Drier places to live - PNW or West - feedback please?

[Sally S Miles]

I do know that there is a TriCities group, it's not very active. I do know there are other areas - but at the moment  I'm going rogue and querying that entire map.

We live in the Puget Sound area and am desperately seeking a drier place to go, details are immaterial at this point, just trust that this is not an optional move.  I've had friends suggest the Tri Cities area. Others suggest Medford OR or Pendleton OR - - frankly I have followed maps and diagrams til I am nauseous.   I don't want to live in isolation. 

I have lived in many areas of this beautiful country,  I'm collecting data and trying to hone in on my 'gut'. That being said, desperation can cloud judgement and so any information that anyone is willing to spill about their area and why/what = please feed me,  Thanks in advance!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Sounds like you are interested in the PNW, but are you just tired of the rain or have medical reasons for wanting a drier climate?  Of course, California is very dry right now as we are coming through a drought.  In fact, it is so dry here right now that I moved a bird bath below our house to get it out of the yard because wild animals were coming into our yard to get a drink of water.  They took out a natural area to build a new road and freeway off-ramp and it destroyed the homes of many wild animals.  Coyotes and foxes frequently come right up to our house looking for some food or water.  I feel so sorry for the animals because their homes were destroyed. 

So, back to your problem.  I grew up near Spokane, and it is very seasonal there.  There are many places in WA and OR that are drier than the Seattle area, but why do you want to relocate?  Are you retired?  Work from home?  Client base?  Divorce?  Death in the family?  We live in (what we consider) to be the ideal location on the central coast of California.  It is never hot (except last week there were two days of heat in the high nineties) and never cold.  Generally, the temperature is between 55 and 75.  Rainy season (generally) is Nov. - Mar.  We need to keep jackets and sweaters with us whenever we leave the house for any extended period of time.  My husband's family lives in Arizona and it is generally dry there.  However, you have to deal with the heat in Arizona.  They originally moved there because of my FIL's asthma and ended up staying a lifetime.  He is 99 now.

So, what are you looking for?  Rain is wonderful, but I know it gets very tiring.  When you say it is not an optional move, what do you mean?  BTW, Adina lives inland in WA and you might check out her area.  She seems quite happy there.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ricki (and Tara) is in Medford, hopefully she will chime in here. If not, you might want to message her.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, as Karen said, I live in Medford and previously lived in Pendleton. I just sent you a PM...

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I live in Portland, OR and find that we have spells of drier periods followed by wetter ones. I don't care for rain, but considering the alternative (drier, drought-prone locations) I guess I'll settle for the rainy seasons. Personally, I really love the Grants Pass area (just north of Medford), mainly for the climate and drier heat. Bend (central Oregon's high desert) is nice too, but it does get quite cold in the Winter.

[Lynda Kamrath]

That is so funny, Debb.  That is where we planned to retire (Grant's Pass) and even had a house all picked out and arranged with the builder.  However, when he passed away, his daughter decided she wanted the house and came out from Massachusetts.  We loved the weather there.  Well, my mother needed more care about that time, so we have decided to just stay put.  She would not move to Oregon.  But we would have moved in a heartbeat.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

i've vacationed there many times and it always felt like 'coming home'. The weather and the close proximity to the Rogue River were drawing points, as well as plenty of mountain biking trails. Not too terribly far from ocean beaches, either,

Funny that you should mention retiring there, as we've often said we'd like to retire in Bend. As Ricki mentioned though, it can feel very isolated in the Winter, but even then, snow skiing was always a good excuse to visit. Summers of course are beautiful with lots of bike trails, golfing and Deschutes River activities.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Bike trails are wonderful, good skiing just an hour away, Rogue River, great access with Hwy. 5, and Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival.  It seemed like a perfect retirement place for us.  And the house was small (2 bedroom) with a huge woodshop nearby with its own bath, office, and huge storage area.  We were definitely enamored.  Too bad it fell through.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Grants Pass is only about 30 miles north of Medford and the climate is nearly identical. Josephine County which houses Grants Pass, is currently in a financial meltdown and it is effecting the availability of police and emergency services in that area.  They can't even afford to house their criminals right now and are renting jail cells from Medford/Jackson County. I wouldn't recommend it at this time.

Bend is very nice in the summer but as you said can get very cold in the winter months. Also, not being in the I-5 corridor, it can be somewhat isolated especially in the winter.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

That's good to know about Josephine County's financial problems. I haven't been in years.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes, Lynda is correct about AZ. our humidity can even get into the single digets at times, but roughly stays around 25-35%. All year long, few exceptions. Very little rain. I came from rainy, humid Florida and I would never be able to live with those conditions again. However, it gets very hot, for about 5 months and taking the dogs out after 9:00 am in the summer can be difficult. But with a pool and being very early risers, it's not a problem. I love it here although California sounds very nice. Good luck with your decision. But if heat doesn't bother you and humidity and / or rain does, AZ is your place!!! BTW; 7 months of the year we have picture perfect cool/ coldish weather.

[Lynda Kamrath]

True, Sue, my husband is going back to visit his family this week, but I am staying home with the dogs.  I will only go to Arizona between Nov. and April.  I really cannot take the heat.  But people who grew up there have no problem with the heat.  They just say it is a dry heat.  That is why the Canadians come in the winter.  They call them the "snowbirds" and they are also there during the months I prefer to be in Arizona.  Canada is just too cold and snowed in during the winter.

[Adina P]

I like Walla Walla :)  I'm just an hour away from Tri Cities. 
We have one active member from Tri Cities.