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Thread: Pacific Northwest for Retirement / Adjusting to the Weather?

  1. #11
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    I thought the drawbridge spanned a moat across the California-Oregon border (stocked with giant Pacific octopods).

    My beloved is one of those rare native Californians, and he was keen on being the last of his kind to emigrate.

  2. #12
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    I take the contrarian approach on weather. Here in Wisconsin, the harsh climate means I get to live among people who cope with difficulties rather than flee them.

  3. #13
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    People from California won't like the weather here. It's always foggy, rainy, and windy. Moss grows on your shoes when you walk down the street.
    I suspect there's some truth to that as I am the type of person that gets depressed after a few overcast days in a row (I know we need rain and stuff and so rain is good, it still doesn't change the fact it makes me depressed) and my mood in winter compared to summer is vastly different (on the other hand on the long days of summer I get so hyper I have problems sleeping). So S.A.D., yea I seem to be acutely sensitive to light if I'm getting S.A.D. in southern california. On the other hand there is much I don't like here and the Seattle area is beautiful.

    I think you cope with plenty of difficulties here, I dont' think it's an easy place to live in any way shape of form (so in WI the weather would be vastly worse, unbelievable horribly and a cold I have never had to deal with, nor do I know how to drive in snow, but everything else would probably be much easier if I could only motivate myself to ever actually leave the house to do anything in that horrible weather! Hmm). The weather is one of the few decent points here - maybe the sunshine is health insurance as the vitamin D will guarantee a lifetime of good health. I'm hoping so I'm offsetting that "sunshine tax" see ... But still I have to be careful about the sun, I can't be outside as much as I want to be outside here in summer, I'd fry.
    Last edited by ApatheticNoMore; 6-2-13 at 3:02pm.
    Trees don't grow on money

  4. #14
    Senior Member Greg44's Avatar
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    Positives = Weather
    Negative = Weather.

    We rarely get the extremes in weather - we get rain, but not like in the south. It will rain heavy all day and we will get 1.5 inches. Nothing like the 5 inches in 3 hours, etc. we hear about in other parts of the country.

    Lots of cloudy, dizzzle days - can be depressing. Eastern Oregon is beautiful, much drier, but more isolated. Fire dangers.

    I have a "few years" to think out this, but my ideal would be to spend part of the winter away from the PNW where I can feel the sunshine and warmth - it recharges my batteries!

  5. #15
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg44 View Post
    ...

    Lots of cloudy, dizzzle days - can be depressing. Eastern Oregon is beautiful, much drier, but more isolated. Fire dangers. ...
    I've only been in Bend for work, and I wasn't around long enough to appreciate it, but it gets rave reviews from friends. I can't imagine living there though, because it's too landlocked and in the middle of nowhere. And I prefer green landscape to brown. As was previously mentioned, air travel is problematic (puddle-jumper prop jets stick in my memory) and there's no Amtrak--you're limited to a bus connection to Portland.

  6. #16
    Senior Member Dhiana's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LDAHL View Post
    I take the contrarian approach on weather. Here in Wisconsin, the harsh climate means I get to live among people who cope with difficulties rather than flee them.
    LOL!! It's not about coping with difficulties, it's about choosing which difficulties one wishes to cope with. Getting up at 4AM just to shovel out the end of the driveway that the snowplow blocked so I could get to school/work was not a good use of my time.
    This Cheesehead escaped to a better climate!!

  7. #17
    Senior Member Dhiana's Avatar
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    I had been living in Florida and Texas before moving to the NW and still found the weather to be very sunny up there NW of Seattle on those little islands, Orcas, Anacortes, Whidbey, etc.
    So we had no trouble adjusting to changes in climate from the far south to the far north. We were told that Mt. Olympus area took all the rain and that's why these islands didn't receive as much rain as expected. Not if that's true or if it was simply a drought. Mt. Baker area was absolutely beautiful and found that it was easier to go up to Vancouver, CA for some errands than to go all the way down to Seattle.

    Read somewhere that all that coffee counteracts the effects of SAD so it may all balance out ok if you like your caffeine

  8. #18
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    It's true that the San Juan's are in the rainshadow of the Olympics. There are places on Lopez that are nearly desert, cactus n all... It's really beautiful. My fav island!

  9. #19
    Senior Member KayLR's Avatar
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    +1 with lhamo...disclaimer: I am a native, as well.

    Note, also, western Washington does not end at the King County line, no matter what the legislature and media markets say.

    It does rain here alot. For months it's just pissy, drizzly stuff, and for days here and there it's driving stuff. But I'll tell you what we do NOT have -- imminent tornadoes, blizzard-like conditions for weeks on end, or hurricanes. We do have some of the most beautiful, verdant scenery. From where I live, I can be at either the beach, mountain, high desert or Columbia riverbank within an hour or 2.
    My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!

  10. #20
    Senior Member freein05's Avatar
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    We live at the 5000 foot level in the Sierras and yesterday it was 78 degrees. Six months ago they could not give houses away in our vacation home area that has changed but homes are still a lot less than they were 6 years ago. So you don't have to give up the Golden State for affordable retirement.

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