Moving To Washington State

[ITS ALL GOOD]

Well the wife and i have decided to leave Las Vegas and move to Washington state, have not really decided on a city yet, will either be Vancouver area or Spokane was wondering if anyone had any input as to local economy, education and places to boat in Washington. any input would be greatley appreciated.

[Phat Matt]

I'd say pack an umbrella and go buy a wet suit. bye bye Mead.

[twistedpair]

Of those two choices I would go with Spokane. The Portland/Vancouver area is nice if you want rain. Spokane is east of the Cascades and is a much dryer climate.
There are lakes all over the spokane area, most within an hours drive. My personal favorite is Coeur D' Alene, about 30 min. from the Spokane valley. Banks lake is nice also, huge and less developed. What kind of work do you do?

[mach1alaska]

If you want decent weather and fairly long dry summers then spokane is better. the wage scale is generally lower than in vancouver but so is the cost of housing. there are nice lakes and rivers around both . I was born and raised near vancouver and now am in troy mt about 2.5 hours from spokane and must admit that I like the weather here better (and way nicer weather than Alaska) as a matter of fact I am going to spokane tonight . spokanes weather is somewhat simillar to reno(lived there 9 years)
Kevin N

[MRS FLYIN VEE]

just from what I've heard from my husbands sister. everyone (almost everyone) up there seems to be on depretion meds. it always rains and it is always cloudy. I don't know except what she says but I would think about it and ask around more. just my 2cents.

[v-drive]

Have you ever been there. it's beautiful but unless you work for Boing it tends to get depressed. I have a friend that left about 10 years ago and he did work for boing and became so depressed that they came back about 5 years ago. Go and visit see what it's like first. Just my 02. :D v-drive

[ITS ALL GOOD]

We have been there before but only for a week at a time, I have family that live in both places, and they all seems to like it , I am a service advisor for a car dealership so I figure it should not be too hard to find work and we need to make a move out of Las Vegas, we have outgrown our current house and need a bigger one but with real estate prices the way they are we can' t really afford it , second concern is quality of education, we have a daughter getting ready to go to kindergarten and Nevada schools ranked 49th in the nation, so i am a little concerned, and last is climate we do not much care for desert landscape or desert climate so after evaluating all the western states washington appears to be our best bet, and it sounds like we should be looking to spokane. I appreciate the input , thanks.

[ITS ALL GOOD]

mark , thanks for the offer , we considered utah but i do not know if i could make enough money up there because it really is not that populated, and my type of work is commision based.

[Dr. Eagle]

I was assigned to Seattle for about a year in 1997 and it was reaaaaly depressing. Sun shined for two full days all summer and rain was constant.
I was told it was the worst summer they'd had for many years, but I wouldn't want to chance that again, there aren't that many summers in your lifetime to give one away.
If you move there, go to Spokane, that'd be my pick. Unfortunately there isn't all that much work there....

[cruser]

Born in Spokane, grew up in Vancouver, lived all over both Oregon/Washington. I currently live outside of Portland Ore, bigger city across the river from Vancouver. I have lived in this area for the last 40ish years except for a brief stint in Spokane.
Biggest thing Washington has going for it is no income taxes.
Vancouver has mild winters. Seldom gets below 15, usually in the 30s during the coldest part of the winter. We get one or two snow falls that usually last about 2-3 days and then they are gone. Summer starts late June/early July and lasts through September. Usually no more than 4-5 days in the 100s in the summer. Most days are in the 80s, with a few 90s. There is the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Lower colombia can get rough and the Willamette get busy but they are fun. Also at least 6 lakes with in an hour drive. The shores are tree lined and lush. No place better when summer hits here.
Spokane has four seasons. Winter will see snow fall and stay for 2 or more weeks. Temps will be in the 10's with quite a bit of wind. Spring and Fall transition pretty quickly. Summer will be 90's-- and 100's. I know of at least 6 lakes within an hour of Spokane. The lakes there are big. the lake at Sandpoint Idaho, including the rivers, is at least 50 miles and probably more. Landscape is varied, desert, high plains, pine trees. you can get pretty much what you want.
The employment opportunities in the northwest are limited. Before the economy took a dive, we had the lowest unemployment rate in the country. Now Oregon hs the highest rate and Washington isn't far behind. If I were moving here, I would either have a lot of living expenses saved up or have a job lined up for when I got here.
I live in the Portland area because of work. I have looked at Spokane for retirement. The winters in that area would be my biggest worry.
Cost of living between Spokane and Vanc. are probably comparable with the nod going to Spokane I think. When you get out of Spokane a bit, housing is cheaper there but I think food is a bit more.
Enough of this. You probably could get more info of the net. do a goggle search for info on either city and you'll get more info than you want. You could also email/PM me for more.
cruzer

[ITS ALL GOOD]

Born in Spokane, grew up in Vancouver, lived all over both Oregon/Washington. I currently live outside of Portland Ore, bigger city across the river from Vancouver. Cruser, So what is the economy like in the Portland area? How is the boating? Where do you boat? What kind of boat do you have?Of all the areas in Washington and Oregon where would you recommend , i have two kids and would like a nice area for them to grow up and be able to make a comfortable living without having to work two jobs to do it. Any info you could give us would be greatly appreciated. Thank you , Bob (its all good)

[zmoz]

Originally posted by ITS ALL GOOD
[B]Cruser, So what is the economy like in the Portland area? How is the boating?
Economy sucks, boating is pretty good. I don't know what it is now, but only a few months ago we had the highest unemployment in the US. I like to go boating on the Willamette in dowtown Portland, it's pretty cool to be able to float through the middle of a big city...

[Outnumbered]

If you are looking for a cooler climate, greener surroundings, affordable real estate (by Cali standards), and good schools you should consider Lake Arrowhead. Its only 4.5 hours to the river, 50 minutes to Ontario or Riverside, 35 minutes to San Bernardino, 90 minutes to the beach.
We Just sold our place and we are moving out to Phoenix. We're burned out on the cold. But if that is what you are looking for, it is warmer than Washington and lots more sun. PM me if you want more info and I'll try to help you out and give you all the pros and cons the agents won't tell you about. I've been in RE appraising and lending for 13+ years.
OL

[Sand Dawg]

I live about a hour from Spokane, can see the back side of Grand Coulee dam from my house. Winter is , well winter, bad roads ,snow, icey and cold. Spring is nice, not to wet and not too dry. Summer is mild to hot, 80's to 100's but not every day for month's on end. From Spokane you have lakes of all sizes within a hours drive...my favorite...Lake Roosevelt......long, deep and you can either party in bigg groups or find a small cove and not be bothered...It's not to bad of an area, boat in the summer and sled in the winter.....

[bigd1]

I lived outside of Seattle for 4 years. It rains constantly, not that warm in the summer. Be sure to get a car and boat that looks good with mud splattered all over it 'cause that's how it will look most of the time.

[99fever27]

I have to chime in...
Grew up in the lower yakima valley wich is dead center between seattle and spokane. Seattle yes does rain..depressing..dont think so. It is absolutly beautiful! I went to college in spokane and also not depressing. I have now lived near DC for 10 yrs..lets talk depression. If you enjoy gorgous evergreens and white capped mountains, cruising up the lake its your state. Dont let the stereotype change your mind. I get goose bumps everytime I fly into the state and see the nature of the north west. It is truly breath taking. Take a vacation and go see it! Then again im a beak boater....!

[lalhc]

It was a beautiful day in Lake Arrowhead today!

[boatsnblondes]

I love vancouver, great city, great people, LOTS to see and do, and a real downtown area, as well as great public transportation.....should be a nice transition for you. I and my wife also are relocating to the Modesto area soon....

[Outnumbered]

It was a beautiful day in Lake Arrowhead today!
Except for the water temp :220v:
How is the lake level doing? I do miss July, August, and Sept up there but other than that we are pretty happy here in AZ. You guys have a dock? When we moved our dock was in a meadow with 3' of grass all around :cry:

[v-drive]

I think he went to Bullhead city instead....v'drive

[NICE PAIR]

Take a look @ this site, just type in the city.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Spokane-Washington.html

[Rock-A-Bye-Baby]

I grew up in Tacoma and moved to So Cal when i was 19. It took all of about 3 months here to determine that i would never move back. I flirted witht the idea of going back when i opened my own business. That was a ten minute decision. Having read the posts, the common comment is the weather. It is not good. You live in the sun and if you and your wife are So Cal natives then there is going to be a huge adjustment. and it might be very difficult to get back here once you have comitted to the Northwet. If you have a commission based job, I would think portland/vancouver might be a better spot. My bro and sis live ther and seem to do ok. And Portland comes highly recommended from people that have lived there. Good luck on your decision.

[termiteguy]

its all good you made mention of two little children stop and and think about them . alot of small town with not alot to offer to kid have serious problems with drugs and teen pregnancies.i know this can happen any where but seems to happen more in places like that then in bigger cities. remember boered kids will find things to do! right or wrong! i dont know how big your house is but i live in 1200 sq feet 5 people kids are all teens know 18 16 14 i will move when the youngest gets out of highscool until then we are staying put i hope this helps just my .02
rob

[lalhc]

Yes, water temp is still very cold. I own half of a double dock near Tavern Bay. I'm renting it out this season because we'll spend most of the summer in Havasu. The lake over-flowed again this year!

[River918]

I have good friends that actually moved from Vancouver to the Phoenix area last year. They lived in Vancouver for a while, but got tired of the gloomy weather and rain. They said it rains there for weeks at a time and they got so tired of it they had to get out of there. He actually still works up there and commutes several times a month, but they enjoy the warm weather so much that the cost of doing that is worth it. I guess if you don't mind the weather, it is totally worth it. The cost of living isn't as much, so your dollar will go a LITTLE farther. I would say you are taken a total 180 when it comes to the weather in Vegas....

[spudsgarage]

Take a look @ Boise! I lived in Seattle for 9 years, moved to Boise 15 years ago seeking better schools for my kids and the weather! My kids have never gotten into drugs with 3.75 grades, the oldest is now 24 and the youngest is Sweet 16!! I would not leave now if you paid me. Great 4 seasons and 6 months of perfect weather., killer summer/fall. Lots of great lakes close by that are wide open and plenty of seasonal recreation!!! I am an x Parts and Service director and work should be easy to find. Check it out and you will not be disappointed. Just a thought, it's worth a look!! You are welcome to contact me, Good Luck!

[Sotally Tober]

Spokane sucks! You do not want to move here. Do not even look here. We do not need anymore people moving here. Just kidding.
It is a great place to live and raise a family. I moved here in 93 after being raised in San Diego. I do like the 4 seasons. Winter could be a lot shorter. Feb, March, and April are the hardest for me. It is an affordable place to live. I live up north and the Mead School Dist. is great. I have 2 young boys so I really want good schools. The area is growing very fast. Construction is booming. The last 2 years housing as gone up a lot. There is some trailer trash here in areas. But, there are a lot of great places to live.
Boating is awesome. There are a lot of beautiful BIG lakes within 1.5 hours. Couer d' Alene & Lake Roosevelt are my favorites. Pend Oreille and Priest are awesome too. The boating season is shorter though. I went yesterday and it hit 80. Summers are warm and last to Oct.
If you make it up here to look give me a call. I'll show you around