Washingtonians- Do you like where you live? Either way, why?
- Thread starter skyriver
- Start date
BDD
Steelhead
I have a lot of family and friends in that area. I wonder what that says about them? Now that I think about it, there are some real characters in that group.
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I suggest either Redmond or Kirkland. only 30 min drive east from Seattle. Easy access to the freeways to get to Puget Sound and quick access to the freeway to get to eastern WA for the state’s better trout and bass waters.Bellingham is really nice. I went to college there and I can assure u that the winter isn't terrible, but it's worse than Seattle. More wind and colder temps in general.
We love Bellingham and would have stayed there if we could have found good jobs in the early 90s. Had a hard time finding a good job anywhere in the early 90s.
Yeah, I don't like the cold much anymore, but she doesn't like the heat. Haha. And hospital and airports are good items to keep in mind. We have 2 adult sons. The oldest is in Spokane, but may not stay. Not the greatest place for a 25 yr old. And my 22 yr old will probably stay in Cali. He is currently a student at Azusa Pacific and will probably stay in the greater LA area for jobs and music gigs. He's a piano/keys guy and is plays at a local church, campus chapel band and gigs with his buddies in a jazz quartet. He has some pretty legit connections by now so probably won't leave. Has a serious girlfriend from there too.
So...summers in the PNW or even farther north and winters in Cali? Maybe.
Chic Worthing
Smolt
I live near Wenatchee and our subdivision has some perks. We have our own well and water system 17 ($ per month per household ), and our own lake, with bass and panfish. No power boats as it is a small lake. We also have a nice park complete with a nice swimming pool. the cost of that is $250 for the year. All the lots are taken and inhabited. We live in Chelan county and our power rates are very low. y last bill was $76 for the month for a 4-bedroom home.
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My wife and I keep trying to outrun the ever expanding Sea/Tac metro mess while still being in contact with our grandchildren. Ya, I know, your supposed to be independent and not chase your kids, but damn, they bring us such happiness. We lived on the Plateau years before it became Sammish and left the congestion behind. It used to be in the country. So off to Duvall we went. It was easy to commute at first, then it got built up all the way into Redmond. Surprisingly being so close to Seattle, how much more shitty the weather was. Wet, wet, wet..The kids moved to Univ. Place. We finally retired and found a nice place in So. Bay, Oly. It's nice. Walking and bike trails close. Green belt next door. Lakes abound. Down side? More poverty and homelessness than warranted....We are running out of years, but Lewis County sure looks nice..
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JayB
Life of the Party
Funny. We had dinner guests over for dinner and the topic drifted to finding a spot for a weekend cabin or a long-term escape-portal that offered access to rivers, mountains, and a handful of critical amenities, along with lots of lamentations about the fact that nearly all of the places that used to offer a combination of livability and affordability were no longer affordable.
The folks we were talking to are a fairly affluent, left-of-center Seattle couple, but we all agreed that if we ever seriously zeroed in on a place that was within weekend-range for other folks from the Seattle Metro area, the optimal tactic would be liberally festooning whatever road lead from the highway to the destination with lots of political signs supporting the right-wing candidate/cause du-jour to suppress demand from other Seattleites in the market for a vacation property there...
The folks we were talking to are a fairly affluent, left-of-center Seattle couple, but we all agreed that if we ever seriously zeroed in on a place that was within weekend-range for other folks from the Seattle Metro area, the optimal tactic would be liberally festooning whatever road lead from the highway to the destination with lots of political signs supporting the right-wing candidate/cause du-jour to suppress demand from other Seattleites in the market for a vacation property there...
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Great idea, but here in Tri-Cities it would be the other way around.
Ok...I have lived on an island since I was 18...and that was 1977. Lived in the Hawaiian Islands over 40 years...when we chose to live on the mainland, the short list included tax advantages...and WA, with its forests & mountains won hands down. So I moved to another island...Mercer Island. It has lots of trees, it's surrounded by a lake, and even though you are 20-25 mins from downtown Seattle, it doesn't feel like it....also 20 mins from downtown Bellevue, 25 mins from Issaquah (and a fly shop), so plenty of choices for restaurants, entertainment & shopping, if you desire. It has 3 major grocery stores within 5-8 mins from my house. Public schools are good...the majority of residents have been there a long time...
It's not real close to great fishing...but I don't mind; being retired, I love road trips...the longer, the better...
It's not real close to great fishing...but I don't mind; being retired, I love road trips...the longer, the better...
Snowbirding: I guess answers part of the box check items: it might solve the winter issues regarding avoiding cold, snowy, wet winters. Pre-Covid, our little apartment in Nagoya, Japan was very sweet. It was to be our snowbird home.
That's pretty much anywhere out of the Sound metro area lately..
Well, for those that can afford it, a second home in a warmer climate is good; especially within 20 minutes of Allegiant Stadium...hehe.
The big lake is a lot better fishing than most people realize, or more likely, probably care to look for. I used to spend a lot of time on it.
sshhh...
charles sullivan
Life of the Party
That's why I don't maintain my one yard.
And not to side track the thread but knowing and growing up in that area, the "die here" might be sooner than many in the area understand... Go B-town
Haha - cheers
The traffic really sucks big time. In Everett area. I came to Washington one time to pick up my Granddaughter who was visiting her cousins in Everett. I wanted to go to that mall on the reservation. I tried to get on the freeway heading North but it was bumper to bumper from the river north. I skipped the Freeway and took 99 which was almost no traffic. I zipped up to the mall, did my shopping and zipped back to Everett. It's easy to do from living in that area for all those years. No traffic on 99 vs. the bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway..
I asked the kids if the traffic was like that everyday and they said yes. I've heard horror stories of the traffic all over the greater Seattle/Everett area. I'm glad I left for Montana. I got in a traffic jam in Boseman so I asked a driver in the other lane where they were from and she said Snohomish. I got in a bumper to bumper traffic jam in Chicago.. I busted out laughing. They all thought I was nuts. I really like living in Butte. There is no traffic jams there. Not when one knows all the short cuts to get around.
I asked the kids if the traffic was like that everyday and they said yes. I've heard horror stories of the traffic all over the greater Seattle/Everett area. I'm glad I left for Montana. I got in a traffic jam in Boseman so I asked a driver in the other lane where they were from and she said Snohomish. I got in a bumper to bumper traffic jam in Chicago.. I busted out laughing. They all thought I was nuts. I really like living in Butte. There is no traffic jams there. Not when one knows all the short cuts to get around.
I really like Evan's description of a locale to live in. They are harder to find but have so many advantages.
Way too many places are where people drive through and that increases traffic. Maple Valley, Covington, Pine Lake Plateau, Issaquah Plateau and East Hill of Kent, come to mind. If one lives where is not through traffic but rather a destination, traffic is greatly reduced. Just locals with a few(?) delivery trucks. Nice and quiet with lots of birds and wild animals around too. Daily amenities e.g. grocery, drugs, pet stores, hardware, fast food are close by.
There are a couple of areas including East Renton Highlands which includes: Lake Kathleen, Maple Hills, Lake McDonald and May Valley that fit this description. Renton has a stigma and is not well thought of overall. But I live in unincorporated King County with a Renton address because that is my post office branch is located, not the city I live in. If it had an Issaquah address the homes would be $100+/sq.ft higher in price. Issaquah schools, not Renton schools, are an added benefit. It feels like the boonies here with lots of wildlife including bears and cougars. One can buy a lake waterfront home for $325-$425 per sq.ft yet a mile away the homes go for $450-$500+ per sq.ft. and are not waterfront but have an Issaquah address. All the daily amenities are 5-10 minutes away. Fine dining ~15 minutes away in Issaquah or Renton. Hiking in the Issaquah Alps can be out your backdoor or just minutes away.
So research is your friend as well as a very good real estate agent. You can find what you are looking for, it just takes time (or dumb luck in my case.)