C'mon, is the weather really that bad? (Seattle, Olympia: low crime, house)

[nwcountrygal]

Keep in mind the posts you read also- what time of year will depend on the whine of the post. Yes I have done it also. Dec- Jan it is depressing to most. The rain is drizzle most of time you just wet not Thunder strom type rain typically. There are indoor soccer fields in some areas that are popular for the kids. It is the gloomy overcast dusk type darkness that gets to most people. However if the family gets into hunting or fishing you decide the rain isn't that bad! You just have to get used to it. Now the summer is great! The last couple of weeks sun Yea!!! Usually nice into September! Rain coats trade the slippers/flip flops for leather slip on - Love the Merrils Good luck!

[dancingirisheyes]

Originally Posted by nwcountrygal

Keep in mind the posts you read also- what time of year will depend on the whine of the post.

LOL I bet! In October, you can hear all us Californians whining about our lack of fall, the firestorms in the hills and the fact that its still 90 degrees on Halloween!

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by dancingirisheyes

LOL I bet! In October, you can hear all us Californians whining about our lack of fall, the firestorms in the hills and the fact that its still 90 degrees on Halloween!

The hostility toward California and Californians has abated quite a bit since the late 80s/early 90s. In those days it was palpable and more than a little sinister. If you saw someone staring off into space at a green light, parking in a bus stop or throwing espresso cup out their car window, you could reliably look down and see Cali tags. They were magnets for aggressive driving and even vandalism.

As for employment, some employers had two resume stacks: one containing resumes with California job experience, and one without. People sold their $500K hovels in Rancho Moco (or wherever), bought (what were then) $300K palaces in Seattle (today they would not be palatial for that), then burned through the savings. Then still couldn't get jobs. It was pretty harsh; nowadays, not so much. I think Californian has become sort of a tolerated ethnic minority in Seattle. And except for those refugees who eventually fled south again, I'm not sure most of California ever noticed any of this was taking place up here.

[dancingirisheyes]

Originally Posted by j_k_k

The hostility toward California and Californians has abated quite a bit since the late 80s/early 90s. In those days it was palpable and more than a little sinister. If you saw someone staring off into space at a green light, parking in a bus stop or throwing espresso cup out their car window, you could reliably look down and see Cali tags. They were magnets for aggressive driving and even vandalism.

As for employment, some employers had two resume stacks: one containing resumes with California job experience, and one without. People sold their $500K hovels in Rancho Moco (or wherever), bought (what were then) $300K palaces in Seattle (today they would not be palatial for that), then burned through the savings. Then still couldn't get jobs. It was pretty harsh; nowadays, not so much. I think Californian has become sort of a tolerated ethnic minority in Seattle. And except for those refugees who eventually fled south again, I'm not sure most of California ever noticed any of this was taking place up here.

No, I had no idea about the hostility towards Californians until we started talking about moving there and I heard a few stories. I think we'll do ok though. We're a family that knows we adapt to the surroundings, we don't expect the surroundings to adapt to us. First, of course we need to get the facts and make sure we can adapt, or else don't move at all. But once we've decided, we know better than to move and complain.

We're not aggressive drivers (I didn't even get my license until I was 30 so I don't think I'm a typical CA driver at all). We would never litter. We don't feel we're the greatest in the world because of where we've lived. Our town doesn't define us. Our values do.

We're not just planning to move because we can get a better deal on a house. We're moving because we think our family will benefit from the move all around. The social pressure of CA isn't something we want our children exposed to (especially having three daughters where the physical pressures are overwhelming.)

Although CA has a lot of beautiful outdoor areas, its really hard to get to them. We want our kids to experience more of nature then we're able to now. We want to be able to walk out the front door and not be surrounded by shopping centers. (Don't get me wrong. I don't wanna be totally rural. But for goodness sakes, some trees and birds would be nice!) We want our family activities to be centered around art, nature and community. And right now we feel its centered around social, shopping and amusement parks.

But the most important reason is that living in CA, we're barely able to make it financially and we make a pretty decent income (own our own online business). What's gonna happen when our children get married and they want to own a home? I think it'll be them that's forced to move to another state just to provide a home for their kids. If we move now, we can afford to live comfortably and save for our children to go to college and help them get a better start then we were able to get.

That's really what its all about for us. Making a better life for them and knowing that once they're on their own, my husband and I will be in a place where we can feel content and have a full life together.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by dancingirisheyes

But the most important reason is that living in CA, we're barely able to make it financially and we make a pretty decent income (own our own online business). What's gonna happen when our children get married and they want to own a home? I think it'll be them that's forced to move to another state just to provide a home for their kids. If we move now, we can afford to live comfortably and save for our children to go to college and help them get a better start then we were able to get.

A lot of people in Bozeman can relate. They got 'discovered'. Up went property values and thus taxes, and everyone who was from Bozeman had to leave Bozeman, could no longer afford the place. You'll find it all over the NW, especially Coeur d'Alene, Leavenworth and so on.

As I said, the prejudice is not as strong and sinister as it was around 1990, but I suspect there's still some in places.

[Aylalou]

I, too, love rainy days and cloudy days, but I had to admit to myself that I probably like these days more because we also have many sunny days. I doubt I would like rain and clouds every day! Sounds like you're set on moving just north rather than to a nice variety of weather in, say, the midwest, or the NE.

[Vianeth]

If you truly enjoy dark, gloomy rainy days, you'll be at peace here. We have a few good summer months of great weather, but Oct-April expect rain, drizzle, wind, overcast, puddles and all that. Its not constant, you'll get a sunny day here and there, some dry days, but we are very susceptible to rain in those months.
I moved here from CA in 2007 and since moving here I've felt so at peace. I'm so done with CA weather and the constant heat and sunshine. I've always been a rain person. I had only seen snow twice in my life and to experience all the snow we had last year was so awesome, I was out there all the time in my front yard enjoying the snow. I think we had about 8 inches at one point on our lawn, and it had buried my little car. But it was the best winter I'd ever had!

[Tiggywinkle63]

If you really enjoy the rain, come on up! The weather's...fine? Yes, it rains a lot in western Washington. The winters pretty much suck in the rain department--and this winter just past, we had tons of snow, even out by the coast, which used to never happen. When spring comes, it is beautiful, although you will still get intermittent rains and cold temps. Tonight, I have managed without turning up the heat, but most evenings I am still running for the thermostat, or reaching for a sweater. But outside everything is green and the flowers are blooming and I know that our rain is the reason for that, so I try to be grateful. Summers are lovely--but no kidding, sometimes summer doesn't kick in until after the Fourth of July! On the other hand, it does tend to linger into September and sometimes into October so a September birthday party outdoors is certainly possible--not a definite, but possible.

With kids that age, though, you're in luck--raincoats and rubber boots. Suit 'em up and turn 'em loose! Just so long as you're not uptight about a little mud, they will have a blast jumping in puddles and you will have a blast watching them. When we lived up on the north end of the Kitsap, with 3/4 of an acre of forest primeval for a backyard, our kids played outside every day. When it was time for them to come in, we'd strip them by the front door and herd them to the bath tub. I never sweated a little mud or dirt on the carpet. They were very happy--a lot happier than when we moved to town and I had to keep them on a tighter rein (it wasn't a very nice neighborhood).

Gig Harbor (I think that's where you said you were going?) is a nice place, from what I have seen. It's location is great--you will be within reasonable driving distance of everything on the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas, which includes everything from beaches to rain forests to mountains (check out Hurricane Ridge sometime--a longish day trip, but well worth it). But still close to get into the cities if you need to.

Oh--yes, things do get damp. Yes, you will need to watch out for mold and mildew. I am currently cleaning out my dad's garage, and every now and then we pull out something that hasn't been disturbed for a while and is really musty smelling and sometimes spotty. So don't store books or important papers in basements or garages! All his important papers were in a filing cabinet in the dining room and they are fine.

Good luck on your adventure. I am sure you will find Washington a much nicer place to raise kids than California.

[WA state]

Actually, I just finished reading the article our Public utility District puts out and The past 2 years have been extraordinarily dry. And they were LONG WET WINTERS. And what you have to remember is that in the winter it is COLD as well. Sometimes the kids can deal, especially the first 2 years here, but it is just cold and nasty and people are not just running around in raincoats playing all winter. I am just being honest because I wish someone would have been with me before I moved here. I just spoke to a friend of mine here in town who works in Mental Health and she referred to a recent article that sited a study that Seattle has the highest national average for violent suicide in the nation in the winter months and Dr. are studying to see if it can be linked to "the dark".
Coming from Colorado at 9200 ft, I can say that it gets dark extremely early here in the wintrand it is also cold and WET. You will do better than us though, because Gig Harbor is not so rural as us and you can find things to do such as indoor heated pools and sports complexes. And please read up on supplementing with fish oil and vitamin D as I had to wait 2 years and have 2 doctors tell me, then take the slow road back to better. Hopefully it won't be so depressing over there cuz you have stores etc. You will find summers hot and scorching, so just enjoy it! I have heard that mold is a problem for a lot of people, just use vinegar and invest in an air purifier. Also, the pollens here are intense for a lot of newcomers due to all the "vegetation" in May. Taking a spoonfull of locally harvested honey daily can save children the pain of nasal stuff.
Take care!

[Botev1912]

Today is the 22nd consecutive day in Seattle without measurable precipitation. 20 of them sunny and 2 cloudy