Washingtonians- Do you like where you live? Either way, why?

Just retired to Entiat and am thrilled with the decision. 15 minutes to Wenatchee or Chelan. Not much good fishing in the immediate area, but a great jumping off point for central WA spots. Loving the small community with the availability of the “big city” of Wenatchee. Just absolutely love the size, feel and offerings of Wenatchee.

In addition to availability of things like restaurants and good hardware stores, a reality of life after retirement is the importance of good health care. We have been well served by providers both in Chelan and Wenatchee.

The quiet and cold winters appeal to me, but not to The Truly Lovely Mrs. Mukman, hence the building of a place in a southern clime that’s much warmer and much drier during the winters.
 
@skyriver I graduated from WWSC in 1974. Our daughter graduated from WWU with a great and respected degree from there a couple of years ago.

The reason I said Fairhaven is that it is an older part of Bellingham retaining its older character yet is modernized. It is all walking distance whether to a grocery store, drug store, a great breakfast place or steak dining restaurant. Local businesses earning your repeat biz, etc. Plus the college is close by for music and art and a fairly good hospital nearby...

I would not rule out King County BTW. I can understand the sentiment but it depends on where in King County. There are some great little areas within King County. Our friends describe where we live as rural. Yet we are 5-7 miles from Renton, Issaquah, I-90 and Maple Valley just depends on which road we need to take.... Lots of amenities nearby. Fishing the Cedar is 10 minutes away. Lots of lakes nearby too... Swedish hospital is 10 minutes away. SeaTac is 30 minutes away.

IMHO - the problem many of us have is we are living where we wanted to (or close by) and life styles have changed. Kids graduated from college and have moved out. Home is too big for current needs... So finding a place as nice as we currently have (or better) and meeting our living 'must-haves' is very hard to do. Especially given the economics of a move.... Good luck with your search! Hope it works out well for you...
 
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clarkman said:
I spent my formative years in Walla Walla. As a young buck, I couldn't wait to get out of there. Now? even though I'm a ways off of retirement, I'd absolutely love to live there (especially after seeing all of Tom's fishing reports!!!), but aside from that the wine scene that exploded after I left the area, decent size, great weather, mountains (Blues are awesome!---not to mention a short drive to the Wallowa's). So basically, there's my vote: WW.

shit, 2-3 hrs to excellent Spokane area Tigers too!
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Billy said:
Cracks me up. Grew up in Walla Walla and felt the exact same way when I left town. And feel the same way you do about it now. It's a dang nice town.
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I always get a kick out of how many of the high schoolers can't wait to graduate and leave, "Walla Walla is so boring".
I grew up near Nathan Hale in North Seattle. It's just so different now I can't see going back, I told my cousin I'd probably sell him mom's house when the time comes because I'm not interested in living there any more, too busy. When I sobered up and got my survey degree I had lots of choices as top graduate, but picked walla walla for less pay over seattle or tacoma, for the slower lifestyle and good community values, as well as what @clarkman said. I also though I would be doing a lot more skiing at bluewood (after back injuries at work it's just not enjoyable anymore). Because of elevation and other factors WW has a microclimate that many find enjoyable. I think it's too hot in summer, over 90 for 3 months but not intolerable, We had 10 days of inversion a while back, and 5 more in the near forecast, so it can be gray, 31, and foggy too. A week of 100 in summer and near 5 in winter is not unusual. Not too much snow, and folks for the most part can drive.
I paid off my 30yr in 19.5yr, so I'm in my tiny house. I just can't see buying something these days. Property taxes just went up 50%. My kids are here, 1 in Boise we don't see often, and my other sons been at the pen 10 years now. He has moved up the ladder to supervisory and union stuff also, and will probably career it. I'd think of moving if they did, I missed family being close when I moved here, everyone else was in North Seattle or Ballard. When you start clocking drive times we are a bit out of the way. We have some of the problems other cities have, but not to the same extent from what I've seen in some of my travels. If your into cycling, there is a huge community here, and so many rides you will never get bored. There is theater and music and art if your into that too.
Like any place it has it's pro's and con's, but Walla Walla is a pretty nice place for us.
 
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I have read most responses but don’t see if anyone mention traffic? Because that could definitely be a factor!

I live in Pierce County near the Tacoma area in what’s called Oakbrook. But i cannot stand driving I-5 anymore especially north to Seattle. In fact the last time my husband needed a ride to the airport i gave him $50 and told him to use it for his parking so i wouldn’t have to take him. (He understands my I-5 freeway anxiety, which started around the same time as smart phones). He wasn’t going to take the money, but i made him so i could tell friends that i actually pay my husband to not take him to the airport so please don’t ask me.) So yeah, traffic can be a huge factor.

I like where we live now. It’s a decent neighborhood. We have great neighbors. I can walk to the grocery store, the library, two decent restaurants, a very nice and a friendly local pub. For over 30 years i have run alone (now walk) in our neighborhood without incident and have always felt safe. An added plus is that the firehouse and paramedics are close by and a hospital too. (This becomes a factor as we grow older.)

But suburban life isn’t for everyone. And i totally understand your wife’s trepidation about living in a very rural area.

So i would second Walla Walla. We have visited there and i loved it and think i could live there too. I have looked for VRBOs to vacation there so we can fish skinny waters and hope to do that sometime. Where i think I could also live are two places we vacation quite often: Port Townsend and Vashon Island. (Though of course living on an island has a different set of problems, one being access to medical help. And the ferry system, plus Vashon is King County, so there taxes too.) We thought about looking to buy there about 20 years ago but decided to vacationing there was better. It would be so expensive to buy a house there. We don’t fish the Sound, but you could at both places.
 
RCF said:
A few other considerations to evaluate (to help narrow down the choices/locations - maybe)
1) Do you and your wife enjoy long, cold winters and hot summers or wetter, milder winters/summers?
2) Is an airport and good hospital(s) nearby important?
3) Housing cost - is it a factor? The further you get away from Seattle the more reasonable housing is. Also WA. has high property taxes - especially greater SEA.
4) How much does bad traffic bother you? It can take 45 minutes to go 10 miles in rush hour (which seems to go from 6am to 8pm) in greater SEA.

Just saw that you live in Greater Seattle - you understand but still valid points in your searches.

My wife and I have been discussing and looking much like you. Bellingham (actually Fairhaven) intrigues us. Also like western Oregon (college towns) a lot. Oregon state income/retirement/property taxes approach is holding us back from looking further. We are not fond of long, cold winters so that limits a lot of choices/locations for us...
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Oh, i see @RCF mentioned traffic! and that you already know about it too.

Oh Bellingham! I haven’t been there in many years but i did love that town. I do have an affinity for college towns like Bellingham and Walla Walla. Maybe you could take a little vacation to your top three and stay a week and see how you like it?
 
Mukman said:
Just retired to Entiat and am thrilled with the decision. 15 minutes to Wenatchee or Chelan. Not much good fishing in the immediate area, but a great jumping off point for central WA spots. Loving the small community with the availability of the “big city” of Wenatchee. Just absolutely love the size, feel and offerings of Wenatchee.

In addition to availability of things like restaurants and good hardware stores, a reality of life after retirement is the importance of good health care. We have been well served by providers both in Chelan and Wenatchee.

The quiet and cold winters appeal to me, but not to The Truly Lovely Mrs. Mukman, hence the building of a place in a southern clime that’s much warmer and much drier during the winters.
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Glad you brought up this location - the greater Wenatchee area is very appealing. Winters? Certainly longer than the greater Seattle area but nothing like what IveofIone deals with but still, shovelling snow becomes wearisome. Very good medical facilities, some decent places to eat, lots of grocery shopping options but no Trader Joes! ;-)

Stacy - good thread. My wife and I wonder how long we can maintain our place; steep street, steeper driveway, big lot (steep too) but we've not come up with a better option. In the meantime, Ephrata is a pretty good little place to live. Good luck.
 
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Buzzy said:
Glad you brought up this location - the greater Wenatchee area is very appealing. Winters? Certainly longer than the greater Seattle area but nothing like what IveofIone deals with but still, shovelling snow becomes wearisome. Very good medical facilities, some decent places to eat, lots of grocery shopping options but no Trader Joes! ;-)

Stacy - good thread. My wife and I wonder how long we can maintain our place; steep street, steeper driveway, big lot (steep too) but we've not come up with a better option. In the meantime, Ephrata is a pretty good little place to live. Good luck.
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I really like that Wenatchee area too. Always have a good time visiting that part of the state.
 
Mukman said:
Just retired to Entiat and am thrilled with the decision. 15 minutes to Wenatchee or Chelan. Not much good fishing in the immediate area, but a great jumping off point for central WA spots. Loving the small community with the availability of the “big city” of Wenatchee. Just absolutely love the size, feel and offerings of Wenatchee.

In addition to availability of things like restaurants and good hardware stores, a reality of life after retirement is the importance of good health care. We have been well served by providers both in Chelan and Wenatchee.

The quiet and cold winters appeal to me, but not to The Truly Lovely Mrs. Mukman, hence the building of a place in a southern clime that’s much warmer and much drier during the winters.
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Wenatchee shows up as #2 place to retire on a lot of national websites, especially ones like Forbes and the Fool. We like that whole area. My oldest mentioned Cashmere one time. We've stayed at a friend's place in Sun Cove and liked the easy drives to Chelan or Wenatchee.
Thanks for the input!
 
kerrys said:
I would stay clear of Sedro Woolley or Clearlake. To many characters.
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I do find it frustrating that the westside rural is more sketchy than eastside rural. I know there are sketchy places east of the mountains, but overall, I always feel safer over there.
I guess it's the proximity to the bigger cities? Not sure, but I've had way more issues (nothing violent thankfully) on the wet side than the dry side.
Having said that, here's a nice friendly neighborhood in a certain central WA town. 😬
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Having the means to choose a great location and set your own schedule can make a big difference. I ended up in central WA 15 years ago because I didn’t have means to enjoy the good things available in Pugetropolis. Now I don’t think I would go back. I’ve had the opportunities to live and work in several communities east of the Cascades. I like Walla Walla and also Pullman/Moscow. Spokane wasn’t a fit. Ellensburg is a good match for raising my kids and a great professional opportunity.

Things I miss are variety in restaurants. There are good restaurants in central and eastern WA but nothing like Pugetropolis. Instead, I’ve learned to cook and have access to excellent farmers markets. I miss seeing touring live music but I play music with several people in my community. I really like my neighbors and neighborhood. I’ve adapted to the climate and especially the hot summers. Winter is a drag but not super long. I fish when the water’s liquid, which is usually 9-10 months of the year. Good luck with your search!
 
When I lived and worked in Washington, I tried to live in a small town. I stayed and spent most of my livable time in Snohomish Co. I never lost anything in Seattle so I never spent much time there. I worked at Boeing for damn near 40 Years. Renton and Everett. Driving to Renton from Lake Stevens was a chore, but due able. I never worried about how many miles it took to go anyplace in Washington. If I wanted to go someplace new I just went. I've lived in Snohomish, Everett, Marysville, Montlake Terrace, Lynwood. All small towns. But close to Seattle.. I just don't like the traffic there anymore.

As for fishing in Washington. It's there but you have to search for it. In my damn near 60 plus years of living in Washington state I have found good places to fish. Most of them are off the beaten path so to speak. I spent most of my time in/on the head waters of the major rivers.

I now live in Montana and wouldn't recommend it to anybody. The summers are hot and the winters are long and cold. But I've been here for 15 years now, so I'm used to it. I've never been interested in going to shows much or plays.
 
I live in Issaquah and I love it. Everything that we need is easily within reach; fishing, snow, stores, food, cities, hospitals, etc. However, we are just far away enough that we don't have to deal with a lot of the greater Seattle area problems. The community here is particularly awesome; it is mostly young families, which is perfect for us.

That said, if I didn't work in tech or some other lucrative Seattle niche, I wouldn't live in King County; the cost of living here is too high. My wife travels a lot for work and it seems like we pay at least double for everything, compared to her colleagues. The only alternative for me is the Bay Area, which is even more expensive, so I don't really have any other options.
 
Rob Allen said:
Dallesport WA.
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My wife and I have considered the Gorge. How is the wind? I mean I know it's famous for wind, but does it bother you?

We met and lived in Ocean Shores for a few years and between the rain/wind(so much wind!)/gloom in the winter and the fog in the summer had to escape back to South King County where we now live.
 
@skyriver;
Take a hard look at Bonney Lake. Wish I had bought there instead of where I am, but, ... Anyway its not that far from where you currently live, but its worlds away as far as hustle and bustle.
 
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