Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A quick intro. I've been lurking here for a few months ... been reading countless posts. It's been very informative.
My wife & I are both 24. I'm an fully self-employed live lighting designer for shows around the U.S. I also run two photography studios: Destination Wedding photography & Restaurant / Chef photography. My wife is a lead server at a fine dining restaurant so she makes a pretty nice income, and she co-owns / manages our businesses. All together we earn on average, about 40-50k a year. We have no debt and no college loans.
What we LOVE.... and a little insight
We both LOVE the outdoors, love to travel, love adventures, and love to hike / bike. We're both born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, and our immediate family lives here. We have some family spread out on the East Coast and in Canada, few to none on the West Coast.
For years now we've felt a "push" to move out of the area. Don't get me wrong; we don't absolutely hate everything here, in fact, there are a lot of really considerably great things about living in the Midwest. Heck, our local Aldi has milk for $1.09/gal. Eggs are .74/doz. Gas is $2.55/gal. How can you beat that?
.... However, we can't stand the winters here and the lack of access to beautiful, mountain nature and amazing hiking. We also get tired of the city corporate grind. Not to mention we will most certainly not buy a house with taxes ranging from easily anywhere between 8k-20k. (yes, really.)
How it all began...
Seattle (specifically, Olympic National Park) caught us by surprise. We weren't expecting to fall in love with it, but we did...and boy did we fall hard.
After our first visit, we couldn't stop thinking about it. So much so, that we decided to invest in a serious trip back to actually 'feel' things out more and even look into possible jobs and rental opportunities. It was a good experience, unfortunately both visits were during this summer so we didn't get to experience winter in the PNW.
What we took away was an uncertainty and nervous excitement. It's far from our family. We met a few amazing people and made some friends, but at the same time, we felt like the bulk of the people we met were fake and just pretended to be interested. We didn't realize it until now, but 'Midwesterners' are truly more warm and outgoing I think. We worried we wouldn't be able to make a solid group of friends easily enough, which is crucial at this stage in our life, especially when we would have zero family for support.
The cost of living was also hard to swallow. We feel like there is a TON of potential for our businesses to flourish in the PNW, yet at the same time, financially, it just didn't add up. While I ADORE the idea of milder winters, I feel I may truly miss the sun. It could be totally fine; I just don't know. I'm not sure I would know until I tried it for myself......(But) my gut is that I would miss the sun and warmer summers. Definitely not the snow though.
I will mention something *REALLY* important to us...
I LOVE, I repeat LOVE living amongst healthy people -- we are both very avid health nuts and it's so refreshing to live somewhere where people understand you and have the same values as yourself. You just don't get that in the Midwest. People here are insanely overweight for the most part and they don't understand / respect why we love being healthy. It's sad. We realized wherever we move, we would love for the people around us to share some similar values like that.
The Turning Point
While we could just go "heck, we're doing it for a year -- we're gonna move out there and feel it out," we've been trying to thoughtfully weigh the cost / benefit analysis. Is it really worth it? Maybe not.
After reading a lot on this forum, we came to the tough conclusion that, ultimately, we would rather sacrifice in the short term so we can 'win' in the long term. We would rather buy our dream house instead of rent our dream house. I would rather use the money I'm saving on cost of living to not only go into investments and savings, but also into travel.
.........
It's sad, but ultimately, I feel like we're probably making a good decision in the long run. I can't see myself ever buying a house there, when I can go somewhere else milder, sunnier, and way cheaper and get the acreage we really long for. Our dream is to own a little white Farmette on the coast or on some acreage. It may lack mountains, but it's not like we can't travel there or even decide to purchase a small second home somewhere at some point.
I know we want to get out of the "salt belt" soon -- we frequent Kentucky, and have considered a move down there. It's not quite South enough to be "southern." We've also considered places like Charleston and Maine. We like the slower pace of life, away from the constant hustle and dog eat dog vibe of the West......But the nature and healthy culture is so hard to beat anywhere else.
But then ......
Just yesterday, we found an adorable little rental on 5 acres on Whidbey Island. It was exactly what we had been looking for. It was so tempting. It still is. But I think we have to let it pass.
We have strong ties to our family and church here right now. And moving all the way out to the West could be a lot harder than we're anticipating, not to mention quite a financial investment no matter how you slice it. While we (can) afford it, is it really worth it...? to try it out? Not sure. Sure, it's what I *want* but is it what we really *need* right now?
Also, I like the idea of being able to drive within a day and get to most of the East or South. Unlike being stuck in the West where there is tons of natural beauty, but it takes a lot longer to get anywhere.
Sooo...there's my saga. Thanks for reading / listening to me talk. Can't wait to hear some responses.
Cheers
A quick intro. I've been lurking here for a few months ... been reading countless posts. It's been very informative.
My wife & I are both 24. I'm an fully self-employed live lighting designer for shows around the U.S. I also run two photography studios: Destination Wedding photography & Restaurant / Chef photography. My wife is a lead server at a fine dining restaurant so she makes a pretty nice income, and she co-owns / manages our businesses. All together we earn on average, about 40-50k a year. We have no debt and no college loans.
What we LOVE.... and a little insight
We both LOVE the outdoors, love to travel, love adventures, and love to hike / bike. We're both born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, and our immediate family lives here. We have some family spread out on the East Coast and in Canada, few to none on the West Coast.
For years now we've felt a "push" to move out of the area. Don't get me wrong; we don't absolutely hate everything here, in fact, there are a lot of really considerably great things about living in the Midwest. Heck, our local Aldi has milk for $1.09/gal. Eggs are .74/doz. Gas is $2.55/gal. How can you beat that?
.... However, we can't stand the winters here and the lack of access to beautiful, mountain nature and amazing hiking. We also get tired of the city corporate grind. Not to mention we will most certainly not buy a house with taxes ranging from easily anywhere between 8k-20k. (yes, really.)
How it all began...
Seattle (specifically, Olympic National Park) caught us by surprise. We weren't expecting to fall in love with it, but we did...and boy did we fall hard.
After our first visit, we couldn't stop thinking about it. So much so, that we decided to invest in a serious trip back to actually 'feel' things out more and even look into possible jobs and rental opportunities. It was a good experience, unfortunately both visits were during this summer so we didn't get to experience winter in the PNW.
What we took away was an uncertainty and nervous excitement. It's far from our family. We met a few amazing people and made some friends, but at the same time, we felt like the bulk of the people we met were fake and just pretended to be interested. We didn't realize it until now, but 'Midwesterners' are truly more warm and outgoing I think. We worried we wouldn't be able to make a solid group of friends easily enough, which is crucial at this stage in our life, especially when we would have zero family for support.
The cost of living was also hard to swallow. We feel like there is a TON of potential for our businesses to flourish in the PNW, yet at the same time, financially, it just didn't add up. While I ADORE the idea of milder winters, I feel I may truly miss the sun. It could be totally fine; I just don't know. I'm not sure I would know until I tried it for myself......(But) my gut is that I would miss the sun and warmer summers. Definitely not the snow though.
I will mention something *REALLY* important to us...
I LOVE, I repeat LOVE living amongst healthy people -- we are both very avid health nuts and it's so refreshing to live somewhere where people understand you and have the same values as yourself. You just don't get that in the Midwest. People here are insanely overweight for the most part and they don't understand / respect why we love being healthy. It's sad. We realized wherever we move, we would love for the people around us to share some similar values like that.
The Turning Point
While we could just go "heck, we're doing it for a year -- we're gonna move out there and feel it out," we've been trying to thoughtfully weigh the cost / benefit analysis. Is it really worth it? Maybe not.
After reading a lot on this forum, we came to the tough conclusion that, ultimately, we would rather sacrifice in the short term so we can 'win' in the long term. We would rather buy our dream house instead of rent our dream house. I would rather use the money I'm saving on cost of living to not only go into investments and savings, but also into travel.
.........
It's sad, but ultimately, I feel like we're probably making a good decision in the long run. I can't see myself ever buying a house there, when I can go somewhere else milder, sunnier, and way cheaper and get the acreage we really long for. Our dream is to own a little white Farmette on the coast or on some acreage. It may lack mountains, but it's not like we can't travel there or even decide to purchase a small second home somewhere at some point.
I know we want to get out of the "salt belt" soon -- we frequent Kentucky, and have considered a move down there. It's not quite South enough to be "southern." We've also considered places like Charleston and Maine. We like the slower pace of life, away from the constant hustle and dog eat dog vibe of the West......But the nature and healthy culture is so hard to beat anywhere else.
But then ......
Just yesterday, we found an adorable little rental on 5 acres on Whidbey Island. It was exactly what we had been looking for. It was so tempting. It still is. But I think we have to let it pass.
We have strong ties to our family and church here right now. And moving all the way out to the West could be a lot harder than we're anticipating, not to mention quite a financial investment no matter how you slice it. While we (can) afford it, is it really worth it...? to try it out? Not sure. Sure, it's what I *want* but is it what we really *need* right now?
Also, I like the idea of being able to drive within a day and get to most of the East or South. Unlike being stuck in the West where there is tons of natural beauty, but it takes a lot longer to get anywhere.
Sooo...there's my saga. Thanks for reading / listening to me talk. Can't wait to hear some responses.
Cheers
Beautiful written, very heartfelt. Thank you for sharing. You might consider Vermont too, gorgeous state and great people.
Looks like you've thought it through more than most do. The draw isn't going to go away on either side - what you fell in love with in the PNW and your church/family/desire for land.
It's a constant pull for everybody. The PNW isn't going anywhere (well, unless the big one hits) and it's an easy flight.
Best case, get some relatives to move out this way with you :-)
Sounds like you’re analyzing everything which is good. A vacation stay isn’t the same as living somewhere. I’m from your area and yes folks are friendlier back there. Unlike you I love the snow and ice and miss that winter smell and crisp air. I’ve thought about Seattle myself and after thinking about it and reading dozens of Seattle posts I’ve come to the conclusion that I might get too depressed living there. Not just because of the gray skies and rain but I’ve heard from quite a few people how it’s difficult to make friends and they are fake and will be cooly courteous but just want to be left alone. I’m very chatty and social and don’t think I’d be very happy there. It’s beautiful and I will certainly enjoy visiting but that’s about it.
One thing I have been considering: It's very true that sometimes in order to grow, we have to step outside of our comfort zone. It's only in our uncomfortability that we're finally able to grow.
However, there is a line between stepping outside your comfort zone vs. being foolish.
The move would only be for a year. It wouldn't ruin us. Then after a year we could reevaluate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by homesinseattle
Beautiful written, very heartfelt. Thank you for sharing. You might consider Vermont too, gorgeous state and great people.
Thank you. I noticed you are a Vermont native? I have had the pleasure of visiting Middlebury for their film festival (I had an award winning film in their festival) What made you decide to make such a big move?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaltyDawg
Best case, get some relatives to move out this way with you :-)
I actually think I have a good chance at getting my best friends and family to move there. Or at least out to Utah. If we stay a couple of years.
One thing I have been considering: It's very true that sometimes in order to grow, we have to step outside of our comfort zone. It's only in our uncomfortability that we're finally able to grow.
However, there is a line between stepping outside your comfort zone vs. being foolish.
The move would only be for a year. It wouldn't ruin us. Then after a year we could reevaluate.
Thank you. I noticed you are a Vermont native? I have had the pleasure of visiting Middlebury for their film festival (I had an award winning film in their festival) What made you decide to make such a big move?
I actually think I have a good chance at getting my best friends and family to move there. Or at least out to Utah. If we stay a couple of years.
I'm actually a born and raised Miami boy but used to summer in Vermont. Dad was a professor and had summers off. I fell in love with Vermont, headed there for university. I fell in love with the mountains, progressive beliefs, that made it almost impossible to go back to Miami. It was 1989, I heard Seattle was beautiful and had good job prospects. Drove my old college car out, I'm still here.
I miss my family and roots dearly sometimes but I feel like I made the best decision for what calls to me. Planes help, it's not the same as living near them but life isn't perfect I guess. A whole chain of events have happened since I got here, including meeting my wife and making three great kids. They are thankful I made that decision to turn west . My kids are my secret weapon to get my parents out here to visit often.
Last edited by homesinseattle; 08-26-2018 at 07:56 AM..
I'm older so I appreciate your conscientious way at such a young age of looking at a decision and your success thus far in your lives. Having lived many places aside from the nuts and bolts of paying for things, following your heart is always good advice in my book. The heart knows reasons that reason knows nothing of said a famous French philosopher and I think its accurate.
Here on Whidbey, one is surrounded by natural beauty at every turn. The South Island does not have big box stores so Greenback, Langley, Freeland and Clinton share a unique set of shops (I'm thinking of your business) all of which cater to tourism from the Seattle area and which thrive from April to October. Commute to the mainland is easy with Ferries leaving every 30 minutes which take 15-25 minutes to cross the 4 miles to and from Whidbey. In the summers the Ferries are packed and Friday nights every chicken dog and family come to Whidbey (so it can take longer). The North Island, Oak Harbor and Anacortes blend into a Navy town and an industrial port however Anacortes especially has a culture which is unique. Big Box stores are in Oak Harbor. You can drive the Island from Clnton to Anacortes in 90 minutes. The island is magnificent every turn is simply put beautiful. Mutiny Bay, Ebey's Landing and Fort Casey are centers of eclectic artists and talented people.
Outdoor activities are immense here and on the mainland. Many of my younger colleagues hike and do so regularly. There are gyms everywhere and a very good one in Freeland.
I would suggest coming here before the Winter for a week and looking around. Take the Ferry, Go to Seattle with a plan and look around in town. You can train to the Ferry from Seattle easily weekdays or rent a car put it and yourself on the boat and drive around the island.
As an older and hopefully wiser person I could see a niche for your business here and there are many good restaurants on the island and superior ones in Seattle. The air is clean (save the last week with the Canadian fires) people are chill and drivers at least in my view are much more polite than other cities.
I hope this helps you. As Homes In Seattle said, your post is "heartfelt". I would follow that and see if it leads you here. It did for me and each day I live in the prettiest place I've ever been.
I'm older so I appreciate your conscientious way at such a young age of looking at a decision and your success thus far in your lives. Having lived many places aside from the nuts and bolts of paying for things, following your heart is always good advice in my book. The heart knows reasons that reason knows nothing of said a famous French philosopher and I think its accurate.
Here on Whidbey, one is surrounded by natural beauty at every turn. The South Island does not have big box stores so Greenback, Langley, Freeland and Clinton share a unique set of shops (I'm thinking of your business) all of which cater to tourism from the Seattle area and which thrive from April to October. Commute to the mainland is easy with Ferries leaving every 30 minutes which take 15-25 minutes to cross the 4 miles to and from Whidbey. In the summers the Ferries are packed and Friday nights every chicken dog and family come to Whidbey (so it can take longer). The North Island, Oak Harbor and Anacortes blend into a Navy town and an industrial port however Anacortes especially has a culture which is unique. Big Box stores are in Oak Harbor. You can drive the Island from Clnton to Anacortes in 90 minutes. The island is magnificent every turn is simply put beautiful. Mutiny Bay, Ebey's Landing and Fort Casey are centers of eclectic artists and talented people.
Outdoor activities are immense here and on the mainland. Many of my younger colleagues hike and do so regularly. There are gyms everywhere and a very good one in Freeland.
I would suggest coming here before the Winter for a week and looking around. Take the Ferry, Go to Seattle with a plan and look around in town. You can train to the Ferry from Seattle easily weekdays or rent a car put it and yourself on the boat and drive around the island.
As an older and hopefully wiser person I could see a niche for your business here and there are many good restaurants on the island and superior ones in Seattle. The air is clean (save the last week with the Canadian fires) people are chill and drivers at least in my view are much more polite than other cities.
I hope this helps you. As Homes In Seattle said, your post is "heartfelt". I would follow that and see if it leads you here. It did for me and each day I live in the prettiest place I've ever been.
What are your thoughts on Oak Harbor vs. Silverdale, major pros and cons of each?
Amenities
- restaurants
- movie theater
- hospital
- retail
- internet
Traffic
Tourists
Noise
Speed of population growth
Crime
I'm older so I appreciate your conscientious way at such a young age of looking at a decision and your success thus far in your lives. Having lived many places aside from the nuts and bolts of paying for things, following your heart is always good advice in my book. The heart knows reasons that reason knows nothing of said a famous French philosopher and I think its accurate.
Here on Whidbey, one is surrounded by natural beauty at every turn. The South Island does not have big box stores so Greenback, Langley, Freeland and Clinton share a unique set of shops (I'm thinking of your business) all of which cater to tourism from the Seattle area and which thrive from April to October. Commute to the mainland is easy with Ferries leaving every 30 minutes which take 15-25 minutes to cross the 4 miles to and from Whidbey. In the summers the Ferries are packed and Friday nights every chicken dog and family come to Whidbey (so it can take longer). The North Island, Oak Harbor and Anacortes blend into a Navy town and an industrial port however Anacortes especially has a culture which is unique. Big Box stores are in Oak Harbor. You can drive the Island from Clnton to Anacortes in 90 minutes. The island is magnificent every turn is simply put beautiful. Mutiny Bay, Ebey's Landing and Fort Casey are centers of eclectic artists and talented people.
Outdoor activities are immense here and on the mainland. Many of my younger colleagues hike and do so regularly. There are gyms everywhere and a very good one in Freeland.
I would suggest coming here before the Winter for a week and looking around. Take the Ferry, Go to Seattle with a plan and look around in town. You can train to the Ferry from Seattle easily weekdays or rent a car put it and yourself on the boat and drive around the island.
As an older and hopefully wiser person I could see a niche for your business here and there are many good restaurants on the island and superior ones in Seattle. The air is clean (save the last week with the Canadian fires) people are chill and drivers at least in my view are much more polite than other cities.
I hope this helps you. As Homes In Seattle said, your post is "heartfelt". I would follow that and see if it leads you here. It did for me and each day I live in the prettiest place I've ever been.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and kind response. Posts like these are so helpful to read, no matter which stance they take on the pros and cons.
Two things I'm also concerned about:
1. Warmth and sun. There's no way to know until we try it I suppose. Here in Illinois, we're used hot relatively 'hot' days days all summer. It's lovely. Most days are 75 and sunny with an occasional hot day in the upper 80s or 90s. I certainly won't miss the cold winters, though. That's my main reason for looking at alternative places to live. Still like a change of seasons, though. I heard Whidbey gets less rain.
2. I read so many posts about a coldness of population in PNW. Will I make friends with neighbors if I try? Are there community events?
What a refreshing and interesting thread this is, so much more level-headed and honest than a lot we see here.
When I was your age (actually a year older) and in a somewhat similar situation - doing okay but curious about the other side of the fence, as it were, my wife and I rolled the dice and moved to Scotland. (I was a California native and she was from the Chicago western suburbs, both living in Seattle.) I did it to go to grad school, but she had to find a job once we got there (which meant a work permit, not easy to obtain.)
It was not easy, and it put some strains on our relationship; from a two-income household we went to less than one, and although our savings were supposedly adequate to get us through the planned two years of my grad school program, once we got there it became obvious that while we could survive, it would be at a pretty basic level - forget too many meals out, etc. So she had to redouble her efforts to find a job, which she eventually did, and she thrived.
The distance from family and friends was quite an adjustment, but it turned out that they were all eager as hell to come visit us, so it ended being much less an issue than we'd feared. The climate was lousy (it was Scotland, after all) but I could get cheap student flights pretty much anywhere, so we spent one Christmas in the warmth in the south of France, summer weeks in Denmark and Finland, and London anytime we felt like it. And hiking through the heather in the Highlands in the fall was magical. We ended up staying for a number of years after my schooling was over; we both got work and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
I say all this because of the old saying, carpe diem. I applaud you making long term plans - the white house on the coast, whatever. But I'd also urge you to add some uncertainty into your life: nothing too drastic or some situation where you can't recover relatively easily, but maybe something not too comfortable, either. People have different tolerances for disorder and risk in their lives, but in my experience you have to find your own levels of those things through trial and error.
Take a possible move to the Pacific NW for example. This is a big region, and things like warmer summers or less snowy winters are literally an hour's drive from one another, sometime less. Unlike Chicagoland and the Midwest, the mountains make a huge difference. Take the pretty little town of Hood River, Oregon for example. This is a small town located on the Columbia River an hour east of Portland, with Portland's airport between them. It's on the east side of the Cascade crest, although being on the river there's very little elevation change from Portland and the Pacific. But as far as the weather is concerned, the Cascades (like Mount Adams and Mount Hood) block quite a lot of the rain and the marine air, so in the summer things warm up big time. It's ideal orchard country; the Hood River Valley, which extends south from the town to Mount Hood, which looms over everything, is a glorious mixture of apple and pear orchards, berry and lavender farms, vineyards (producing some terrific wines) and fruit stands. It can be chilly in the winter and warm in the summer, but seldom humid. On the Columbia at the town's shore, you'll find windsurfers, kite boarders and all sorts of water sports people. There are salmon in the river, wilderness lakes a stone's throw away, wineries, breweries, galleries and shops galore, and if you need some city time, Portland's just down the road. In the other direction you're in sagebrush and desert in no time, or head south past Mount Hood and you're in cowboy country with artist colonies like Bend and Sisters a couple of hours distant.
Now I'm not trying to sell Hood River, it might or might not be your cup of tea, but what I am saying is that this is as much a Pacific NW place as Seattle is. I could show how the same thing goes for Spokane, or Eugene, or Tacoma or Bellingham, or even Vancouver BC. Unlike many parts of the continent, this region has so much variety in its physical and cultural landscapes that things like climate are the smallest parts of all the differences.
So good on you that you know your minds, and best wishes as you continue to explore your options. But don't discount the potential benefits of risk-taking and the value of exploring. You never know what's around the bend.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
