Moving to Washington from Colorado? Help...

benclimbing

benclimbing

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Joined
Jun 21, 2023
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36
Location
Montrose, CO
I live in Montrose Colorado on the Western Slope. Been here four years, wife is ready for change (a move) and we’re considering Washington. We need to be closer to an international airport and WA would put us closer to family in ID.

What we enjoy about WA: topography, climate, coast, rain and fishing. What we don’t enjoy is mostly politics, gun laws and home prices, and Colorado is slowly catching WA on those three fronts.

Living in the stretch between Seattle and Vancouver would give us access to two options for international flights (gotta be able to see parents/family in Europe) but undoubtedly has some drawbacks, maybe some significant ones that we’re not considering.

Hoping some of you could possibly weigh in on those drawbacks. What’s bad and getting worse there? What’s bad but getting better? Any help/advice appreciated!
 
I've lived in W. WA, and on the front range of CO, so have some ability to compare. Big downgrade from the Western Slope in terms of big game hunting in the vicinity. Probably an upgrade in terms of waterfowl hunting, at least in places. Fishing can be good, but salmon runs are hit or miss. Driving to the Olympic Peninsula for fishing is usually worth it.

Most people would consider the WA climate a downgrade from the Western Slope, but if you like the grey and rain, and have lived in it before (not just visited for a week or two), then more power to you. I personally like the rain, but even for me the stretch from January to April is rough. It's not the rain, it's the grey. Even May and June can be pretty gloomy, but you will at least get some nice days in there. Hard to beat July/August/September in W. WA, they are perfect.

I don't mind flying out of SEATAC, but if you're planning on living between Seattle and Vancouver, getting to the airport is going to kind of suck because you're driving through lots of traffic.

I would look into some of the islands in the south sound if you don't have to commute to a specific location. Vashon or Anderson Island have home prices that are more reasonable than Bainbridge, and even with the ferry they will often have better access to SEATAC than living north of Seattle. Also, if you have family in Idaho, I would look into the Spokane/CdA area. Yes, you will have to connect through DIA, SEA, SLC to fly international, but with the ease of getting to the airport and getting through security your overall travel time may not be much different. But, I get the appeal of direct flights and not having to worry about making a connection when a flight is delayed.
 
Are you a good hunter? If so, don’t do it. I need all the help I can get.

Just kidding. Are you referencing Vancouver, WA or the Vancouver, Canada in your parameters?

Do you have kids? Do you work remote? Will Spokane fit your airport needs?
 
jtl said:
I've lived in W. WA, and on the front range of CO, so have some ability to compare. Big downgrade from the Western Slope in terms of big game hunting in the vicinity. Probably an upgrade in terms of waterfowl hunting, at least in places. Fishing can be good, but salmon runs are hit or miss. Driving to the Olympic Peninsula for fishing is usually worth it.

Most people would consider the WA climate a downgrade from the Western Slope, but if you like the grey and rain, and have lived in it before (not just visited for a week or two), then more power to you. I personally like the rain, but even for me the stretch from January to April is rough. It's not the rain, it's the grey. Even May and June can be pretty gloomy, but you will at least get some nice days in there. Hard to beat July/August/September in W. WA, they are perfect.

I don't mind flying out of SEATAC, but if you're planning on living between Seattle and Vancouver, getting to the airport is going to kind of suck because you're driving through lots of traffic.

I would look into some of the islands in the south sound if you don't have to commute to a specific location. Vashon or Anderson Island have home prices that are more reasonable than Bainbridge, and even with the ferry they will often have better access to SEATAC than living north of Seattle. Also, if you have family in Idaho, I would look into the Spokane/CdA area. Yes, you will have to connect through DIA, SEA, SLC to fly international, but with the ease of getting to the airport and getting through security your overall travel time may not be much different. But, I get the appeal of direct flights and not having to worry about making a connection when a flight is delayed.
Click to expand...
Thanks, this is helpful.
 
DisplacedHusky said:
Are you a good hunter? If so, don’t do it. I need all the help I can get.

Just kidding. Are you referencing Vancouver, WA or the Vancouver, Canada in your parameters?

Do you have kids? Do you work remote? Will Spokane fit your airport needs?
Click to expand...
Big game animals think my hunting skills are perfect for them, many have walked away happy with my performance.
Vancouver International Airport.
No kids. WFH for 20 years. Haven't researched Spokane yet...
 
If you do come here, I would go for the Spokane area. In the last 8 years or so, they built a new runway at the airport where they can now land larger jets. Weather in Western WA might take some getting used to. Gun laws suck and getting suckier by the day it seems. Political climate is close to CO. But you can buy weed if that's you're thing. The fishing, crabbing, clamming, etc can be phenomenal. The salmon seasons have got a little tricky, but doable in the Sound with not a huge boat or all that much gear. The big game hunting is not great and the laws are strange.
 
Washington is a large state with two different climates. The east side of the state will be a little closer to CO as far as climate and local politics (kind of). If you are only flying international a few times a year, maybe the extra short flight out of Spokane might not bother you. There are shitholes and hidden gems everywhere. I would make a roadtrip into a house hunting trip and set foot in the different areas you are thinking.
 
You say you like the rain now…. Let us know if you still feel that way when you don’t see the sun for a month straight. Hard pass…
 
Ucsdryder said:
You say you like the rain now…. Let us know if you still feel that way when you don’t see the sun for a month straight. Hard pass…
Click to expand...
Wife is from an area in Europe where it's like that, overcast for weeks. If anything, too dry is much more of an issue...
 
Happy Wife, Happy Life.

I think you already know this, and by extension, where to move.

Personally, I'd be in New England before I'd move to Washington... a lot easier to get to Europe too. There is literally nothing that would induce me to live in or around Seattle.
 
Been in Montrose for about 8 months now, coming from living in the southeast for nearly 30 years. I'd be hard pressed to move to western Washington, mainly due to the reasons you mentioned, plus the shear number of people. Plus I really like this nice dry air haha

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 
I grew up in Tacoma and went to college in Seattle and didn't really know anything else until I moved to Colorado in 2012 where my wife is from. Every time we visit my family in WA we consider the idea of moving back there but ultimately we come to the conclusion that we would never move back and a big part of that is the weather, politics, crowding, and overall crappy hunting. While Colorado seems to be heading towards the same politics as WA we at least have better weather and hunting and much less crowding on the West side.. I would say the salmon fishing can be good but looking back all I ever did was combat fishing shoulder to shoulder with other dudes on the rivers which really isn't very fun. We just take trips to Alaska now to satisfy the fishing urges.

I'd say just move to ID to be closer to family there and just accept that the international trips will take a little bit more effort a few times a year (or however often you go). If I were in your shoes I'd be fighting to stay in Montrose though..
 
Washington has a very diverse climate. People hear Washington and think of Seattle rain. While we do have temperate rain forest, we also have high desert and everything in between.

I don't know what you do for work and what kind of commute you are looking for, but that would be my main driver of picking a place here. If you need a big city to work in it's not a great place IMO. If I could live anywhere in the State and not have to worry work, I would probably pick southcentral around Goldendale to Klickitat.
 
uglymud said:
Been in Montrose for about 8 months now, coming from living in the southeast for nearly 30 years. I'd be hard pressed to move to western Washington, mainly due to the reasons you mentioned, plus the shear number of people. Plus I really like this nice dry air haha

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Been here four years, love it, my dream location (not hers), but getting in and out thru MTJ is expensive and options are limited. It's getting better, but she's ready for change, and you all know what that means. I like the dry air too, but damn we could use some rain.
 
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