For those of us without a "View"

Neighborhood Vista

Yes as gorgeous as western Washington is, some of us do not enjoy that spectacular vista spanning the mountains, river, and cityscapes of our amazing area. But I have written a few articles about what a view is and is not. You may remember this one: A View isn't always a 'View' and I have reposted that article a few times over the last couple of years.

Our area is full of trees, they are everywhere! We also have a lot of mountains. I am not just referring to the Majestic Cascade volcanoes. The big snow covered monster peaks tend to take away from the gorgeous natural skyline in that they are so dominant we may not even realize how lovely the "regular" mountains are here in the Evergreen State.

I used to live in Northern California where there are not any of these giant volcanoes. Homes with "spectacular" views often had views of more 'pedestrian' type mountains. Here in the Northwest we take for granted these as 'other' views or "territorial" views. This of course means that those willing to have a view that does not include a landmark like the Columbia River, The skyline of either Portland or Vancouver, or one of the aforementioned volcanoes, that view may come at a discount.

Sometimes a home like mine, which doesn't really have a 'view' per se, can be enjoyed without the premium on price. When I look out the bay window in our master bedroom, I do not see mountains, but I do have a clear unobstructed view of a whole forest of old growth Doug Fir and Cedar trees complimented by both native and neighborhood deciduous trees. This is a city density suburban neighborhood 0.6 miles to the nearest Walmart store. If I listed my home it would not be listed as a view home by any measure. However the view out the master is still pretty nice. Beats the heck out looking at the back of another home.

There are a great many neighborhoods down in the valley floor that were built without clearing all the native trees. These neighborhoods offer an suburban style living with the feel of a camping trip in a national park. There are downsides to these forest developments including the mess every time the wind blows. There are also some inherent dangers to tree limbs falling and damaging property or causing injury. In the case of my home, I look out at one of those 'forest' neighborhoods but my street had most of the trees clear so I don't get the mess. Lucky me :)

Vancouver and the Cascades from Portland, OR

The panoramic above showing Downtown Vancouver lower left and much of the city beyond from Portland also shows Mount Adams. The big Cascade volcano tends to dominate that skyline. But the high cascade ridge line and the foothills in front of it are also quite picturesque in their own right. 

Mount Livingston and the Cascade Foothills

The snowy shot of Mount Livingston is also in that panoramic above. It is one of the little 'hills' in the first section of the foothills. This was taken from a valley floor neighborhood in the Evergreen area. That is a blue collar neighborhood. This may not be one of those landmark views but hey pretty mountains are not a bad thing to see when looking out the window or relaxing on the deck, right? It even has some of those trademark trees. 

I take my views anyway they come and here in Clark County, Washington, they come in all varieties. What ever you do, be sure to enjoy the view.