I'm moving to Orcas Island

[ZenLefty]

Anything I should know about your wonderful state?

[rsmith6621]

1. Why...

Do you have a job on the Island or are you self employed???

Washington is cold and wet and there are lots of lumberjacks and Bigfoots running around and OH OH... They are somewhat liberal minded... sure you want to move.

[ZenLefty]

4. Yup. Got jobs.

ZenLeftyGirl actually has the nice high paying job so if I really wanted to I could just sit in the hot tub and watch the world go by.

One look at that place and I couldn't imagine not being liberal minded. It just doesn't look like some conservative utopia. But I'm sure you get all stripes up there to some extent.

Being a lumberjack sounds fun. Cold doesn't bother me and wet is something I'm looking forward to. I might miss the sun, but I won't miss the smog.

[The Wielding Truth]

2. When you get there post some pics. It looks like a dream online. Good luck and enjoy.

[ZenLefty]

5. Thanks. Me and my camera will be busy.

It really is a magical place to us. We've been planning and working for years to move up there. ZenLeftyGirl wanted to retire up there and I told her we could not wait for retirement. We had to do this while we're young.

[teddy51]

3. Watch out for the deer population, there thousands there. It's a beautiful island, and busy

in the summer months.

[ZenLefty]

6. I hear we have bald eagles that roost right on our property.

I've never seen one outside of a zoo before. I'll try not to feed them.

[knowbody0]

7. one of my favorite islands here

I'm on Camano. you will be really close for all the city stuff offered in Seattle in case you crave it.

expect grey skies, but they only make you really appreciate the sunny days. lots of artists and hippies, small town gossip, fog horns, bikes, ferries, tourists.

[ZenLefty]

8. It looks like a really fun place to bike around

I'm going to be cautious and wait until I have a feel for the road traffic though. Drunk tourists on winding, hilly roads aren't the safest thing to ride alongside.

[PearliePoo2]

9. Welcome! Welcome!

San Juan County is the BLUEST (politically) county in all of Washington.
Orcas is beautiful. Laid back, progressive, small town atmosphere, sense of community, ecologically correct.
Winding country roads, (watch for deer, they are everywhere), farms, sheep, cattle and horses. Orca whales, dolphins, Dungeness crab, salmon, shrimp and cod. Fishing is good!
Lots of retired people with diverse backgrounds. (musicians, artists, poets, theater, scientists and authors)
There's Moran State Park with lakes, streams, hiking trails, camping and the highest point in the Islands, Mount Constitution at 2409' elevation. It has huge old-growth towering, Douglas Fir trees that have never been logged. The rainfall is considerably less than Seattle, but Orcas gets the most rain of all the Islands because the mountain tends to trap the moisture.
Now...access is by ferry ($expensive$), private boat or airplane. Some people feel restricted by this and get antsy and leave. Cost of living is rather high (groceries, rent, gasoline). Crime rate is low. (people still leave their doors unlocked, cars and houses both)
Winters are fairly mild, overcast and gray, but it gets dark early in the winter (4:30-ish). Some people find this gloomy, others love it. There's always some snow but it usually melts quickly. Occasional hard freeze (13 degrees is the lowest I've ever seen) with a Northeast cold wind that may last for less than a week generally. All four seasons are experienced. September is the best!
Any other questions...ask away!

[ZenLefty]

10. I am so looking forward to it.

Love the rain. Love the cool weather. I even love the gloom a bit.

Last time we tried to hike to the top of Constitution we stopped short. I intend to get up there this summer though. We've been all around Moran and absolutely love it.

Everything is a lot more expensive up there but we're really downsizing, and making do with less. I think we'll fit in nicely.

Only thing I'm a bit concerned about is bald eagles. I'm sure they'll consider my cat a happy meal. We intend to convert her to an indoor kitty and never let her out.

[PearliePoo2]

11. Yes, the eagles will definitely take a cat, given the chance.

(ughh...kitty collars with name-tags have been found discarded from nests). They will take a small dog and rabbits too. They tend to favor road kill though because it's easier. I've watched many an eagle take trout from a pond or salmon from the salt water. Owls and hawks are also abundant.
A friend of mine has an eagle nest on his property. He regularly puts out bait herring or raw chicken necks or gizzards on a huge granite rock within site of the tree. The eagles swoop down and get it. It's quite an experience up close!

[countryjake]

16. Good to hear that your kitty will become a "house" cat!

Some friends of ours on Orcas were determined not to contain their little flock of predators when they first moved out there, years ago. Besides the threat of having their pets become a part of the food chain (several simply disappeared within weeks after the move), they soon learned that introducing non-native "hunters" loose upon the delicate island habitat is actually not a very wise thing to do. Orcas' natural wildlife does not include domesticated cats!

[JFN1]

12. Orcas Island isn't named for Orcas (the shark/whale)

From Wiki:

The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of Horcasitas, or Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, the Viceroy of Mexico who sent an exploration expedition under Francisco de Eliza to the Pacific Northwest in 1791.

[ZenLefty]

13. I heard from someone there is an old Spanish fort somewhere on the island.

Never had time to research that, to find out where it is or if it's true, etc. I've never seen any reference to it in my previous travels to the island.

[Lucky Luciano]

14. I don't think I would live there, but I am very interested in visiting! nt

[countryjake]

15. That's one of the most eden-esque spots up here...

Orcas is where we usually go for our longer camping excursions...I just love Moran and we've hiked and fished all over that park thru the years. Judging by your responses, I'm guessing that you already know that Orcas is much like a little piece of heaven and you are both lucky to be able to live out there.

As you said above, our state does come with many stripes, but depending on how one approaches those differences can make living here easy or not. I transplanted myself in this state more than 32 yr ago (I do love the rain and the gray climate was one of the reasons I chose wa) and learning to live and work alongside those whose ideologies were totally contrary to mine turned out to be one of the pleasures of adopting this area as my home. My county is a lot bluer now than when I first moved to it and I think most of that is a result of developing a simple appreciation and respect for our neighbors, just naturally building friendships with folk who, taken out and away from the flooding, the fires, and all the other natural calamities we found we had in common, even the dying livelihoods, the crushing economy, high unemployment...seperated from those things, people might be on strikingly opposite sides of the fence, but living together thru the strife and struggles, there is much more in common to be found and that is the basis to build on.

[pscot]

17. Buy some woolies

It gets cold in the winter.