Vancouver and the Bonniville power company info needed (Richland, Salmon Creek: sales, apartments)

[mapletears]

We have a chance of moving to the Vancouver area . Does anyone know what the area is like and have any knowledge of the Bonniville Power company? Is it a good place to work? What neighborhoods are in the area that are nice for familys with children? Crime rate? schools? And last, what things are there to do around vancouver for entertainment? Are there parks, museums, points of interest? Thanks so much

[Xenobion]

Everything you desire will be in Portland across the river. Vancouver is a fantastic place to raise kids and all the entertainment is across the river in Portland, OR (tax free!). Vancouver crime is low from my knowledge but rapidly growing. I heard something about the Bonneville Nuclear Power Plant being torn down near BattleGround, WA so I don't know anything other than that.

I'd personally love to at least work in Vancouver as the standard of living can be so high not having to pay an income tax (washington state) or a sales tax (oregon). Portland is a great city to possibly live in as well but you'll get more property for your buck in Vancouver by far.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by Xenobion

Everything you desire will be in Portland across the river. Vancouver is a fantastic place to raise kids and all the entertainment is across the river in Portland, OR (tax free!). Vancouver crime is low from my knowledge but rapidly growing. I heard something about the Bonneville Nuclear Power Plant being torn down near BattleGround, WA so I don't know anything other than that.

I'd personally love to at least work in Vancouver as the standard of living can be so high not having to pay an income tax (washington state) or a sales tax (oregon). Portland is a great city to possibly live in as well but you'll get more property for your buck in Vancouver by far.

There is no such thing as The Bonneville Nuclear Power Plant. The BPA uses predominantly hydroelectric power from the Bonneville and Grand Coulee Dams, but also generates electricity at the Columbia Generating Station at the Hanford nuclear site, which is in eastern WA, near Richland. Columbia Generating Station - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And there has never been a nuclear power plant in Battle Ground, WA. The nearest nuclear power plant used to be in Rainier, OR and it was called the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, but it was decommissioned in 1993 and should be finished being dismantled in 2008. Trojan Nuclear Power Plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As for crime stats, yes, Vancouver's crime is significantly lower than most of the Portland areas. The best parts of Vancouver for families (meaning low crime and very good schools) are either the Fisher's Landing area in the far east end of Vancouver, or the Salmon Creek area in the far NW part of town. I'd make it a point to avoid living in Hazel Dell, downtown Vancouver, or anywhere near the Westfield Shopping Town (which locals still refer to as the Vancouver Mall). The crime rates in those areas tend to be higher and the schools are not even close to being comparable to either those in Fisher's Landing or in Salmon Creek.

There are lots of family things to do without absolutely having to jump across the river into Portland. Granted, there are a ton of cool things to do in Portland, too, but it certainly isn't the only place to find entertainment in the area.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by mapletears

We have a chance of moving to the Vancouver area . Does anyone know what the area is like and have any knowledge of the Bonniville Power company? Is it a good place to work? What neighborhoods are in the area that are nice for familys with children? Crime rate? schools? And last, what things are there to do around vancouver for entertainment? Are there parks, museums, points of interest? Thanks so much

Sorry, I was so busy focusing on the whole nuclear power plant in Battle Ground thing that I totally forgot to answer some of your questions.

Yes, I'm familiar with the Bonneville Power Administration. My cousin has worked for them for several years and is very happy with his career and compensation.

As for things to do, what are you into? There are historic sites like Ft. Vancouver, lots of libraries, several parks, movies, shopping, restaurants, and if you can't find something for your tastes in Vancouver, you always have the option of heading into Portland. One of my favorite places to take the family is to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, usually referred to as OMSI.

[Xenobion]

I didn't mean that it was necessarily in Battle Ground but you are right it was the Trojan Power plant. Bonneville has the Bonneville dam which is 40 miles east of Portland. Confused the two.

[diggitydot]

Just so the OP isn't confused, Battle Ground, WA is southeast of Rainier, OR by about an hour. The Bonneville Dam is about an hour east of Battle Ground. If you plug it into Google Maps, the Bonneville Dam is between the WA town of North Bonneville and the OR town of Cascade locks.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Xenobion

I didn't mean that it was necessarily in Battle Ground but you are right it was the Trojan Power plant. Bonneville has the Bonneville dam which is 40 miles east of Portland. Confused the two.

or maybe you've been hearing of the Camp Bonneville decommissioning out in east county. They are working to get rid of a lot of unexploded ordinance before turning it into a community park ... good idea !


mixed messages from my aquaint. that have worked for Bonneville. Generally pretty good place to work, but it is a federal job... so... you can always get stuck with a poor manager (plenty of those everywhere, but they seem to be more prevalent and in a 'protected' zone when in .gov) Wages, benie's, and opportunities should be good with the aging workforce. They were recruiting heavy when I got 'outsourced'. I would suggest getting an hourly position and collect the overtime... I've known folks @ BPA to frequently exceed $50k in OT wages alone!! 3 yrs ago they were paying $28.80/hr for class A drivers, and LOTS of OT, which is double time in most cases !!!

Livability around the BPA Ross Complex is pretty good. You can probably find a nice spot close enough to walk. And plenty of things for family to do

[Carmela]

I know there's a Bonneville Power building on Hwy. 99 in Vancouver. It's way up on a hill and hidden from the road. That's all I know about it. It's in the Hazel Dell area.

The police officers I know refer to Hazel Dell as Hazel Hell. I think mostly because of the area's socio-economics (which is growing but you'll still find a few trailer parks and some run-down apartments catering to the lower income.)

There's been a lot of commerical growth in the last couple of years. Mostly Big-box stores. Residential growth is haphazard. A developer buys a few acres then runs a short steet/long driveway through it and surrounds it with condos or houses with no yards. This is happening all over.

Hazel Dell also has high sewer rates, IMO. But it has a great fire department and medical response times. (My neighbor's experience.)

[StealthRabbit]

I lived 10 blocks directly north of BPA for 10yrs, and I was not in Hazel Dell, as it starts even further north. Hazel Dell is a very nice neighbor to have, as it keeps City of Vancouver from getting too aggressive.

We had no problems with crime, violence, or socio-economics. Immediate neighbors were homeowners and quite nice, tho... some developers added 'upscale' apartments nearby which didn't make me too popular; spraying fruit trees or running my tractor or tiller at 5 AM...

The area adjacent to Ross (BPA) to the east and SE can be very desirable. There are a couple seedy areas of Minnehaha, and Hazel Dell, but they stand out like a sore thumb, and you can choose from 98% of the rest of the area with ease.

[abby wabb]

the bonneville dam is located in the columbia river gorge inbetween stevenson and bonneville. cascade locks is accross the river. stevenson also had a better school system, and is a better community. i live in bonneville, and went to high school in stevenson. my dad, sister and brother have all worked at the bonneville dam. my sister is doing a student program, and my father has worked there for 17 years. its a good community, and not far from vancouver or portland and also has access to hood river (very touristy) and the skamania lodge, which has food, lounge, golf, entertainment, etc.