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

I have an in-law with a home in Grants Pass and a condo in Bend. Both of them sit in fly fishing heaven which is why I would live in either city. There are many rivers and lakes to choose from in every direction. I've been blessed to have fished nearly all of them over the years. Even better than Walla Walla where I lived and fished for 10 years. Go back every July for the onions. My third choice would be Eugene which has lots of good fishing nearby not to mention sports. Go Ducks! These towns all seem to be the right size for any other needs. Kind of like the goldilocks zone. Oregon and Washington are both beautiful states and I license up in both of them and have since the 70's
 
I live on Bainbridge Island and have grown to appreciate it quite a bit. Smaller town feel, easy access to Seattle if needed. Solid fishing opportunities. Outside of trout fishing in rivers, the Kitsap side has amazing access to saltwater opportunities for SRC and salmon plus some good lake fishing. Not sure how Kitsap County compares to others in WA when it comes to crime. I think about average. BI is really safe and I there are definitely some nicer rural areas across the county…as well as some that are not.
 
@Old Man bailed for Montana, I bailed for Idaho, as Old Man can attest it was a poor decision. The fishing is good, lacks the diversity that Wa has. Summers are indeed hot, winters cold, with a couple months of just perfect. The East side is about extremes, you can be fishing in the rain and an hour later it can be 22deg and froze shut, wind storms that come up out of nowhere and can create havoc, peoples political views can be off the wall wackodoodle(I know, you said don't go there), and yeah, there are wolves, bears, and rattle snakes. My wife is from Walla Walla, and it is indeed a nice place with great food, entertainment, and close proximity to alot of diverse fishing opportunities...it's too yuppy for a badass like me though and probably Old Man also
 
Clean Willy said:
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.
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I can't speak for down in the actual Gorge on a daily year round basis, but based on living in Goldendale for 8 years (as a kid 5th-12th grade), the spring time is WINDY. There's literally a wind farm at the top of Mary Hill grade. 40-45 and windy in April is really cold. The coldest I've ever been was in April watching my little brother play little league. Track season was always interesting as well.
The wind finally slows down when it starts warming up in June, but yeah, from Bonneville to the The Dallas dam is prime wind sports territory even in the summer. If you're off the water up in a canyon or even in Hood River or Stevenson type of towns it's not that big of deal in the summer. I'll let someone else talk to the other seasons.
 
Olympic Peninsula is a fine place to be.
Close enough to Seattle for major medical, and a retirement infrastructure in place for the Sequim/ Port Ludlow crowd, them being a big part of the population demographic on the north side of the OP.
Tourists in the summer keep things interesting, while winters are quiet, not too cold and plenty of places to fish year around.
Port Townsend is there if you feel the need to shop for overpriced stuff, or go out to eat. I tend to avoid it but my better half will feel like seeing civilization at times so we go there.
I can get by without civilization...as it's not all it's cracked up to be.
;)
In a pinch you can be in Seattle in 2.5 hours so for that type of urban experience it is an easy day trip to see a concert, shop, do medical stuff or whatever urban thing you like.
 
Clean Willy said:
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.
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The wind is a consideration but it doesn't blow all the time every day..
 
Regarding the Gorge, have several friends who live in Hood River for the gusty summer winds = windsurf/kitesurf heaven. Conversely, during winter when high pressure zones settle in to the east and the freezing 'Gorge' east winds start howling, #84 can turn into a skating rink as the wind chill plummets temps.
 
skyriver said:
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. 😁
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Bellingham has always been tough for jobs. I grew up here and all my friends who did and have a good career like me had to go somewhere else to pay our dues. Part of that is because there is always someone willing to move to Bellingham with more work experience than you. I interviewed for several “dream jobs” over the years and people interviewing around me had flown in from all over the country. It is hard not to get a little bitter about wanting to do natural resource work in your own home county and that is somehow working against you. All the people hiring aren’t from here either…Sometimes I do feel like this place can be hard on those born here, there is just no way to stand out in the hiring process and local is not valued here unless you are talking vegetables.

Anyway, Bellingham is even more this way than it has ever been. I honestly think a good portion of the town doesn’t even have to work. They are wealthy people who moved out here to play. My evidence are all the decked out Sprinter vans being driven by twenty something year olds.

I’d still consider it, if you can afford it, I like it and am here to stay.
 
Currently living 5 min north of Woodinville in unincorporated Snohomish County (Tax break :). Love the area! 5-45 min to my favorite spots on the local S rivers, Puget Sound, Mountain Passes, Big City life and rural communities. With nearly every northwestern blue ribbon fly water being a days drive or so away helps makes this part of the country that much more awesome.

I'm 10-15 years from having to answer this question for me and the Mrs. and would love to stay here for the long haul, but at some point we'll probably need to cash out and move to retire in the style I would prefer. I would choose something a little more rural than my wife so there is some push/pull in making this kind of third act decision. How it works in my house most of the time is I make the presentation and my better half gets to play Caesar. When in Rome... FYI I married way out of my league ;P, so don't shame the guy with no pants.

Places high on my list of that would be a nice place to retire:
WA - Cle Elem/Salmon La Sac/E-Berg/Wenatchee/Leavenworth
OR - Redmond/Bend/Sunriver
ID - Coeur d'Alene/Boise
MT - Columbia Falls/Kalispell/Missoula/Bozeman
 
PSA:

While many people are in good health as they reach retirement age medical issues have a higher likelihood of occurring. Most say 'it won't happen to me'. But that is not true for many. I would encourage people to take into a living location/change the importance of 911/EMT availability and a good hospital(s) that is/are closer by. It may save your life ---> it has saved mine...
 
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I live in downtown Puyallup. I like the size and amenities near me. I also have a lake place near Shelton. I would like to retire out there (7yrs at the most), better fishing, less people, less concrete, and to get away from the I-5 corridor of traffic.
I like western wash, the weather is mild and if i want hot summer or cold winter days.....i drive over the pass and visit.


Good luck!
 
Yardus Maximus said:
Currently living 5 min north of Woodinville in unincorporated Snohomish County (Tax break :). Love the area! 5-45 min to my favorite spots on the local S rivers, Puget Sound, Mountain Passes, Big City life and rural communities. With nearly every northwestern blue ribbon fly water being a days drive or so away helps makes this part of the country that much more awesome.

I'm 10-15 years from having to answer this question for me and the Mrs. and would love to stay here for the long haul, but at some point we'll probably need to cash out and move to retire in the style I would prefer. I would choose something a little more rural than my wife so there is some push/pull in making this kind of third act decision. How it works in my house most of the time is I make the presentation and my better half gets to play Caesar. When in Rome... FYI I married way out of my league ;P, so don't shame the guy with no pants.

Places high on my list of that would be a nice place to retire:
WA - Cle Elem/Salmon La Sac/E-Berg/Wenatchee/Leavenworth
OR - Redmond/Bend/Sunriver
ID - Coeur d'Alene/Boise
MT - Columbia Falls/Kalispell/Missoula/Bozeman
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Our 1st house was in Monroe. We lived there for 9 years. My wife taught at Snohomish High school before the split. We enjoyed it. Monroe has a lot of parks, including the one that I could easily walk my dog in. I could be on Buck Island fishing for steelhead in 15 mins. The convergence zone isn't real fun. For those that don't know, that means rain!
Snohomish was a great community back then as well. I don't think I'll be looking at that area for retirement, but I would agree it's a great place to raise kids!

Your list is just about everybody's list. And there's good reasons. I love Bend & Sunriver. The only problem is in 10-15 years, Bend will be huge. It's too nice! And Boise & Coeur d'Alene (CDA) were among the most moved to cities in the country in 2020 & 2021. Same with Missoula. And for Bozeman...just check out house prices on Zillow. They are higher than your Snohomish area by a long shot. Rich people and celebrities are buying up Montana. It was affordable 5 years ago, but no longer. And winter sucks anyway so Spokane, Idaho or Montana locations would be summer only for us. They're still on the list for summer only.

And you're a smart guy. Happy wife=happy life. (y)
 
skyriver said:
Our 1st house was in Monroe. We lived there for 9 years. My wife taught at Snohomish High school before the split. We enjoyed it. Monroe has a lot of parks, including the one that I could easily walk my dog in. I could be on Buck Island fishing for steelhead in 15 mins. The convergence zone isn't real fun. For those that don't know, that means rain!
Snohomish was a great community back then as well. I don't think I'll be looking at that area for retirement, but I would agree it's a great place to raise kids!

Your list is just about everybody's list. And there's good reasons. I love Bend & Sunriver. The only problem is in 10-15 years, Bend will be huge. It's too nice! And Boise & Coeur d'Alene (CDA) were among the most moved to cities in the country in 2020 & 2021. Same with Missoula. And for Bozeman...just check out house prices on Zillow. They are higher than your Snohomish area by a long shot. Rich people and celebrities are buying up Montana. It was affordable 5 years ago, but no longer. And winter sucks anyway so Spokane, Idaho or Montana locations would be summer only for us. They're still on the list for summer only.

And you're a smart guy. Happy wife=happy life. (y)
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Agreed. I was thinking the same thing when picking my preferred destinations. Never going to be more land, only people...
 
Some feedback on the Bend area since it has been mentioned several times.
Fishing is awesome, no lack of lake/river/stream opportunities.
Healthcare is good, plenty of specialists as the area is attractive to young doc's wanting to raise their families here.
Restaraunts galore, foodie haven.
Housing has seen a recent drop in prices, can find a decent modest place for 550K on the east side, add 100K plus for the west side. East side gets less snow.
Cannot beat the weather late spring - fall. Smoke can be a problem, not so bad this year, last year we had four weeks of hazardous air quality.
Growth is real, lot has changed since we bought our first home here in 2000. Definitely a hot spot for the young, active and well off...and why not, outdoor paradise for fun hogs. Bend is anticipating having to absorb another 20,000 folks in the next 20 years, so has pushed the UGB out to the east, is currently permitting infill tracts, and some major devlopers are planning on large tracts to the east. The roads reflect the traffic, especially during summer and holidays when the tourists descend.
We've enjoyed our Sunriver home, whole lot to do here for the active retired...winters are just a bit too much, however, as snow removal is a real thing here south of town, so we'll be relocating much closer to the OR coast once the right home (we're being way fussy on the next one) comes up on the market...meanwhile, this morning was spent clearing out the drive and deck, as is most mornings

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The Olympia area has some advantages, and like everywhere, a few disadvantages. It's a lot cheaper than Seattle, and Seattle is just over an hour away. At the south end of Puget Sound, it's easy to head west to the coast and Olympic peninsula, or south to the Columbia and points in between, or north. But you have to get through Seattle to get to the north sound or north Cascades, which might be where the advantages and disadvantages cancel one another out. Oly isn't great for restaurants, but has a few. We don't go out often, so it works for us. Plenty of docs and hospital for when that matters when I get old. The climate is similar to Seattle only 50" rain/yr compared to 35" in Seattle. Seldom too hot or too cold. And only too wet if you're not from western WA. Fishing used to be good, but has nosedived like most places in the state for anadromous species. Hard to find a place that checks all the boxes: cost of living, traffic, weather, fishing, and medical.
 
wanderingrichard said:
@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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My son and a close friend live in Bonney Lake. It's a rapidly growing area. While the traffic on rural and residential roads within the community might not be terrible, getting *anywhere within, or* into and out of Bonney Lake from / to anywhere else on SR 410 and probably alternate routes on Sumner Tapps Highway north / south to / from SR 167 and to a lesser extent east / west to / from Buckley - Enumclaw on the Sumner Buckley Hwy will teach you the value of patience.
 
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Brian Miller said:
My son and a close friend live in Bonney Lake. It's a rapidly growing area. While the traffic on rural and residential roads within the community might not be terrible, getting into and out of Bonney Lake from / to anywhere else on SR 410 and probably alternate routes on Sumner Tapps Highway north / south to / from SR 167 and to a lesser extent east / west to / from Buckley - Enumclaw on the Sumner Buckley Hwy will teach you the value of patience.
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Definitely an area where growth has far outstripped the ability for the traffic infrastructure to handle it. Not a lot of roads either, so not a lot of options.
 
Going to start by acknowledging I only got part way through page 2 of the thread (old age brings short attention span and patience). It is fun to ponder this question with your significant other as you approach retirement, but be warned your vision of retirement is probably nowhere near the reality of it. Pretty quickly after retirement you are going to realize that moving is a monumental pain in the ass and you should try to make this one the last one. Be realistic about the importance of services, primarily health services. You are going to need them even if you are in average or better than average health. When I retired at 66 my wife told me "you can't go fishing every day." My reply was always, "watch me". Well, before I was 67 I was back working part-time just to feel relevant again because she was right, you can't realistically go fishing every day. I finally called it quits this year at 71 and am starting to understand the priorities of choosing where we should be living. Do you have good friends and the services you need to be comfortable.

We are in WA by circumstance (employment during the Great Recession) and anchored here raising an 11 year old grandson whom we probably can't move "back home" to Upstate NY for support of family and friends without an extensive legal battle. So we choose to thrive where we are planted and value the truly important necessities of life, which can be found pretty much everywhere. All that said, Walla Walla is a pretty attractive "final" move at some point and only 40 minute down the road.
 
Bellingham always wanted to be like Seattle. Now it is except smaller.
Lots of crime including gunplay and gang drive by shootings.
Lots of homeless people. A huge drug community that fuels the crime problem.
Lots of rich transplants that have caused the price of real estate to be made unaffordable for the people with average incomes.
Daily crashes and backups on I-5 at rush hour. Yes, there is a rush hour.
Everything to do is south unless you want to go to B.C.
Fishing the beaches pretty much sucks.
Some decent bass and put and take lake fishing.
Other than that it's just ok.
64 years living here. Wish I could turn back the clock.
 
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