Moving to Forks, Washington--need some help. (Port Angeles: high school, living in, shop)

[Fairwinds]

You need to come up to the Olympic Peninsula and see the area for yourself. Words cannot convey the true beauty and remoteness of the area. You need to spend at least three weeks exploring the Peninsula and all the small communities that you will come across. Now would be a good time to come, no summer crowds of tourists, you'll get the full winter experience! Make sure your rental car has all-wheel drive and winterized tires or chains. There are some pretty cheap airfares right now! Live Webcam Views from Around Washington State

[oilcity55]

I didn't yet mention the prisons, one located in Clallam Bay, maximum security, around 30 miles NW from Forks and OCC minimum security, around 30 miles SE from Forks. I would guess some residents in town live there because their beloved is an inmate. The border patrol has really been making their presence known recently, they are under secrutiny out of Port Angeles at the moment too. They are here looking for illegals, I'm guessing they are the ones that ride in vans out to the woods to collect salal and whatever else is available for some money. I just talked to a Jefferson county deputy sheriff - I actually live in Jefferson county - and he said this area is where the real baddies come to hide, he said I would be very surprised if I knew how bad this area really was. I told him I needed my concealed weapons permit renewed soon and he replied no one should live out here with out a gun in their house - and it would be very hard to find a home that does not have a gun. We have a long driveway with no trespassing signs, beware of dog signs and private drive, yet people drive in just to see what is at the end of the road. Never know what kind of creep could be driving in - probably carrying too.
Most of my posts have seemed on the negative side but I am not intending that. I want to give the real picture of what you will encounter. Forks has many different festivals throughout the year, I don't participate so I can't make any comments. The senior auction each year brings in thousands of dollars, the town folks get involved. The sports at the high school seem to be well attended by towns people, again can't comment, I only read the Forks Forum for my information. I have made friends, mostly fishermen and hunters that my husband knows. I say hi and chat to a few people when I go to the Thrifymart, but as I mentioned before, I have a reclusive side to me and I don't want block parties or friends over for a dinner party. I like being private.
Bank of America is closing in January. That leaves only one local bank and one savings and loan bank.
Some people have stated the weather wouldn't be a factor if they moved here. I have never lived anywhere else except Western Washington. I am used to fog, when you can't see further then 1/4 mile for days, the clouds are low, and the pissy rain is the pits. I live near the Hoh RainForest, my trees are covered with moss because it is damp damp damp here. Summer can be beautiful, but is the same as the rest of W Washington, we are lucky if we get 30 days of sunshine in a row. Tempuratures can get to 90' and has hit 100 a couple of times but normally doesn't last more then 4-5 days. We all wilt and wish for a huge rain storm to clean the air.
I am sure I will think of more later on - just want to say Forks is not a quaint little town of pretty houses with white picket fences. The trailer parks are just that - trailers. The one I see coming into town - maybe .2 of a mile from the Twilight trucks parked at the chamber of commerce is the most run down ugly park. I'm guessing 20 single wide trailers with paint colors of neon green, purple, and grey, it is ugly ugly ugly. Just a bit further south as you are leaving town there is a lot with some burned out trailer/campers. Used to be a small house there but after it burned down, it appears other people dumped their garbage there. I think the burned area has been there at least 3 years, it does appear someone is starting to clean it up.
I'll take a break now. Later

[oilcity55]

Forgot to mention there is an aquatic center built 5-6 years ago. It closed after being open for less then two years. The planning committee had the great idea of making the deepest part of the pool 4 feet deep. The adults waiting for a super cool diving pool stayed away in droves. Someone is now trying to reopen it. But frankly with the depth of the pool and having only swimming lanes I will be surprised if they make it.

[debbieh25]

i would love to move to this area with my three children from scotland but dont have an idea how to start. i have always wanted to move to america but not a large town or city i like things simplke so any help would be great

[lady fern]

Wow! This thread has me cracking up! Apparently no one that has had interest in Forks has read the previous posts in this thread.

[oilcity55]

More Forks information. The post office is open for one hour on Saturday 11:00-12:00. there is one pharmacy in town - closed on Sunday as is most of the rest of town - except those two dumb Twilight stores, I can't wait to see them close up for good.

[Hemlock140]

Maybe the answer to the economic woes and despair in Forks is to have more
naive people with money move in from other areas thinking it's the greatest place in the world to live.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by debbieh25

i would love to move to this area with my three children from scotland but dont have an idea how to start

DON'T DO IT! Movies are full of lies. Forks is not a place to raise your kids. Read this whole thread please. Forks is desolate, lonely, and depressed.

[coloradogreycat]

I can't stop laughing at Hemlock140's post. I actually KNOW one of those "naive people" who got caught up in the stupid Twilight mania and moved her family to Forks from Colorado about a year and a half ago! True story!

She's a middle-aged "Twilight Mom" (shudder) and took a teaching job at Forks High School. It never dawned on her to wonder why they were so anxious to hire somebody who lived 1200 miles away without even a face-to-face interview. (It was all done over the phone.) Well, she was so excited at the chance to "Live the Twi-hard Dream" that she never bothered to do ANY research about the area - the climate, the employment outlook, the housing situation, the quality of the public schools. Nothing. She just wanted to get there as fast as she could.

After a few months there , she realized that the climate is horrible - and, even worse, that the Cullens do not actually attend school there. She and her kids are now miserable. They hate living there. They all suffer from multiple allergies and asthma. She and her son suffer from severe seasonal depression (due to lack of sunlight). Her daughter had to be pulled out of the middle school and home-schooled because of constant bullying. She and her son have both had their iPods stolen at the high school. Her husband divorced her. And now... she's been trying for almost a year to get a teaching job back here in Colorado - but nobody will hire her. She is stuck in Forks.

[oilcity55]

That's crazy coloradogreycat. I'll check with my hairdresser if she knows of this person; her kids are in elementary school. I had a couple of appointments the other week an hour and half apart. I didn't want to drive back 15 miles home and back to town again so I hung around town. Now here is a town where there is nothing to do. I walked through the library - that ate up 15 minutes. Got something to eat another 30 minutes. I am very happy living on my 10 acres south of town and running to town only for a few groceries and some appointments. I don't want to live in Forks.