Having been born and raised in LA with its short-sleeve/shorts weather Winters and having spent significant amounts of time in many other parts of the US and the World on extended business trips, I personally find this place (Western Washington US) to be one of the best places on the planet. Granted, it has its issues… but so does everywhere else. Each place has its own set of unique issues.

What makes Western Washington great to me is that its very moderate climate. The fact that the weather is never obnoxiously cold or obnoxiously hot. There are two very distinct “time of the year” (summer/winter) with a nice spring and a nice fall.

The most wonderful season here is Summer… its warm, generally sunny with really nice long days of sunlight. (Growing up in LA, I never got an appreciation for warm weather… it was simply always hot, or it just seemed that way.) Since moving here 18 years ago I have gained a wonderful appreciation for both the warm summers and the cold dark winters. Both moderate. I find that I long for the warmth of summer come March… and the cold of winter come September.

Combine this enjoyment of the climate with the lovely countryside and the accessibility of outdoor recreation… The lovely views on my drive to work (where I see the snow capped Olympic mountains in the morning and the snow capped Cascades in the evening), the generally good disposition of the people who live here, and you have one of the best places.

But, it comes down to what you need. Each place we love, we love for a reason. It fits us for any number of reasons. Be it social, be it climate, be it aesthetic, or be it some other reason. The key to find your favorite place is to know what connects you to a place. If you hate the weather here but love the people… look for a place with similar people but different climate. (Though, I suspect that its partly the climate that creates the social environment here in Western Wa.)

Oh, if you base your dislikes on simple the Seattle area… do know that Western Wa is many different places. Bellingham is different from Seattle as is Olympia as is Tacoma as is Port Angeles. There are variations in the weather and the people. There are places that the people would be right at home in Kansas and there are places where the people would hate Kansas but love Santa Cruz CA. Sometimes all it can take is a small move from say the Liberal Republican Eastside of the Seattle metro to the Yuppie Revisionist Leftist People’s Republic of Freemont.

So, before you move away… know what you’re looking for…