Looking to move.

[scottmel]

There are lots of good places, but most have positives and negatives. Boise and the Treasure Valley are close to good fishing and have mild winters, but hot summers. Baker City, where I live has a lots of great fishing round, except no Deschutes or Yakima close by and can have cold, but not Montana long winters. The summers are about 10 degrees cooler than Boise, Walla Walla or the Tricities.

Too me, Bend has grown too fast and although I love that part of Oregon it seems really crowded to me. How close to salt water, do you need to be? Do you mind dealing with some snow. What kind of shopping? How big of a town? What kind of cultural and outdoor activities do you enjoy? How much do you want to spend on a house? Country living?

Boise is kind of on the banana belt, you do get the 4 seasons and the winters are short lived. Outside of a couple weeks during late July or early August when the temps hover around triple digits, the weather from mid-March through late October is pretty darn nice...

 

[Jim Wallace]

Oddly enough, some of the nicest days I've experienced at Newport in Oregon has been during the middle of winter.
In fact, some days during January/February on the Oregon coast are warmer than the temps in the valley. That's a local secret... we don't go to the coast during the summer because of the tourists and wind... we go to the coast during the winter when there are no tourists and no wind.

The offshore wind backed off here Thurs, blowing lightly from the NE, and after it warmed up to nearly 40 F, I took my fat bike out on the beach for a ride in the sun breaks. It was a nice day for a bike ride.It was still 37 F when I returned at 5pm. Today its warmer with a few showers mixed with sun breaks, but far too windy to ride. March weather roaring in early like a hungry lion!

 

[JACKspASS]

I grew up in Western Wa, moved to Idaho 10 years ago. Forget Montana. Winters are very long and very cold(unless you ice fish or ski), and most summers are fogged in by wildfire smoke....it's a good place to visit though. Idaho is the same, cold winters and smoky summers. The banana belt areas mentioned here(boise/clarkston) are not as warm in winter as people make out. Get used to highs in winter of 30's and 40's with little snow, however, you can get cold spells that last week's. Summers in Boise and Clarkston are extremely hot and miserable.

If it was me, I would move a couple hours from Seattle and get away from the constant hustle, but still have fishing and saltwater available 24/7.

 

[Jim Wallace]

I have considered moving to someplace better than where I am at. I'd have to invest a little to get my place up to peak market value, and then hold out for a reasonable offer, and probably still lose out selling and re-buying.
Now I figure it would be cheaper to just travel more, and then come back home, keep up the upkeep, and then take off again, always looking forward to someplace new, but having a decent home base that is mine.

 

[Skip Enge]

Rainier, WA area...that's "rane-ear" not "rainy-err"... ...it's quiet

 

[plaegreid]

I was gonna suggest wyoming, but if cold is a deal breaker....

 

[Beast Mode]

Ashland Oregon

 

[Clarkman]

I hear North Dakota is pretty sweet this time of year...

or perhaps near Marine Area 9, I hear @DimeBrite is giving free tours.

#ignore_Finluver's_political_advice

 

[FinLuver]

#ignore_Finluver's_political_advice

Ya can ignore, but it is sound and true...
You will be assimilated...resistance is futile.

 

[Snakes]

I was going to suggest Maupin, but Hood River might be a better choice. Quicker access to medical care, city amenities, etc.

 

[Gary Thompson]

I've been eye balling some of the smaller towns along the Snake river in Idaho.
Winters are not much different than here in Wenatchee. Fishing and hunting are much closer and not as much competition.

 

[Montana1422 (Roger Craft)]

Hood River is a nice p[lace if you like wind.

 

[GAT]

The offshore wind backed off here Thurs, blowing lightly from the NE, and after it warmed up to nearly 40 F, I took my fat bike out on the beach for a ride in the sun breaks. It was a nice day for a bike ride.It was still 37 F when I returned at 5pm. Today its warmer with a few showers mixed with sun breaks, but far too windy to ride. March weather roaring in early like a hungry lion!

I didn't know you lived in Newport. I'll need to check with you for a weather report before I drive over to Olalla Lake to fish.

 

[Skip Enge]

Camas ,WA is a nice place if you like high property taxes and are aligned with the gentrification herd that has seems to graze here....

 

[Shad]

Rainier, WA area...that's "rane-ear" not "rainy-err"... ...it's quiet

I lived in a rental right on the Deschutes in that area for a year. Was fun catching fish in the back yard year-round, but that place was a little too far from civilization to be a great place for a retired couple in my mind. Nearest hospital would probably be Olympia, almost an hour away. As a young buck, even I got sick of being 30 minutes from even a convenience store.

I know from fishing that area quite a bit that, like most rural areas these days, there is more sketchy stuff going on in those woods than I care to think about. That said, I've never had any scary encounters/break-ins, etc. out there, so all things considered, it's probably safer (crime-wise) than Seattle.

You might check into North Olympia (out near Tolmie State Park). That area's growing really fast, but it's still much more relaxed than the Seattle area, and it's all middle-upper income housing. Close to all the shopping, health care, etc. you could ever want. If you sold a shack in Seattle, you could probably get a dream home in that area. That's probably true of almost any other place mentioned here, though.