washington state cities

[seasonchange]

hey there,
been a reeeeally long time since i've been around these parts, but figured this is the best place to get some opinions on the best cities in washington state.
basically, i'm trying to settle down for a little while after i work a festival in southern california this september. i love the climate in washington state and have a number of friends living there, but i wanted to know what cities you'd settle in first if you were making the move.
so far i'm considering olympia, bellingham, port townsend, bellevue, tacoma, and maybe seattle (the only city in washington i've spent time in).
pros? cons? advice? i'll likely get a job in the service industry and would like to volunteer some time at info shops or venues. looking to live in a communal housing situation with rad folk, will likely walk and bike and would prefer public transit in winter.
thanks for your help, y'all!

 

[DoctorApocalypse]

Welcome back

Having been around Washington state for a while now I can say definitely not bellevue, it's far too stuck up its own ass and so are the people. Tacoma is alright in spots, though some areas can get kinda rough, not like Detroit or Chicago rough, but still some areas of that town can be among the roughest in the state, Oly and Bellingham are decent, a bit too slow of a pace for my tastes cos they're essentially college towns but I know a lotta people who love living in each respective town. I don't have much experience with Port Townsend, only been there a couple times and that's because it's really far away from everything and kinda a bitch to get to/from. Seattle is where I currently reside and of all the spots you listed I like it the best, though it can be pretty expensive, it's got a lotta diversity, lots of resources, etc...

Hope that helps.

 

[iamwhatiam]

If you go to Port Townsend, check out the Boiler Room. It's the not-for-profit coffee shop there that holds open mics, food not bombs, weekly events, etc. Some cool people there. I don't think there's much in the way of venues - it's more of an artsy touristy little town in the summer at least, but it's beautiful and worth checking out I think.

 

[seasonchange]

thanks for the input! moved to chicago for a couple months then moving back to michigan for the winter. likely heading out (pacific north)west come summer/next fall. will let y'all know what happens and how the region pans out for me.

 

[lanekalo]

Hi I'm also looking to move back to Pacific Northwest (Washington primarily) late summer early fall. I'm living in Chicago right now.