Thank goodness our 2761 mile trip through washington state is OVER

[SoCalDem]

We went to rule out places we would not want to live, and of course I got whooping cough 1 day into the trip..coughed myself silly... (and of course stayed clear of most people) We spent most of the time driving driving driving..

By the end of the two weeks, my breathing was so compromised that I used a wheelchair at the airport (first time ever ..)

We have narrowed the home search to Longview/Kelso/Chehalis/Centralia/Montesano/Elma/Ellensburg/Shelton/Belfair..and if necessary Yakima..

When our house sells, we will go back but the trip will be mercifully short then

Washington is still as beautiful as ever

The day after our son picked us up at the Oakland airport he left on his MEGA business trip..:

SFO-LHR-FRA-TLL-HEL-TLL-FRA-SIN-SAR-ORD-BOS-BNA-MIA-SJO-DFW-PHX-SFO

He will not be sleeping in his own bed until Nov 10th..

and most of our kitties are still snubbing us for having left them ..

[DFW]

1. What an itinerary!

Who does he think he is? Me?

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. Welcome back

[Arugula Latte]

3. You are gonna have to change your DU name!

I love the Northwest. I spent a lot of time in California but I got a bit tired of the brown and the dust. I can't imagine what it has been like since the drought.

[The empressof all]

4. Welcome Home

Of all the places on your list I would choose Ellensburg. It's a college town and still relatively close to Issaquah and Seattle. In good weather it really is quite easy to get to good shopping and medical care. Costco and Trader Joes are available in Issaquah If you are purchasing a home you can get good value for your money there. Have you looked in Roslyn? It's not far from Ellensburg and is the place where the TV show Northern Exposure was filmed. I have considered moving there.

Longview is really a beautiful town and there is something to be said for that midway between Portland and Seattle location that can be appealing.But the drive in either direction is boring and has horrific traffic. Shelton is close to Tacoma however there is something that strikes me as strange about that entire area. I have been down there quite a bit and it just never felt comfortable to me. There is a great Mexican Restaurant in Yakima...but that's about it. Avoid at all cost!

[OriginalGeek]

5. I'd pick Chehalis

Because that looks like it would be the most fun to say out loud.

I already lived near a Longview (Texas)

Kelso reminds me of that dope Ashton Kutcher (From That 70's show - and I loved that show. And his character, Kelso, on it. But he was a dope and I would worry people thought I was a dope if I said I was from Kelso. Might be too late for that though.)

Centralia sounds like one of those fake names they give places in bad TV shows when they don;t want to imply a real location.

Montesano sounds too much like Monsanto. Sorry Montesano - probably not your fault. It's not you, it's me.

Elma? Guess it could be worse. But it ain't no Chehalis.

Actually I love Ellen so Ellensburg might be nice but not as much fun to say. Unless I met Ellen. "Wow! Hi! I'm from your burg!"

[MuseRider]

6. And to think

you could have come home to Kansas. Your loss I guess.

Washington is beautiful, great choice.

[SoCalDem]

12. Our only grandchild lives in Kent, Washington :)

and Kansas has no hold on us anymore..

[MuseRider]

18. I was kidding.

I can't imagine anyone coming back here after what has happened. If I had a grandchild I would move heaven and earth to be near them. Enjoy!

[madinmaryland]

7. How about Wenatchee, Quincy, or Leavenworth? I spent some time out there a couple of years

back. Wenatchee is a bit touristy with the skiing, but not a bad area. If you want a small town, look at Quincy.

Leavenworth is a really cool place, but real touristy. Great food and shopping.

[SoCalDem]

13. With my recent health issues (two strokes since January)

we need to be near a major hospital ...I do like the looks of Leavenworth though

[HeiressofBickworth]

17. If a major hospital is your top criteria, check

this website: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/wa/central-washington

Put in the region you're interested in and it will list the medical facilities. Look at the number of beds and the number of doctors; some have under 10 beds/doctors and probably would not meet your needs. I live just north of Seattle. Two years ago I had a major health situation. The local hospital took good care of me and I'm still alive!! It would frighten me to be too far away from a well-equipped hospital.

Western Washington is more liberal and Eastern Washington is generally more conservative. Eastern is more agricultural than the west. Winters on the west side are generally more temperate -- eastern is always more severe. After this summer (10 days over 90) I still would say that summers are easier on the west side. East is always hotter.

I'm a huge movie fan -- I'm close enough to downtown Seattle that I can go to any number of theaters there. There are a few in my area but not much foreign or independent movies. Just the usual block-buster types.

A friend of mine made a huge move -- her major criteria was how far away was a large airport. She didn't want to have to take a "puddle-jumper" to get to a national or international flight.

Good luck with your move.

[Capt.Rocky300]

8. Bear in mind......

Chehalis/Centralia are in a very conservative area. Did you see the huge billboard that some RWNJ has up along I-5 a little south of there? He's always bashing Dems, Obama, Climate Change, etc. We have friends in Yakima who are miserable due to the very large RW fringe element there. He retires from BLM next year and they are getting the hell out! They're moving to the liberal bastion of Pt. Townsend. It is damp in the winter though. Weather is a little better in Sequim just up the road.

[Tikki]

10. I agree...I would stay West of the places the OP listed...

The Mr. and I grew up in E. Washington State and when we go back to visit
family, we are always so disappointed in how socially conservative and
tense it is still there.

I have always believed a person should stay a week or two during every Season
for a couple years in a row to get a bit of the idea of what the move will really mean.

Tikki

[SoCalDem]

14. Seeing as how we haved lived in John Birch country

near Riverside CA (for 33 years)..it has to be better in Washington..,just about anywhere..and I do love the restored Craftsman homes in Centralia/Chehalis

[SoCalDem]

15. I do love Pt Townsend, but it's a bit far for our grandchild to visit very often

and the road up is quite challenging (although beautiful) is spots..and it's a bit touristy for our tastes..

Longview housing areas surprisingly have more BIG trees.. I desperately want big trees...33 years on a dirt patch near desert

[Capt.Rocky300]

16. Have you considered Bellingham?

St. Joseph's is an excellent hospital. I had heart valve replacement surgery there. Although the town has grown, it still has some of that old small town feeling. Traffic can get heavy around the mall at times. My parents moved there from John Birch country (Orange County) and loved their years there before they passed on.

[Aristus]

9. Not Puyallup?

[SoCalDem]

11. We could never live there..

I CANNOT break my husband of calling it Polly-up...

[Aristus]

19. Yeah, if a person can't pronounce it correctly, we tend to smack them around a little.