Suggestions on where to settle down

[Geneva]

We are looking for assistance in finding a place to settle down. We have been traveling full-time since June 2016 and are now approaching retirement age.

We are currently interested in the Sequim, Washington area, as we prefer a cool, mild climate over heat and humidity. Ideally, we would like to be located near bike trails, shopping, and senior community centers.

Open to any suggestions.

Thanks

 

[BlackHand]

Sequim certainly checks all the boxes and it's beautiful over there. Cost of living is cheaper on the peninsula than over here in Western WA, but still significantly higher than most of the US.

Port Hadlock / Port Townsend is another nearby area to consider as well as Anacortes.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Sequim is immensely boring. Also overpriced with a suburban feeling. If that is what you like, fine. Rather windy, too. Port Townsend is much more lively, much more interesting, with many independent businesses. More history. Better restaurants. Both are on the Olympic Discovery Trail.

 

[6zfshdb]

Although I can't comment on the Sequim area directly, I've spent a good bit of time in the PNW. The weather is indeed moderate year round, but it's also quite wet. It rained or drizzled on 70% of the days I spent out there. The folks who live in the area seem to be used to it and are able to enjoy the beautiful outdoors in the wet environment. For me anyway, it would be a deal breaker for relocating there. Not sure I could ever enjoy biking & hiking in fog, mist or light rain. I also enjoy the changing seasons here in the northeast, and can get outdoors 9 months of the year.

Were I to relocate, and $$ weren't an issue, it would be to either the San Diego area, or S. Carolina. The Carolinas have a large senior population with facilities designed for their support. There are also many outdoor venues in the coastal plain and the mountainous interior that are useable 10 months of the year. You can't beat the year round weather in S. California and there are a great many places to enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately, it's one of the most expensive places to live in the US.

Keep in mind, this is my own personal opinion. Many will disagree and many others will offer different opinions, so YMMV.

 

[EMGX]

I don't live in the Olympic Peninsula area but I've visited the numerous times. It's in a great location with close access to excellent recreation including hiking and biking. Short ferry to beautiful Vancouver Island with Galloping Goose paved trail, short drive to Port Angeles or Port Townsend (latter with short ferry to Whidbey Island), easy drive to coast. With an ebike riding up pretty spectacular Hurricane Ridge Rd is very doable as well as paved trail behind Lake Crescent and beyond. It's more in the rain shadow than Port Angeles and has considerably less rainfall (like 10 inches less per year). The town itself seems clean and modern with a very high population of retirees, avg age is in 60s. People who retire there seem to love it.

Pictures of rides up Hurricane Ridge Rd with regular non-assist bikes, much more enjoyable with ebike though.

 

[Geneva]

Thanks, we appreciate all the input. I'm working on getting a volunteer position in the Sequim area. I'll know by end of next week.
I'll check out the Carolinas and Port Hadlock / Port Townsend areas.
Please keep the suggestions coming!

 

[Gionnirocket]

This is such a personal question... I'm not sure anyone can be of actual help.

That said.. I love the NE and the 4 seasons. Sure sometimes the winter is longer than ideal, but if you don't have to work/do anything outside, being snowed_in is welcomed. I appreciate resting (hibernating), making a fire and cooking/baking up all kinds of stuff that I just won't do during the other 3 seasons. And it's also a good time to vacation if you get cabin fever prematurely.
Then in the spring and fall the weather is just magnificent with so much variation and an explosion of color that it feels like a gift.
Summers are hot... but that's true for most places. Sure being able to go to the beach is nice, but when you do it all the time even that becomes boring. I kinda like being deprived for a little while because then your visits become that much more special and enjoyable.
For me/now, variety is the spice....though admittedly that might change as I get closer to the end.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Although I can't comment on the Sequim area directly, I've spent a good bit of time in the PNW. The weather is indeed moderate year round, but it's also quite wet. It rained or drizzled on 70% of the days I spent out there. The folks who live in the area seem to be used to it and are able to enjoy the beautiful outdoors in the wet environment. For me anyway, it would be a deal breaker for relocating there. Not sure I could ever enjoy biking & hiking in fog, mist or light rain. I also enjoy the changing seasons here in the northeast, and can get outdoors 9 months of the year.

Were I to relocate, and $$ weren't an issue, it would be to either the San Diego area, or S. Carolina. The Carolinas have a large senior population with facilities designed for their support. There are also many outdoor venues in the coastal plain and the mountainous interior that are useable 10 months of the year. You can't beat the year round weather in S. California and there are a great many places to enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately, it's one of the most expensive places to live in the US.

Keep in mind, this is my own personal opinion. Many will disagree and many others will offer different opinions, so YMMV.

Washington has a combination of complex terrain and somewhat eccentric weather patterns. That produces a weird collection of microclimates that often can make zero sense to outsiders. Sequim is on one of those microclimates. Especially in the summer months Sequim is usually pretty dry, and definitely much drier than locations a few dozen miles east or west of it.

Seattle is also a classic example of this. Seattle typically gets 30-40 inches of rain each year, about the same or a little less than New York or Boston. But eighty miles to the west the rainfall totals in the rain forests around around 100 inches per year, and twenty five miles to the east in the Cascade foothills rainfalls can be 70 to 80 inches. The Olympic peninsula also causes a very complex "convergence zone" over the Puget Sound region. What this means is that it can be hosing rain at one place and a few miles away it will be sunny and dry. In the winter during a rare snowfall it can cause insane variations of snow accumulation over very short distances.