How to Move to Washington State?

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Hello, I'm originally from New Hampshire, and I was taken and raised in SoCal. I am very unhappy here. It just isn't a good fit for me, and I'm very restless. I did research on a place that would make me happy and Washington state was the prime choice.

I so want to move there, but I need a job first. I have no clue where to look. I'm looking to be an entry-level computer programming/software engineering job for someone with a Bachelor's degree.

I'm thinking of moving to WhatCom county or a city that is close to the coast. I love the beach. I like a lot of forests/natural scenery. I love the cold too. Any suggestions?

Considering how Amazon is currently expanding, you might what to give them a try. Luckily, the Seattle area is a hotbed for computer-related jobs. It's the home of Boeing, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Big Fish & Pop Cap Games, Real Networks, Nintendo of America and, my favourite, Valve Corporation - home of Half Life, Left 4 Dead, etc.

Whatcome County is the northern most county in Washington and, as such, is a good 115 miles/2 hour drive from the Seattle area. If you want your cake and eat it too, a compromise might be a place in Redmond, Woodinville, Lake Stevens or Everett.

Of course, if you absolutely, positively have to have some kind of nightlife, then may I suggest Seattle proper?

I would suggest going to the White Pages (they have an online site) and looking for businesses in Washington state that require your area of expertise, and sending out some letters/making some phone calls letting people know that you're after a job and what you can do.

keep in mind that seattle has a relatively high cost of living [average rent as of january 2013 is $1517 per month] and is VERY crowded with chronically snafu'ed traffic. also parking is very dear. consider instead tacoma or olympia, far less crowded and far cheaper cost of living.

The beautiful Kitsap Peninusla "The Natural Side of Puget Sound" . Most reasonable cost of living in the Puget Sound region and just a ferry ride away from Seattle Metro.

yes, i shoulda thought of that.
plus, if ya wanna drive to oly, just take a leisurely and scenic poke down hiway 3 through shelton, and enter oly from the south, bypassing the craziness of I5 all the way.

I don't know anything about Washington state but this is what I would do if I wanted to move to another state where I knew no one.

1. Visit several times at different times of the year. While you may think you would like a place, the reality of it may be very different than what you have in mind. Seeing a place in person and getting the feel of it is very important. Also, once you decide on a city you should visit some of the areas that you can afford to live in. You don't want to move there after visiting an expensive tourist area only to find out that the part of town you can afford to live in looks run down and you don't like it. Make sure you visit during different times of the year as well, especially since the climate is very different from yours. While it may be as cold in Washington as it was in New Hampshire, it's probably going to have a higher humidity so it may feel different. Also, since you are in SoCal you are probably used to a lot of sunshine. Washington is pretty rainy from what I understand. You should plan a visit and see how you like being there in day after day of rain. Also, are you ok with driving in the rain? I hate driving or riding in the rain so if I lived there I would probably never leave the house.

2. If after several visits you are sure you want to move there and you have a city, or several cities in mind, get a subscription to the newspaper(s) from there. Look at the want ads and call about jobs that you see listed that you are interested in. Also, you could call employment agencies there and talk to them about getting a job when you get there. I would suggest that secure a job before the actual move. You can fly up for the interview and then have a couple of weeks before your start date so you can get a place to live.

3. Find a temporary place to live. Usually hotels have a weekly rate so you can probably find an affordable one to stay at until you can afford an apartment or house of your own. Check with the hotels and other places like that to find out what their weekly rate is.

4. Check out the public transportation system if you don't have a car. Find out if there is bus service, subway, taxi service etc in the area you want to live in. Make sure any place you apply for a job at is on the bus or subway line.

washington has [almost] all different kinds of weather, depending on which side of the cascade mountain range you call your new home. east of the mountains is hot and dry, west of the mountains is more temperate and more moist. seattle [along with most of central puget sound] averages 40-45 inches of precip per year, but if you go too close [within 30 miles] to mt. rainier that amount can triple. or if you go to north/central clallam county [sequim and port angeles] you can have as little as 20 inches per year, with enough sunshine for regular farming requiring irrigation. go out to the western [pacific] coast and expect somewhere between those two extremes [between clallam county's and mount rainier's precip amounts]. an important note- north-western and western washington are subject to regular high winds in the wintertime, up to 120 miles per hour sometimes. all housing in ocean shores [a coastal town] requires roofing to withstand 120 miles-per-hour winds as part of the local construction code. the sea-spray-infused air also is somewhat corrosive to metal things like doorknobs and car parts. the high general humidity can make the hot days seem REALLY hot and the cold days REALLY cold! thankfully both those extremes are relatively rare over most of western washington. seattle is a large city and as such has the protective influence of the urban island effect, its weather is milder than surrounding burgs.

I moved to Seattle fifteen years ago. I love it here.

I want to say one thing about living in rural Washington which may get me yelled at, but you have a right to know. In my opinion, as a citified person, rural Washington is not welcoming of strangers, nor does it seem culturally interesting. I've been all over the state, I'm a pretty friendly guy, and I'm well traveled. I get along with people. My interactions with most rural Washingtonians involve me asking a question, getting a one word answer, and then having someone stare at me waiting for me to leave. Of course there are exceptions, but this happens enough that it is what I expect when I take trips to the many beautiful places in this state. This is not what I expect when I am visiting other states (except Colorado, where I found a similar lack of human decency among rural residents).

So take some time and really get to know an area before moving there. As much as I love Seattle, I don't think there is another place in Washington where I could feel at home. Maybe when I get old I won't care about being social and I'll move to some beautiful coastal house where no one will talk to me, but for a person who is looking for nicer people to live with I could not recommend rural Washington.

^^^
you just described shelton to a tee, another xenophobic little wide spot in the road. wish i could afford to live someplace better.

That sounds like more of a stereotype of rural New Englanders.
Maybe it's just because they're not used to having other people to talk to. In the city you have to talk to strangers a lot so we get used to it.

Personally I'd suggest Skagit County, unless you get a job in Bellingham. I know the area rather well, though I don't live there I do go there every now and then. Mount Vernon, Burlington, and Arlington are decent. Clear Lake is really nice. The poster 3 posts above is correct in that some rural areas of Washington can be problematic, but that's where people are from the Carolinas (Carolina Hill People; they can be quite insular and territorial) that settled there years ago. Places like Lyman and areas past Sedro Wooley heading east. Sedro Wooley isn't problematic in itself, I've never had a problem hanging out there.

In any of those places I recommended, you'll be in easy reach of beaches (either lakes or ocean), mountain hiking (I've been hiking up places like Green Mountain and Doc Butte and Baker Lake over there, it is amazing), and forests.

Lemme guess, you ran into the insular, terse transplanted Carolina Hill People, didn't you? Or at least some of them?

Have a passport? -- visit Vancouver, BC. A city that gets "high marks" amongst visitors and residents alike; Vancouver offers that awesome urban experience (without too much of the "big-city" stimulus). A ferry-ride to visit Victoria BC is also a must.

Oh my gawd, thanks everyone for all the replies. I thoroughly appreciate it. All you people are awesome. I wasn't expecting so many, positive replies!

Actually, Vancouver was my #1 choice to live but I feel, as an American citizen, that I wouldn't be allowed to live there by the Canadian government. Plus, I feel my American government wouldn't let me hold a dual American/Canadian citizenship. I'd have to apply for a passport, but I think they are worth a visit too. Who knows?



All your advice is fantastic!

CartoonConsumer, I grew up in Skagit County and my recommendation would be to try Mt. Vernon. It's a little bigger than Burlington, and Sedro Woolley, plus Woolley is right at the foot of the Cascades, and when it's not raining it can still be socked in with clouds for weeks!

Western Washington is a beautiful state, but the weather can take a little getting used to.