Anyone here from Washington State??

Just wondering if there is anyone around from Washington state. I'm a nursing student in Tulsa, Oklahoma right now, and I've been thinking about moving there to start my nursing job. Do you like living there? Are there good opportunities for nurses there? Is the weather as amazing as they say it is? Cost of living? What are some pros and cons of living there? And please, post pictures!!

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Originally Posted by NormanSnake

Just wondering if there is anyone around from Washington state. I'm a nursing student in Tulsa, Oklahoma right now, and I've been thinking about moving there to start my nursing job. Do you like living there? Are there good opportunities for nurses there? Is the weather as amazing as they say it is? Cost of living? What are some pros and cons of living there? And please, post pictures!!

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My husband lived there for several years. I'll have to ask him to get all your questions answered (though he won't know about nursing opportunities), but I do know he did not like the weather. It didn't rain all the time, but it was cloudy and rainy too often for his preferences.

I love living here :) Been here my whole life.

I like the weather. It's not as rainy as they say in some areas, and in some places it rains more. I'm out in the San Juans, and it rains less than Seattle. In general it's pretty mild (on the coast) though there can be stretches of pretty intense showers. Summer is AWESOME. I'm not sure about nursing opportunities, there are a lot of hospitals in any of the major cities (Seattle especially). Cost of living is pretty expensive, but it isn't impossible by any means (supporting a 3 person household by myself on a minimum wage job is tight, but I'm making it work ;) ). Maybe browse the craigslist house postings and real estate ads for a better idea.

I just love the area, and can't imagine myself living anywhere else. The downsides are that there aren't many herp shows in comparison to other areas (2-3 in driving distance for me a year), and they're not as open as other states as far as exotics legislation goes. I lived in Shoreline for a few years and liked being close enough to Seattle for cheap Asian food and events that weren't hard to get to. I actually didn't own a car until I moved back to the islands.

If I think of anything else I'll add it, but I gotta close up shop and get home first :P

It's gotta be better than Oklahoma. If you haven't been to Oklahoma, you're not missing much! I love rain. I've always dreamed of living in a small town where it rains all the time and there are little mom-and-pop shops. I imaging the people are much friendlier there too. Don't listen to them when they say southern hospitality, most of the people that are nice to you here are only trying to sell you drugs..... I just hate it here!

Washington state, especially the NW, is the greatest! I was yanked away as a kid (10) and always wanted to come back during the 20+ years I was gone. :) It's beautiful, one of the last ecologically sound places left in this country, animal friendly, not too expensive (unless you live in the heart of one of the big cities), great public transit (important to me as I cannot drive), and fair economy. Not sure about medical related jobs, but there are a TON of hospitals, clinics, and medical type places so I would imagine you'd be good to go.
Cost of living: pretty good in the suburbs. I live in Kent, which is about 23 miles south of Seattle proper, and two of us currently are living on about $1200 a month. My partner just got a new, better paying, job, so that'll be going up...but we aren't doing too badly. I know that costs can be sky high in Seattle itself, though, so it all depends on where you choose to live.

The Weather: Not as bad as many people say. :) Because we still have a good ecological balance, we actually have all 4 seasons. It's cold in winter but not extremely so, windy in spring but still fair, warm to mildly hot in summer but not triple digits, and the main wetness comes in the fall. Yes, it is gray and overcast a lot, that one is true...but I think it just adds to the natural beauty of the area.

Like living here: Like??? I adore living here. The PNW is the best! Minimal natural disasters (yes, we have two volcanos nearby but they're currently dormant), fairly even weather, the Ocean, 3 mountain ranges, Mt. Rainier, and trees trees trees! :D

Pros: read the above. :) Great mix of rural to urban to fit any taste. The most urban, of course, is Seattle followed by Redmond and Bellevue. The most rural, on this side at least...probably Enumclaw/Bonney Lake, and Yelm, Spannaway etc. The southern sections of the NW corner. :D

Cons: Hmm... I'm not sure. If you're used to the political scene in OK, then you might want to stick to Eastern WA. Otherwise... I can't really think of many cons.

Pictures: Hmm, I need to get more...but here ya go.
Here's Seattle as viewed from the Space Needle:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...townfromSN.jpg

As viewed from Puget Sound/Elliot Bay:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...fromthebay.jpg

THE Mountain:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...snowcoated.jpg

The view behind my dad's house in Bonney Lake:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ety/112thN.jpg

The view from our porch during last year's major ice/snow(not common):
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ront12snow.jpg

Snoqualmie Falls:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...lsfall2012.jpg


Is that good? :D

Wow, that's great! I seriously cannot wait to move! I even have a savings account with money in it just for moving....yeah, I'm a loser. And I have 3 more years of school!

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Originally Posted by Argentra

Cons: Hmm... I'm not sure. If you're used to the political scene in OK, then you might want to stick to Eastern WA. Otherwise... I can't really think of many cons.



Is that good? :D

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That must be a nice way of saying all of the republicans live in the east? haha! I, myself, am not very political.

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Originally Posted by NormanSnake

That must be a nice way of saying all of the republicans live in the east? haha! I, myself, am not very political.

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:P Yeah, that's what that was. And cool, then you have nothing to worry about. :D

Now that hubby has made it home... His answers to your questions:

(He lived near Tacoma)


Do you like living there?
"In the summer, when it was drier and the sun was out. Greenery was nice, but in winter rained too much for my preferences."

Is the weather as amazing as they say it is?
"Depends on what you call 'amazing'. During the summer it would usually go about a week before a rain shower, partly cloudy or sunny, averages around low 60's to high 70's. Winter time you can go weeks without seeing a break in the clouds, and you can sometimes go a week straight with a steady drizzle. Every few years you'll get a little bit of snow."

Cost of living?
"Depends on where you live. You'll find similar cost of living to Oklahoma in the eastern part of the state. West of the Olympic range you'll see a higher cost of living on average, more in tune with southern California."
(Hubby also lived in Oklahoma for half a year.)

What are some pros and cons of living there?
"Well... Take it as you may, pro or con, it rains a lot more than Oklahoma. You're not going to get tornadoes. Not going to get OK thunderstorms. I saw maybe two thunderstorms in the last two years I was there (but not OK quality). You can travel from rural to big city within an hour. There's definitely museums, shopping, higher education, and British Columbia is no more than a couple hours away."

Hope that helps! :)



ETA: "And the 5 freeway sucks."

Bellingham is pretty awesome too, you get the small town flavor with a slightly bigger city (I just love driving up to visit, it's an easier/prettier drive than Seattle).

Now that I'm home, pics!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/IMG_3549.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/IMG_3184.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/IMG_2954.jpg

That's what I had in my photobucket already, I'll dig around and see if I can find anything else after work (my boyfriend has some woodland park zoo pics if you want those :P ). The photos are from around Anacortes