Possibly Moving to Tri-Cities from CA (Seattle, Yakima: fit in, houses, neighborhood)

[Namtubb]

Hi everybody. I currently live in Southern California and I really want to move myself and my family out of here. I was looking at Washington state for quite sometime as it seems cheaper to live in (than CA) and I would really prefer cooler weather. I really don't want to live in a large city again (grew up in Los Angeles) so Seattle was rather out of the question but I don't think we could manage to live in an isolated area.

I've been looking at the Tri-cities and they seem appealing; they're cities but they're not too large. If I may ask some questions? And please forgive me as I will be coming off as discriminant but I do mean what I ask;

1. I'd probably fit in at Pasco because I'm an ethnic minority, and unfortunately a way you can tell if a neighborhood in CA is dangerous is through seeing how many minorties there are. Is Pasco a bad area?

2. Is there a strong disdain towards anyone from south of the U.S. border in the Tri-cities? I doubt we'd stick out too much(my family is fluent in English) but I'm rather wary of any white supremecists that do away at Hispanic people.

3. Me and my family are actually quiet people, we don't even drink or hold parties on weekends. Are the Tri-cities alright for quiet people?

Thank you.

[M3 Mitch]

Hispanic people live in all 3 of the Tri-Cities, I'm not aware of any "skinhead" contigent here.

Pasco has the most Mexican culture, but, you should be OK anywhere here. Most of the Tri-Cities is quiet. IMHO Richland is the quietest, but that's just my opinion.

[j_k_k]

You'll get, at most, a few morons who will take a look at you and assume at first you don't speak English, a notion you should have no difficulty correcting. Other than that, no one will care. Language is really the factor that has made the matter contentious here, in my opinion. You obviously speak English as well as anyone around here, which is really far more the issue than ethnicity.

I have yet to see a skinhead around here, and if they did exist, I doubt they'd push their luck. A lot of Anglos would like them even less than you would.

[trobec]

Any of the tri-city cities would be a good place to raise a family, hispanic, white, or otherwise. Good schools, shopping, and family values. Pasco tends to lean toward maintaining the hispanic culture, if that's where you think your family would be most comfortable. I'm sure you've been more than exposed to gang culture in LA, and there is a minor "gang" issue in Pasco, but nothing to the level you find in southern california. Pasco High School, deals with gang issues on a daily basis, so if you have teens, you'll may want to avoid this school, although, the sports program is strong. The new Pasco HS, Chiawana, seems to offer a comfortable cultural balance between hispanics and whites. Depends on what you're looking for, I suppose.
In the 20 years we've lived here (I'm from California, too) one noticeable difference I've found, is the number of conservative republicans living here. The political leanings have become a bit more balanced over the past few years but it's still significantly republican and conservative; a major departure from the western side of the state. I can't speak from from you're perspective, as I am Caucasian, but from all appearances, the hispanic culture is well integrated and accepted as part of our community.
I truly love it here, and having moved back to California for a time in the '90's, I couldn't wait to get back to my home and quiet and comfortable lifestyle here in the tri-Cities. I can't imagine living anywhere else. Best of luck in your search and for getting the heck out of California. It's really seen it's day and I don't see things turning around any time soon.

[exit82]

2 observations- you say you prefer cooler weather and don't want to be in an isolated area -

tri-cities is hotter than blazes all summer and 2 -3 hours from a major city. That's 2 strikes right there.

[David Aguilar]

Yeah, the Tri-Cities are about as hot as Riverside during the summer, sans the smog.

You can live in any of the Tri-Cities and be a minority. Don't put yourself into a box like that, you aren't required to live where only other people of your background live, though if there is a place in WA where you'd "fit in" the Tri-Cities (along with Moses Lake, Yakima, Wenatchee, Quincy, etc) would be it.

Think outside of the box. Please.

[ExCalifornian]

I recently moved to the Tri-Cities from the TriValley of California in the East Bay/San Francisco Area. I love it here and the TriValley is similar in climate to this area except for the winter which is about 10 degrees cooler here. This area is suburban-like except there is no large city nearby. Otherwise, the amenities are similar to a lot of middle class suburban towns.

As for racism, although I cannot speak from an hispanic perspective, I am African-American and can honestly say that I experience fewer problems with race than I did in California. There is a large hispanic population in Pasco as far as I can tell that seem to be business and homeowners. etc and people that I have met so far of any race in the area have been really nice. I live in West Pasco where I have neighbors of many ethnicities and no one seems to care about each other's race.

I've heard there is a small gang problem in east Pasco but I haven't seen anything that even remotely seems scary to me. But I should add that besides living in California, I originally come from the South Side of Chicago.

I have relatives in Kennewick and they don't have problems either. But if you're looking for cooler weather, here is not the place, at least not in the summer. There were several days this summer that were above or near 100. It didn't feel bad because it is less humid here than the Bay Area.

Oh yeah, the houses are about 1/4 to 1/3 the price you'd pay for similar ones in California. For cost of living info, go to Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

Good luck in your search.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by ExCalifornian

But if you're looking for cooler weather, here is not the place, at least not in the summer. There were several days this summer that were above or near 100. It didn't feel bad because it is less humid here than the Bay Area.

And this wasn't a terribly hot summer by our standards. I've seen summers where highs above 100 were the norm rather than the exception, with local temperatures occasionally hitting 110. With the dust storms and wind, it's like living in front of a big hair dryer full of talcum powder.

[frank bybee]

Try Goldendale beautifull place , 2 hrs to portland 30 min to the dalls oregon. Its small but growing and has good schools.

[Namtubb]

Thank you everyone for your responses and advice, it's very appreciated.

The main selling point for me in the Tri-Cities is the cost of living; CA is getting too expensive and the longer me and my family stay here, the more we're going to struggle. It's rather tough getting a job here at the moment.
It's good to hear that the Tri-Cities are not filled to the brim with crime; Riverside (where I live) isn't the most dangerous city in the world but it has it's spots that you want to avoid if possible.
A cool climate would be a plus, but we can handle the desert climate-Riverside's a desert itself.
The main reason why I was thinking about Pasco is because we're a low-income family; I assumed Pasco had the cheapest homes to purchase (or rent).

I think I will be moving here eventually then. I'm looking into programs that can help low-income people move there, and jobs as well. If anyone knows anything about those, your information is always appreciated.

Thanks everyone for your help.