Taxwise, WA isn't a great place to retire. They have no income tax so you don't realize a drop when your income goes down and you get the double exemption. They do have a 9% sales tax and I heard that car tags are going up again.
Wet-wise, the rain quits as soon as you cross the Cascades. After leaving Seattle, you'd think Ellensburg was in a different world. The entire middle 3d of the state is hot and dry. It greens up a bit when you're near the Idaho border and Spokane can get hammered with snow.
Then there's WA politics....
