Corbett, OR Trout Lake WA and area questions (Portland, Gresham: appointed, sale)

[hapi]

Help:Would like to hear from residents in/near Corbett about things like home prices, how far to stores and medical care. Or towns in the area of Hood River, The Dalles, White Salmon or Trout Lake?? Weather, roads etc.

[dachmom]

Corbett is a very small town that is closer to Troutdale/Portland than Hood River and the other towns you mentioned. Because it is so small, I imagine housing would be limited. White Salmon and Trout Lake are small towns near Hood River. It depends on what size (population wise) town you are looking for. The Dalles and Hood River both have hospitals, and some chain stores. Hood River has Wal-Mart and Safeway as its two major chain stores. It also has a lot a nice small independent stores in downtown and on the heights ( I prefer Rosauers over Safeway myself). Housing costs are more expensive in Hood River than The Dalles. The Dalles has K-Mart, Bi-Mart, Fred Meyer (both regional chains), Home Depot, Walgreens, and Safeway for chain stores. All the towns you mentioned are in the gorge so they all get wind pretty much year round. Corbett can get some really big gusts. The gorge gets four seasons, hot in the summer, cool in the fall, snow in the winter (though not 3 solid months of snow), and rain in the spring. Plus, in the summer you can get fresh local fruits and vegetables directly from the growers. YUM!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by hapi

Help:Would like to hear from residents in/near Corbett about things like home prices, how far to stores and medical care. Or towns in the area of Hood River, The Dalles, White Salmon or Trout Lake?? Weather, roads etc.

From Corbett you need to go to Troutdale or Gresham for most supplies and medical. ~ 20 min - West side of Cascades, rainy, very windy, but a nice LITTLE place with some fruit and Veggie farms, and supposedly a good school. The shopping is a convenience store, or a garage sale somewhere near.

HR, TD, and WS are all close, and each has a hospital, tho The Dalles would have the most population and shopping, + Community College and the lowest home prices (from $150k to now ~ $300k, since Google showed up). It is also the driest climate (rattlesnakes and ticks) and broadest social context, rich to poor, young to old, farmer to computer geek. (the other places are pretty 'affluent'/ trendy) TD has a migrant population (as does HR to a minor extent... (Odell / Parkdale orchards))

All but Trout Lake (WA) are in the Columbia Gorge national scenic area (CGNSA), which dictates... available home sites are restricted, AND it is a desirable place to live to avoid urban sprawl (you don't have control over your own land (can't harvest timber, develop it, or have a commercial activity, or paint your house orange or blue) ). If you can stand the rules and the self appointed 'posse' that enforces them (from the OR side with binoculars...) then you can probably take the freezing rain and wind; it is minor in comparison. Land and home prices will probably remain on the high side ($400+) for a minimal joint. Just my dirt (lot) is assessed at $300k. Building and improvements (Well, septic, power, road...) are additional. I have built several places in the gorge complete for under $100k, but cheapest land I see at the moment is ~ $150k. For Rural, it is probably cheaper to buy a 'beater', than to jump through the hoops of approval and conversion of bare land to a home site. Urban areas within the CGNSA get to dictate their own Growth management plan (good and bad). Usually good if you have deep pockets and a few connections with a planning attorney, that may have had previous employ as a land use hearings officer, or county planning employee. They know which wheels to grease and how to 'git-r-done'.

Trout Lake, WA is a different animal. It is a 'destination' spot for backcountry enthusiasts and artists. (VERY Expensive properties, few jobs). You have to drive to WS (35 min) for most everything, but HR will be a more common destination. (40 min + $.75 toll, each way) Trout Lake is very nice, but has serious snow levels most of the winter (2-4'). Public school is great, last I heard, lots of Community support for school and each other. It WAS an ag based community and HAD a large USFS staff (Forest Service) . USFS is actively downsizing and many of the great farms got bought by Celestial Seasonings (not sure if they are a good neighbor, but I would guess so). I haven't heard serious complaints, EXCEPT excessively driven up property values causing high taxes, and thus 'locals' have to leave because they get taxed out of their homes. (common most everywhere except CA)

Roads are pretty decent in each area, not crowded, and well maintained (so far, till they re-do budgets with $5.00 / gal Diesel)
HR and Trout Lake have been previously getting timber $$ which have just dried up. The Dalles (Wasco County) has had higher taxes than HR county. Corbett is in Multnomah County, and it is terrible to live in a rural area in an urban county. There is a lot of baggage you have to bear, and you get NO representation (but plenty of stiff rules / costs). You are not a majority of anything that counts (population / money) and don't get a voice. You can't eat beauty, and politicians and administrators have an insatiable financial appetite. You WILL pay them dearly, they will make sure of that . The special interest folks will pass all kinds of legislation that makes it very hard to be a business owner or farmer. If you are only an 'employee' it is a sweet deal, and even better if you rent rather than own your properties, and that way you will not have a conscience when voting irrational rules into place.

regional home search including your specified areas
http://rmls.com/RC2/UI/Home.asp