<p>I lived in the PNW for many years. Perhaps I have an insight or two.</p>
<p>Weather: Gray from roughly mid-October to mid/late-June. Summers are glorious. Not much heavy rainfall in favor of "vertical fog." Temperatures are mild. Snow is rare.</p>
<p>Recreation: Ski resorts are rough and have wet snow. It's great to learn there because the dry snow in most of the rest of the West is a breeze to ski on after Cascade cement. Lots of water so lots of boating, but it's too cold to swim in most open water. Mountains are great for sightseeing, camping, hiking, white water rafting, biking, and just about anything else you can think to do outdoors.</p>
<p>Bellingham: A nice little town, but not so small that it feels rural. It's an easy drive to Seattle and Vancouver, both of which I consider world-class cities, if small world-class cities.</p>
<p>Western Washington culture: There's a strong Scandinavian influence. Practically, that means that people are very friendly but they also give you your space. I've had East Coast/Southern friends misinterpret this to be standoffish. It's not at all. Northwesterners simply assume that you don't want to be bothered and, if you do, you'll let them know. </p>
<p>There's a tendency toward social liberalism, coffee bars about every 1/2 block (at least in Seattle), and ecological consciousness.</p>
<p>Eastern Washington culture/weather: More Rocky Mountain West in flavor, like Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Dry. Cold in winter and hot in summer. Politically conservative and, in some places, even intolerant (the same goes for some of the small lumber towns in Western Washington). If your daughter likes cloudy skies, Eastern Washington will not provide very many of them.</p>
<p>The arts: Seattle is one of the top cities in the country for the arts, both graphic and performing.</p>
<p>Schools: </p>
<p>UW: Large, impersonal, some great graduate departments. Motivated undergrads can do very well there, but undergrads appear to be low priority after research. Beautiful campus.</p>
<p>WSU: Not much information.</p>
<p>WWU: The school has changed greatly over the years, so my information is out of date.</p>
<p>Here are the lyrics of a song about the NW I thought you might enjoy. Unfortunately, I've lost the original, so I can't attribute the song to a composer/band. Perhaps someone out there will know.</p>
<p>Black crow sittin' on a red roof
House on a hill
Old yellow truck in the driveway's
Got some miles on her still
Out front the pavement's buckled
Where the roots have taken hold
To the south lies THE MOUNTAIN
A glory to behold</p>
<p>Out on the lake, countless boats are sailin'
Up on the shoreline, a single figure runs
And off in the distance
The Cascades are shinin'
Burnished gold by
The settin' sun</p>
<p>Out on the road, I tell all the turkeys
Yes it's always rainin'
And the sun never shines
But all the natives know
When the mountain lifts her skirts
The view from home
Will flat out melt your mind.</p>