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really depends alot on what you are looking for. (Work, culture, recreation, weather)
I find WA is not as friendly, and most of our good friends are still from Colo, but that really is specific to areas, as WA home is pretty 'Urban' county (commuters to PDX) and the rural parts have been loggers (independant) Colo was more agrarian, (which I prefer, more socialble, help each other)
interesting that 70% of our neighbors in WA have unlisted phone numbers, I tribute this to the fact this area was settled by folks wanting to 'get away', but I note that certain social studies target the PNW as being 'anti-social'. Kinda like the church statistics ~3-5% churched in PNW where Colo is likely closer to 30-50%.
WA - ***
is really 2 different states (east side / farms and dry and conservative) West is liberal, green, timber and Starbucks (and controls all the voting, same as OR)
no state income tax, ok if you have income (I'm recently retired, (laid-off) and am forced to leave WA due to property tax burden) Tough taxation for an independent businessman also. (I'm also tired of 'leaky cars, rusty tools and electrical issues due to moisture', we had 24" rain in Nov and 12" in Dec, that's adequate...) It has snowed 4 times, tho not much, but 3 days of freezing rain and 70 mph winds just last week. It's been an 'extreme' water yr already, started in Oct...
Recreation is pretty good, and you can still 'get away' without crowds.
weather, you can choose from the gamit, Spokane is quite similar to Colo, but cloudier in winter and warmer in summer.
Culture is good and diverse (you don't have to go to Denver (or Portland or Seattle for everything)
Lots to see and do (sea kayaking to snow skiing all within 1 hr (if on west side)) But, the rain can get some folks down, and some need to use 'light therapy' in winter. Basically you need to exercise and endure / enjoy it. It really wears me down, having been a prairie boy, and often having to work on my WA farm in the rain (prune, plow and plant...) + building homes and structures, you just have to get wet and do-it, don't wait for a clear day (June) I dislike only having 80-100 days of sun to get outdoor stuff built, bulldozed, fixed, improved... and end up missing those as precious days of recreation,
so... don't be a driven farmer and live 'westside' (you also have a very tenuos crop production... mold, frost, ... (but not hail, like Colo ) Having 'elective hobbies' outside vs. 'mandantory work tasks' could make living w/ 285 days of rain a whole lot different, my wife thinks it's great (she sews and reads...)
WA schools (k-12) are good on the Islands (san Juan) and in Pullman , Lynden and along Lake WA $$$, pretty crummy elsewhere, the state statistics are available and very telling, you need to be selective, or better yet - be involved!! We homeschooled thru grade 10, then kids did 'community college' (for free jr and sr yrs WA 'Running Start Program') both graduated from state U's with only 2 years of loans
Colo ****
is really nice, can be mild in areas (not this week...very rare blizzard, I rode my bike to work all but 3 days my last yr in Colorado) Biking is MUCH better - snow shoulders on roads, legal use of right lane to bikes, people give you space (definately not that way in WA ) lots to see, not so much to do... hiking vistas are much more scenic (fewer trees in the way) Stars are great. Beach is A LONG ways away...
It's really getting too crowded and expensive and available water might become a BIG(-ger) issue, especially if / when we(USA) has a food crisis... The Denver airport is in Kansas (I like to travel internationally, so Portland and Seattle are (were) great hubs)
Pollution is a problem on eastern slope (front range)
Schools are probably better, tho not necessarily
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