What's the lowdown on the PNW?

[altasnob]

Bellingham has Seattle area real estate prices and cost of living, but doesn't have the industries to justify or support those high prices (except WFH and retirees moving there in droves). Way grungier and full of homeless than say, Bend or Boise. Better enjoy non-skiing activities in the winter when the snow sucks, like biking in the rain, kayaking, or making the long drive out to the coast to surf. And unlike Seattle and Portland, where you can get to the dry side of the states in less than 2 hours, Bellingham is a long drive to find sun when highway 20 is closed (although Anacortes/Whidbey Island gets some of the Olympic rain shadow effect).

[BFD]

I have been traveling around the west a bit. The 3 places I would never like to see again in my life.
Salt lake city
Spokane
Anywhere along interstate 5

[Supermoon]

That doesn’t leave a lot of places for you depending on how you define “on I5”

[AK47bp]

That doesn’t leave a lot of places for you depending on how you define “on I5”

Portland
Vancouver
Olympia
Tacoma
Seattle
Everett
Bellingham
Vancouver





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[Supermoon]

Portland
Vancouver
Olympia
Tacoma
Seattle
Everett
Bellingham
Vancouver





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Along with basically anywhere good in CA that isn’t Tahoe.

[djhutch]

Amazing amount of geographic nihilism in this thread.

I've skied everywhere and actually like cities and there is no better skiing city than Seattle in the US. Best mountaineering in the US outside of AK too.

I can live anywhere so I live in BC in the winter, but if you want a good job, good food, good music and aren't allergic to people; Seattle is hard to beat. Seattle is one of the closer places to BC to too.

I must have missed the freeze part, because I have tons of friends. There is a giant community of climbers and skiers, and because so many of them are world-class, I find there to be less attitude here among them than in smaller pools.

With all that said, Seattle is going through a rough patch right now similar to a lot of other liberal cities. I'm pretty sure it will pass and Seattle will always be desirable, even though long time residents sure love to hate on it now.

[californiagrown]

Along with basically anywhere good in CA that isn’t Tahoe.

Wut? I was actually thinking in my head that he is right for pretty much all of CA, but theres a bunch of cool stuff Oregon on up. I-5 in california is probably where he got his negative impression haha.

[Supermoon]

Yeah, I don’t know how you can eliminate that whole area. So much cool stuff up and down the whole interstate

[BFD]

That might of been a broad brush. There possibly are places in northern California off 5 that may be livable. But seriously you could throw a dart at a map of Montana and anything you hit would be better than those places. Yes Washington has great mountaineering. Thankfully you don't have to live off 5 to enjoy it.

[Supermoon]

There’s a lot of land east of Billings and I’m not sure there’s a ton of places there I’d want to live. It get real North Dakota real quick

[californiagrown]

The Atlantic NorthEast?

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[AK47bp]

Amazing amount of geographic nihilism in this thread.

I've skied everywhere and actually like cities and there is no better skiing city than Seattle in the US. Best mountaineering in the US outside of AK too.

I can live anywhere so I live in BC in the winter, but if you want a good job, good food, good music and aren't allergic to people; Seattle is hard to beat. Seattle is one of the closer places to BC to too.

I must have missed the freeze part, because I have tons of friends. There is a giant community of climbers and skiers, and because so many of them are world-class, I find there to be less attitude here among them than in smaller pools.

With all that said, Seattle is going through a rough patch right now similar to a lot of other liberal cities. I'm pretty sure it will pass and Seattle will always be desirable, even though long time residents sure love to hate on it now.

We know this is the best place on earth. Lush and green year round, ocean, Sound, lakes, beautiful rivers, volcanoes, 2 mountain ranges, no smog problems, unreal backpacking and MTB trail systems, jobs, legal weed, good schools and healthcare, etc.

Just don’t tell anyone.


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[NW_SKIER]

It snows so much a good majority of your days will be pow days. And the terrain isn't bad. Close to BC you can drive to Inner BC for a couple trips a year and day trip Seattle hills that sounds great to me tbh.

I get skunked almost always for one reason or another when it snows in New England. If it stops snowing at midnight the cnuts will groom every inch of the hill if it snows into the AM you have to cool it on the drive up to not be one of the 50 cars that went off the road. I take 2 or 3 fly to trips a year and line one up with a storm cycle but I gave up on chasing storms here years ago. I guess I could be the first guy through some tight ass trees after 7 inches if I lived in VT where there are no jobs etc etc.

Thanks, Jong

[The AD]

With all that said, Seattle is going through a rough patch right now similar to a lot of other liberal cities. I'm pretty sure it will pass and Seattle will always be desirable, even though long time residents sure love to hate on it now.

I remember just before Covid people were bitching and moaning because the city was getting too crowded. Too much traffic, too expensive to live in, etc. Now (I'm positive the same people) are complaining because downtown Seattle isn't crowded enough. Yeah, the increased crime and homelessness suck, but people also really like to always have something to complain about.

[PNWbrit]

Homeless people really really suck and I guess Seattle has some of the worst but I actually didn't see any when I took the light rail in during a long layover and had some drinks downtown one evening this spring.

Thanks Jong.

[Ted Striker]

Which sucks more, seeing homeless people or being one?

[AK47bp]

Just because cutting off your arm is worse than cutting off a finger doesn't mean its a good idea to cut off your finger.

Sad social problem we all should have an interest in fixing. Wish my tax dollars went to building homes for the less fortunate vs lots of the crap its wasted on.

Bruh, deep thoughts.


https://youtu.be/SV5eLsh0DGc


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[californiagrown]

If you're gay, trans, or generally a little different, the Seattle area will be much more welcoming than SLC.

the street naming conventions here, especially on the eastside of the lake, are super fucked and you can sometimes be within a few blocks of three different streets named the same thing.

Flying into/out of Paine Field is far superior to Seatac. Feels like a VIP charter jet experience. Limited flight schedule though.

If you want a slice of redneck americana summer boat partying, head two hours east to Crescent Bar. The Gorge amphitheatre is right there as well and is a marquee venue for the best musicians and festivals of all kinds.

Unlike many other big cities in america there really arent any legitimately dangerous areas. There are higher (property) crime areas, and poorer/dilapidated areas, but nothing like the gang ridden violent hoods in many big cities.

Because we are a true blue area in a very blue state, we arent a target of political marketing during election season so you wont have your mailbox stuffed full of political junkmail on a daily basis.

Wild salmon is cheap AF here for large portions of the year. Im talking Wild coho, copper river, and sockeye for $10-$12 per pound.

Because we live in a water rich area, you pretty much always have "clean" water sources available to you on hikes, camping, bike rides, etc. Really nice to not have to lug around shittons of water, and not really have to ever be thirsty out in the backcountry.

We really dont have much that wants to kill you here. Cougars are pretty much it, and they are super rare to see. The black bears here are small and scare easily (usually). The snakes are harmless and small, we dont have gnarly spiders unless you go looking down manholes or dark places. The forest floor is soft and springy and forgiving.

[plugboots]

Fucking koom-buy-ya, for sure.

[Dromond]

bump. funny thread with a bit of useful info

GF and I are thinking about a move from SLC, weighing both VT and the Bellingham area. Don't want to be "in" a city the size of Seattle, but do appreciate the amenities a city provides. No mention of Bellingham at all yet in this thread - is that because everyone on TGR is 60 and everyone in Bellingham is 20?

we would both bring remote jobs with us so being close to anything in particular besides skiing, trails, restaurants, music venues(?) isn't really a consideration.

-housing sticker shock is real (even with good equity the last few years here in SLC). what are some areas to look at around bellingham that aren't appalachaia? is there anywhere in bellingham city to specifically NOT look?

-for real, is there anyone in/near bellingham besides college students?

-how's the food?

-if we want to go anywhere else in WA or further south/east I think we need to drive through seattle to get there. will that generally suck (i.e. 3 day weekend type of stuff). Is getting into BC an extravaganza, or is the border pretty quick?

-obv the mountain biking is great and it snows a lot. anything else we should know?

-any surfers? it's like a 4-5 hour drive to surf?

thanks!

EDIT: I guess I should mention we're looking at a move for both climate and cultural reasons. Cooler summer temps, water security, less mormon overlords

There are definitely other remote workers there. I met one who's been there for years even before Covid. I've met others who have out of town jobs and travel to them. Doctors and nurses who drive south for work, a firefighter who works 48 shifts in Kent 2 hours away.

Mt Baker is actually pretty far for a town known for snowboarding. The lifts are slow and the area is small. It's cool though and does snow a shitload. Lots of college bros on the hill.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Wut? I was actually thinking in my head that he is right for pretty much all of CA, but theres a bunch of cool stuff Oregon on up. I-5 in california is probably where he got his negative impression haha.

Really? I could live anywhere between Dunsmuir and Siskiyou summit and be happy. That’s the best stretch of I5.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

If you're gay, trans, or generally a little different, the Seattle area will be much more welcoming than SLC.

the street naming conventions here, especially on the eastside of the lake, are super fucked and you can sometimes be within a few blocks of three different streets named the same thing.

Flying into/out of Paine Field is far superior to Seatac. Feels like a VIP charter jet experience. Limited flight schedule though.

If you want a slice of redneck americana summer boat partying, head two hours east to Crescent Bar. The Gorge amphitheatre is right there as well and is a marquee venue for the best musicians and festivals of all kinds.

Unlike many other big cities in america there really arent any legitimately dangerous areas. There are higher (property) crime areas, and poorer/dilapidated areas, but nothing like the gang ridden violent hoods in many big cities.

Because we are a true blue area in a very blue state, we arent a target of political marketing during election season so you wont have your mailbox stuffed full of political junkmail on a daily basis.

Wild salmon is cheap AF here for large portions of the year. Im talking Wild coho, copper river, and sockeye for $10-$12 per pound.

Because we live in a water rich area, you pretty much always have "clean" water sources available to you on hikes, camping, bike rides, etc. Really nice to not have to lug around shittons of water, and not really have to ever be thirsty out in the backcountry.

We really dont have much that wants to kill you here. Cougars are pretty much it, and they are super rare to see. The black bears here are small and scare easily (usually). The snakes are harmless and small, we dont have gnarly spiders unless you go looking down manholes or dark places. The forest floor is soft and springy and forgiving.

Go back to CA.

Copper River salmon is sockeye jong

[Ted Striker]

I could live in Ashland ...if it doesn't burn.

[californiagrown]

Go back to CA.

Copper River salmon is sockeye jong

I agree dunsmuir on up. Thats like the last 50 miles of I5 in CA haha. Gets awfully hot for too much of the year, but otherwise cool towns (I really like Yreka and into Scott Valley) with wide open spaces, great fishing, and shasta+ remote mountains right there. Havent really been back there in +15years though... i wonder if the WFH crowd has tried moving in?

As for salmon, IDGAF what you want to call it, those fillets are super cheap here compared to pretty much everywhere else in the country.

[alpinevibes]

Outside of the cultural+climate improvements from SLC: (though the Seattle metro traffic is far worse) you don’t have to deal with the diabolical volume of billboards and depressing views on I15 vs I5. Just drove from Seattle back to Aspen via SLC, again, and that SLC metro stretch is life-sucking.

There are plenty more people in Bellingham than students…

Paine is sweet for the north end folk, but it’s just Alaska for now and yes quite limited in reach

Salmon: Love those $8/lb sales at QFC if you catch them. But the bigger benefit is access to cheaper fresh fish vs the previously frozen the rest of the country ends up with.

“Copper River” is shitty marketing spin…

And I’ve had to step over rattlesnakes west of Leavenworth


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