Relocating to the PNW

[ac_]

I grew up in the greater Seattle area, (South central/South Park) I also went to the UW. My son lives in Everett now; he is grown. I may be a grouchy old man, but I cannot believe what he pays for rent. If I was going to suggest, I would say king county does weird things like all of a sudden imposing $200 sur charges on your car tabs that are crazy expensive anyway. Weird charges that are not voted in just imposed as sur charges. They said it was for the light rail, but they scrapped the program and nobody was refunded "Well as far as I know" That is about the time I left WA. I do like Snohomish County a lot, especially if you are jeepers. Lots of lakes and rivers and woodsy areas, and it tends to be a little cheaper with still everything necessary without having to go into the city.

Snohomish County is just north of Seattle (King County) but still not ridiculously far away. It is south of Bellingham of which is nice too - lots of waterfront. I believe Snohomish County is less expensive, and you will be close to @Squatch. That can't be all bad!

If I was going to go up there, and retire, I would live on the peninsula by @EJD or in Snohomish County by @Squatch

King county is beautiful not trying to talk you out of anything.

The UW is right in the Seattle, so really it is going to be kind of a drive from anywhere unless you live in Seattle.

Anywhere you decide to go, you are going to like it. You may grow tired of the weather, as I did, but there is so much to do up there. It is a mild but wet climate, but you can do just about anything there. There is also a desert on the east side of the state if you want to wheel in the sand.

I am a die hard motorcycle guy, and just couldn't deal with the weather, so I went to the far extreme and came to the real desert. Now it is sunny and hot here about the same amount of days it is grey and rainy there lol

Anyway, I believe you will have instant friends when you get there. Good Luck

Peace

 

[EJD]

The Olympic Peninsula is so awesome, I would highly recommend it. However it super expensive, and remote. So that may not be the best option for most. Realistically, I would absolutely recommend Snohomish county. Good balance of many things in my opinion. There are not that many places to go Jeeping believe it or not, more like a place here or there and then FS roads, but they are few and far between.

Other than that I would recommend somewhere north of Portland and south of Seattle. Olympia could even be a cool area...

 

[DA RUNT]

If you do end up near Olympia check out Capital City Krawlers. Family friendly group of wheelers that are very knowledgeable about the local trails.

 

[billiebob]

All I'll add is stay away from Tacoma/Seattle.The traffic is the worst I've ever seen.
And get enough room for parking so the kids can visit you.

 

[Chris]

All I'll add is stay away from Tacoma/Seattle.The traffic is the worst I've ever seen.
And get enough room for parking so the kids can visit you.

The traffic in Seattle and Tacoma area is epic... seriously. I haven't been to LA in a long time, but I'd be willing to bet it would give LA a run for it's money. It truly is horrific.

 

[zebra12]

I've lived and commuted in LA. I'd rather be in traffic in LA than Seattle (or Portland). At least there are options in LA, in Seattle the water traps you.

One area near Seattle but outside the commute that I like is Camano Island. CI has a bridge (a lot of the islands around Seattle are accessible by ferry and/or you have to drive around) and is beautiful.

 

[Chris]

I've lived and commuted in LA. I'd rather be in traffic in LA than Seattle (or Portland). At least there are options in LA, in Seattle the water traps you.

One area near Seattle but outside the commute that I like is Camano Island. CI has a bridge (a lot of the islands around Seattle are accessible by ferry and/or you have to drive around) and is beautiful.

Portland traffic has become horrendous too. I grew up in the Portland area. 18 years ago it wasn’t anything like it is now in terms of traffic. Like you said, there’s no options. The infrastructure is lacking big time.

 

[Squatch]

For me, I find that all roads lead to Idaho!!!

 

[Chris]

I dream about living somewhere more rural.

 

[Squatch]

I want remote, but my wife has watched too many horror movies to live in a "cabin in the woods" (Dumb-ass movie, by the way). We'll end-up just doing rural, I suspect.

 

[EJD]

For me, I find that all roads lead to Idaho!!!

Think I found that road!

 

[oldb]

We are in SE WA (Tri-cities) and have looked at Idaho and Oregon but both have income taxes (OR taxes capital gains) and Idaho also has a sales tax as well. I have a moderate private, non-gov't pension and will have social security so the no income tax in WA is worth a few thousand a year to me.

YMMV but look at the tax implications where you choose. Compare your taxable spending (ours is fairly low) to your tax able income to get an idea of the difference.

SE WA enjoys good weather, water, and low taxes. Seems that Western WA pays the lion share and send much of their money over here. (Sorry @Squatch but thanks.)

My neighbors moved to a remote area near McCall, I spoke with them at length prior to their departure. Bottom line according to my neighbors is the cost of living is about a push compared to here. But every year with our rising taxes that is starting to favor Idaho. Yes, Idaho has an income tax, sales tax is in the 5% range, here it is 9.8% and property tax is climbing. Similar house, outbuildings and acreage to what I have here is just under or right at $2,000.00 a year property tax in Boundary county Idaho. Here we are $6,500. And expecting a 25% increase in valuation from the county soon. Every weekend the private jets are coming in for a weekend of wine tasting, or perhaps setting up a new winery. Downtown buildings are being purchased on speculation. Great if you are selling a building, not so great if you are a businessman seeing the valuation on his building he is renting go sky high resulting in his rent going up.
I am all for the American way, free enterprise. Supply and demand. But the downside is we are not too far off from the people who serve up the wine, and wait the tables having to live 10 to 20 miles out to afford housing. Add to that the continued effort to put a carbon tax in play, this year it is being billed as a carbon "fee" on the ballot. And the constant push by the west side of the state to tell us how to live, well a guy starts thinking about all those tall trees and a bit of isolation.
Reality time, I have too may ties here to move, but I really enjoy thinking about it.

B

 

[Chris]

I am all for the American way, free enterprise. Supply and demand. But the downside is we are not too far off from the people who serve up the wine, and wait the tables having to live 10 to 20 miles out to afford housing. Add to that the continued effort to put a carbon tax in play, this year it is being billed as a carbon "fee" on the ballot. And the constant push by the west side of the state to tell us how to live, well a guy starts thinking about all those tall trees and a bit of isolation.
Reality time, I have too may ties here to move, but I really enjoy thinking about it.

Well said, this is exactly how I feel about it as well. But at least at the moment, I too have too many ties to move. Eventually it may happen though, I have no doubt.

 

[ac_]

My neighbors moved to a remote area near McCall, I spoke with them at length prior to their departure. Bottom line according to my neighbors is the cost of living is about a push compared to here. But every year with our rising taxes that is starting to favor Idaho. Yes, Idaho has an income tax, sales tax is in the 5% range, here it is 9.8% and property tax is climbing. Similar house, outbuildings and acreage to what I have here is just under or right at $2,000.00 a year property tax in Boundary county Idaho. Here we are $6,500. And expecting a 25% increase in valuation from the county soon. Every weekend the private jets are coming in for a weekend of wine tasting, or perhaps setting up a new winery. Downtown buildings are being purchased on speculation. Great if you are selling a building, not so great if you are a businessman seeing the valuation on his building he is renting go sky high resulting in his rent going up.
I am all for the American way, free enterprise. Supply and demand. But the downside is we are not too far off from the people who serve up the wine, and wait the tables having to live 10 to 20 miles out to afford housing. Add to that the continued effort to put a carbon tax in play, this year it is being billed as a carbon "fee" on the ballot. And the constant push by the west side of the state to tell us how to live, well a guy starts thinking about all those tall trees and a bit of isolation.
Reality time, I have too may ties here to move, but I really enjoy thinking about it.

B

My Dad lives in Rice WA north of you, and he complains about the same things you are. Especially about the west side making all of the rules.

BTW just as a frame of reference, if anybody is keeping score, Arizona has an income tax and a sales tax, and our sales tax rate is 7.8%, So maybe Idaho is not looking so bad after all haha!

 

[Squatch]

My Dad was so pissed about his taxes being raised in the Tri-cities area because of the new stadium in Seattle, that he sold his acreage and moved to New Mexico. King County just ruins it for everyone else in the state.

 

[zebra12]

We have the same problems in Oregon, Portland south to Lane County make the majority of the decisions for the whole state. I wholeheartedly believe Margaret Thatcher was right:

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”

 

[TomT509]

My Dad was so pissed about his taxes being raised in the Tri-cities area because of the new stadium in Seattle, that he sold his acreage and moved to New Mexico. King County just ruins it for everyone else in the state.

hmm.... not sure about this (and likely this thread should go to politics) but according to the state as of 2015 (the most current report), Benton county got $1.14 for every dollar they paid in and Franklin county got $1.70. So, both counties are coming out ahead. (@Squatch - looks like Snohomish county was getting $1.04.) King County folks only got 64 cents on the dollar.

Refer to the WA state OFM doc.

 

[Squatch]

hmm.... not sure about this (and likely this thread should go to politics) but according to the state as of 2015 (the most current report), Benton county got $1.14 for every dollar they paid in and Franklin county got $1.70. So, both counties are coming out ahead. (@Squatch - looks like Snohomish county was getting $1.04.) King County folks only got 64 cents on the dollar.

Refer to the WA state OFM doc.

I couldn't tell you which stadium it was (not a sports guy). As I understand it, it was one that got voted down (twice, I think), but was built anyways. My Dad was in Benton County, and was complaining about the affect it had on their taxes, all for something that he and his neighbors had no use for or interest in. As I said, he ended up selling and relocating.

I lost Dad on 4/15/2012, so it's not like I can ask him about it. Even if there are errors in the story, which is entirely possible, the point remains that King County screws with the lives of the entire state. I have no love whatsoever for the area, so my opinion is no doubt highly skewed. I just think that anyone considering moving to the region should really do their homework in regards to the way King County is run. I do appreciate what you shared, though. Thank you!

 

[TomT509]

I couldn't tell you which stadium it was (not a sports guy). As I understand it, it was one that got voted down (twice, I think), but was built anyways. My Dad was in Benton County, and was complaining about the affect it had on their taxes, all for something that he and his neighbors had no use for or interest in. As I said, he ended up selling and relocating.

I lost Dad on 4/15/2012, so it's not like I can ask him about it. Even if there are errors in the story, which is entirely possible, the point remains that King County screws with the lives of the entire state. I have no love whatsoever for the area, so my opinion is no doubt highly skewed. I just think that anyone considering moving to the region should really do their homework in regards to the way King County is run. I do appreciate what you shared, though. Thank you!

First, sorry to hear about your dad. I lost mine almost 11 years ago. Still miss him.

Ah, I am betting he was referring to our Coliseum and the hope for a big conference center, performing arts center (no, not big enough for Taylor Swift but for plays, concerts, etc), and better set-up arena for our hockey team and other events. Big kerfuffle here: some folks say it would keep and attract more events and conferences to bring money into the area and others don't want to see their taxes pay for it. Private stays private and public is only for those issues and infrastructure that benefits all. Invest in your area for all to benefit because of the generated income and attention or hope that private investment will see enough profit.

Tough issues as both 'sides' have solid ground to stand on.

I very much agree that the gorilla in the room - King county - is a huge influence. They have very difficult challenges that I honestly have no idea how they can make things better. Ugh.

 

[Chris]

They have very difficult challenges that I honestly have no idea how they can make things better. Ugh.

Like their homeless problem. My wife and I thought it was bad in Portland, but we went up to Seattle last Summer for the first time in probably 12 years. I was blown way by the homeless situation up there. It's beyond how bad it is in Portland!