Moving

Why I Left San Francisco for a Small City in Washington State

Leslie Cousins. Courtesy of Leslie Cousins

  • Leslie Cousins ​​was born and raised in the Bay Area, but in California she was beginning to feel drained.
  • Cousins ​​and her husband moved to a small mountain resort in Cle Elum, Washington.
  • She said she’s calculated a savings of over $100,000 since moving to Washington from California.

This essay is based on a conversation with Leslie Cousins, a 56-year-old former Bay Area resident. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born and raised in the Bay Area while my husband Joe grew up in Boston and Chicago. In October 2020 we moved to Suncadia, a small mountain resort and residential community in Cle Elum, Washington – about 80 miles east of Seattle.

My husband worked in the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley for years, and we knew we didn’t want to retire to California. Realistically, we also knew that we wouldn’t be able to maintain the same lifestyle in California after retirement.

My husband has since taken on other entrepreneurial ventures that allow him more flexibility, but I now consider myself ‘active retirement’ and am going back to school to earn my real estate license.

Moving to Washington was the first time I’ve lived anywhere else

Family dinner at Tumble Creek. Courtesy of Leslie Cousins

It was a great leap of faith. My husband and I have a blended family of six children, all grown and college graduates. One of our sons attended Central Washington University to play baseball and we drove past Suncadia many times over the years. Little did we know what an incredible destination it was on the sunny side of the Cascade Mountain Range.

Suncadia is a city of 2,299 people compared to 7.5 million people in the Bay Area. The living experience was a complete revelation.

I felt exhausted living in California without really realizing it

Cousins ​​at a viewpoint in Suncadia for a pit stop during their bike ride. Leslie Cousins

The traffic jam became almost unbearable and really limited our desire, time and ability to experience the wonderful parts of California. California’s poor management at the state level, high taxes, and increasing risk of wildfires combined with the resulting poor air quality left me feeling drained.

Somewhat unconsciously I became less and less involved in the community and often people were not friendly. With constant turnover, it was more difficult to get to know the neighbors. I believe that the intensity of well-paying jobs, high rent and housing costs, and heavy traffic has left most people’s minds chronically seething at near-skyrocketing levels of stress.

Coming to Suncadia was the best possible reversal of that experience, with a slower pace of life and more time in a community of like-minded people.

We know Suncadia is not as well known among wealthy retirees looking to leave California

Cousins ​​play golf at Tumble Creek Golf Course. Courtesy of Leslie Cousins

We’ve been thinking about moving to Oregon. Reno, Nevada; and Scottsdale, Arizona, but neither of those areas really appealed to me and I didn’t want to go where all the other mass California crowds were retiring. We ended up building a custom home in Tumble Creek – Suncadia’s private community. Suncadia and Tumble Creek are arguably as beautiful as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, minus the traffic jams. Every season is stunning.

We belonged to a golf club in the Bay Area and my husband was hoping to find a similar club community. Living in Suncadia, I was amazed at how sincere and kind complete strangers are. My husband and I now have a real network of friends to hang out with and that has been really fulfilling for me.

I miss some things about the Bay Area

View of the golf course at Tumble Creek. Courtesy of Leslie Cousins

My friends and I used to joke about what we called “Costco Rage”. It sounds funny, but really, we all suffered from the looming fear of a weekly shopping spree at Costco due to the crazy drivers in the parking lot looking for vacancies and the naughty shoppers. But I miss some things.

I miss the more diverse dining options – including Thai food and Pho. Also, I miss the wide range of services nearby. For example, there is only one grocery store in Cle Elum – no dry cleaning, no hypermarkets, and no chain pharmacies or shopping malls.

We benefit from cost savings through this step

California family rafts on the Cle Elum River, which flows through the Tumble Creek/Suncadia properties. Courtesy of Leslie Cousins

Since there is no state income tax in Washington, this was a significant cost saving for me and my husband. In fact, the tax savings and, most importantly, the quality of life make Washington an affordable place to retire for those who love the great outdoors.

Since moving from California to Washington, we’ve calculated a combined savings of over $100,000 in real estate and income taxes. More specifically, gas is at least $1-$2 cheaper per gallon than in California, and electricity is a third the cost here compared to the Bay Area – our utilities were using about $1,000 a month in California compared to $300 US dollars here.

Snowy winter shot in front of the cousins’ house. Courtesy of Leslie Cousins

Building a completely custom home in a private gated community on a golf course – and moving within a year – would have been both logistically and financially impossible for us in California. But now we have our dream home in Washington that our extended family would love to visit.

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