Best downtowns of Puget Sound cities/towns (besides the obvious) (Vancouver: schools, shop)

[JOinGA]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Better. I don’t like all of Everett, I like Historic North Everett, Rucker Hill and View Ridge.

Is that area walkable with restaurants, coffee shops, etc?

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by JOinGA

Is that area walkable with restaurants, coffee shops, etc?

Historic North Everett is, also has a pedestrian bridge from Grand Avenue Park to the waterfront/marina. Happy to show you the area sometime.

[jabogitlu]

I am not a big Everett fan, but mostly because I don't know anyone there; all of my friends and networks are basically in downtown Seattle south to Tacoma.

But if I was told to live in Everett, it would definitely be that North Everett area, around the pedestrian bridge or further north!

[JOinGA]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Historic North Everett is, also has a pedestrian bridge from Grand Avenue Park to the waterfront/marina. Happy to show you the area sometime.

I like Edmonds, but there seems to be a bit better value in Everett. I'll be getting serious about the move early next year. Hopefully the market will loosen up by then!

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by JOinGA

I like Edmonds, but there seems to be a bit better value in Everett. I'll be getting serious about the move early next year. Hopefully the market will loosen up by then!

You should hope interest rates stay where they are. If they decrease, the market will get tighter, not looser.

[Jerzg]

My favorite Washington downtowns are Fairhaven, Poulsbo, LaConner, Friday Harbor, Snohomish, Anacortes, Port Townsend, Wenatchee and on a larger scale and still growing like crazy is Vancouver. So far we are seriously considering the Vancouver area for retirement. I love the outdoor amenities with walking trails, kayaking, easy access to Columbia River Gorge which is beautiful! I also like that I can get into Portland area and within a two hour drive to the Oregon Coast. I think this area will give us plenty to do in our retirement years. :-)

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Jerzg

My favorite Washington downtowns are Fairhaven, Poulsbo, LaConner, Friday Harbor, Snohomish, Anacortes, Port Townsend, Wenatchee and on a larger scale and still growing like crazy is Vancouver. So far we are seriously considering the Vancouver area for retirement. I love the outdoor amenities with walking trails, kayaking, easy access to Columbia River Gorge which is beautiful! I also like that I can get into Portland area and within a two hour drive to the Oregon Coast. I think this area will give us plenty to do in our retirement years. :-)

You should also add the Camas downtown to your list. It ranks up there with the others. My wife and I are within a year or two of retirement and we plan to stay right here. We've traveled all over the Pacific Northwest and haven't found any place that looks better for retirement than staying put here in Camas.

But yes, downtown Vancouver is improving rapidly. The more that downtown Portland struggles, the more that money flows right across the river to get invested in downtown Vancouver which is quickly becoming another business center for the region. We are finding that there is less and less reason to ever drive across the river to Portland. Not that we dislike Portland, we don't. But there are just so many new restaurants and shops opening up on the Vancouver/Camas side that one no longer has to cross the bridge to find interesting dining options.

[homesinseattle]

Mount Vernon has a lot of preserved historic buildings in its downtown core and housing prices are (relatively) affordable.

[Jerzg]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

You should also add the Camas downtown to your list. It ranks up there with the others. My wife and I are within a year or two of retirement and we plan to stay right here. We've traveled all over the Pacific Northwest and haven't found any place that looks better for retirement than staying put here in Camas.

But yes, downtown Vancouver is improving rapidly. The more that downtown Portland struggles, the more that money flows right across the river to get invested in downtown Vancouver which is quickly becoming another business center for the region. We are finding that there is less and less reason to ever drive across the river to Portland. Not that we dislike Portland, we don't. But there are just so many new restaurants and shops opening up on the Vancouver/Camas side that one no longer has to cross the bridge to find interesting dining options.

Yes. I've watched many YouTubers who talk about Vancouver say there is not really a need to go over the bridge anymore since you pretty much have it all in Vancouver. We will probably head over the bridge occasionally since I do like a city vibe once in awhile and there are some nice neighborhoods to shop and dine. It would also be nice to save some sales tax on big ticket items as well. :-)

[Jerzg]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

You should also add the Camas downtown to your list. It ranks up there with the others. My wife and I are within a year or two of retirement and we plan to stay right here. We've traveled all over the Pacific Northwest and haven't found any place that looks better for retirement than staying put here in Camas.

But yes, downtown Vancouver is improving rapidly. The more that downtown Portland struggles, the more that money flows right across the river to get invested in downtown Vancouver which is quickly becoming another business center for the region. We are finding that there is less and less reason to ever drive across the river to Portland. Not that we dislike Portland, we don't. But there are just so many new restaurants and shops opening up on the Vancouver/Camas side that one no longer has to cross the bridge to find interesting dining options.

We did visit Camas and really like the downtown area and went for a nice walk at Lacamas Lake and Round Lake which are beautiful. We may consider looking in Camas but it depends upon the housing cost. Camas is probably the most expensive in the Clark County. My husband would prefer a little extra land to build a shop so we are considering Brush Prairie, Battle Ground and Ridgefield but we shall see. We are open to other areas as long as it's not too far from Vancouver.