Washington State Residents?

Travel Info
Is your state just awesome with the highest minimum wage in the U.S. and no state income tax, or is there some catch, like high unemployment or high cost of living? I mean this as a serious question because I work for minimum wage in Chicago, and its over $1.00/hr less. Our minimum wage also doesn't increase every year to compensate for cost of living increases like Washington's. Plus we have state income taxes and a high cost of living. I'm considering moving. I would appreciate your insights/opinions. Please mention where in Washington you live. Thanks!

Travel Tips

Bellingham, WA, is a lovely small city (80,000+), that is thriving. Sales tax here is 8.2%. Housing is reasonable, there are lots of cultural activities, and outdoor sports and fun in abundant.

Location is awesome ... you get a view of Mt. Baker almost everywhere, and you are only an hour and a half form Seattle and an hour from Vancouver, B.C. ... so close to absolutely anything you could want, but without the big city traffic problems daily.

Others
I live in Vancouver, WA (near Portland Oregon) and I love it! We have a bit of traffic but you get "big" city activities in Portland but nice safe neighborhoods in Vancouver. Vancouver has a great public school system, good roads, a lot of parks and recreational activities. We do have higher gas prices due to a state imposed gas tax but you can see your tax money at work here. The Seattle area is very nice as well. Many more activities than Vancouver but also a lot more traffic. The weather can be a bit wet and gray but spring, summer and autumn really make it worth it. I think our cost of living is very reasonable. I did a quick job search on the link below and found many jobs above minimum wage. Where else can you live and get clean air, mountains and ocean a couple hours away, nice people, and fair wages?
http://www.visitwashington.ws/
http://access.wa.gov/employment/index.as...
Seattle was chosen within the top 3 most livable places in the U.S. and for good reason. High employment and affordable housing and outdoor and indoor activities. Education is just a bit better than average compare to other states but we have two major universities and many community colleges and trade schools. Great for medicine and high tech employment and education.
Negative is traffic and rain or gray sky days.
There are several restaurants and bars for you to work at and of course great seafood and local wines and beers.
Check out the want ads on this site for possibilities:
http://marketplace.nwsource.com/jobs/?fr...
the sales tax is 8.8% where i live (kent)
housing is also very expensive
Lynden,WA is a quite town and is about 10 miles North of Bellingham..4 miles from the Canadian border..nice view of the mountains (Mt.Baker) lot's of dairy land, so lot's of dairy cow air..better then pollutition of the big city I guess..good luck
Kent, just below Seattle, hate it here, everything(housing, food, cars, gas..everything) is expensive..it's chilly and damp most of the year, but very little if any snow in my area..