There are 4 million people in the Seattle metro and our traffic is terrible. Consider Olympia, Tacoma, Bellingham Vancouver, Portland, maybe Spokane.

[pnwguy2]

Spokane is probably the closest comparison in Washington to Boise. Conservative like Boise, a developed downtown, and a similar metro population, though Boise is growing faster. Weather is better in Boise. Real Estate is lower than Boise, (while both have been increasing, Boise has been increasing faster).

You could also look at Tri-Cities...a desert-like metro that is among the fastest growing in the NW. Still affordable, but rising real estate. Sunniest region in the Pacific Northwest.

[Foreverking]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Spokane is probably the closest comparison in Washington to Boise. Conservative like Boise, a developed downtown, and a similar metro population, though Boise is growing faster. Weather is better in Boise. Real Estate is lower than Boise, (while both have been increasing, Boise has been increasing faster).

You could also look at Tri-Cities...a desert-like metro that is among the fastest growing in the NW. Still affordable, but rising real estate. Sunniest region in the Pacific Northwest.

True, but he is looking for a Liberal version of Boise.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by Foreverking

True, but he is looking for a Liberal version of Boise.

Boise is liberal??? No where in Idaho is liberal.

[wolfdog]

Originally Posted by rantiquity

Boise is liberal??? No where in Idaho is liberal.

Not liberal, but less conservative than the rest of Idaho. Cities surrounding Boise are conservative.

Smokey summers are why we rejected it.

[Foreverking]

Originally Posted by rantiquity

Boise is liberal??? No where in Idaho is liberal.

I am saying that BOISE IS NOT liberal, but he is looking for an area Geographically like Boise, but more liberal for tolerance of the transgender child. That would be Eugene Oregon. Has a river, a university, both are are in a valley. Both are beautiful. Main thing is the tolerance level. There may not be a more liberal city that Eugene Oregon.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Foreverking

I am saying that BOISE IS NOT liberal, but he is looking for an area Geographically like Boise, but more liberal for tolerance of the transgender child. That would be Eugene Oregon. Has a river, a university, both are are in a valley. Both are beautiful. Main thing is the tolerance level. There may not be a more liberal city that Eugene Oregon.

OK, I missed that part of the thread. I would agree Eugene would be a good fit, if you can handle the wet winter climate. I lived in Eugene for many years, and I think it is great. But it really is not like Boise or Spokane at the end of the day.

If you are looking for a city like Boise in the NW that is liberal, you are going to have to look very hard!
That said, I will add a couple that may meet your standards...Missoula, MT, and Medford, OR. Generally, Missoula is one of the most liberal areas of Montana, and tends to identify with the Northwest more than the Rocky Mountain region. Medford is somewhat conservative, but still has an independent streak that exists in Western Oregon.