Please tell me about OLYMPIA

[jaguar3030]

[quote=jlabsher;40689553]OK, here is my stream of consciousness subjective list. We really want to leave the mid-atlantic and head to the PNW, but looking for the perfect place is never easy.

• Wife likes Port Orchard - easy access to downtown Seattle on the Bremerton ferry, nice small town vibe, beautiful scenery, shopping, restaurants, and medical close by.
• Silverdale - nice and close but is kind of spread out
• Poulsbo - has more of a small town feel but is further away, harder to get to Seattle
• Port Townsend - beautiful, but far away, and you get to smell the paper mill.
• Tacoma was on the list until I heard about contaminated soil on here, google it.
• I like Bellingham - but it is pretty far from Seattle, actually closer to Vancouver BC, no problem going into Canada, but thanks to US paranoia, you can expect at least an hour trying to come back across the border. Bellingham is a college town, terminus of the Alaska car ferry, and close to Mount Baker/North Cascades. Beautiful country. It is getting crowded though.
• Love South Whidbey - but not a lot there, great location, close to Olympics and North Cascades, halfway between Vancouver and Seattle. North Whidbey is navy all the way, and the jet noise sucks. The navy has expanded their flying area and the long term residents are up in arms. Coupeville and Langley are nice but waaaay tiny (less than 2K people in town proper), so you have to trek to Oak Harbor to shop, eat, etc. and the food choices are not the best.
• Anacortes - Not a lot there, except the oil refinery and ferry to Victoria, BC and San Juan Islands. Was a blue collar maritime town and is becoming gentrified slowly.
• Camano island - beautiful, but nothing there but houses and one grocery store
• Mt. Vernon - used to be nice, but now overgrown and not dealing with growth too well
• Arlington - Looked good on paper, we visited and there isn't much there. Downtown is still dying small town America, and there are about 4 surrounding subdivisions with cookie-cutter places.

Most of the places we like are on or near the water, have stores, restaurants, etc. you can walk to, have mild weather, and have a decent multicultural/liberal/educated crowd. Otherwise we might as well move back to southern Illinois.

After we win the powerball we'll move to Ballard or Capital Hill and live the good life.

One other place to check out for info is Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site



I have a few of those on my list. Have you looked into Port Angeles or Sequim?

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by jaguar3030

I have a few of those on my list. Have you looked into Port Angeles or Sequim?

If jlabsher thinks Bellingham is too far from Seattle then Sequim and PA won't work as they are about twice as far away time-wise. I actually think Bellingham, at an hour and a half without traffic, is pretty close to Seattle. Guess it's all in the perspective.