Want to move to Washington state - longer post


 

Tom Wills

TVWBB Member
Hello!
I currently live near Cleveland, OH and I am looking to move. Not in the near future but I want to start thinking about it. I have lived here my entire life and feel like I need a change. I don't mind a little snow but I am tired of being snowed in from November to April. I have always felt attracted to Washington state. I love the greenery and want to become more active outdoors.

I have no idea how to even plan a move to another state or if Washington state is a great place to live. I wondered what you all think. I wanted to be somewhat close to Seattle in case I wanted to see a baseball game every now and then. I am definitely a suburbs kind of guy and do not need a lot of “night life.” I was thinking in between Seattle and Tacoma.

I have a degree in Business Administration and am planning to go to a local community college to get an IT Networking certificate.
My wife has a bachelor’s in Communications. We have a 1 year old son and are considering trying for a second soon.

Our house cost $160K (foreclosure) and now appraised as $210K. It is 1900+ sq ft. 4 bd, 2.5 bath 0.65 acre lot. I would love to live somewhere with homes similar size and price range. I understand Washington is most likely more pricey. Good public schools are important to us.

What do you guys think? What resources should I look into? Are there good companies around for jobs?
Thanks for reading and thanks for any help!
 
What do you guys think? What resources should I look into? Are there good companies around for jobs? Thanks for reading and thanks for any help!
Washington is expensive and it's always cold there. Back in the late 90's I helped move Levi Straus to Eugene OR

I don't see Levi Straus listed as a top employer, but I'd have to guess they're pretty big. Anyway, if you're considering the left coast, Eugene would be an area I'd check out. Nevada is also something to consider. Housing is about what you're looking for

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene,_Oregon
 
Thanks ChuckO - I considered Oregon too and will keep looking into it. I gravitated towards Washington because of pro sports but it isn't a huge deal. I never thought of Nevada but will look into it.

As far as always being cold in Washington - I am on the Lake in Ohio where is it 0 or below every winter so I think I can handle it! Thanks.
 
Washington State is NOT always cold, but is IS frequently wet. I lived in Camas-Vancouver WA area for 17 years. Western WA is a bit milder in winter and much wetter than eastern WA. Spokane will get snow when Seattle is getting rain in winter (if Seattle is getting snow, Spokane is likely getting hammered). Property taxes are kind of high in the state, vehicle licensing is very affordable and there is no state income tax, just sales tax. I wouldn't mind going back but I would relocate to central (Wenatchee area) or eastern (Spokane area) WA this time. I thought about Nevada, but other than Las Vegas and Reno areas it's pretty remote living. Oregon has no sales tax but makes up for it in state income tax. Northern Idaho is a very pretty area - reasonable sales tax and income tax, but I don't know much more about it there. As for my lovely wife and myself, we'll either look around AZ a little more or probably head back to SW Colorado.

Anyway Tom, I hope I was able to answer a few questions for you. WA is a beautiful state and the rain is why it's called "The Evergreen State"! Good luck!
 
Tom,come on down to NC. I've worn shorts in November AND March. And when it does snow,it's gone in a few days. And if you miss it after it's gone,the mountains are a short drive away!
 
The Seattle area has a tough job market right now. I know a young couple both in their late 20's, both with degrees. One is a Starbucks barista, and her husband
is washing dishes in one restaurant, and doing deliveries for another to survive. Have good employment in place before you make the move.
 
Thanks for all the info. I am definitely cautious about the job market.

And Phil - NC is very tempting too. I definitely will not miss the snow, that is mostly why I want to move. Plus NC is a long days drive from Ohio if I wanted to visit family instead of a plane trip or cross-country road trip.

We will see, thanks for the information.
 
Washington is a great state! Because its so huge, the climate varies greatly depending on where you are - Obviously the most populated area is the I-5 corridor between Tacoma and Seattle. For the most part, it really doesn't get very cold there, but go a little east and the winters can be very harsh. The landscape varies greatly too - Washington state has rain forests, 14,000 foot peaks, desert and lush, rolling farm land. The unemployment rate state wide is below the national average, and is under 5% in Seattle. Probably one of the best markets currently in the US. (But, as others have pointed out, its always good to arrive with a plan) Other nice perks are, there's no state income tax and you can buy weed! I mean come on, what else do you need :)

Along with a vibrant economy also comes a higher cost of living - housing in Seattle is expensive- It was one of the markets that came back the fastest - Gas is expensive, while electricity isn't too bad (lots of water and wind) Traffic can be horrible in Seattle, but there are strides being made. Light rail is being added and there is improvements going on with the viaduct that will hopefully ease congestion some - Still, it's a a tough go at rush hour. There's two newer stadiums and they are trying their best to lure back an NBA franchise and snag a NHL team. (Though maybe Vegas is the front runner for that?)

I've lived in WA state for over 30 years now- I lived 20+ years in Seattle, and for the last 10 down in the Columbia River Gorge - Washington is a great place to live or visit. Good luck!
 
Tom, I've felt your desire to move and that led to our traveling extensively all over the country. In the end (after more than 30,000 miles of road trips with visits lasting from days to weeks in different areas (including Washington, Tacoma area) scattered over 20 years, we have decided that NC (our starting point) is the place we want to remain. Everywhere else is great for visits...

Washington is indeed huge! The western side is nothing like the eastern side. (In NW Washington, we barely saw the sun during our 4-day July visit. Eastern WA is commonly called "high desert".) Ideally, don't make a decision to move without having visited a place and spent some time. (Last summer, three days near Sedona, AZ and we felt ready to move there, a week later there was no way we would consider it -- dry, windy, dirty grit.)

You're young and that's a benefit, but I would recommend you develop a backup or fall back plan -- especially when it comes to jobs. And remember that a new job can sound great, but it takes 18 months to again "prove yourself" and really understand what you got into.

Rich
 
I went to WA a few years back, it was late July / early August. We were on one of those rivers that have like 50 letters in it's name. The water was like glass (result of a 1 or 2 MPH current) and I'm looking at everyone in the boat saying "what's everyone doing, the water is glass, if you're not gonna go, I'll go." To which everyone said "go ahead"

I grabbed my handle (don't wear skis) already had my shorty on, jumped over the side..............thought I died. I have never been in colder water, and I've skied Lake Tahoe

Anyone who says WA isn't cold is probably from Canada or Antarctica and tans lying on a block of ice. Trust me when I say...It's cold there :)
 
Anyone who says WA isn't cold is probably from Canada or Antarctica and tans lying on a block of ice. Trust me when I say...It's cold there :)
Living in CA has taken away your manhood Chuck. :p

snow-man.jpg
 
I've lived in WA state for over 30 years now- I lived 20+ years in Seattle, and for the last 10 down in the Columbia River Gorge - Washington is a great place to live or visit. Good luck!

Peter, you are being very vague about your location! Are you western, central or eastern Gorge? Camas-Washougal (our stomping grounds), Stevenson, Carson, White Salmon, Maryhill? Where the heck are you?!?

We're coming up in March 2015 for my Dad's 90th birthday. I'll be retired, so I'm planning on taking my time there. I want to return to some places I took some pretty good photos of (on film). Now I want to shoot them digitally (Falls Creek Falls/Wind River Highway) is foremost on my mind.

By the way, I love your avatar...I'm a Deadhead too....! :)
 
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Peter, you are being very vague about your location! Are you western, central or eastern Gorge? Camas-Washougal (our stomping grounds), Stevenson, Carson, White Salmon, Maryhill? Where the heck are you?!?

We're coming up in March 2015 for my Dad's 90th birthday. I'll be retired, so I'm planning on taking my time there. I want to return to some places I took some pretty good photos of (on film). Now I want to shoot them digitally (Falls Creek Falls/Wind River Highway) is foremost on my mind).

By the way, I love your avatar...I'm a Deadhead too....! :)

Hey Mike - we're up in Trout Lake - up by Mt Adams - Congratulations on your imminent change in employment status! That's great - If you find yourself out this way in March let us know - We'd love to have you guys over - I sense by your avatar we have more to talk about than just BBQ :)
 
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TNC is very tempting too. I definitely will not miss the snow, that is mostly why I want to move.

Tom,
That's what I did. I was living in Dayton, OH when one morning I woke up to 11" of snow. I decided enough was enough. Moved down to NC (after finding a job first) almost 20 years ago and never regretted it since. Mountains to the left of me, ocean to the right....doesn't get much better than that. And the family is only a 7-8 hour drive away.

Todd
 
I also moved here from Ohio, born and raised for the better part in Canton, moved down here in 77 and I've made the trip in as little as 7 1/2 hrs stopping only for gas on the average about 9hrs and thats going just outside of Cleveland. But I can understand your desire to move to Washington state (cough,cough :cool:)
 
Hi Tom,

I've lived in Edmonds, WA (15 miles north of Seattle) for nearly 30 years. The job market is picking up slightly but because of the many universities up here and the quality of life, there are always lots of applicants for every job. On the west side of the mountains there are basically 3 seasons with Fall and Winter mostly cool and wet. The east side of the mountains has 4 seasons including snow which occurs infrequently on the west side. It usually doesn't rain hard here, but lightly for long periods of time (which is why tourists carry umbrellas and residents do not). The worst part is during Winter waking up when it's still dark and rainy, being overcast and rainy throughout the day, and coming home again when it dark and rainy. But there's no place than can compare to Seattle in the summer--spectacular!!!

WA also has a thriving BBQ community, with both KCBS represented (I'm the local KCBS Rep.) and the Pacific NW BBQ Association sanctioning their own events.

Besides the big 2 employers, Boeing and Microsoft, there a many, many other large and medium employers in WA. Just as an FYI--west of the mountain politics are liberal and east of the mountains are conservative if that makes a difference. Since the state population is mostly west of the mountains, WA is a blue state.

WA loves it sports teams and if you move here, you'll quickly become a Seahawk and Mariner fan. Since I graduated from the University of Oregon, I can NEVER be a Husky fan!

Good luck in your choice. If you decide to move here, give me a shout.
 
Thanks for all of the information everyone. I have been searching for jobs online but I think I am going to finish up some of my IT schooling so I can have some more marketable skills. I am definitely going to keep searching. NC does sound tempting as mentioned before due to the less-than-a-day commute, weather, housing prices. I will keep researching and who knows what will happen. If you guys have never been to Northeast Ohio, it was 10 degrees with 10 inches of snow last week and is 64 degrees today...

It is going to be a long, crazy winter.
 

 

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