You may or may not remember that when I met my wife she was living in Beaverton so we have visited Forest Glen and liked it... also liked Sherwood.

Although if I can sell her on Eureka that would be my first choice.

However you know how you Oregonians are... some kind of migrating instinct... I'm guessing it is a micro chip they implant in your brain in gradeschool.

Sure meth is everywhere but its impact is going to felt a lot more in a depressed area such as Port Angeles.

Just keep in mind that a big gripe for folks east of the mountains in both Oregon and Washington is the west side rules when it comes to politics.

My wife went to Humboldt State so she's well familiar with the Eureka / Arcata area. We passed through earlier this year. Once thriving with logging revenue now the only industry is the University and pot growing. It's a weird place in my opinion. When CA legalizes pot it will get swarmed with growers which will bring money, but maybe not the right kind. Your call. I'd never live there....
Up here the tax burden is about on par with national averages. We have no sales tax, so it's made up with other taxes. CA is on the high end of the national average. Multnomah County (Portland) is higher than many surrounding areas. Other costs of living are again median US average, compared to CA which is higher.

I vote but not heavy into politics.

I'm liberal and my wife is conservative (kinda ironic because she lived in two of the most liberal cities in the country, Ashland & Portland OR.)

The "tyranny of the majority." Actually, Boeing rules the political spectrum with Microsoft and Amazon not far behind.

Dunno about the pot thing... pretty sure all of Calif. will jump on the growing band wagon and want their slice of the pie... back in the day Humboldt meant something to the pot heads not sure it carries much weight with the current consumers... I have heard reports that central Calif. is already setting up grow operations.

Not to mention... isn't OR. gearing up to (or already has) legalize pot?

Anyway... Hmmm... move to Eureka and open a gardening supply store yeah, that's the ticket...

I grew up in Olympia and my parents had a summer place on Hood Canal near Hoodsport. Beautiful summer weather. We didn't spend time there in the winter until they retired there full time. They grew to hate the constant gray and additional rainfall of the area. They were locked in my flooding for a week or more twice during several years there where they couldn't get more than a few miles from their place. After spending time in Colorado I grew to love the 4 seasons and more sun than we got in Seattle. Eastern WA isn't Colorado weather in terms of days of sun but it is much closer than the west side.

One of the OP’s original criteria was “medical” and I haven’t seen it mentioned as part of the answers.

Two years ago we moved to Virginia’s “Historic Triangle” to retire. Retirement will actually happen the end of this year. Anyway, a year ago, my wife was diagnosed with a fairly rare cancer (Carcinoid). There is not a doctor in the state that know anything about it. Additionally no place has the diagnostic equipment to manage / track it.

One would think that with 2 world class medical schools (Medical College of VA, and UVa) reasonably close by, care would be easy to find. Not so. She has traveled to New Orleans and will soon go to Denver. Fortunately, through patient forums she has now found a pretty good guy at Duke so that is not too bad a trip.

My point here is make sure that if a doctor hangs his shingle he knows what he is doing. We have found that not to be the case here. And since we are not in our 40’s or 50’s anymore, great health care is particularly important.

That's not surprising for rare cancers. Carcinoid incidence = 2/100,000.

Yep, as I said I want this to be our final move, I'm 59 now we are in good health... but... as we move towards the big seven-oh and beyond medical will become critical, and making another move will be problematic both physically and financially.

That is a plus for the small town not to far out of Portland, it is large enough to have good medical.

What about north of Portland into Washington state?

I mentioned Eureka earlier. I went to College of the Redwoods and then Humboldt in 1971. It was an incredible place (and time) to be there but like everything else, it ain't the same place now. I have heard from old friends that never left that there is a bad crime problem now, probably meth related. From what I've been told, the economy is strong with lots of new Jeeps being bought with cash!

Back then there was a direct connection from Humboldt County and San Pedro! Some friends left Pedro in the late 60s and bought 40 acres outside of Garberville and started growing. The harvest destination was Pedro. A little house on 25th street just down from Western was a secret known to only a small group of old friends. Can't believe that was over 45 years ago!

Vancouver WA is right over the river from Portland. It has a quiet "downtown" area, pleasant neighborhoods, nothing notable. Much of the population commutes to Portland jobs, so the traffic on the two bridges (5 and 205) can be really, really bad. There is no light rail option. WA has no income tax and OR no sales tax so the hot tip used to be live in Vancouver, work and shop in Portand, thus Vancouver became a bedroom community. Now OR taxes income from WA residents working in OR, and it can take an hour to drive the 5 miles between the two places at the worst time of day, but housing is still cheaper in Vancouver and the small-town feel is attractive to some. I work in Vancouver half the week, my official work location is there, I've thought about getting a studio apt there and trying to become a WA resident to avoid OR state income tax, but doesn't seem like it's really worth the hassle. If the idea is a quiet and affordable place with easy access to Portland, Vancouver is one possibility but I'd pick Forest Grove.

Don't know much about the part of WA that is north of Vanouver and south of Tacoma. Bunch of small towns, not particularly attractive or interesting, biggest one might be Centralia which has a community college and an actual commercial district. I've ridden my bike through there multiple times and have never thought "gee, this is pretty, I wish I could stop and poke around a bit".

Gresham was mentioned. Ehhh. Booooring. I'd consider living in North and East Portland, before Gresham. Look at prices in St Johns neighbourhood?

Bingo if you want to be close to Portland.....No state income tax...Cross into Oregon for no sales tax (lots of people do it)....Portland area traffic gets worse all the time. Still have some north of the Columbia, but can duck into Oregon in off-peak hours. Look around Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, and Battle Ground. (Still grey and wet).

I just spent a weekend in Canby, Oregon. I was impressed with the town, but locals talked about ugly commutes if still working. The mayor came over to our friends house for a BBQ. He and I talked at length about urban areas and growth management. Nice guy. I liked Canby.

On the topic of traffic. My goal is to retire where everything I need is within walking distance, or a short Uber ride, or a very short drive on quiet roads. As we age, staying fit is critical, walking is a good way to do that, and when we eventually can't drive safely, it shouldn't mean being housebound.

isn't Seattle supposed to be a great city?
i like the inner city-type option.
the smallish towns are not very stimulating. from my experience.

Both Seattle and Portland have traffic issues that completely put me off.
But I'm more of a small town guy anyway.
Plus the coastal moderate weather is a big appeal to me. During the summer there can be very hot temps inland, then much colder temps in winter also.
I loved that pic Bob shared of he and his dog and snow machine overlooking the lake from his mountaintop spot. But Burrrr.

Little side trips I attempted during my summer cruise on the west coast,
for driving fun in the S C , like inland from Eureka toward Reding Ca some great roads through the redwood forests in the area, took me from low 70s on the coast into the 115 degrees just 75 miles inland.
I couldn't make it back to the coast area quick enough.

Similar in Seattle, had been cruising the peninsula and San Jaun Islands enjoying mild temps high 60s to high70s. Then headed inland thru Seattle. Spent a five hours traffic ordeal getting thru sea/tac corridor in sweltering high 90s , stop and go for hours on the freeway there. Nope not for me.

Persistent very high temps inland for the month and and a half of my trip on the coast kept me contained to the coastal areas.

There are trade offs for all locations hot summers, colder winters, WETTER winters in the coastal PNW . HOT dry desert summers here in Az.
I even did a trip this summer to help my brother get his RV from the Fla Keys up the west coast to the Panhandle, checking out interesting small coastal towns along the way. And low and behold it was pretty hot, humid, and buggy there in the summer.

So it's a matter of finding the best overall climate year around with the shortest least extreme off season, or like some here embrace the four seasons and enjoy the variety.
Challenging for spoiled So Cal and Island guys like Scottmandu and myself.

I have come Realize that I'm bit of a weather whimp.

Or find a place that's great most of the year and escape with the RV for those less enjoyable months

Ah the challenges of First World Problems.

Then there is the social community to consider. As a somewhat liberal, open mined person, I've felt like a duck out of water here in very solid conservative very gun loving AZ. In these very polarized times lots of folks seem ready to pidgin hole new acquaintances pretty quickly and move away from or want to argue with those that seem differ too much.

For now I'm enjoying the hunt for a new place to call home. Traveling the width of our country is amazingly varied and interesting. I'm thinking some place/ community will call to me and feel like home eventually, I just hope I haven't beat down my nest egg too much by the time I find it

Cheers Richard

Sorry for the rambling post above. But thru this conversation I've decided to head up to Washington in about a week to look over a few properties and feel out some fall weather up that way.
Maybe spend the fall looking around checking out new areas.

So thanks for all the info and different good suggestions of spots to add to my list of places to check out.
Keep them coming.

Cheers Richard

Hi Richard, Auckland has about the most moderate weather you could possibly get.

I am thinking two stage. First stage is boonies, then, a little older, urban. Small town is fine. But you are absolutely correct. You can loaf over to the coffee shop and the store way into your 80s, driving? Probably not. That said, by the time I am 80, I will expect self driving cars picking me up from the bar.

On the subject of the OP. Under NO circumstances buy anything ahead of time. Go rent or RV camp in an area you like first. I'd really worry about getting the grey winter blues up there after a life in SoCal.

G

As far as weather goes, the Central coast and North coast of CA is about as perfect as it gets for me. From about San Luis Obispo to the southern Oregon coast. Some of the towns there are very expensive, others are too podunk, but maybe there's something in there?

Good advice on Yakima. We have an office there and while I really enjoy the area (one of our guys has a cabin near Rimrock Lake up route 12 I stay at) the town itself is unremarkable.

There are parts of Wenatchee I really like, especially headed to Leavenworth. Another small town I really like is Ellensburg - home of Central Washington University. Ellensburg has a very defined downtown and a good feel.

Lastly, I really like Spokane. I spent a week there last year and really like the surrounding areas. When I fly into Washington State I typically fly into Spokane and drive to Yakima, etc. rather than fight the Seattle traffic and the Cascades, especially in winter. Spokane is very easy to get in and out of.

The heat in the summer, especially compared to the air you can wear in Maryland, is not a factor for me. I also very much prefer college towns.

As you can tell, I have no experience west of the Cascades. Hard to go wrong.

Richard (and anyone else) if you find yourself checking out the Spokane area, hit me up. I'll show you some of the sights and beers from around here.

Jacksonville, OR....that is all I am going to say.

Thanks to all for this thread, and Jerry for the kind offer.
The property that was at the center of my decision to dash on up to Washington at this less that optimal time of year, sold on the day that I decided to go check it out.
After a couple of price drops. The very motivated seller found his buyer.

Some deal come along that you just have to jump on to make happen.
I should have flown up there ASAP for this one.

Cheers Richard

Don't know if I mentioned this in my OP but this is HUGE! (to me... wife is more focused on finding someplace "nice").

Easy walking, good light rail/transit, or golf cart friendly are mandatory.

I was looking at Los Osos but wife still thinks that is "too dry".

Morro Bay, Los Osos and Avila are all very nice spots, and in normal rainfall years may
not seem so dry.
I have stayed a couple of times at the park at the south end of Morro Bay, and really enjoyed walking around town. Pleasant friendly relaxed beach town folks.

Scottmandue, if the yellow/ tan hills get to your Honey, You may as well focus north of S F.

it is funny what effect the look of the countryside can have on your outlook.
This has been a wet monsoon season here in Az. and for me seeing the soft blush of green really makes the place much nicer for me, to be in.

Cheers Richard

This is why Eureka appeals to me.... need to schedule a short vacation to that town and see what the wife thinks about it.

Another big consideration... I have a CalPERS pension... apparently states have a wide variance on how much they tax a pension.

Check out this link regarding Eureka. I lived there for two years while attending Humboldt State Univ prior to joining the USAF. It is truly a beautiful place, with weather much like Seattle, but that was back in the late 70's when Lazio's was employing 25% of the town in the crabbing and salmon biz, and LP employed another 25% in the lumber biz.

I still like visiting there as a tourist, and Old Town has some cool restaurants and bars, but homeless and hookers abound. The beauty of the area is you can pop up to Willow Creek to find sun, Trinidad and Patrick's Point are breathtakingly beautiful, and good fishing is all over. ...But be careful hiking and exploring in the Mtns. if you come across the wrong pot farm, you're dead.

Eureka, California (CA) Comment: "THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HUMBOLDT COUNTY" by Kelly

Let me answer my own question... found a list of 12 states that have no pension tax... long story short Washington state in on that list.

There have been some recommendations on this thread on Washington... I will go back and sort through them.

WOW what a read those comments about Eureka are!

The week I stayed at the Ferndale fairgrounds was a small town, throwback to a long past time of small towns, everyone knows everyone, and seem to get along quite well.

I was there for 4th of July and enjoyed the parade and friendly festivities.
Reminded me of the small farming town of my youth in Indiana.

The couple of times in Eureka did reveal some of the issues mentioned, but some charming old neighborhoods too.

Scott, do check out Ferndale and other small outlying towns in the area when up that way.

Cheers Richard

Did you stop by Bellingham, WA?

What do you want to know about Bellingham? I went to school here in the '80s and have been living here for the last decade plus.

I will preface my answer with the standard "it rains all the time, it is overrun by hippy's and wannabes, traffic sucks, no one can afford to live here ........"

Need more info.

How much rain and grey are you good with?

What kinds of things do you like? Hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, golf, pro/college sports, operas, plays concerts...etc.

Generally in WA and ORE, once you get on the East side of the Cascades, you get a lot more sunshine/cold in winter/hotter in summer/wind depending on location...like Ellensburg, the wind is pretty much 24X7 but a lot less rain and grey. It is a ghost town when school is out.

I do not recommend Yakima, or as WA residents call it, Crackima. At one time it was the black tar heroin capitol of the West coast and violent crime was sky high. Have not checked lately.

Hiking, biking, plays, concerts, food.

Here is a list I started and comparing stats (I know it pretty much runs the I-5 from OR. to Canada):

Longview, WA
Tacoma, WA
Ferndale, WA
Bellingham, WA
Vancouver, WA
Puyallup, WA
Bothell, WA
Everett, WA
Olympia WA


Those all get around 35-40 inches rain... but as was said early on not so much the rain but the grey gloomy days... would like 150-200 days of sunshine.

Also spent my whole life in the big city... so would like something in a small/medium size (around 30-50K-ish)

Ferndale looks nice but I see the closest airport and Hospital is Bellingham so maybe that would be a better retirement location.

The Ferndale I was talking about is the Victorian town a bit south of Eureka Ca.

But it's probably way too small a town for you.

Cheers Richard

At that size limit you can scratch Bothell and Everett off your list. Its hard to describe, But from the boundry of the downtown core too N. Everett its pretty continuous suburban sprawl. Even though there are cities along the way such as Shoreline, lynnwood etc... They blend into each other one after another.

Sorry, all of those qualify for grey and gloomy.

I grew up in Puyallup and moved out towards Enumclaw 20+ years ago.

Tacoma is set to bust out if you are looking towards buying for an investment. That's where we are going to downsize to in the near term. The Stadium, Theater, Brewery and Medical Mile districts are going to be very solid as they continue to expand their light rail.

With your want of sun, I would suggest looking at the Tri Cities area in Eastern WA. Yes, it does get cold snaps at times, but there is quite of bit to do, biking and such and around 200 wineries within an hours drive or so. Trust me, I have been to multitudes with my wife.

Winters for Wa residents is a good time to travel south to the sun as we do as much as we can. Even more when I pull the plug next month!!

What is the "Tri Cities area"? Pardon my ignorance.