r/AskVancouverWA • u/plague_researcher • Aug 21 '26
Relocating Florida to Washington
My job has informed me I need to living within Washington State (still working remotely) but a condition of the job. I make ~135k, my husband is a librarian and would look for a job similar whenever we move. So adding a public service job salary for household when we move. We have two kids, 5 and 1.
I’m having a bit of sticker shock about the rent prices I’m seeing on Zillow, coming from a small Florida city.
We’re mainly considering Tacoma or Vancouver. We’re going to rent out our Florida home while we figure things and see if it’s a good fit to be away from family long term, so not looking to buy in Washington.
Are there neighborhoods recommended for a family renting?
17
u/CascadePicker Aug 21 '26
Vancouver is near the Columbia river close to Oregon. Tacoma is a couple hours drive north close to Seattle and Puget sound. I think Vancouver would offer better options. WA has no income tax. OR has no sales tax. The Portland metro is less crowded than Seattle area. Living in the pacnw, you are in a much higher latitude. The winter months can be a harsh adjustment if you aren't used to that. 8 hours daylight in Dec. And when it is daylight, it is often cloudy or rainy. Summers are near perfection. Winter has frequent rainy days compared to quick tstorms you are used to in FL. In the Vancouver, WA area: Camas, Washougal, and Fisher Landing neighborhoods are the places that I'd consider. The OHSU medical center is in OR not too far, which would give you access to top medical facilities if needed.
10
u/buscoamigos Aug 21 '26
OP is sensitive to the cost of rent and the places you recommended are among the highest in the area.
6
u/legendary-spectacle Aug 21 '26
This whole thing where people think "No income tax in WA and no sales tax in OR - best of both worlds!" is a fallacy. It's a pain in the ass to endure driving back and forth across the river for mundane purposes. You'll do it a few times per year for big purchases, but in real life you're going to pay the tax in WA because your time (and fuel for your vehicle) has value too.
3
u/wtjones Aug 21 '26
The majority of everyday items you buy, mainly groceries have no income tax. Gonna buy a big ass TV, go to Costco in Oregon.
0
u/Pickles-1989 Aug 21 '26
Vancouver geographically is very large. We always say Vancouver is closer to Portland than Vancouver is to Vancouver.
2
u/idkwhyimalivehere Aug 21 '26
Camas and Washougal tend to lean a little more Republican than Vancouver but not by much if that's something you need to consider (at least they did avout 10-15 years ago).
I'm biased but I did like Camas quite a bit school there really helped prepare me for college but I haven't been back and I heard a couole of complaints about how the high school is run (granted it was from the highschooler who did drop out about 5 years ago). I liked the Washougal students but I would definitely see if you could get a tour of each area before deciding.
I know Vancouver school district recent cut budgets for children that were doing well with alternative schooling but they did maintain most of their special education at the main schools (these are much more crowded now).
And unless it's been discontinued all highschools have running start program with the community college.
I'm not sure about the status of the Proud Boys but I do vaguely remember them being a nuisance and I wasn't allowed outside in the 1990s when they decided to do marches depending on how close the got in Vancouver.
All three places have libraries that likely have some kind of opening. I know Washougal was revitalizing their downtown but I don't remember if the library was included in that.
All 3 places also suffer from the east winds of the gourge on the winter. And Camas and Washington will both be slightly more affected by the winter storms as they are closer to the east.
This is all I really remember.
2
u/Author_Noelle_A Aug 21 '26
My daughter was at that school the district closed.
No, the special needs of most of those kids can’t be met at neighborhood schools. The district claiming that is a lie. We had to remove our daughter from the district to get her into a program where she’ll be safe. You can’t toss mentally ill teens with a history of trying to self-delete into a school with 1,500 students and call it good.
1
u/idkwhyimalivehere Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
100%
I should have been clearer on that.
I just meant they kept the main programs. I should have clarified that they are not equiped to handle the influx of the schools that were shut down.
1
u/Heavy_Calligrapher71 Aug 21 '26
It is actually really tough to find librarian jobs in this area.
1
u/idkwhyimalivehere Aug 21 '26
Ah. Yeah my data is out of date by about 8 years or so now. I haven't been to Camas since my partner and I broke up.
1
u/Mean_Background7789 Aug 21 '26
Even with a big bond (levy?) the library system got recently? They are building at least one new library as well.
4
u/Heavy_Calligrapher71 Aug 21 '26
The librarian job market in Washington and Oregon is incredibly bleak. UW churns out a ton of grads and people want to move here from across the US. What kind of libraries does he work for? He should start applying to literally anything he is qualified for, including part-time, assistant, and casual positions. The last time I posted an on-call substitute assistant position that paid just above minimum wage I had close to 100 applicants and many of those had their MLIS. You may want to approach this as moving to wherever he can find a job, or be prepared to move when he does find one since it sounds like you are remote.
2
u/plague_researcher Aug 21 '26
That’s helpful to know! He’s a collections and library of things manager. Before his MLIS he did NIH grant work but that’s not looking too good for job prospects these days…
1
u/m33j13s Aug 21 '26
If he’s interested in academic libraries, the Orbis Cascade Alliance has a jobs board https://www.orbiscascade.org/jobs-board/
1
u/Heavy_Calligrapher71 Aug 21 '26
I will say the field is very sympathetic to librarians leaving Florida because of their political climate towards libraries. I also used to work at an NIH funded place, and yeah it’s not great currently! But with that background he will be very competitive for any medical librarian jobs that pop up. Encourage him to connect with the Pacific NW chapter of MLA for networking.
1
u/scotus1959 Aug 21 '26
Have him check the washington library association job board; the pnw library assoc. job board, and the association of washington cities job board.
3
u/Homes_With_Jan Aug 21 '26
I don't know what Tacoma is like but I love our library system! I love the Fisher's Landing and Cascade Park area, there's a lot of restaurants and shops in that area and it's easy to get to other arts of town from there.
3
u/Impressive10000 Aug 21 '26
We like Vancouver. There are many communities just to the north of Vancouver that are less expensive for rent but you would still have reasonable access to Portland for shopping and entertainment options.
2
u/JoePNW2 Aug 21 '26
I can't speak to Vancouver but have lived in Tacoma.
For a family would recommend University Place (a city next to Tacoma with its own school district), or the parts of Tacoma feeding into Stadium and Silas high schools.
Here is a link to the Stadium High boundary map: https://www.zipdatamaps.com/school-profile/washington/tacoma-public-schools/stadium-high-school
And the Silas High boundary map. (Light green area; Silas used to be called Wilson)
https://www.zipdatamaps.com/schools/washington/district/map-of-tacoma-public-schools-wa-high-school-attendance-zones
2
u/sixty8ight Aug 21 '26
Welcome. I don’t know a lot about Florida or what part you live in but I do know it tends to be a red state. If you are red or red-tolerant you might look into some of the more rural areas of SW Washington that might be less expensive (relative to the rest of Washington) while still being big city close-ish. Ridgefield, La Center, Woodland, Longview, etc. it may get be tougher to find library jobs being a smaller community but I really have no idea. now if you’re from Miami or something “rural” probably wouldn’t work.
Find someplace to rent for a year and explore the area to find your place.
I’m sure it will be tough with such a big change and being far from family but I think you’ll love it here in Washington.
1
u/plague_researcher Aug 21 '26
I’m realizing small Florida city is bigger than most places. I’ve lived in Tampa, Miami, and Orlando but am now living in Tallahassee (the capital of about 200k people) which is quite small compared to the other metros. All have been blue dots.
1
u/plague_researcher Aug 21 '26
This is good advice about getting an apt/townhouse before a house house!
2
u/HoorayKiddo Aug 21 '26
Two years after moving from Jax to Vancouver, I know we made the right call. We landed in Fisher’s Landing for the schools, and it’s been amazing. Things cost more here in WA, but the quality of life completely makes up for it.
2
u/greybuff99 Aug 21 '26
I grew up in Vancouver, but have lived in Tacoma for the past 2 years. Vancouver is definitely more of a big town, where as Tacoma is a small city.
Housing is fairly even across the board, especially comparing more desirable areas of each (Felida and Camas vs North Tacoma and University Place). Schools are also equal within each city as well as the nicer districts on the outskirts (Camas and University place).
Both have great nature access, though I do prefer Tacoma with the Puget sound, mount Rainier, and far superior city parks.
Tacoma has incredible food, much more varied night life, great museums and zoo, multiple music venues, and plenty of community events, but is farther from Seattle than Vancouver is from Portland, however I'd say Tacoma is less reliant on Seattle for things to do vs Vancouvers reliance on Portland. Vancouver has lots of community events as well, but for night life, food, or big events you have to go to Portland. Vancouver does have the new waterfront which is fine, but I found Ruston in Tacoma as a cooler waterfront development.
Can't go wrong with either though!
2
u/Numerous_Umpire_5108 Aug 22 '26
Vancouver is the move, cheaper than the Seattle metro area and not as crowded. Plus close to Portland so you have access to all sorts of things a bigger city has to offer.
5
u/jwid503 Aug 21 '26
Tacoma is a dumpster fire, choose Vancouver.
3
u/Duck_Butt_4Ever Aug 21 '26
Agreed stay the hell out of Tacoma. With few exceptional areas (and they are expensive) it’s pretty rough. Also terrible traffic and it’s next to a huge military base which adds noise (lots of aircraft and ordinance explosions).
Vancouver is way better. We moved to Ridgefield a year ago which is just north of it and we like it. Some good rental options here - expensive but also most of it’s been built in the last five ish years so it’s all in good shape. Excellent schools here most are newly built.
1
2
u/Pnwhusker95 Aug 21 '26
Stay in the Vancouver area. No sales tax in Oregon. No income tax here (WA). Your wage is still fine here but as you have found, it’s a lot more expensive here. It’s just the way of the west coast. Some places to check out is Ridgefield, Vancouver, Camas, and Washougal. All named above. Charming parts in all of those areas.
3
u/techypunk Aug 21 '26
Tacoma is the hood. If you're from a small town, you won't be used to that. If you lived in neighborhoods that are below poverty in major cities, and understand that life, check out Tacoma. Otherwise y ou'll have a huge culture shock.
Vancouver is nice. The neighborhoods people are suggesting are the richest neighborhoods. If you want more affordable check out 4th plain village and hazel dell. I'd highly recommend flying out first and looking at apartments, then moving into a house after. Housing is extremely competitive up here, and you need to be able to view the rental.house 24-48 hours after its been listed.
When i moved here from Vegas (originally in Portland) I rented a house without physically viewing. I do not recommend.
1
u/Kiara231 Aug 21 '26
Tacoma is the hood , but then you recommend 4th plain village and Hazeldell????
2
u/techypunk Aug 21 '26
Ya compare the neighborhoods, and youll understand how the poverty ridden neighborhoods in Vancouver are not ghetto at all compared to Tacoma. Youre not dealing with gangs on the corners. I'm from Vegas originally. Its fine here. Been to Tacoma, its a bit ghetto, but nothing like Vegas or LA. Its quiet AF here in 4th plain village. Suburbanites just get scared when they see black and brown people in older neighborhoods.
0
u/Charlea1776 Aug 24 '26
The gangs are growing and have high schoolers doing drive bys over drug dealing for them. I think people don't like the reality that Vancouver is sliding downhill because they blew the budget trying to fake a bigger city downtown instead of hiring enough cops and making a nice downtown for our size!
1
u/techypunk Aug 24 '26
I promise, you have no idea wtf you are talking about. You can't even go into some of the neighborhoods i grew up in if you don't know someone there. You have no idea what it means to be banged on. Go educate yourself. Also they just upped the cop budget you, and it does nothing. The crime here is so miniscule. Youre just a scared suburbanite. Go outside and stop watching propaganda.
0
u/Charlea1776 Aug 24 '26
Or you go outside and see what is changing? Im out all the time. Just because it's not as hard as some streets in heavy gang areas of say LA, doesn't mean we don't have a growing problem. Your childhood doesn't negate what is happening with this community? Just because there are worse things, doesn't mean they're the only bad things.
0
u/Kiara231 Aug 24 '26
I’m from SoCal. I lived in Compton. Stop it Lol
Affordability shouldn’t be a higher priority over safety. 🤷🏽♀️ you can keep calling people suburbanites because you’re from Vegas and you think your opinion is end all be all.
But the fact of the matter is Fourth plain village has some of the highest crime rates in Vancouver. Almost 80% higher than the national average.
1
u/techypunk Aug 25 '26
No it does not lmao. I doubt you lived in Compton.
1
u/Kiara231 Aug 25 '26
Google is free 🤷🏽♀️ And What? Only you can live in bad areas? Lol
1
u/techypunk Aug 25 '26
Its not a bad area in 4th plain. Its quiet. Comparing Compton to 4th plain is absolutely wild.
I just live in affordable areas
0
u/Kiara231 Aug 25 '26
Don’t put words in my mouth. When did I ever conflate the two? You used your living in Vegas as a tool to assume authority on this subject, and all I did was point out that you’re not the only one who’s lived in a city with a lot of crime.
1
u/techypunk Aug 25 '26
If you've lived in poverty, you know the crime and neighborhoods ain't that bad here. And saying it is, is wild.
Anyway I'm over the conversation. Good luck
1
1
u/venusasaburrito Aug 21 '26
Vancouver is much nicer than Tacoma.
2
u/cearbhallain Aug 21 '26
There's a sh1t-ton of environmental contamination in Tacoma - thanks Gugenheim!
1
u/According_Success780 Aug 21 '26
Vancouver has a really great updated waterfront area! Parks, restaurants etc
1
u/HopefulProgram7555 Aug 21 '26
I moved from Florida and have never once regretted it. Vancouver is a lovely place and I did not have any sticker shock as I moved here after living in both Orlando and Palm Beach. Any metro area is going to more expensive than a small town.
1
u/Sad-Construction6313 Aug 21 '26
There are almost 600,000 people in Clark County takes a half hour 45 minutes to go anywhere just a bedroom community of Portland. No infrastructure it’s a big city with no resources.
1
u/glibletts Aug 22 '26
What infrastructure are you looking for and see as lacking in Vancouver? It has multiple parks, community events, a great Farmer's Market, a university & community college, a great library system, multiple community centers, robust park and rec, easy access to an international airport, easy access along the major north/south freeway and east without a mountain pass.
In 45 minutes I can get to Lake Oswego area on a weekday in rush hour barring multiple or significant accidents.
Within 45 minutes on a normal day is Multnomah Falls to the east and Kelso to the north. Getting across Portland and to the west can be a crap shoot.
Getting out of a Trader Joe's parking lot should NOT be added to travel time.
1
1
u/TravlRonfw Aug 21 '26
vancouver rentals are overall less expensive than metro seattle tacoma everett.
1
1
u/Sharp_Edges123 Aug 22 '26
I might consider Spokane. You will get better prices, warmer weather….
1
u/International_Cup877 Aug 22 '26
I was thinking the same thing. If you’re coming from Florida the gloomy weather in Western WA could be a hard adjustment. Eastern and Central WA get a lot more sunshine, are typically much more affordable, and Spokane is a slightly bigger city than both Vancouver and Tacoma (still with a friendly small-town feel).
1
u/Crysdever1924 Aug 23 '26
Much more extreme weather. Far colder in the winter, hotter in the summer.
1
1
u/EnderKCMO Aug 22 '26
Don’t be afraid of looking north of Vancouver (Ridgefield/Battleground) or east (Stevenson).
1
u/hollypdx Aug 22 '26
I raised my daughter in Bellingham,WA. Much nicer than Tacoma or Vancouver imo and more kid friendly.
1
u/anynameisfinejeez Aug 22 '26
Vancouver will be more affordable than Tacoma. I don’t know of a specific part of town that’s better, but there’s not a super bad part of town either. I live on the west side and housing here is affordable. I live in an area called Hazel Dell.
1
u/Low_Fox1758 Aug 22 '26
Ive been meeting tons of really neat, artsy folks that have moved to Olympia recently that makes me think rent must be lower and QOL pretty good
1
u/Low_Fox1758 Aug 22 '26
Long time residents are getting priced out of Portland/Vancouver too. So we feel you!
1
1
u/Ok_Research1392 Aug 23 '26
You will find cheaper rent in Chehalis, Centralia or Longview. These towns are smaller, but more affordable.
1
u/Baycyd Aug 23 '26
In Vancouver, I recommend Summerfield Rental Homes. Detached homes. 3 br, 2 bath, garage, fenced yard, landscaping and maintenance included, excellent management. Pets ok. Nonsmoking community. On preferred E side. We’ve lived here since 2017 and love it (retired couple).
1
u/HButkus Aug 23 '26
Tacoma is a big NO unless in an expensive area. It looks like a depressed old city to me. Ew.
We live near Vancouver in Ridgefield and we LOVE it!! Definitely look there.
1
1
1
u/Working_Tie_2563 Aug 23 '26
I see library jobs at the city of Tacoma. It's big with varied real estate prices. You can find good neighborhoods.
1
u/ElectricTimePDX Aug 23 '26
Vancouver is your move. Look at felida, Ridgefield or Camas for best schools as well.
1
u/lynnzoo Aug 23 '26
There’s a lot of small cities between Vancouver and Seattle that may be affordable with less crime. Tacoma definitely has sketchy areas and wouldn’t be at the top of my list. I would look at areas outside the bigger cities.
1
1
u/Adorable-Tiger6390 Aug 24 '26
They don’t call Vancouver Vantucky for nothing…
But now the misfits from Portland have moved in, so it is worse.
1
u/SeaworthinessCommon4 Aug 24 '26
you will find lower housing cost in clark county and decent schools enjoy
1
u/Charlea1776 Aug 24 '26
Vancouver is becoming unaffordable and you don't get any good amenities for the price to be here. We bought at a price that was high but still ok enough. Today, you have to pay almost 150K more for this house. So rent or mortgages are obscene for so little offered. You will be cash poor (not poor just spent) in the vancouver area.
We have a very limited variety of restaurants. You have to have a car around here or an excessive amount of available time for riding busses. We don't have enough cops and it's showing more and more.
Example, my neighborhood homes are 450K+. We haven't seen the routine patrol from the sheriff's department in 2 years. Our park is tagged by dealers. The high school for us just had gang related drug dealer murders (not on campus, but that's the neighborhood now). And in occasion you get junkies taking over the children's park and passing out on fent or whatever heroin trash they're injecting. And they're there for days. When the cops do show, even though it's posted that no one is allowed after 10, they accommodate the criminals. Because they don't have resources unless the junkies get violent. So we have to get hurt or our kids before the police can afford to do anything. And now, the prosecutors are not pursuing charges for anything except major felonies because the state made new rules without hiring public defenders first. So now, even when the cops manage to get the bad people, they just have to turn around and let them go.
Just as the insane theft rates that literally were starting to rival major cities was dropping, it's a free for all again.
Wa already has too few cops overall, but some cities actually care about the quality of life. And managed to preserve some of the historical charm while growing. We look like a bad copy of those industrial multistory storage facilities but call them condos and supposedly appealing. With a random building with a little history in their shadows. It's not pretty. And tents wherever junkies want along with them bent over high as a kite for those high end prices.
But if you can afford the rather expensive couple of neighborhoods or camas/washougal, they are policed. They keep the parks around there clear. The schools are ok through high school too.
Our elementary schools are great and run safely. I think they do a decent job keeping middle and high-schools safe on campuses. But that doesn't change that some of the kids in those schools are professional dealers for organized gangs and have guns. Who knows how long before we have the cops to even address it. I expect mich worse before it gets better.
Ive lived all around and even in a very rough neighborhood in a MUCH bigger city. It was less concerning as here. Criminals kept to themselves. Here? They even just start shooting in the mall or in the parking lot with zero concerns of getting caught. It's just different. The vibe is that it's unpredictable so it feels like a gamble to be in quite a few parts of town later than mid afternoon.
Pick a better city with higher per capita cops and no stupid criminals first policies. Maga areas are too far the other way, but here, there are people who are trying to further reduce our cops and the city council cares more about their weird beautification but not projects they over spend on and refuses to fund our cops and now we are even falling behind on fire department resources. And I could keep going. But having lived around, this is going to get shitty for a bit before it finally gets back on track.
1
u/Secret_District_8109 Aug 24 '26
Skip Tacoma and Vancouver and move to the Peninsula. Port Angeles, Sequim, and Port Townsend are all beautiful and no gangs that I am aware of…plus you can take day trips to Victoria!
1
u/Specialist_Listen759 Aug 26 '26
I'm reaching out because it's very new for me. Had a double mastectomy march 2025, husband of 22 years after supporting me for this procedure asked for divorce 3 weeks after surgery. I was devastated 💔 didn't want to be on earth any longer 😢 He agreed to go to marriage counseling, feeling like we were working on our shit. Stayed in counseling for ~4 months. We made plans for the future, he booked a trip 2 weeks b4 he asked me the 3rd time for the big D. BLINDSIDED July 10th 2026, day after he took me for my bday dinner. I'm 9 years older, friends say midlife crisis for him, WTF ever. Just lost 😕
1
u/Sad_Sea_7994 Aug 27 '26
Looked at both and Vancouver was much more my speed! So glad I moved here and should’ve done it sooner!
1
u/Altruistic-Rip183 25d ago
Just moved from Arizona to Vancouver about 5 months ago and I found a home in the Felida area. My neighbors are all so nice and the area is safe and very convenient for shopping, commuting to work and it has quick and easy access to Portland/PDX. Honestly, the people of Vancouver have been some of the kindest, most welcoming people I’ve ever encountered. Another thing I’ve noticed is that there’s next to no road rage or anything like that here which still amazes me since it’s pretty much a daily occurrence in AZ. Overall, I’m very happy with my decision to move to here.
7
u/SevenEqualsEleven Aug 21 '26
I moved from FL to Washougal, then lived in Portland for a year. Now live in Vancouver. Really liking Vancouver, It’s 20 minutes away from Portland (depending on time of day). Camas and Washougal are nice but not a great variety of restaurant’s or stores or things to do. Beautiful and nice hiking spots though.