District of Columbia Real Estate
Washington boasts such icons as Bing Crosby (Tacoma), Jimi Hendrix (Seattle), Ray Charles, Glenn Beck, Hillary Swank, Kurt Cobain, and Bill Gates (who's Microsoft corporation is located in Redmond, Washington) – just to name a few! Washington has had a bevy of high-profile names inside its borders since one of the first expeditions in 1792, when it was encountered by the American Captain, George Vancouver, and then again less than 30 years later by the Lewis and Clark expedition. Seattle (which is the capitol of Washington, located towards the center of the state and is about 3-and-a-half hours [a distance of about 140 miles, according to Mapquest.com] from the more coastal oriented town of Forks) was named after the "chief" (he was appointed as a tribe representative by the current U.S. Territorial governor, Isaac Stevens) of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes, Chief Seathle. This chief was known for his peaceful dealings with the Americans who began trickling west and creating treaties and agreements with the Indians - he befriended the white Americans, respected the American and British authorities, established trading relationships, enlisted his band to help protect the American settlements, and was noted as an orator and gave a famous speech in the mid 1800s in what is now a portion of Seattle. He was even given the name "Noah" after he was baptized into the Christian religion. Seattle was given its name when, at Seathle's persuasion, an Indian trader by the name of Dr. Maynard had successful, established store near the chief's people. Because of the success, the city was given its name in honor of the chief.
Seattle's decidedly mild summers are certainly a draw for those who have experienced the extreme temperatures south and west of Oregon, and the winters in Seattle are described as being marked with "little to no" snow. This is because Seattle itself is a valley, and doesn't receive as much precipitation as the nearby mountains. While this wetter climate and dark weather in areas of Washington may bother some, many peoples of diverse origins and ethnic backgrounds find the resulting greenery, clean air, and quality lifestyle to be a refreshing and all-together wholesome change of pace.
Of course, there are many, many other reasons the state of Washington would interest potential home or commercial investors, despite the popularity of Forks, and the mild climate. In an article written in 2008, the author declares 10 reasons a person would choose to move to Seattle, in which article it is remarkably and accurately reported that for one thing, there is no state income tax - a huge draw for some the southern and western residents underneath the state. Some of the current residential properties on the real estate lists for the area of Seattle start in the high 6-figures, which then quickly creeps in 7-figures. However, Seattle Times reported in late 2009 that since 2007, the median price of a single family home had an overall recession of more than 20 percent, making the then current home value average $370,000. However, home sales ascended 20 percent in the second half of 2009, measured against the same time period of 2008. This is most likely because of a several thousand dollar tax credit given to first-time home buyers, which approved by Congress in February of 2009. Jill Wood, president of Windermere Real Estate, spoke to the Seattle Times in late 2009. She doesn't see any more dramatic increases in housing prices any time soon, but expected them to level off through the beginning of 2010, and tentatively predicted a decrease during the second half the year. The "Seattle Bubble" stated in May, 2010, there were an approximate 9,000 real estate listings in the King County area.
Redmond is located in King County, and is the location of the Microsoft Corporation, and other technological corporations. In the 1990s, commercial sales in the area skyrocketed, and Redmond is currently considered to be one of the more opulent areas of Washington.
Until the dark-eyed, moody, hooded dramatics stigmatized the state, the Bill Gates techies (Washington ranked #1 in Software Publishing Employment in 2010 by the TechAmerica Foundation) probably were the stereotypes that would leap to mind. However, in an ever-changing world, environment and economy, an all-together honest picture that could be depicted in your mind is that in Washington there are sharply dressed businessmen, hemp-macramé hippies carrying flowers and baskets, chic women with colorful umbrellas, (tip-tapping the boutiques in little red heels) the technologically skilled, and of course, the beanie-wearing, scarf-donning, book-reading, sneaker-clad, classic coffee-drinking student, found most likely at a mom-&-pop coffee shop or at one of the many, many Starbucks locations in Seattle, the home base of the international franchise. The evident diversity of Washington certainly makes it a fascinating state to study -there are multiple ethnic societies and groups listed on Seattle.com, ranging from the Chinese Cultural Learning Center to a New Zealand and Australian Society.
When all is said and done, Washington is a beautiful, mountainous state, with diversity and ethnicity, and a marvelous area to retreat to in order to escape the sun and heat.
