Possible retirement in Vancouver Washington (Seattle, Salmon Creek: 2014, apartment, crimes)

[Blamoine]

My husband and I will retire in 6-7 years and would like to be close to water. We were thinking about Vancouver Washington. Our research shows that the cost of living is reasonable; which is important since our combined income will be $46,000.

We have not been there before, so was hoping someone could give us some information about the City. There is information on the internet, but 2014 is the lastest information we can find.

I would appreciate any information on this town.

Thank you.

[turkeydance]

it is WAAY bigger than Seattle.
it is VERY expensive (for us).
have to a citizen for healthcare.

[Jane917]

Originally Posted by turkeydance

it is WAAY bigger than Seattle.
it is VERY expensive (for us).
have to a citizen for healthcare.

I think turkey dance is referring to Vancouver BC. I believe the OP is referring to Vancouver WA.

[texasdiver]

It is a perfectly good place to retire if you don't mind the climate. Your biggest issue will be housing costs. Median 2-br apartment costs in Vancouver are now in the $1700 range: https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/...ing-portlands/

If you are selling a house and rolling your equity into something in Vancouver then it may be doable on your income level. If you are expecting to cover all your housing costs on that income and also have room for other expenses and lifestyle then your income is going to be pretty tight.

Thing to keep in mind. Vancouver is a favored suburb for Portland workers because it is so close to jobs. So you are paying a considerable premium to be within the Portland metro area. You can find considerably cheaper options out past easy commuting distance to Portland.

Oh, and BTW Turkeydance. The Vancouver BC metro area is only about 2/3 the size of the Seattle metro area. Vancouver BC is actually very close to the Portland metro area in size. It just "feels" a lot larger because the central city is much more dense due to different land use laws. Here are the metro and city populations for all three cities:

Population Comparisons
Metro Seattle: 3,939,363 (724,745 city)
Metro Portland: 2,478,810 (647,805 city)
Metro Vancouver BC: 2,463,431 (675,218 city)

[cyberous]

Originally Posted by Blamoine

My husband and I will retire in 6-7 years and would like to be close to water. We were thinking about Vancouver Washington. Our research shows that the cost of living is reasonable; which is important since our combined income will be $46,000.

We have not been there before, so was hoping someone could give us some information about the City. There is information on the internet, but 2014 is the lastest information we can find.

I would appreciate any information on this town.

Thank you.

Just how close to water do you want to be? Most of the floating homes are on the Oregon side, but Washington does have a few. Google Kadow's Marina. Several of the Marinas in the area allow live a boards, so a large 40'+ boat might work out for you. However, research boat taxes in Washington vs. Oregon. Its very expensive in Washington compared to Oregon. Be careful if you register in Oregon and sit in Washington, Washington is very diligent on collecting taxes.

How old will you be when moving here? Do you need to be close to medical facilities? We were looking for a place for my in-laws. Salmon Creek area was a great choice due to the large facility there. However they finally realized that its just too cold and wet so they opted for dryer and warmer climate... mostly dryer.

You need to come visit November-February. Get a feel for the gray drizzly days. Coming in July does not give you a true picture of whats required to live in the PNW.

[cdelena]

We retired here in Vancouver and have enjoyed the weather, access to medical, shopping, airport, and nature areas. Slightly higher cost but less hassle than many places.

[StealthRabbit]

Not supposed to 'cross-post', so...
see comments here:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/tri-c...ashington.html

...Here is our local 'retiree' news. (SWWA)... no ocean at this location, but a very LARGE river. and great nearby fishing / hiking, and a superb International airport <20 min away.
https://www.cityofvancouver.us/messenger

[TheOrca]

Vancouver is beautiful geographically, and particularly the hub like nature it seems to have when you think of how you can go to the mountains, the columbia river, the ocean, lakes, hikes, and an active big city within a 2 hour drive.

It seems to have all of the benefits of a big city, suburb, and rural area at the same time. The only real downside to Vancouver could be the cost, but I think the cost is a product of the demand to live here as well as some not so good political decisions. ex: Giving public school teachers 6 figures for a 6 month job in a city where the median income is $30,000. That's at the very least a bit irresponsible. In any case this among many things is a key driver of increasing property taxes and thus housing costs around Vancouver.

Ultimately I think it's a good area that will continue to see social and economic growth if not constrained by over regulation and taxation. Vancouver is really at a prime moment in its life, where the people and its government have the responsibility to make the right decisions around making sure Vancouver can reach its ultimate economic potential.

I just hope we don't tax too much and force all of the wealthy people to leave and consequently have less tax revenue for Vancouver and its people among other things.

Also if you want to be in a nice area, then live in South East Vancouver it's a lot more expensive for a reason.

If you're not in South East Vancouver then expect a lot greater risk of crimes, homeless people, etc..... Some people don't mind it. I've lived in both and I can say that I feel way better in South East Vancouver.

[texasdiver]

TheOrca:

What do you define as South East Vancouver? The Fishers Landing area? Or are you talking about someplace else?

[TheOrca]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

TheOrca:

What do you define as South East Vancouver? The Fishers Landing area? Or are you talking about someplace else?

I would say east of 205 and south of mill plain is the area in Vancouver that I like the most