Thanks for the ping cybercowboy!
fwiw, I live on the other side of the pond, just west of Gig Harbor, on the Key Peninsula. Rural areas in the Great North Wet tend to be more conservative, safer to raise our kids in, and the people one hell of alot more polite. It's a place where, once you do business with someone, be it at the bank, the lumberyard or one of the many tiny marinas around here, you greet that person everytime you see them for now on. There are still motorized offroad recreation opportunities in the area, though it's critical to stay abreast of and actively fight the constant assault from the enviro nazis to turn the whole damn state into a moss preserve.
My greatest fear here is ratbastards like Sims attacking us the way he did the rural residents of King County in his obscene land grab, not to mention Sims Tent Citys. I'm just barely inside the Pierce county line, so all our decisions are made for us on the other side of the bridge. I truly think Locke's legendary unbridled contempt for the voters of this state will pale compared to a Sims Socialized Society, and I am concerned that we are uncomfortably close to it being a reality.
Though I worked there for a bit, I never liked Seattle much other than the waterfront. From the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks to the marine chandleries and yards, to Fishermans Terminal, and the Aquarium, sailboat races on Lake Union & Washington, and Elliott Bay, its not too bad for someone who messes around with boats for a living. The commute is pretty much unbearable though.
For the most part, I like the weather. My son and I ride dirt bikes year round, and it's a heck of alot more fun to ride in the rain than it is in 90 degree weather. There really isn't a bad time to be in the forests here. Sailing isn't too great in the south sound, very little wind unless its winter, a victim of narrower waterways and taller land masses than Seattle area latitudes, but overall the Puget Sound is one of the most beautiful areas in the world to boat in.
So, I guess overall I'm kinda glad the report came out the way it did, it makes the state legislature look bad, and they're all libs, it'll scare people off from moving here - unless of course they're homeless - and of course there's the I Don't Live There PTL aspect to it.
:~)