Pacific Northwest?

My last hoorah for your consideration Have you considered the possibility that you are not liking the HUMIDITY that goes along with the heat there? We are dry heat (most of the time) and I gotta tell you, shade works in dry heat....unlike places with humidity....will always be sticky and hot.....vs. here in the shade, it's cooler. An 80 degree day with minimal to no humidity is awesome...an 80 degree day with humidity makes for hanging oneself. (sorry for you Florida and East folk) Ok my plug is over. That being said when talking about DRY weather, I can't do cold or rainy....it's too cold. :arrow: wait no ETA: Also no matter how hot it is during the summer time, when the sun sets in socal, it gets cool.....wonderful summer nights with some sweaters or hoodies :)

THANK YOU!!! My dream has some new life to it now. :banana: And that is the kind of neighborhood that I would want to live in. Passing info on to my husband. Even though I know we are "stuck" in this area for the next few years, it gives me something to look forward to.

JCM, I have probably traveled in/through 80% of the states and if I ever lived there again it would be Washington, specifically west of the mountains... Homelessness is a big problem - but I see it as a problem for them - not me. I have no problem ensuring I have a few dollars on me when I go up town and a smile and a hello how are you to help make their day alittle brighter. It could be anyone of us...there but the grace of God go I... D

Clueless and unaware PNWesterner here probably considered even more racially ignorant because I live on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula where it is even whiter! The Rainier Valley has wonderful diversity. Tacoma, 40 minutes south of Seattle also has a lot of diversity with many of cultures represented. Olympia, and the Olympic Peninsula has a much smaller AA community, however, we have several native American tribes up here, and a relatively large population of Guatemalans, Samoans, Tongans, Vietnamese and Mexicans to name a few. Yes they are in the minority and you will see far more white faces than brown. But that doesnt automatically make us racist or even clueless and unaware. To address the homeless and panhandling comments, people in the PNW are tolerant and caring people. It goes with the crunchy, green vibe in general. I donҒt believe we have MORE homelessness in the PNW, but we may not be as bothered by panhandling. I just shake my head noӔ if I dont have a few dollars on me to share and IҒve never been pursued further. A few years ago the City of Seattle passed an ordinance that made it an offense to sit on the sidewalk as an attempt to encourage the homeless to go elsewherethere was an uproar! I travel extensively throughout the US for my work. I have yet to visit a place I could picture myself living in and loving as much as I do the PNW. ItŒs not perfect, but its darn close! ETA: Portland is a very cool city as well! In fact if I were forced to move to a more urban area, Portland would be it!

Extra homeless ppl is because of the mild weather year round. If you don't mind being rained on, nearly year round. They say that homeless folks have a circuit that they travel, either up/down coasts, or literally around the country.Seattle is high up on the list of places to be because of the weather, as are Portland, and big cities in CA.AFA the rain and regular ppl -- I hate it! Aarrrgh. Drives me nuts. Why am I still here? Hopefully not forever.AFA neighborhoods? There are areas more mixed AA and Cauc. Lots of Asians all over the city. I usually see at least 10 different ethnicities shopping at Costco: Cauc, AA, Ethiopian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Egyptian, Filipino, Hispanic/Mexican, South American, Thai, sometimes Italian, other Middle-Easterners (Arabic), Africans, other Europeans... etc. That's not in order of numbers. There are cities in Midwest where you'll only see AA and C. I mention Costco, because that's a slice of what happens when you *live* here, vs are a visitor here.There are sizable expat communities of Ethiopians, Tibetans, Vietnamese/Laotian (boat people), at the least.

FYI Paige, we're in Forks right now. We've been touring the Olympic Penninsula for the past few days. Really beautiful mountains and beaches! The people all seem very nice. Reminds me a little of rural Missouri, where my in laws live, in that there isn't a lot of civilization, shopping, restaurants, etc. On the subject of the homeless and the mild climate, that's definitely true. When we were staying in LaJolla, CA a couple years ago, we saw many homeless on the beach, but they were not nearly so aggressive. I'm never sure what's the appropriate thing to do when approached. I want to help those less fortunate, but I don't know if I accomplish that by giving handouts.

So, I've been back and forth on this thread all afternoon and while part of me says leave it alone...I guess I just can't. The term "boat people" used in a previous post is a very derogatory term and, honestly, not one I've heard in twenty five years or so. I am very sad to see it again after all these years. This is a very offensive phrase to describe so many of my friends and neighbors.

Thank you. I noticed it as well and cringed. Thanks for commenting.

We just moved from Seattle. It's not an overly white city in terms of percentages, it's just REALLY segregated. Hooverville is right... Rainier Valley, Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Center City are all very diverse neighborhoods. Seattle is a Somali relocation site and there is a thriving Somali community. If you go to the North end of the city (Northgate, Meadowbrook) we've got a thriving mosque, fabulous Ethiopian food etc. The only downside of Seattle is the 9 months of grey weather. I did it for 7 years and finally had to leave for my sanity. We miss the cultural aspects terribly, but we're loving the weather in our new home! (SLC)

Oh my gosh, Forks! When we were first married, we lived on an oyster farm on Dabob Bay, near Quilcene. Those are places not many people know about. I have met lots of people from Washington who have never heard of Quilicene or Forks! It is gorgeous country up there, though. Worth the rain, in my opinion!

Oyster farmer here! From Hammersley Inlet! We have a cabin at Quilcene. Small world.

Wow, two oyster farmers on a transracial adoption board! 36 years after we left the oyster farm, this is the first time I have ever run into anyone who has said that they were oyster farmers too! My now-ex husband oyster farmed for four years before returning to school and becoming a physician. I was just with him for the last year of it. It was always a good conversation piece. We missed the area, but not standing on the beach in the rain, at 2 AM, picking up oysters, standing in the cold oyster house the next day, opening them, and then having our hands in freezing cold water, rinsing them off to put into jars. We sold ours for something like $2.50 a quart. Has anything about it changed since then (except for the price)? I kind of doubt that anyone has invented any kind of machine that could open oysters without tearing them up! Our first home was a little one room shack of grayed boards. We put some insulation and sheet rock up and particle board on the floor and a wood stove for heat and that was about it. There was no way to go but up!

We raise clams, oysters and geoducks. It's my husband's project and I only have to go pick oysters in a pinch (which always seems to be a middle-of-the-night winter tide). I have a day job, LOL, so I avoid the mud! But boy, do I ever need sunshine right now!

paige- knowing you raise geoducks...I'm sorry I can't stop giggling. :p

Paige, I'm glad that you don't have to pick oysters very often! I didn't have to do it real often, either. I developed a bad fungal infection on my hands and feet, from having them in soaking wet gloves and boots. I took on other chores, like taking care of the chickens and baking whole wheat bread for the whole extended family, and only did oysters part time. It could be fun, if it wasn't raining and my ex was in a good mood, but neither happened often.We didn't raise clams, but we did dig them sometimes for chowder. I have never cooked a geoduck, but I hear they are delicious, if you know how to cook them. I've seen Andrew Zimmern take a bite out of a whole one. I have often thought about the fact that there were mussels out there, too, but we never ate them. Actually, my favorite thing up there was the blackberries. You could pick for days and never make a dent in them. We put up something like 80 jars one weekend, and tons of jam. I hope you get some sun one of these days!