Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Seattle, Washington
Beautiful Seattle Beckons with its Rich Cultural Offerings, Fun Sporting Events, Outstanding Restaurants, Excellent Medical Facilities, OLLI and Much More
Beautiful Seattle (population 750,000 with more than 4 million in the metro area) sits on an isthmus between shimmering Puget Sound and long, narrow Lake Washington in west central Washington State and is roughly 100 miles south of the U.S./Canadian border. The city dates from the mid-1800s and has a history of boom and bust, from timber harvesting and gold mining to the high tech economy.
The ciyt has mushroomed by 25% within the last decade, thanks in large part to Amazon, with its nearly 80,000 local employees, and other tech companies, including SAP Concur, Tableau and more
Thanks in part to this growth, the cost of living is now 88% above the national average. More than 60% of residents hold at least a four year college degree. The city is overwhelmingly liberal, with nearly 70% of locals calling themselves Democrats. Thirty two percent of residents are age 45 or better.
The median home price is $895,000, reflecting a 17% increase since a year ago. See This Completely Charming Seattle Houseboat for Sale for $154,900. Renting a two-bedroom apartment runs about $2,200 per month. Hot neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, and Lower Queen Anne usually have the most volatile prices. Some suburbs can still offer a somewhat more reasonably priced mix of condos and single-family homes, but in general, this area is an expensive place to live.
One bright light for retirees is that Washington is generally tax-friendly. There is no broad-based personal income tax, no tax on retirement income or Social Security, and some property tax relief.
Residents need not wander far to find something to do. Downtown is packed with a diverse array of restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries.
Companies like ACT and the Seattle Repertory Theatre offer everything from comedy and drama to classics and world premieres. Seattle also sustains a vibrant symphony, an opera company, and a ballet troupe. The Museum of Art, the Museum of Flight, and the Museum of History and the Museum of Pop Culture are just few stops within the city's eclectic museum scene.
More than 80 clubs and music venues keep Seattle's reputation for rock alive. Afterall, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and grunge rock were all born within Seattle's borders.
Sports fans have the Seattle Seahawks (football), the Sounders (soccer), the Mariners (baseball), and the Storm (women's basketball) to cheer and support.
Locals enjoy nature trails, public gardens and more than 450 parks. Washington Park Arboretum is a mix of wild woods, canopied pathways, and a well-manicured Azalea Way. The 350-acre Magnuson Park sits on Sand Point in Pontiac Bay. Visitors can picnic, bike, fly a kite, swim, or launch a boat. The city also supports an aquarium and a zoo.
The University of Washington's medical center has a national reputation for innovative cardiac interventions and lands on many "best" lists. It is accredited by the Joint Commission.
Seattle Central College and the University of Washington (46,000 students) call Seattle home. Both offer personal and professional development classes. The University has an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).
With the Space Needle towering, the Cascade Mountains and Olympic Mountains looming in the distance and two bodies of water sparkling, Seattle's cityscape is one of the prettiest in the United States. The surrounding natural beauty encourages day trips to Mount Rainier, the Hoh Rain Forest, Vashon Island, and the 270-foot Snoqualmie Falls.
Nicknamed the Emerald City, Seattle is not exactly a sunshine haven. With an average of 225 cloudy days per year, it is more like the kingdom of mist and drizzle. But all that rain has made the city lush and green. Summer temperatures are in the 70s and 80s. Winter temperatures are in the 30s and 40s. The city receives 38 inches of rain and six inches of snow per year on average.
Public transportation options include bus, light rail, street car, and monorail.
Like any major city, Seattle has some issues. Because it is wedged onto a strip of land between a sound and a lake, traffic in and out of the city is a headache and solutions may be nowhere in sight as both floating bridges and the ferry fleet have had notable failures. The homeless population is visible and growing thanks to the increasing cost of living. The crime rate is above the national average. Gentrification is pushing lower income residents out of their homes.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes | Is Washington Tax-Friendly for Retirement? Yes
Seattle is expensive and overcast. It struggles with homelessness and has a higher than average crime rate. Yet its raft of things to do, sparkling location, educated population, very good medical facilities, transportation options and stimulating environment make the city a place to consider for retirement.
Washington:
Washington is in the Pacific Northwest. It is just south of British Columbia in Canada, north of Oregon and west of Idaho. The state was carved out of the western part of the Washington Territory and admitted into the Union as the 42nd state in 1889.
Approximately 60% of Washington's population lives within the Seattle metropolitan area. The rest of the population lives amid the rain forests in the west, the mountain ranges in the center, northeast, southeast and east, and the semi-arid deserts in the east.
Named after George Washington, the state is the only one named after a president. In order to distinguish it from Washington D.C., Washington is often referred to as Washington State.
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