Seattle is only one place in a pretty big state! I have lived in the PNW nearly all my life, a few years in the south Pacific, but otherwise Oregon and WA for the most part. WA has many climates depending on where you live. On the western side of the state you rust...so much rain....beautiful and green though! We call anything west of the Cascades "the dark side":-) East side of the state has cold winters, hot summers and lots and lots of sunshine. We have the whole coastline that is just amaziningly gorgeous, we have the rest of the western part of the state that is emerald green, rains a lot but moderate climate with not much snow in the winter unless you are in the higher elevations and then you get plenty, and we have the eastern high desert areas that have not many trees but gorgeous landscapes and nice hot summer temps....cold in the winter though. I don't know about the "passive/aggressive" issues that 2004 is speaking of but I am an older lady and don't pay much attention to that shit anyway. We live on the southern border of the state, right on the Columbia river with lots of wine country around us, amazing outdoor opportunities...kayaking, wind/kite sailing, snowboarding/skiing, hiking, mountain biking and pretty much anything else you can think of. We live right on the river with our own beach, have a 3 bed, 2 bath house with a private yard, hot tub and nice deck. peach orchard on one side and walnut orchard on the other and we pay a mere $500 a month rent which is kind of embarrassing but also very wonderful:-) I would say our rental situation is pretty unusual but smaller towns are much cheaper to live in than the larger ones here. I have never had an issue finding a job but I have a broad skill set and am pretty adaptable. I have traveled quite a bit and for my money and for my peace of mind WA state is a lovely place to live. I am looking toward a warmer winter climate in my future though just because I am getting old and the winter aches and pains are beginning to be worse each year so we may become snow birds in the next few years but I cannot imagine moving away from the PNW as a full time endeavor. Just my opinion:-)
