Thoughts on Bellingham

IMHO the holy grail of western wa is a living wage +20% job in bellingham. 4 seasons of phoenomenal fun. great great town. if you can stand the winters

The locals will try and steal your girl friend are are very secretive about their backcountry stashes and dismissive of Seattle skiers ...

As a Bellingham local (for the last 5 years) I can attest this much is true. It's a sweet town for outdoor enthusiasts, and since you already have female companionship, you won't mind the fact it's completely devoid of non-college aged women.

One thing to keep in mind, you may not see the sun for 4 months. Like anywhere in Washington, greybird and straight rainy weather is common throughout the winter. Good luck to you guys!

What about the eastern half of the state?

What about the eastern half of the state?

For the liberal elite coastal dwellers the Midwest starts at Cle Elem.

The Wenatchee / Leavenworth area has a lot going for it in terms of outdoor fun. Employment would be more challenging that Puget Sound City (Seattle/Tacoma/Everett) or B-Ham.

Politically Washington is a bi-colored state, as a very rough generalization -- west of the cascades it is a "Blue" state, east of the Cascades it is a "Red" state. But since there are so dang many folks living in Puget Sound City the state as a whole is a reliable "Blue" state -- which thankfully spares Washingtonians from most presidential campaign advertising.

Bellingham is a cool town, but don't delude yourself it isn't that close to either skiing or climbing. If you're a mountain biker, trail runner, or water sports person (though not flyfisherman) you might be in heaven though.

I have no idea what the job situation is for your field, but its generally a pretty tough area to find work in.