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Tri-Cities Kennewick - Pasco - Richland area
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Old 01-10-2012, 02:58 PM
 
3 posts, read 14,732 times
Reputation: 11

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Hi all!
My husband is currently in the running for a job with a company based in the Tri-Cities, but will spend the majority of his time in Walla Walla.

We will be coming over to Tri-Cities on Friday and Saturday, with the possibility to sneak down to Walla Walla Sunday and Monday to check it out. I have a couple questions

For the visit:
1.)What should we do to get the complete "Tri-Cities" experience? (same goes for Walla Walla as well)-We have a 9 month old.
2.) What do we HAVE to try (eating wise)

For the potential of moving there:
1.) The commute from Tri-Cities to Walla Walla...is it a do or a don't?
2.) Any other moving information about this area would be much appreciated!
3.) For anyone with experience driving thru (or living in) Montana, what city would you compare Tri-Cities to...Missoula? Billings?

Background: Both my husband and I are from Montana-he's from Eastern Montana, I'm from Western.
TIA
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Old 01-10-2012, 08:20 PM
 
Location: Aloverton
6,560 posts, read 14,395,303 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rennido View Post
For the visit:
1.)What should we do to get the complete "Tri-Cities" experience? (same goes for Walla Walla as well)-We have a 9 month old.
2.) What do we HAVE to try (eating wise)
There really isn't anything that's 'have to do' here in Tri-Cities, though there are some good things. Get spudnuts at the Richland uptown. Drive through Columbia Park. Visit a winery. Walk the mall. Eat at a taco truck.

The truest TC experience, though, is to shop at Walmart.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rennido View Post
For the potential of moving there:
1.) The commute from Tri-Cities to Walla Walla...is it a do or a don't?
2.) Any other moving information about this area would be much appreciated!
3.) For anyone with experience driving thru (or living in) Montana, what city would you compare Tri-Cities to...Missoula? Billings?
1) At times dicey in winter. A road with above average accident rates.
2) Rents are high relative to house payments. Buy if you can.
3) Less likely to get your head run through a wall in bars. The beef is much worse. More wineries. We have nice scenery nearby, but Montana is Montana. Winters much easier. Much, much easier. Hotter in summer.
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Old 01-10-2012, 08:38 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,083 posts, read 80,136,113 times
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The time I have spent in that area has been less than exciting, I'm sure you will miss the mountains and lakes. There are the 3 rivers, and homes are cheap, especially compared to the Puget Sound area, but I have never found anything that I could recommend for visitors to do there other than some historic sites and wineries in Walla Walla. The tri-cities could be fun if you enjoy river boating and fishing and like the sun and hot summers.
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Old 01-11-2012, 11:02 AM
 
3 posts, read 14,732 times
Reputation: 11
Thanks for the input.
I'm definitely looking forward to the warm summers...and Spring...I miss having Spring so I'm excited for that opportunity. When does Spring start over there anyway?

My husband is from Eastern Montana, so he grew up where it was windy and flat, so I'm sure he'll feel right at home. I'm from Missoula so I will definitely miss the mountains.

I'm used to rivers, and am very excited to be able to "float" again. Is that a normal thing to do over there?
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Old 01-11-2012, 12:17 PM
 
Location: Aloverton
6,560 posts, read 14,395,303 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rennido View Post
Thanks for the input.
I'm definitely looking forward to the warm summers...and Spring...I miss having Spring so I'm excited for that opportunity. When does Spring start over there anyway?

My husband is from Eastern Montana, so he grew up where it was windy and flat, so I'm sure he'll feel right at home. I'm from Missoula so I will definitely miss the mountains.

I'm used to rivers, and am very excited to be able to "float" again. Is that a normal thing to do over there?
Spring starts in early March, and is the stereotypical spring of books you read as a kid with plenty of wind. For about a month, the hills around us are green, and by the time I get used to the concept, they're sand tan again.

It isn't that flat at all. There is fairly flat land nearby, but I live in south Kennewick on a 17% slope. Because of it, I have a hard time positioning a satellite dish. If it were flat here, I would not have a hard time doing that. This is the former bed of Lake Lewis, with rivers, draws, coulees, floodplains and so on. As with many places, there is an ancient floodplain area and above that is the topography.

Not sure of anyone who goes floating here, but boating is sure popular given handy access (my brother in law wanted to know how many boat ramps we had and I drove him on a tour; answer, plenty). I went to HS in a smaller town west of here and we used to float down the river on inner tubes all the time, which I think is more of what you mean. So the answer would be not much probably, but it's not far away.

The river is really one of the best things about Tri-Cities. Well, rivers. What amazes me is that Kennewick has so far had the sense to leave much of its coastline as an undeveloped park, including a nice and rather unknown walking/biking trail out along the old levees near the cable bridge (you like our creative naming conventions for landmarks?). A lot of Pasco and Richland parks also take full advantage of their extensive riverfronts.

Less amazing is that greedmongers are constantly scheming ways to turn as much of Kennewick's coast as possible to Disneyland. I'd be okay if there were a boundary drawn that would last forever, and east of this you may indulge your avarice to heart's content, but anyone even speaking about building a coffee stand west of this gets weighted down and thrown in the river midchannel. Unfortunately, such boundaries always move, so the only way to deal with developers is to shoot at them no matter what they do, and fire upon their flag of truce, generation after generation. All three cities are fairly badly governed on some level, probably a tie between Kennewick and Pasco for worst. I live in Kennewick so naturally my hometown boosterism claims it's the worst.
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Old 01-12-2012, 11:56 AM
 
Location: Arvada, CO
13,824 posts, read 29,776,012 times
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There's no way I'd ever consider doing the WW to TC commute.

Billings would be the closest comparison to TC.

TC experience, go eat at Taco Time or Jack In The Box after stopping at Wal-Mart or Target. That was usually my plan when I went down there.
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Old 01-12-2012, 11:53 PM
 
Location: Aloverton
6,560 posts, read 14,395,303 times
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Make your decision based on what kind of day it is. If it really is nasty weather, go outside and frolic. If it's gorgeous, go waste it wandering around the mall, dodging mallrats in packs (or just run them over). You really want the full experience here.

David's culinary suggestions are very good, but if you want to go Full Tri-Citian, go to Olive Garden. This area let out a collective moan of erotic anticipation when it opened, and it doesn't do that very often. People waited in line for about two hours at a time to get in. Then go to a hockey game and don't cheer. WIN.
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Old 01-13-2012, 03:12 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,560 posts, read 57,481,475 times
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Can DH work remotely from WW? (since most of his time will be spent there anyway). No problem to occasionally commute, but not daily!

Since you have a family (and all the ... that comes with...) I would choose WW as a home over TC, but that is because I prefer the single town identity and culture (college) of WW, AND I'm not a 'River / water player' nor hang out w/ 'mallrats' . Spend some time in downtown WW and TALK to everyone in both places (especially business owners).

For MT comparisons, definitely Billings is most similar to TC.

Food... enjoy the availability of Mex food, and try some of the local spots in WW. (yelp should have adequate reviews IF you can trust the tastes of 'college kids' ...)

Have a great weekend.
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Old 01-13-2012, 04:31 PM
 
Location: Aloverton
6,560 posts, read 14,395,303 times
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One thing WW has is a real downtown. Kennewick tries to have one, but the problem with 'historic downtown Kennewick' is that very little happened there, and nowadays if you took out all the tatt parlors and lowlife nightclubs, you'd devastate half its retail. Richland and Pasco barely have downtowns at all.
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Old 01-15-2012, 07:09 PM
 
89 posts, read 229,932 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar View Post
There's no way I'd ever consider doing the WW to TC commute.

Billings would be the closest comparison to TC.

TC experience, go eat at Taco Time or Jack In The Box after stopping at Wal-Mart or Target. That was usually my plan when I went down there.
This is so true. The TC is a cultural and culinary desert, The drive from Walla Walla to TC is depressing, stinky (Boise Plant), and dangerous, due to the idiot drivers along the two lane road.

As for Walla Walla, please input Walla Walla in Google News, and review what you find. You'll see some items on gang activity. They may have a gang problem brewing there.
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