[Vidalia]

I plan to move to the Northwest from Georgia in a few months and need some advice. I have been trying to decide where to move and I can't think of a better group to ask for opinions and advice since I love the same things most belonging to this group do, the Northwest and the outdoor activities there. A little background. I have been a member of this group for over 15 years and have enjoyed the discussions, trip reports, photos, advice etc found here. I am 64, male and recently divorced. I am addicted to hiking or sauntering as I like to describe it. I have hiked the AT, Wonderland Trail and sections of the PCT, CDT and many areas in Oregon and Washington over many trips in the past 30 years. I am completely retired, no children and since I found myself divorced I decided that it is time to spend the rest of my life pursuing what I love best, hiking and being in the Northwest. I am leaning towards finding a place in Portland or Vancouver because I am a bike rider and like the culture of that area. I have consider someplace like Enumclaw due to it's proximity to well, everything. I have looked at Seattle but it's just gotten too busy and crowded for my long term tastes. I would love to find a place in a smaller city that has good public transportation, is not too too expensive and has a culture that would be friendly to a very active 64 year old. I am not rich but with absolutely no responsibilities I have enough resources to live almost anywhere. My plan is to travel to Portland in a few weeks for a recon of the city and surrounding area but I have not completely decided on any place yet, that is why I am posting. Thank you for reading this far and I would appreciate hearing your opinion or suggestion as to my options.

[Randito]

FWIW: Seattle is busy, crowded and real estate is the most expensive in the region -- but there also a lot of outdoor oriented people and organizations that facilitate getting to getting like minded folks together -- all week long -- Including stuff organized by and for retirees. https://www.mountaineers.org/activities/activities#b_start=0&c4=Day+Hiking https://www.cascade.org/rides-and-events/free-group-rides https://www.meetup.com/topics/hiking/us/wa/seattle/ https://www.seattlerando.org/ https://www.seattlecanoekayak.club/ https://wakayakclub.clubexpress.com/ I also know folks in the Wenatchee / Leavenworth area that find a ton of stuff to do outside. The Methow valley (Mazama, Whintrop, Twisp) is another mecca for outdoor pursuits -- but it is more isolated and far from advanced medical care.

[Schroder]

I'll offer my opinion. I was born in Seattle and grew up between there and Everett and then lived for 40 years near the town of Snohomish, which was just about ideal for getting to the mountains - just over an hour to Stevens Pass on Highway 2, half an hour to get to the Mountain Loop Hiway and 2 hours to get to the Mount Baker area. We bailed out of the growing population and traffic and moved to Whidbey Island. It's an hour longer to get to the Cascades but now we're in reach of the Olympics. We're as tied to getting to the water as to the mountains and do a lot of kayaking. I was determined to get away from the I-5 corridor but we have a growing need to be within reach of doctors in Seattle. You have the right idea to stay out of the Seattle suburban area if you don't have to be there. I can't speak about Enumclaw but it doesn't appeal much to me. It's close to the North side of Rainier and Crystal Mountain but Hiway 410 is closed for half the year and you have to drive some distance to get anywhere else. Have you looked at the cities east of the mountains - Wenatchee, Ellensburg, Chelan? That seems to be where all my retired friends are migrating to.

[Riverside Laker]

I'm biased, but don't think the hiking near Portland is as interesting as the "north cascades" (northern half of Washington state). Consider something like Bellingham, which has wonderful bike riding opportunities, or the very northern part of the Puget Sound area, which also has some good roads near by. You won't find the Portland culture though since these areas are near rural areas. So you might prefer Portland. Take a look at Bishop CA.

[Randito]

Before you move to Portland -- be sure to watch at least some Portlandia Settling into a specific ground based location make sense if one of your goals is to develop a new set of friends. If a new set of friends isn't on the list of goals -- why be stationary -- get a #VanLife capable vehicle or a motorhome and live out of that... There are so many great places to explore at various seasons. Honestly November-December-January-Feburary in the PNW are pretty dreadful weather wise -- I've had a number team members from places like Texas and California quit after a couple years because they couldn't stomach another PNW winter. Seattle's rain is what gets talked in the media -- but it's not the rain so much as the gray and the short daylight that is challenging. Mid-winter there is only 8 1/2 hours of daylight -- sunrise is around 8 AM and sunset 4:30 PM -- Plus it is really dreary -- sometimes there will only be a handful (less than ten) sunny or partly sunny days between Mid-November and Mid-February. Many people get depressed. Many folks cope with the gloom by participating in snow-sports in the mountains -- the constant rain clouds in the city result in frequent snowfall in the mountains. Seattlites and Portlanders have the somewhat unique experience of living in a place where they don't need to shovel snow off their walk and driveway -- but can go skiing within an hour or two drive from the city. If you aren't a skier -- snowshoeing is a way of keeping up hiking in the mountains during the winter. But if you are living #VanLife or in a RV -- there is a lot of sunny hiking in Southern California, Arizona and Baja during Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb and you can work your way north as the snow melts. of course once you lay eyes on the eastern Sierra -- you might just want to hang out there. Hiking trails in the Cascades aren't fully melted out until early July, some trails it's more like August before snow-free conditions prevail.

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Portland has a lot of the same problems as Seattle, maybe on a smaller scale, but still there. Rapid growth, horrible traffic congestion, etc. etc. As mentioned the hiking opportunities near PDX and SEA are not the same. I grew up near PDX and I love The Gorge and Mt. Hood, but there's probably close to a 10:1 ratio of miles of trails, particularly in the alpine, within reasonably close proximity of the 2 cities, w/ SEA ahead in that regard.

[Bosterson]

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[Bosterson]

[Randito]

[treeswarper]

DON'T! The PNW has too many people moving here. Real estate is priced out of reach, roads are crowded, we can't get around like we used to. Are you aware of the natural disasters that occur here? The Big Earthquake that will level the west side of Oregon and Warshington? Volcanoes? Smoke from forest fires? Then there are the ice storms in the Columbia Gorge. I worked briefly with a guy from South Carolina who was planning on relocating to Oregon. He soon decided that our way of life was too different and changed his mind. I think it was the politics of the region that got him and our secular ways. He thought the people to be unfriendly. The chilly wet weather also played a part except he was here in the summer. I live in a less populated part of WA, 'cept even it has grown what with folks relocating here who can't afford the prices to the west. But, it is near the Canadian border and this time of year I tell myself, "Only another month and the days will get longer." It is dark and gray even on the sunny side of the state. Hope you can deal with short dark days and drizzle should you become one of the many who are crowding into our part of the country.

[cdestroyer]

I no longer hike but I will add in two bits worth. Move to montana. We aint gots nutin here, realestate is plentiful (cept for the californians, nevadans, new yawkers, etc) summer is short and hot, winter is long and sometimes very cold with lots of snow. Lots of mountains to hike in fish in hunt in and no traffick cause it is a long wayz from thar to hereya. Most cars I see on the freeway have washington license plates.

[neek]

[moonspots]

[Cyclopath]