So you've driven across the Hood Canal Bridge and into Jefferson County, and you absolutely love it so far. It seems so nice that now you're thinking of moving here.

If that's the case, here's some of what you need to know - from someone who has lived here a mere 17 years but is married to a third-generation county resident.

First of all, there's the Real World and there's Jefferson County. Just because something happens such-and-such a way where you came from doesn't mean that's how it will happen here - for good and bad, wonderful or worse.

Over-educated waiters

There's no "fast lane" in Jefferson County, but surely life is not slow here any-more. Better fiber optics would make things speedier, although many folks find the only way they can make a living here is to telecommute.

If everyone in Jefferson County needed a great-paying job with growth potential, well, they wouldn't be living here. There's an astonishing mix of the over-educated and the under-trained. Fortunately we get along pretty well, unlike the characters in the famous "fight scene" in the 1982 Hollywood movie "An Officer and a Gentlemen," which drew Port Townsend's spectacular scenery into the spot-light.

Plenty of semi-retired or once-retired folks juggle part-time gigs because that's what they need and like. And many newcomers jump wholeheartedly into volun-teer efforts. From social services to youth programs, everything good about this community is fueled by great people of all ages who donate time, effort and money. Fundraising for the county's numerous festivals and nonprofit organiza-tions is a year-round effort.

Boats, bullets and paper

The local economy is powered by a thriving marine trades industry, tourism-related businesses and real estate sales. A kraft paper mill, Port Townsend Paper, is the county's largest employer, and has been since 1928. Some days the wind carries from the mill what Washington State Department Ecology experts say is a non-toxic odor, though it does still bother some folks. Please don't come here and demand that the mill be closed. With worldwide paper market economics what they are, we're lucky to still have these family-wage jobs.

Across the bay from Port Townsend is a U.S. Navy base where bombs, bullets and cruise missiles are stored. About 45 miles south at Bangor on Hood Canal is a base for nuclear submarines.

Politics and passion

A large peace movement is alive and well in Port Townsend, with opinions on local and international issues of import. Successful grassroots groups have spawned here for years, including the effort in 1954-56 that reached the White House and saved what we know today as Fort Worden State Park. Protest is a part of life around here, from Republican-Democrat politics to sport crab fishing sea-son rules to anti-war issues. The opinion pages of The Leader newspaper sparkle with lively commentary.

Jefferson County is a good place for families. Kids are safe. There are networks for young families. There can be a shortage of daycare openings, so planning ahead is key. Public schools and private schools offer mainstream and alternative pro-grams. Teen creativity here is strong, with budding high-tech filmmakers, musi-cians and writers. Peninsula College has a satellite campus in Port Townsend, and several long-distance learning, university-level programs offer classes locally too.

Health and safety

Violent crime is rare, though some cases occurred in 2005 that related primarily to people who use methamphetamine. The meth scourge is the cause behind much of the county's petty thievery. Heed this advice: Lock your car doors.

Demographically our population is aging, and that stresses our local healthcare system. It can be difficult, as a newcomer, to secure a "regular doctor." The local public hospital district continues to adapt to the changing world of public health. Paramedics are part of local fire district emergency care. A medical airlift helicop-ter can transport trauma cases to Seattle in minutes.

Life in the rain shadow

What about the weather? Lowland Jefferson County might get snow once a year. It's breezy, but that keeps our air fresh and the rain clouds blowing by. We're not as warm and dry as Sequim, but Port Townsend gets about half the annual precipi-tation as Seattle, thanks to the "rain shadow" created by the towering Olympic Mountains to the southwest.

Now, the biggest question of all: Can I afford to live here? If you just sold your property in California or Colorado or Seattle and are moving here with $400,000 in your pocket, then you can have your pick. But if you are a young family or a single person with an income of less than $45,000 a year, the housing market is not so friendly. Check the real estate ads and see for yourself.

Will the so-called "housing bubble" burst and prices here drop? Most people say no, as we have the kind of place everyone always wants: scenic, with pleasant weather and a rural location only a few hours from the Big City.

Jefferson County can never be how it was to those who fondly remember it before the "boom" really began in 1990. But it is still an absolutely great place to be.