This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Leslie Cousins, a 56-year-old former Bay Area resident. It's 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 high tech in Silicon Valley for years, and we knew we didn't want to retire in California. Realistically, we also knew we couldn't sustain the same lifestyle living in California after retirement.
My husband has since moved on to other business ventures which allow him more flexibility, but I now consider myself "actively retired" and I'm going back to school to pursue my real estate license.
Moving to Washington was my first time ever living anywhere else
It was a huge leap of faith. My husband and I have a blended family of six children, all grown and out of college. One of our sons went to college at Central Washington University to play baseball, and we drove past Suncadia many times over the years. We didn't realize the incredible destination it offered on the sunny side of the Cascade Mountain range.
Suncadia is located in a city that has a population of 2,299 compared to the 7.5 million population of the Bay Area. The living experience has been a complete revelation.
I felt strung out living in California without even really realizing it
Traffic congestion became almost unbearable and truly limited our desire, time, and ability to experience the wonderful parts of California. Mismanagement of California at the state level, high taxes, and increasing wildfire threats combined with resulting poor air quality made me feel strung out.
I somewhat unknowingly became less and less involved in the community and often people weren't friendly. With constant turnover, it was more difficult to get to know the neighbors. I think the intensity of high paying jobs, high rent and housing costs, and high traffic had most peoples' tempers chronically simmering at the ready-to-explode stress level.
Coming to Suncadia has been the best possible reversal of that experience with a slower pace of life and more time spent among a community of like-minded individuals.
We appreciate that Suncadia isn't as well known among affluent retirees looking to leave California
We looked at relocating to Oregon; Reno, Nevada; and Scottsdale, Arizona, but none of those areas really spoke to me and I didn't want to go where all of the other masses from California 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 congestion. 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. While living in Suncadia, I've been taken aback about how genuine and friendly complete strangers are. My husband and I now have a true network of friends whom we spend time with, and this has really filled my cup.
I do miss some things about the Bay Area
My friends and I used to joke about what we called "Costco Rage." It sounds funny, but we genuinely all suffered from the looming anxiety of a weekly shopping trip to Costco due to the crazy drivers in the parking lot on the hunt for any available parking spots and the ill-mannered shoppers. But I do miss some things.
I miss the more diverse dining opportunities — including Thai food and Pho. I also miss having a vast variety of services nearby. For example, there's only one grocery store in Cle Elum — no dry-cleaners, no big-box stores, and no chain pharmacy stores or shopping malls.
We're enjoying cost savings with this move
Given that Washington doesn't have a state income tax, it has been a considerable cost savings for me and my husband. In fact, Washington is an affordable place to retire due to tax savings and most importantly quality of life for those who love all things outdoors.
Since moving from California to Washington, we've calculated a savings of over $100,000 combined between real estate and income tax. More specifically, gas runs a minimum of $1 to $2 cheaper per gallon versus California and electricity is a third of the cost here versus in the Bay Area — our utilities were running approximately $1,000 per month in California versus $300 per month here.
Building a completely custom home in a private community on a golf course — and moving in within a year — would have been impossible for us in California both logistically and financially. But now we have our dream home in Washington where our extended family wants to come visit.
