The Silver Lining

Did you look outside? Yuck! Clouds. Rain. Grey. Typical March weather here in Clark County, Washington. And thanks to Portland’s local Fox affiliate, KPTV, here is our extended forecast:

Doesn’t that just warm your heart? This week we are adding to the rain gauge so we can get to our average rainfall of 41 inches. No wonder people in California think we are crazy to live in this part of the country! But are we really crazy? Is there actually a silver lining to all of the clouds we regularly see?

I believe there is. I believe that the Northwest, and particularly Clark County, is one of the greatest places to live. In fact, many of those so-called sun-worshipers in California are figuring it out too as they migrate here en masse. Even my parents, lifetime residents of Southern California, have recently moved to Camas. So what is so great about Clark County? Why live here when we have to deal with all of that rain?

Well, I’ve been listening to my parents for the past four months since they moved up here and this is what they say about life in Clark County:

1. It is absolutely beautiful here. When my parents first moved here, my dad said, “I can’t believe you don’t have more car accidents here due to people looking at all of the beautiful scenery!” It’s true. Even when driving down Hwy 14, you stare up into the face of Mt. Hood. Incredible. And how could we have the beauty around here without the rain to make it so beautiful?
2. The people here are SO friendly! My parents still talk about how kind, caring, and friendly everyone seems to be.
3. Traffic is light for being in the midst of a large metro area. Cross the bridge out of Portland and into Vancouver and you leave the majority of traffic behind.
4. We have a slower pace of life. Clark County is NOT a stressful place to live. We move at a slower pace than the rest of the Portland metro and far slower than other metropolitan areas. It’s just more relaxed here!
5. Our proximity to Portland gives us all of the urban opportunities we could ever want.
6. We have a very mild climate. Summers in the 80’s and winters in the 40’s make our climate downright nice. And despite all of the talk of rain, we actually get less rainfall than Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Boston, and much of Hawaii. And thankfully, we don’t have to deal with the nasty summer humidity that much of the nation deals with.

I could go on and on with my list. Clark County is a special place to live and everyone who lives here knows it. When you get tired of rainy days like today, just remember how lucky you are to live in a place like Clark County. There is a silver lining in the clouds!

Have a great weekend!

Chris Hyde
Mortgage Consultant