Can a down-to-earth, yoga-loving & nature-loving conservative woman feel at home in Sequim or Port Townsend, WA? (Seattle: fit in, for sale)

[Kitty Yoga]

Hi everybody!


This is my first-ever post in City-Data.com! Please forgive me if I don't have all the proper etiquette down.


My husband and I are originally from Victoria, BC. We are both Canadian and American citizens, and have lived in both countries for many years. In the US we've lived the longest in southern California, and really enjoyed Newport Beach. However, we don't make a ton of money, so we are looking to really simplify our lives, and live affordably. We have also lived in Hawaii, Idaho (briefly), New Mexico (horrible experience), Arizona, and presently central Florida. So yeah, we've moved a lot but would like to finally find a place we feel like we "belong". We are "over" big cities and the traffic and pushy-ness inherent in them, so no Seattle for us. However, we are thinking of moving to WA state to be closer to relatives in BC, and also because we love the nature and the laid-back attitude of West Coasters. I teach Christian yoga classes, love cats (we have one!), and my hubby and I love nature and we are foodies too. It's tough, because we are kind of enigmas. We are politically conservative, evangelical Christians, love yoga, love cats, love nature, want to live simply (into minimalism and would love to learn to grow some of our own food, though both of us have managed to kill every plant we've ever had so far ). My hubby can work from home, so we can live anywhere. We were looking at Sequim or Port Townsend, but we really have no idea and need some help from you City-Data peeps. We would be looking for a small house to rent. Also, the many lavender farms and sheep farms in the area are very appealing to me. We love nature, so being close to a National Park or any sort of natural areas would be great.



OK, that's all! Thank you so much!
Kitty Yoga (lol!)

[Diana Holbrook]

I think you sound like a lot of the people I know around here, honestly. I think you'd fit in just fine

The local rural culture is pretty accepting of just about anyone, as long is we're not being told what to do. Lots of live-and let-live libertarians around here.

And there's a group I know in my community who does goat-yoga.... if goats can work, I'm not sure why cat's wouldn't.

[Kitty Yoga]

Thank you! What are your thoughts about Sequim versus Port Townsend?

[happygrrrl]

You should probably go to some online real estate sites to check out rental prices and the costs of real estate for sale, in the past few years they have increased a lot in those areas.

[Diana Holbrook]

Originally Posted by Kitty Yoga

Thank you! What are your thoughts about Sequim versus Port Townsend?

That you should search them both, check them both out, as well as Port Angeles and all the little towns in-between.

[Kitty Yoga]

[quote=happygrrrl;56294931]
Thank you so much! I have been looking at rentals in the area (via internet) for a couple months now, and they are within our price range. I was wondering what it's like to live in those places ... like what sorts of things are people into, and what are the pros and cons of living in Sequim or Port Townsend? What about Clinton, or other smaller cities in the area? Anyone have any favorites? There's no need for commute, as my hubby works from home. Just looking for getting a feel for the culture, climate, rural-ish lifestyle, etc. 😊

[Seacove]

I would think Sequim far more than Port Townsend since Port Townsend is known for being liberal. Sequim is considered more conservative. Sequim is tidier, Port Townsend is more touristy. IMO Port Townsend is more fun but I could see why some people would like Sequim more since it has a more suburban feel to it with chain stores and such. If lavender is your thing, definitely Sequim and the ferry to Victoria leaves out of Port Angeles just to the west of Sequim.

While Washington is a blue state, Clallam County (Sequim) chose Trump: https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/...ecincts-1.html

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

http://www.sequimgazette.com/news/fo...-favors-trump/

Jefferson County (Port Townsend) chose Clinton: https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/...ecincts-1.html

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

[Kitty Yoga]

Thank you so much! Are there any other cute rural-ish cities in Western Washington state that we should consider? And politics are just one of many factors - equally important to us is the "cuteness" factor, proximity to exploring natural beauty, maybe a cute coffee shop and quaint shopping area, hobby farms, and clients interested in my yoga classes?

[Hemlock140]

The farming part of your requirements points at Sequim, with the rain shadow, and a lot of open land. Some of the other small towns are heavily wooded, and not as easily farmed. Besides Sequim, look at the unincorporated Port Angeles areas from Taylor Cutoff to Bagley Creek (via 101). My parents have had great luck growing their produce needs on Blue Mountain Road. Up until last year I would go up and plant every May.

[Diana Holbrook]

There's pockets of cute farming areas up on the Peninsula... look on Google Earth and follow the river valleys down. You just want to be up a little hill from the river is all... they may tend to flood in winter. The long valley south of Chimacum is a charming area....

I don't know how close you want to be to the Victoria Ferry, but if you're willing to be a few hours away, you might try SW WA just south of Olympia. It's where I am from... so I'm biased, but I think that South Thurston and Lewis Counties are nice little areas for small farms. You can be as close in or as remote as you want to be out here. We have a lot of woods, and also prairie, where the land is uncharateristically open. I call the area around Onalaska and Toledo along the Cowlitz River our "big sky" country. It's a lot cheaper for some nice acreage down here than it is up in Sequim and Chimacum, any more. And it's probably a little more conservative, in a redneck libertarian hippy farmer kind of way. I like some of the little towns down here. And our coffee shops and diners.

Food for thought. Depends what you're looking for. The northern Peninsula areas have gotten a little trendy and the prices are going up. They are down here too, there's people coming here from everywhere, but you can still get a little more for your money down here than up there... For now.