So. Tell me about Washington...

[breakingbrie]

specifically the Ft. Lewis area... I'm pretty sure there are some girls from WA around here?

[Milmomma]

Angie is in WA but I always forget where. I wanted to be stationed there but it wasn't an option. It just looks so pretty!

[color of my heart]

My fiance is from Washington, I'll ask him about it and get back to you.

[Nettio]

I've heard the area directly around Ft Lewis isn't that nice - possibly a little sketchy? But that seems to be true for a lot of bases so I imagine it gets nicer as you move farther out. WA in general is really nice though. It's on our we wouldn't mind being stationed there list, haha.

[Julie Billingsley]

Is there something specific you want to know? I lived in Bremerton which is about an hour away from Ft. Lewis. Ft. Lewis is the Army side of the base, but they share the base with the Air Force. The Air Force side is called McChord. My only on-base experiences were limited to the hospital. My dad and ex-h were Navy, so if some medical issue was complex then Navy Hospital would send you to Madigan Army Hospital. This was back in the 90's though, so it could certainly be different for dependents now.

Location-wise, Ft. Lewis/McChord is about 10 miles from Tacoma. Tacoma is a major city in Washington, with large mall, etc. Weather-wise, it's a lot of gray and rain. The Pacific Northwest is known for it's rain and for it's moderate tempertures. You'll see some snow in the winter, but typically not more than a few days of it. You'll also see a day or two above 100 degrees, but once in a while a stretch of high heat hits. Otherwise, the northwest stays in decent temperature.

If you have specific questions, I'll try to help. I don't have any idea about neighborhoods though. Hope that helps!

[Kara]

We used to live halfway between Seattle and Tacoma. I loved how green it was, the mountains and the incredible scenery. I didn't mind the rain too much. There are some sketchy areas in/around Tacoma, but there is also a lot of new development because housing prices were so high that people would live an hour out of Seattle just to afford a decent place. At least, that's how it was when we lived there.

I really liked the area and if it wasn't so far away from family, I'd be interested in moving back.

[breakingbrie]

I don't even know what I want to know lol. I guess I'm just nervous since it's so far away from here. I'm sure it just seems like it'll be so different since it's on the other side of the country. The only thing I've ever heard about WA is that it's rainy, but it's not like OH has the best weather.

It does look very pretty, and I'm sure there's lots to see out there! Anything I should make a point to go see specifically?

[Jen22]

My hubby was stationed there, and I grew up about an hour and a half south of there. It does rain, but I guess I don't really think about it cuz it was just part of my life, you know? And the year we lived there, we got more snow than I'm used to. I'm used to a couple days of snow each year - that's it. We got more (though it was 8yrs ago, so I'm not sure how much we got).

Do you know if you'll be living on or off base? We lived off base a little bit north of the base. We actually lived in a college town (Puyallup area), and I really liked it (I thought it would be more like party central, but I never got that feeling). The traffic through the base's exit as well as Olympia can be a pain - it's something I remember from driving from there to my hometown (Vancouver, WA) a lot.

There's lots of stuff around there (I currently live in a teeny-tiny town, so it's something I miss and think about quite often, lol). You've got Tacoma mall not too far from there. And Tacoma is right there too, and Seattle is really close, so that's nice. And a bunch of surrounding towns that are nice and full of stores and stuff to do. You won't be lacking in things to do I think And the Puget Sound is gorgeous. The coast isn't too far either (oh I miss those, lol).

Not sure what else you want to know, but I would give anything to live there again - so I'm really jealous, lol

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by breakingbrie

The only thing I've ever heard about WA is that it's rainy, but it's not like OH has the best weather.

Anything I should make a point to go see specifically?

so I take it that you'll be moving to Ft. Lewis? Or just visiting?

My dad has 2 houses... one in Savanna, IL (which is right near Clinton, OH) and one in Bremerton, WA. My dad lives April-Sept in Savanna and complains about the heat and thunderstorms all summer long. And he lives Oct-March in Washington and says it's just bliss. The winters are very tame compared to OH/IL.

I currently live about 3 hours from there and I'd move to the area in a heartbeat. I love the Seattle/Tacoma/Bremerton area (that area is called the Puget Sound region).

Things to see are just numerous! Seattle being just an hour away will provide just about anything you want to experience. For recreation there is skiiing, hiking, boating.... and for cultural there is everything from the ballet to museums to the theatre.

[julifish]

We visited Tacoma and Seattle a few years ago - LOL! Tacoma has an amazing zoo and the glass museum is a must see! My husband and kids still talk about that zoo quite often. They had animals out of the cages out on leashes walking around. Ever seen a beaver on a leash? Well I have...in Tacoma.

[pewtertm]

There is SOOO much to see there! DH was stationed at Ft. Lewis for 3 years and it is the one place that we both agree we'd like to move to when he retires. Not that we will...but we both love it up there.

One must for us is to hop on one of the Washington State Ferries in Anacortes and go over to Friday Harbor. They have a wonderful lavender farm, and Lime Kiln State Park has a lighthouse and is great for whale watching. We saw several pods of orca near the cliffs while we were there...such a thrilling site!

[breakingbrie]

Thanks for all the replies girls! Yes, Julie, we will be moving there. I feel all homesick already, and I don't even know when we're leaving. I've lived in GA for a while, but I had a ton of aunt and uncles and cousins there in Ga, so I didn't feel so far away. I'm so going to miss my mom!!

I'm starting to get excited though, already looking around to see what's there. I'm excited to be close to the ocean! (although, I was hoping we'd be moving closer to the Atlantic, than the Pacific lol) But, I am determined to see the ocean... even though it may give me a panic attack seeing all that water in one place

[Melissa Bennett]

I am from that area and the area right outside the base you want to avoid for living in, if you will be living off base. There are other areas that are really nice to too far away. Just be prepared for traffic, rain and cooler temps. It is a beautiful place.

[Misty Cato]

I'm in the Everett area, about an hour south of Ft. Lewis. I don't know much about Ft. Lewis specifically, but just wanted to ditto the others that there is so much to see and do here. Something for everyone really; skiing, hiking, camping, boating, museums, shopping, theater, and lots of interesting local sites (Space Needle, Ballard Locks, Pike's Place Market, etc.) I think you will enjoy your time here.

Washington girls - we should get together sometime.

[color of my heart]

i asked the boy. he said "it's near tacoma. it's close to seattle" << he's such a boy.

seattle is fun. i was there last week. pike place market is amazinggggg. everett is fun as well. if you go north, there's anacortes (so so pretty), and coupeville (again, so so pretty) up by oak harbor (where the boy grew up). washington is super pretty, and really really green. i've only been out there once, but it was beautiful. the weather is TOTALLY different from anywhere i've ever been. it's very wet. like, humid wet. but it's cooler than what i'm used to.

[urmysunshine]

I live outside of Seattle too. Very temperate climate. Never too cold or too hot for more than a day or two. Yes, it rains a lot, but I presume that you will be headed off to a different base in a couple years, so it's something you should be able to handle short term. The trade off for all that is that this place is BEAUTIFUL! Green everywhere, snow capped mountains all around, when the skies are blue the water is blue. Lots of outdoor activities, a pretty big city but not so big that it's out of control with crime, good universities and school districts, lots of industry and big corporations around, etc. In general people like Seattle more than Tacoma, but I've only really spent time in Seattle and surrounding areas.

[nun69]

you will love it here The 1st year may be hard simply because some people just need time to adjust to the weather conditions (gets dark by 4 pm in the winter!) But in all honesty, once you get used to it, you just plan to do anything rain or shine And like Misty said there are tons of things to do herre!!!

Pike's Place
Space Needle
Pacific Science Center
Boeing Air and Space Museum
Seattle Zoo
Children's Museum
Forks WA (and do the Twilight tour)
Leavenworth (beautiful little town in the mountains)
MT Baker
MT Rainer
Snowboarding
hiking
Siwmming
all kinds of stuff to do on the water
fishing
camping
Silverwood (which is on the border of Idaho)
Can see a Mariner's Game or a Seahawks game
Great Wolf Lodge

I don't know much about the area, but I do know that right outside the base (Tacoma) there are some really shady areas. I would defeinetly look at some places not so clase to the base, but you will definetely need to be prepared for traffic!!!! I live about 2.5 hours driectlyu North of Ft Lewis and everytime we drive down I-5 to Oregon it is a total cluster when it comes to traffic at the base. I would recommend trying to find a "sponsor" in the dept/division your DH is transferrign too and have them give you recommendations. If you need iny other help there are lots of us here so just ask!

[breakingbrie]

Wow, sounds like so much to see/do! Ohio doesn't have much lol. I think I can handle more rain, and cooler temps! I don't too much like traffic, but dh drives everywhere anyways since he says I drive like a girl It gets dark here early in the winter, too, so that's not bad.

Thanks for all the info girls! It's helping me feel better about moving there

[nun69]

and once you get here Brie, we will defientely have to have a Seattle girls meet up

[Julie Billingsley]

so when are you moving Brie? Right now we are in our wonderful months mid June-early Oct is the best time in the Pacific NW

[SeattleSheri]

I've lived in Seattle all my life and have actually never been to Ft. Lewis ... even though it's only a about an hour South. My advice is to just scope out the area you plan to live before committing to housing. There are good and bad neighborhoods everywhere. The traffic in areas outside of the Seattle metro area are not nearly as bad. In general, WA, is a great place to live. The weather is fairly moderate and there are lots of activities. You can find a lot of information by googling the demographics for Ft. Lewis. http://www.areavibes.com/fort+lewis-wa/demographics/

Good luck!

[breakingbrie]

Thanks for the link Sheri, and all the info girls! Julie, I don't know when he has to be there - think he'll find out friday. It'll be nice to know something for a change after alll this time we've been waiting! Except now it feels like it's happening so fast lol!