Retirement in NW WA State?

[Jimmie]

Considering a move to the Skagit county or Island county area in early 2023. Been comfortably retired for over 3 years. Both kids have recently moved to Seattle and plan to stay for the long-term, so relocating to be near them. Not interested in Seattle at all but hour north of Seattle looks intriguing to me.

I'm an outdoors person: walking, hiking, camping, fishing, golfing, boating. Also enjoy socializing in breweries, country clubs, friend's get-togethers, community events, farmer markets. Not an extravert but also not an introvert. Politically, I'm a middle-of-the-road independent and tolerant of most people's political beliefs, but tend to avoid the vocal far right/far left people.

I've done quite a bit of online research (niche, citydata, realtor, local chamber of commerce), so am somewhat knowledgeable. Have also made a few trips to explore and talk to locals. I know housing is expensive, but looks like prices are finally starting to come down some. I'm also aware of the gray rainy season from Oct to June.

Was wondering if anyone can share info related to:

Availability and quality of medical healthcare for Medicare insurance taking new patients?
Local people generally friendly and engaging? They certainly are not in Seattle.
i know about the tulip festival, but are there numerous other things to see and attend in the area that locals like to participate in?
Is it very touristy? I imagine Island county gets their fair share of tourists, but does the number of tourists impact the quality of life for locals?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[skyking1]

We are settling in Sequim ourselves, and live currently in the south sound.
I have friends in Mount Vernon and have spent some time up there I think it's really a cool town myself. I can't provide any information on Medicare doctors. I just know the vibes.

 

[pacergal]

Anywhere in the PNW sounds like it would work for you. Glad you are aware of the long gray rainy season, make sure you can handle it though, many folks can't. It provides for the lush green of the area (except for the current drought conditions in a few areas!) And I love the rain.
Have you spent long periods of time there? Maybe a few months checking things out might be a good idea.
Not sure of the medicare info but both Seattle and Portland Or have excellent high level trauma hospitals and teaching ones.
Many festivals in both and relatively easy drive between the two areas.

 

[kevink]

We spend quite a bit of time in that area because my mother-in-law lives in Anacortes and the rest of my wife's family all live in Western Washington. Just got back from 6 weeks out there.

I'd recommend getting a longish term AirBnB and exploring, as all of the communities have their own distinctive feel. Starting the places I'm most familiar with, Mt. Vernon is a very "real" feeling place, with agriculture, the big box stores everyone from the area shops and of course easy freeway access north and south but it isn't particularly charming.

Anacortes is beautiful, has phenomenal hiking trails but is also the gateway to the San Juans and so has a ton of tourist traffic in the summer. A welcoming community for progressive, wealthy retirees. Plenty of multimillion dollar second homes in the area. It also has the dubious distinction of being the cloudiest place in the lower 48; for me it's not the drizzle it's the lack of light. But I figure most people who can afford to retire there can also afford to go to Arizona or Mexico for a few months in the winter. Don't underestimate the other costs of living in an area like this: groceries in Anacortes are overall about 40% more than we pay in Tucson, AZ - the sticker shock reminds me of going to France when the Euro was strong. It's no accident that Costco and Wal Mart in Mt. Vernon are super-busy all the time.

La Conner is tiny but beautiful; you'll have Tom Robbins and any number of other old hippies (albeit wealthy ones) as neighbors. Bellingham is IMHO in a lot of ways the most attractive place in the area though it's not in Island county. Vibrant shopping and dining scene, the benefits of having a university there, very outdoorsy. All of the above places are increasingly plagued by traffic which while not as awful as Seattle's is still bad. And getting to SeaTac to fly anywhere is a nightmare. Alaska flies out of Paine Field in Everett and a few airlines fly out of Bellingham, so keep that in mind.

IMHO with the traffic and real estate prices if you can afford to live in Island county you could also afford to live in almost any other place in Western Washington or Oregon as well as much of California - including many places with much better weather, more arts and culture and lower costs.

 

[euro]

I can't help with any of your questions because my knowledge of the area is outdated (I went to Grad school at UW during most of the 80-ies), but man, I envy you! I loved it in PNW (rain never an issue for me and DW), particularly Bellingham which used to be a small college town back then. Good for you!

 

[tulak]

You can also look at flying out of Vancouver. If I lived in Bellingham, that would be my airport of choice. The flights are a lot cheaper than Sea-Tac too, at least for international flights. You could also look at Arlington, but I think others have covered most of the major areas. Another option could be Whidbey Island.

I know Anacortes has become popular, the same for Bellingham, which you can see in the higher housing costs.

Personally, I wouldn’t live anywhere that is ferry dependent. It’s a pain.

The Olympic peninsula can be nice, Port Townsend/Sequim, and they have a rain shadow, so not as dark, gloomy, and rainy as others parts of the PNW.

 

[kevink]

You can also look at flying out of Vancouver. If I lived in Bellingham, that would be my airport of choice. The flights are a lot cheaper than Sea-Tac too, at least for international flights. You could also look at Arlington, but I think others have covered most of the major areas. Another option could be Whidbey Island.

I know Anacortes has become popular, the same for Bellingham, which you can see in the higher housing costs.

Personally, I wouldn’t live anywhere that is ferry dependent. It’s a pain.

The Olympic peninsula can be nice, Port Townsend/Sequim, and they have a rain shadow, so not as dark, gloomy, and rainy as others parts of the PNW.

I agree with Vancouver for international flights - and heartily concur with avoiding any place that’s ferry-dependent.

We lived in Port Angeles and visited Sequim frequently. The “banana belt” promotion of those places is seriously overblown IMHO. Yes they get less rain than Seattle and a bit more sun but they’re also windy and cold - as well as being extremely remote.

Another option I personally would consider would be a place like Cle Elum just over the pass from Seattle. Great outdoor activities and more sun. Further afield Walla Walla has morphed from agricultural backwater into a pretty cool small city with great restaurants and cultural activities along with all the outdoor activities you could wish for. 4 seasons climate though and probably too far from Seattle but Seattle folks are retiring there in droves these days.

 

[tulak]

You could also consider Wenatchee and the surrounding area if you want the other side of the cascades. Not my cup of tea, but lots of people move into those areas. Just be a little careful of wildfires.

I agree with the Olympic peninsula, it’s too rural for me, but for some it works. You could also look around Bainbridge/Bremerton. Still have easy access to Seattle - by ferry or a long drive - and it’s less rural.

Personally, if I couldn’t pick the Seattle area, I’d look around Bellingham, or somewhere in between. But that’s my bias.

Edit to add: Walla Walla is too far.

 

[braumeister]

Personally, if I couldn’t pick the Seattle area, I’d look around Bellingham, or somewhere in between. But that’s my bias.

Mine too.
In fact, my favorite brewpub in the world was in Bellingham, until they moved a bit south to Burlington. I also appreciate the easy access to Vancouver Island, and even to Alaska on the ferry. But DW ruled out Washington state a long time ago, so it's just a visit from time to time.

FWIW, I also like the Olympia area quite a lot.

 

[Chuckanut]

Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb are dark, damp cold months. Make sure you can deal with that.
The PNW area has a very long meteorological Spring season. Summer usually does not arrive until early July and is over by the first week in September at the latest. Check out Cliff Mass' weather blogs for information.
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/

Tax wise things are changing in WA state. There is big move to find a way to introduce an income tax. There is NO promise or guarantee that other taxes will be reduced, though that may suggested to get support. We recently started taxing long term capital gains as an 'excise' tax. In the opinion of many including myself, if the state supreme court upholds this a more general state income tax and perhaps city income taxes will follow. The state legislature recently raised a large number of state taxes and fees. For example, as a non plug-in hybrid owner, I now pay an extra $75 in license tabs for a vehicle electrification system.

Politically we have one party rule.

 

[oiseux]

My sister lives in Island County and lived in B-Ham prior to that. We grew up south of Seattle.

There is a "convergence zone" that gets more snow than the rest of the areas. B-Ham is in that zone. On the other hand, parts of Island County are at the fringe of the "Banana Belt" and get less rain than the surrounding areas. Many of these towns are solidly blue collar, and so the country clubs are more spread out, in the islands and in B-ham and southern Snohomish. Some services get really spaced out, depending on which area you choose, and you'll see the people loading up at Costco and WinCo. For specialty items, my sister has to travel to the Seattle area (she just blast pasts Everett in order to bundle tasks together, like seeing family members).

I hadn't realized that there were laws put in place to add CG and income taxes -- I see the court battles have held in the lower courts (turning down the laws) and everything heads to the state Supreme Court.

 

[Chuckanut]

I hadn't realized that there were laws put in place to add CG and income taxes -- I see the court battles have held in the lower courts (turning down the laws) and everything heads to the state Supreme Court.

A lower court has ruled this tax unconstitutional, but it will be decided by the state supreme court. Personally, I don't see how the court could uphold it just because the governor and legislature call it an excise tax. The IRS still considers capital gain 'income', the last time I checked. But, I'm not a lawyer.

This official site explains the tax better than I can:

https://dor.wa.gov/taxes-rates/other-taxes/capital-gains-tax

The 2021 Washington State Legislature recently passed ESSB 5096 (RCW 82.87) which creates a 7% tax on the sale or exchange of long-term capital assets such as stocks, bonds, business interests, or other investments and tangible assets.


This tax only applies to individuals. However, individuals can be liable for the tax because of their ownership interest in a pass-through or disregarded entity that sells or exchanges long-term capital assets. The tax only applies to gains allocated to Washington state.


There are several deductions and exemptions available that may reduce the taxable amount of long-term gains, including an annual standard deduction of $250,000 per individual. In the case of spouses or domestic partners, the combined standard deduction is limited to $250,000 whether they file joint or separate returns.

The tax takes effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and the first payments are due on or before April 18, 2023.

Seattle has its own tax on wages:

https://mynorthwest.com/1578951/seattle-income-tax-case-heads-to-washington-state-supreme-court/

This leaves the door open for a showdown in Washington’s Supreme Court, where a few different things will need to be decided:

• Whether the income tax on high-earners Seattle approved in 2018 can be implemented at all
• Whether the appeal’s court decision allowing a uniform tax across all earners is Constitutional
• Whether income qualifies as property

 

[savory]

I have now lived in SW WA 5 years. I have lived in different cities and parts of USA and find the PNW folks to be the easiest to get to know. We found it easy to make friends here.

Biking was key but fishing and hunting is big time among the people I know. Although I do not fish or hunt.

Bottom line, I think the PNW has a lot to offer. The weather can be a bit painful but it has not been that bad for me. However, it is not unusual to hear people complain about it.

I also wanted to mention that we are pleased with medical care from Kaiser. It was our first HMO experience

 

[SnowballCamper]

Don't move to the PNW. It's not worth it. The winter is too cold and rainy, and the summer is too hot now with climate change. There are really only two seasons, wet and dry. The sea level is rising to flood out the communities that were built just above the historic tidelands. A bunch of people got the wrong memo about how great it is out here, so the traffic is ridiculous. And the state keeps building HOV lanes knowing that they don't reduce traffic congestion. Public transportation is a joke, and funds itself through car license plate fees. Island County?? I hope you enjoy sitting in ferry lines. There is no income tax yet, which means you're stuck with the regressive 10% sales tax which you pay on new home construction. The state government is dominated by one party across all three branches and has been for years, so not much will change. There is a history of volcanoes erupting (St. Helens), and several more are ready to go (Rainier, Baker, Adams, etc.). The Tsunami is coming... oh and a fault line runs through the puget sound trough, along with the rivers flooding somewhere every year.

Despite all this... I do live here by choice... I'm not sure what's wrong with me... I keep suggesting a move to Montana, but DW keeps saying no.

Thanks for reading my little tirade ;-)

 

[rodi]

I have several friends who live in Mt Vernon and Bellingham. My bff is actually visiting me from B'ham right now. I lived in B'ham for 3 years in the 90's.

I love that part of the world. As a SoCal native I did have an adjustment to the weather - I had to learn to do outdoor activities when it was drizzling or I might not be able to do them. But everything is green and lush because of the rain. The people are warm and friendly. Skagit is a good location an hour from Seattle (at certain times of the day.)... but I would opt for Whatcom county... Decent hospital, good infrastructure, lots of smart people associated with WWU....

 

[Chuckanut]

Don't move to the PNW. It's not worth it. The winter is too cold and rainy, and the summer is too hot now with climate change. There are really only two seasons, wet and dry. The sea level is rising to flood out the communities that were built just above the historic tidelands. A bunch of people got the wrong memo about how great it is out here, so the traffic is ridiculous. And the state keeps building HOV lanes knowing that they don't reduce traffic congestion. Public transportation is a joke, and funds itself through car license plate fees. Island County?? I hope you enjoy sitting in ferry lines. There is no income tax yet, which means you're stuck with the regressive 10% sales tax which you pay on new home construction. The state government is dominated by one party across all three branches and has been for years, so not much will change. There is a history of volcanoes erupting (St. Helens), and several more are ready to go (Rainier, Baker, Adams, etc.). The Tsunami is coming... oh and a fault line runs through the puget sound trough, along with the rivers flooding somewhere every year.

Despite all this... I do live here by choice... I'm not sure what's wrong with me... I keep suggesting a move to Montana, but DW keeps saying no.

Thanks for reading my little tirade ;-)

You left out Murder Hornets.

“The hornet has a body length of 45 mm (1.8 in), a wingspan around 75 mm (3.0 in), and a stinger 6 mm (1⁄4 in) long, which injects a large amount of potent venom.”

Did I mention some of the highest gasoline and alcohol taxes in the country? And, the new income tax (assuming it's constitutional) will not decrease those by as much as 1¢. Also, there is a new carbon tax that will start in 2023.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/was...cle_5c2733f0-020d-11ed-b7b6-7b5de3a3cd2c.html

Washington state’s new tax on carbon dioxide emissions under the Climate Commitment Act is projected to add 46 cents per gallon to the cost of gas next year, nearly doubling the amount of taxes Washingtonians will pay at the pump. The current state gas tax is nearly 50 cents per gallon.

Passed by the state Legislature in 2021, the Climate Commitment Act – Senate Bill 5126 – directs the Washington State Department of Ecology to develop and implement a statewide cap-and-trade program to cut carbon pollution by requiring emitters to obtain “emissions allowances” equal to their covered greenhouse gas emissions.


Similar to stocks and bonds, these allowances can be obtained through quarterly auctions hosted by Ecology.
The program will start on Jan. 1, 2023

And don't forget the mandatory state LTC insurance. It's currently on hold, but with the exception of a very few, all wages will be taxed to support this insurance plan (0.58%). Note: In the view of many the benefits of the plan are woefully inadequate. It's lifetime cap is $36,500 though I believe the cap will be adjusted for inflation.

None of the above is made up. Look it up for yourself.


.

 

[oiseux]

Don't move to the PNW. It's not worth it. The winter is too cold and rainy, and the summer is too hot now with climate change. There are really only two seasons, wet and dry. The sea level is rising to flood out the communities that were built just above the historic tidelands. A bunch of people got the wrong memo about how great it is out here, so the traffic is ridiculous. And the state keeps building HOV lanes knowing that they don't reduce traffic congestion. Public transportation is a joke, and funds itself through car license plate fees. Island County?? I hope you enjoy sitting in ferry lines. There is no income tax yet, which means you're stuck with the regressive 10% sales tax which you pay on new home construction. The state government is dominated by one party across all three branches and has been for years, so not much will change. There is a history of volcanoes erupting (St. Helens), and several more are ready to go (Rainier, Baker, Adams, etc.). The Tsunami is coming... oh and a fault line runs through the puget sound trough, along with the rivers flooding somewhere every year.

Despite all this... I do live here by choice... I'm not sure what's wrong with me... I keep suggesting a move to Montana, but DW keeps saying no.

Thanks for reading my little tirade ;-)

OP, I think the message here is.... stay home, go away, don't make the huge mistake!

Don't worry, the traffic in Island/Whatcom/Skagit county is a pittance. You don't need to ride a ferry to Island County, two popular islands are connected by bridges. (Sequim, btw, on the other side, gets less rain annually than Los Angeles). You are far from Rainier, Adams and St. Helens -- and Baker is far enough away that any flows won't reach your island home

 

[skyking1]

We've been Washington residents our whole lives. We did not settle on Sequim casually, we have done about 40 years of looking around.
I grew up in ~7 inches of rain and distinct seasons in the central part of the state, east of the Cascades. We spent the last 36 years in ~40 inches of rain, and I have had enough. Our new home is in the center of the rain shadow, with ~16" of rain. It is enough to grow trees, but slowly.

At the current home the trees are huge and a bit daunting, tossing all sorts of limbs and some do blow down. I don't want to cut them all down so we'll just move

 

[Koolau]

I'm actually surprised to hear so much negative feed back on WA State. Most folks seem to praise it. I thought it was beautiful the one time I was there, but the weather was unusually dry, so what do I know?

I guess we all tend to see the negative of our respective home states. We've begun to take the "good" for granted and focus on what's "wrong." I find myself doing that as well - even though I actually love my adopted home state. YMMV

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I guess we all tend to see the negative of our respective home states. We've begun to take the "good" for granted and focus on what's "wrong." I find myself doing that as well - even though I actually love my adopted home state. YMMV

So true, Traffic & density of people come to mind from my working years in Honolulu. Costs of food and Fuel in Hawaii are a fact of life and known going in, not an issue for us. I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Great healthcare, sensible democratic state, great weather, beautiful scenery, wonderful beaches, the list goes on. We could easily live on Oahu, I just have an issue with forking out for a home. Other than that, all other costs are easily manageable, and we have no issues with it.

Sort of the same for NE Florida, good weather, sensibly managed county, great beaches, great healthcare, weather is good (Save the odd hurricane), sensible taxes, reasonable home prices and MCOL. We kind of overlook (or choose to ignore) the traffic, political noise & those Florida Men & Women.

The PNW is way to rainy and gloomy for a family who has lived all of their adult married lives in sunny climes. We did look hard at Vancouver Island, but it was not for us.

 

[Koolau]

And then there is this (Tsunami threat for PNW):

https://www.yahoo.com/news/how-west...re-for-the-threat-of-a-tsunami-000749831.html

 

[Fermion]

Washington state is ok...just stay out of the Seattle area, it is essentially becoming a homeless/drug user mecca.

Bellingham isn't as bad. Lyndon is pretty awesome (bedroom community of Bellingham).

We have a sailboat moored in Blaine, WA...I like that area.

Eastern Washington is much drier but much hotter. We haven't had much rain in 2 months.

 

[travelover]

I'm actually surprised to hear so much negative feed back on WA State..........

Washington State is a lot like Hawaii - both terrible places. That is why real estate is so cheap, no one wants to go there.

 

[Janet H]

Geographically my favorite part of WA state is just east of Cle Elum - it's beautiful but hot in the summer and there is serious winter. Nice to visit.

I lived in Eastern WA for years and disliked the heat, lack of rain (high desert) and political climate intensely.

A few years back after a prolonged search we settled in Sequim. Small town, beautiful, milder climate but as with every place there are some drawbacks.

La Connor is lovely and was on our short list as was Harstine Island which is accessible by bridge.

 

[Katsmeow]

We plan to move away from our current state and extensively looked for alternatives. Of course, our criteria was our own and we did not have family in any of the areas we looked at. Had that been a factor then that could have swayed us.

Anyway, one of our top 3 states was Washington (in our case, specifically the Vancouver, Wa area). I do think Washington is beautiful and I liked the idea of no state income tax (yes, I understand this could change) and liked the idea of living across the river from Oregon with no state sales tax. I did feel Washington was beautiful. For us, we were not super outdoors people (I have allergies) so that wasn't a draw.

But, really, the thing that bothered me the most was the natural disaster risk. It wasn't just the volcanoes, or wildfires or the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake risk. It was everything together and the sense that really the population of the state was not really adequately preparing. And, while I didn't feel I was very likely to die in an earthquake (although the risk of a "big" one was higher than I liked), I was worried about damage to my home. Earthquake insurance is costly and provides inadequate protection.