Not really a Hat thread

[DanO]

We are looking for a change, I was born and raised in the Tri-Cities Washington. Left there in 1978 spent the next 38+ years in San Jose CA. looking to relocate to western WA or NW OR Not really set on any thing. Was kind of thinking Castle Rock area of western WA. Any input valued taxes, Health care, craft brews ,(looking for the perfect Brown ale). Don'twant the cold winters I had as a kid, I have MS so the hot summers suck also. Have family in Richland, Sequim,Portland none of those locations hold a place for me.

 

[belfastboy]

We are looking for a change, I was born and raised in the Tri-Cities Washington. Left there in 1978 spent the next 38+ years in San Jose CA. looking to relocate to western WA or NW OR Not really set on any thing. Was kind of thinking Castle Rock area of western WA. Any input valued taxes, Health care, craft brews ,(looking for the perfect Brown ale). Don'twant the cold winters I had as a kid, I have MS so the hot summers suck also. Have family in Richland, Sequim,Portland none of those locations hold a place for me.

I live in Vancouver, Canada but travel a lot each year in Washington and Oregon. This is just a conversation starter as I have no knowledge of taxes and health care. If it is smaller towns you are looking for I have a real liking for McMinnville Oregon and I can vouch for the craft beer and restaurants. A little more south is a wonderful little town of Cottage Grove although that may be too small for your liking. Probably too hot for you but our favourite is in central Oregon, Sisters and the Bend area. The beer is top notch.

 

[Redfokker]

I live in Vancouver, Canada but travel a lot each year in Washington and Oregon. This is just a conversation starter as I have no knowledge of taxes and health care. If it is smaller towns you are looking for I have a real liking for McMinnville Oregon and I can vouch for the craft beer and restaurants. A little more south is a wonderful little town of Cottage Grove although that may be too small for your liking. Probably too hot for you but our favourite is in central Oregon, Sisters and the Bend area. The beer is top notch.

Anywhere in the Oregon/Washington area has great possibilities for you my friend. Google the towns and you will find what you need. FedOregon lives in McMinnville and could help there. I'm just an hour south in the mid Willamette valley. We welcome you!

 

[MisterCairo]

I'm only familiar with Whidbey Island, Washington, as I spent time there on several occasions while with the Royal Canadian Navy, Esquimalt (at the Naval Air Station there).

https://www.go-washington.com/Whidbey-Island/#

It is an island to ferry access is a must, but it was beautiful with a great local food and beer scene.

 

[tonyb]

I lived in Seattle and environs from 1968 to 2014. It took being away for awhile to appreciate just how beautiful the place is.

However, one thing I never quite got used to (I moved there as an adolescent) was the persistent cloud cover. Yup, those mountains are beautiful, when they aren't hiding in the clouds.

You lived in the Tri-Cities area, which, climatically, is quite unlike Western Washington. My sister and my dear old mom now reside in Chelan, which is just east of the Cascades and is far sunnier than the west side of the mountains. And it's much more seasonal -- colder and snowier in the winter, generally; and much warmer in the summer.

I've been aboard a ferry crossing the sound on the night of the Fourth of July, approaching Colman Dock on the downtown Seattle waterfront, in temperatures in the low 50s and in mist and fog. I watched fireworks all but disappear into the low cloud cover.

If I were to move back to the region, I'd be looking to Central Washington -- Yakima, Ellensburg (great town, and less than two hours from Seattle), Wenatchee, Chelan.

 

[tonyb]

As to affordability ...

Get 50 miles out of Seattle and pay a whole lot less for a roof over your head. Even Tacoma, only 25 or 30 miles removed, is considerably less expensive. Which is not to say inexpensive.

I've long been fond of Tacoma. The Old Man had a tavern there (one in a long string of failed businesses of his) in the early 1970s. Downtown Tacoma was much bawdier then, as was Seattle. But the City o' Destiny is still grittier and humbler than its larger sibling to the north. And there are many pleasant single-family neighborhoods there with modest early 20th century craftsman houses. A friend bought such a house (built 1917) just recently.