All of,well most of the action is in the Seattle Tacoma area.I would never start out in Camano island area,however that could be an option after you become established.

You can rent a very nice apartment in the Tacoma area for $1100,and something a little more modest in the greater Seattle area.There are a lot of more secluded places within commuting distance.If I were you I would fly out here and look around.The prices of homes are 2-3 times what they are in most of Florida though.

 

Thank you very much for your response. I don't really know much about Camano Island, so I'm really just fishing for suggestions. I do know that I want to rent a house, not an apartment. I don't do apartments anymore. I just need to find a place worth living for one year, so I can eventually find property to buy. I like the idea of the Seattle/Tacoma area. But I want to live far enough away to not feel like made a change in my life. I am tired of traffic, and property lines that butt up against my house, and school bus stops right in front of my driveway, that sort of thing. I just, need to find a place where I'm gonna want to raise my eventual children, I guess, and I don't want it to be in a big city. So far I've only ever lived in big cities: Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, etc. And the only out-of-the-way places around those cities are a little too rednecky for me. Just preference.

I want a change!

 

Have you ever thought about Portland?
It sounds like it also fits your bill pretty well, all though I know nothing of the radio industry around here.

Having been to both areas, I find PDX much preferable.

 

It's not really the radio industry, though. It's more like public broadcasting. Usually on state university campuses. I would imagine Portland has those...

I think I will check that out too then. Can you tell me what about it you find preferable? Thank you for the thoughtful response, because I'm totally open to suggestions, and don't really have any clue about anything up in the Pacific NW! I just know I want to go there.

 

The local NPR station broadcasts from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, if that's what's most important. I've heard that housing is quite a bit more affordable down in the Tacoma area (most of my co-workers live near Tacoma or far north of Seattle and commute) and you definitely would have a hard time finding a house for rent at $1100 or less in the Seattle area. The traffic in and out of Seattle is HORRENDOUS though, depending on what you're used to so, it might work well for you to stay near Tacoma.

 

Thank you! Yes, I need to find the NPR stations. That's basically the only way I will be moving anywhere, is by getting a job at an NPR radio station. Here the local one is at University of South Florida. So I figured they'd be at State Universities, but I guess I was wrong. That is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for the thoughtful response!

But as I said before, I don't have my heart set on any one place in particular. I just know that I am leaving my current job as soon as I can land the one I'm looking for. I'm really not interested in working in the music industry, because I'm disgusted with current pop culture and all the payola that happens within. And I'm not interested in working in mainstream radio because I'm disgusted with current pop culture and all the payola that happens within. But my only skills are in audio engineering, and fixing computers. I currently fix computers for a living, and I'm sick of doing that, because people are idiots and don't know how to operate them in the first place, and I'm just very burnt out, I guess.

I just want a change. And I was "this close" (I'm holding out my fingers here) to taking a job at the local NPR station on the USF campus, when I started to realize that maybe I just want to get out of Florida before I take on a new job, since I've been wanting to move away my whole adult life, so I turned the job down. Maybe stupidly, but I don't think so, because I strongly feel like I don't want to stay in Florida.

Anyway, I thank you, and anyone else who might want to chime in here, for your advice.

 

I would say, if at all possible, try to visit the different areas you are interested in before choosing one.

My general impression of Seattle was that it is a big city. The type of place with small apartments, high cost of living, bad traffic, that sort of stuff.
It could very well be a great place, and I have only seen the bad sides of it.

The surrounding areas did seem very nice, though I have spent very little time there.

The things that have endeared me towards Portland are likely to be shared by much of the northwest. Extremely friendly people, very liberal accepting attitudes, a focus on ecologically friendly practices, and local businesses valued above corporations.

Oh, and the weather is fantastic. The locals love to complain about the rain, but compared to anyplace that gets hot or snowy, the climate is amazing.

 

I just want to say that i love Washington weather!

All my relatives on my mom's side live in Washington so i visit them in the winter/summer. Its very nice there since its not humid like florida... (in the summer most days)

I went to Seattle in a section that was mostly markets and stuff and i didn't really like it since it was so choking with activity.

Hope this helps (somewhat )

 

^ Yes, it does help! Thanks! This is exactly the kind of information I'm looking for. Minsc, your description of Portland is almost exactly what I'm actually looking for in my next home! I'm looking for places that support ecologically sound practices. I'm looking for places that value local business instead of Walmart. I'm looking for places where people put trash in trashcans. That kind of thing. I realize that's a lofty goal, but I think it's doable. Thanks again, and PLEASE keep the suggestions and ideas coming.

I love this place! I love how I can post a serious question, yet not about fish or aquariums or plants, and I STILL get helpful answers.

You guys ROCK!!

 

I realize its been a while since this thread has been posted on, but I thought I'd put my 2 cents in as well. Washington is by far the nicest place I've lived. I've spent more than half my life in the Columbia River Gorge, which is an amazing place I'll say. There's rainforest, desert and temperate climates within an hour's drive of each other, volcanoes within another hour, Portland within an hour's drive as well, and a great place to live. And there's definitely people who hate Walmart! haha! I'm included! Anyway, Washington has a lot to offer, and I think I wouldn't live in any other state. Dry warm summers, cool snow-packed winters, friendly and techy-yet-outdoorsy people, fairly courteous drivers (usually), and typically high paying jobs (heck, minimum wage is $8.06/hr now!!)... what more can you ask for?

And also... the local NPR station is broadcast by Washington State University (I'm here for school). But I know there are several NPR stations on the westside too.

 

I would like to chime in for Portland as well, specifically the west side, Beaverton area. I grew up in the dry farm lands in eastern WA and moving to the city was not appealing to me, but the suburbs just west of Portland were a nice compromise. Close to everything, but with room to breath.
There are no WalMarts on the west side either, so I think you could appreciate that.
Garbage is in the garbage can, recycling in a recycling can even bigger than the garbage can.
There are at least 3 NPR stations that I know of.
Best of luck.

 

I know I'll probably get flamed for this but first off..let me say.. that I love Washington and we go down to Washington state all of the time (for shopping).

Having said that.... why not consider coming north? I know there are issues with working Visas etc..

The Vancouver, Canada area has a semi-large film, movie, commercial and recording market. I'm a singer and get gigs to do commercials and videos from time to time (it isn't my day job..).

There is a tonne of work in that area.. if you are looking for NPR style work.. we have the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) that would be NPR style radio.. plus there are new local stations popping up all of the time (local.. NPR style.. not commercial)

Climate is the same as Washington's.. and just like most others in the Washington state.. if you're looking for "Nature"..we all pretty much just walk out the door.. Where I live.. I am 30 mins from Downtown Vancouver.. 40 mins from 2 major ski hills.. 1 minute walk to a salmon spawning river.. 1 minute walk to a lake.. (which now has beavers in it)..

Fairly convenient..

If you want to know what the audio engineering climate is like around here.. just PM me.. and I'll give you a friend's e-mail who is an audio engineer for the CBC.(He recorded our last 2 albums...and traveled with us to Europe to record our LIVE album). There isn't a shortage of jobs right now either.. We actually have a real problem with having enough workers.. so I know it is extra work to get a work visa.. it may be worth it..

If you end up living in Seattle.. come up here (only about a 2 hour drive) and I'll introduce you to our local fish people..

 

WOW that was a very awesome bit of info, thank you! I've actually dreamed of living in Canada for a very long time, I guess I'm just worried that it would be difficult to get work visa, etc. I admit though that I haven't looked into it like I should. I would totally love living in Canada, especially B.C. I would like to talk to you more about this, but I'm just about to leave work, so I will PM you tonight when I get a chance. Thank you for this awesome info, and I would love to learn more about the recording industry up there. I also wouldn't mind working in the music industry again, I just can't handle the way it works here in the States. Something tells me that the way it operates up there is quite a bit different, and probably doesn't work so much by payola and conspiracies (although I admit this might be a bit of "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence" mentality). Or maybe it's because my experience in the industry was heavily on the Hip Hop side of things, and that gangsta mentality seeped into the business practices. I don't know. It was just very disillusioning.

I look forward to talking with you. Check your PMs tonight (or afterward).

:smile:

(also, thanks to ylot, yikesjason, and scherzo, for your input! I love the planted tank. Everyone is so helpful!)

 

I think the Portland crowd has already pimped our city enough for you to get the idea. I won't say it's the best city in the pacific northwest but it's got some advantages over Seattle. I compare Seattle to San Francisco, it's a big city with the soul of a big city, which is fine, a lot of people really like that. Portland is more like San Luis Obispo, it's a large city with the soul of a town. I'm not sure if you've ever visited California or if my analogy even makes sense to you but Seattle and Portland are two very different cities. Oregon doesn't have sales tax, Washington doesn't have income tax, both have excellent recrational opportunites, both have beautiful scenery, home values in Portland were rougly half of the home values in Seattle about a year ago, I'm sure housing prices have dropped in Seattle over the last year though while home values have stayed pretty steady in Portland. I'm not sure if there is an NPR radio station (I'm a clear channel junkie I guess) at one of the universites in Oregon, but between Oregon State University, Portland State University and University of Oregon I'm sure there is one. I really like Eugene more than I like Portland because it's less urbanized, if U of O has a radio station I'd make that my top pick.

No matter what you decide, the Pacific Northwest seems to have more dedicated hobbiests than most other parts of the country. The water is very soft and slightly acidic so SA species are more common and easy to keep because of our water quality. Check out the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society (gsas.org) and Greater Portland Aquarium Society (gpas.org) both have pretty good websites with links to even more local societies for marine, livebearers, killies and betas.

 

Once again, you guys up in the PNW are awesome! Thanks a bunch, all of you. My search has already begun, and I'm open to all possibilities that present themselves to me.

But you guys definitely made Portland sound like a dream city, for real! It's become a top choice for me.

 

I lived in Portland, Seattle and San Francisco + environs of each. I am homesick for all three, no matter where I move there is something I miss from the other two! All three are great. I would move to Vancouver BC in a heartbeat to complete my collection if was not in Canadaland and trouble with work visas, etc.

Seattle and Portland are about a three hour drive apart, BC is nearly the same from Seattle. The SF Bay area is about 9 hours, the way I drive. Aw, now I am homesick again, dangit!

P.P.

 

The OP has to understand that the change from Florida to Washington is like going from one extreme to the next. Our Pacific NW weather is crappy most of the year and the traffic, awful on the good days.

Weather goes from cold and wet to cold and windy and wet, to wet to a few days of sunshine to wet again. :eek5:

If this is not enough to keep you from moving here consider the locals with their webbed feet.

 

Yes one of the negatives of the northwest is that the locals complain about the weather constantly

Die2win, have you ever lived in a snowy or hot and humid area? I'll take rainy winters any day over digging my car out of snowbanks, or that horrible feeling that you will never, ever be dry.

I do agree about the traffic, although the drivers themselves are halfway decent.

 

Yes we lived in the tropics for many years. I love it here, I was speaking in my first post as humor. roud:

 

Thanks again everyone. Die2win, I'm fully aware of the difference in climate and everything. It's one of the main reasons I would move up there. I was born and raised in FL so to be honest, I'm just done with this climate. I'm not saying I'm gonna die if I stay here... I mean, I've got 30 years of experience dealing with this climate! I'm only saying, if I want to pick up and move, I'm not going anywhere unless it's very different from here. I figure what could be more different than moving to the opposite corner of this continent, right?

I can handle the cold, and I can handle the rain. In fact, when I hear of people in the PNW complaining about all the rain, and then I realize the kind of rain they are talking about, it makes me want to laugh! You guys don't get crazy lightning storms and hurricanes! Yeah, we might be considered the "sunshine state" down here, but that's only because after the daily lightning storm and downpour (and I mean downPOUR!!!), the sun comes out and turns everything into a sauna. So yeah, I think I can take an extra ~100 or so days of rain per year, if it means a little light drizzle!

Now, the earthquakes and/or volcanoes are another story altogether! :eek5:

 

I think most of the complaints from the rain are that it is a cold rain, and continuous, not the huge down pours like in the southern states. I've seen it rain for weeks on end.

But you do learn to enjoy the nice weather more here I think. Sometimes the sunshine is taken for granted.

The best part of Washington, Oregon are the different things to do if you like the outdoors. From oceans with wide beaches, to mountains with virgin forests we have it.

If you want a change this is a 180 change from Fla. :smile:

 

I moved to the NW about 3 years ago from NC, but have lived in many places in the SE including Florida. This is by far the best place I've lived. I found Seattle to be a little wetter than either Portland or Eugene, but still not as bad as some say and a great city. I think there might be a hidden agenda by locals, to keep people from coming...

 

Oh ohhh the jigs up we've been found out! :icon_roll

 

i might have missed it, but have you looked into the bellingham area? there's the university there and it's more rural seeming to me than seattle or portland. not the hassle of moving to the land of our neighbors to the north, but it's more north than seattle..

not sure what your hobbies are.. outdoor sports? what kind? cultural events? focus on the socialising or the art itself more? some info like that might give some more insight into where you'd like to live for me a huge draw to any metro area is the food, sad but true dining=major attraction for me<G> you should come out to the pnw for a little while, get a feel for some of the major areas. there are alot of similarities with them and alot of differences. portland and seattle are very similar in alot of ways but also very different and the differences have really interesting roots in the establishment and diverging paths of the two states that they're from. if you have any interest in history there are some great <Seriously, they are fun> history tours for them. it's kitschy and cheesy but i love seattle's underground tour.

ok, now i'll hush but i really love the pnw. vacations are great but i know i'm home when i can see mt ranier from the plane and i know that in a few hours i could get to the ocean, the sound, a desert, or a rainforest and stop for all sorts of great food along the way. i really do love it here, and nothing like encouraging transplants so that as a born here resident i can gripe about new comers later

 

whats funny was i was going to move to tampa now i've found myself here living in washington (been here 2 weeks almost 3) i deffidently love the weather here i'm one of those people who like the cold (as long as its in the outdoors) you could if your still lookin in washington look around auburn its very nice and renting prices aren't too bad and the commute to seattle or tacoma isn't going to kill you

 

I'm still looking, and thanks for the continuing information, everyone! Vertigoat, my hobbies mostly include fishing and canoeing, but if I were to move up there, that would quickly be supplemented with some hiking and rock climbing! I just love the great outdoors, and I need a new "kind" of great outdoors, because I've experienced Florida's for almost 30 years.

Keep the info coming, everyone! :smile:

 

If you want to buy property, come up to the Bellingham, WA area. I don't know if NPR has a station here at Western WA University, but probably it does.

You can always hike Galbraith Mountain, and take a mountain bike up with you.

Property values are supposed to go up after the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver just north of us. It doesn't have the obscene traffic in the Seattle area. Birch Bay is nice too.