Anybody from Richland?

[rambrush]

As posted before I was born at Kadilac in the mid 50's graduated in 75 from Kamiakin. Left town in 82
We lived in West Richland for quite some time down on Dodge street just across the bridge
Went to school at Spaulding and Jason Lee in Richland.
My grandfather drove the bus for the work force and relatives worked and lived in camp hanford prior to there being a richland.
I prefer Richland and would think it would work for you.

[justforyoufromrichland]

I was born and raised in the heart of Richland. I'm now 19, and I'll tell you one thing--Richland was a great place to grow up in. Now that it's been 19 years, I've grown tired of it, but I do like the town. There isn't a lot of night life if that's what you're into, but it's quaint.
If you have kids or plan on having kids, Richland's good. There aren't "sketchy" or "seedy" areas, and the schools are good. I've got a friend from Idaho Falls who liked growing up there, but if it were me, I'd feel land-locked there. The river's especially cool to visit in the summer.
You'll experience all four seasons if you live in Richland, that's for sure. But we do have the Arts fair, the boat races, Sausage Fest (NOT an inuendo, I promise--a semi-bovarian festival with yummy yummy sausage... mostly for kids, but still fun). Big hospital. Pretty sunsets. Cool history (Louis and Clark, hydrogen bombs/Hanford, alphabet houses, etc.). Nice neighborhoods. Sunny.
Eh, you get the picture.

[wamamma]

Originally Posted by triselmore

I believe the schools in South Richland cannot be beat!!!

I live in Hills West and many who work at DOE live here. (Good contact to ask about Hills West/Heritage Hills at DOE would be Shirley Olinger-she is in HR there, I believe?)

Also consider Sundance Ridge, Heritage Hills,Country Heights, Sagewood Meadows, Brookshire, Leslie Canyon, Meadow Springs, Crested Hills, Willowbrook and willowbrook heights if you can afford it, the Orchards is up an coming, are all very nice developments. Also, Country view, country glen, the Vineyards, Applewood, Cherrywood and below crested hills-can't think of it's name. You will want your kiddo's in White Bluffs El or Badger El., no doubt about it.

Wiley El. is great, too, but W. Richland has been having crime issues as of late.

triselmore is right. Although, I might disagree with the elementary school advice a bit. If you have small children, Kennewick school district is great. I live in South Richland (Willowbrook Heights). Although it is a Richland zip code, our kids will actually be in the Kennewick School District. Sunset View elementary is one of the best in the state. Top rank on test scores.

South Richland/ West Kennewick would offer you a large, nice home about 2500 sq. ft. for around $250k. The better bang for your buck is West Pasco. It is growing like crazy, housing is cheaper, but schools are not so good. They have a high percentage of subsidized lunches and lower test scores. There is more crime and gang issues in Pasco.

Our sales tax is higher than Idaho Falls (8.3%), our gas is higher, but no state income tax. Oregon is only 30-45 minutes away if you really want to avoid the sales tax on small items.

As was pointed out before, the scenery is not great. Whenever news programs are showing footage of Iraq on TV, I often think it could all be secretly filmed here locally and no one would no the difference. LOL. The summers are long days (sunshine by 5:00am - dark after 9:30p.m.) and the winters are short! (sunsets by 4:30pm). I'm sure it has to do with our lattitude.

Yes, the wind blows here in Tri-cities, but it blows pretty hard over in that part of Idaho too.

[Supersport396p]

I, too, am considering a place to retire and this area might do. You mention no state income tax.....that usually means high property tax.
Can you provide some insight as to other taxes?
Thanks.
Lance

[wamamma]

Originally Posted by Supersport396p

I, too, am considering a place to retire and this area might do. You mention no state income tax.....that usually means high property tax.
Can you provide some insight as to other taxes?
Thanks.
Lance

We pay about $2300 a year for almost 3/4 acre, 2500 sq. ft. house, new construction. It's not too bad. Property taxes in King county WA range around $5000 a year!

[nwgene]

Originally Posted by leavingcarolina

Hi, my husband is trying to relocate with the us dept of energy. We live in SC (he works at dept of energy here)now and we really want to head west.
We are looking at both idaho falls, and richland wa. Any body can give me info on richland would be appreciated!!Thank you

I looked all over the US and for affordability and liveability, friendliness and competency of the people you run into, the Tri-Cities is tops. The housing may seem high coming from some areas of the country, but in the NW it is a very good value. I chose Richland, right in the City, convenient and nice place to live, on an old timey tree lined street, that has lots of parks nearby, shopping very close by, etc. The roads and hwy system here, are incredibly easy to get around on, once you get the hang of it. There is really no such thing as a "rush hour" here, if you compare it to ANYWHERE else that is the size of this area. I just got here in Sept 08 and went through the winter that comes, they say, every 11 or 12 years.. and it was not that bad, so if that is the worst or near it, I am okay with that. I think the thing I like here is that if you are an ardent church goer, that is okay, and if you aren't that is okay. Folks don't seem to judge too much on that or anything else. It is a live and let live type of area, with friendliness as the backbone. You can still strike up a conversation in a grocery store with the clerk and other folks in the line. Now inside the cities it is very scenic, ya sorta have to come into town to see the trees and there are plenty of them.. and with the rivers flowing through, well .. green as a gourd starting in spring through late fall. You are in the Cascade mountains, or the Columbia Gorge in about 100 miles, Blue Mountains maybe 50+ miles. If you ride a motorcycle, well it is great place to use as a home base for that. Not that far to Seattle or Portland, and a bit closer to Spokane, for the "real" big city stuff. I looked at the outlying areas, you know, "the country", but for all the practical things of life, ended up in the city part of Richland, with 50 cent bus rides that pick up 2 blocks from the house, that take me anywhere in the entire Tri-Cities.. and that is on a 30 minute schedule near my house. Good way to get to know other folks too, as people aren't aloof, and will enter into a chat, sometimes multi way, at the drop of a hat. Don't know much about Post Falls, other than it is a long ways from anywhere else, and ya better have a good snow shovel and chains.. {pretty sure of that}.
gene

[rymandev]

As said earlier, there is no income tax in Washington. Average property taxes are about 1.125% of assessed value per year. Varies a bit from area to area but that's a good base-line. Our affordability index is very, very good.

Real estate historically averages a healthy 3-5% annual increase in value, which means we don't have the wild fluctuations the rest of the country has had over the past 30 years. The 4th quarter 2008 Federal Housing Finance Agency report was just released showing the Tri Cities ranked 25th in the country for housing price appreciation at 1.73% from the 3rd quarter and 2.3% higher than the 4th quarter of 2007. Nice and steady is the way I like it. You don't buy a house in the Tri Cities with an eye to selling it in 24 months for 30% more- or 30% less either!

I've lived in Seattle and Orange County, Cali. I've left the Tri Cities 3 times (including college). I keep coming back. My kids are much happier here than they were in the other 2 areas. It's a great place to grow up, and a great place to raise kids.

Don't sweat the cultural thing too much. I don't expect to see Broadway or the Stones, but I can choose from any number of events on any given weekend. And we have had Broadway road productions here- I've seen Cats, and others. And big name acts (LeAnn Rhimes was just here).

We have 4 distinct seasons- not like OC, where Christmas carol's were sung at my door by people in board shorts and Hawaiian shirts!! You have a few days of over 110 degrees in a summer, and a winter that doesn't usually get much snow, and usually only on the ground for a few days. And the Visitor's Bureau constantly reminds us that we average over 300 days of sun per year. I suppose that's why people are generally in such a good mood...

As in any area, we have a few people way off to the left and a few people way off to the right. You'll find them on Craigslist forums. But generally, the area is pretty much middle of the road. People give of their time, and pitch in to help. Check the articles in the TC Herald about Cooper Larson- today's Herald had an editorial about the funds being raised for renovations of a baseball field in his memory. Whenever a family loses their home to a fire there's always a fund set up at a bank and an immediate influx of funds from the community comes in. Our food banks and 2nd Harvest always are better off than in other parts of the country.

I've been accused of being a TC booster, but so what? I like it here, and can at least speak as someone who's lived other places for comparison.

The area's stereotype is this; people move here on a contract out at Hanford, complain about one thing or another for the first year or so, then they never leave. Or if they do, they come back here to retire!