Questions about retiring to Vancouver (Washougal: rentals, modular homes, neighborhood)

[Doug1245]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

That place in Washougal sounds very nice with the view of the river. One thing to consider during your research is the wind off of the Gorge. I posted a thread asking about it a while back and during the winter it can a significant factor. For those with unobstructed views in that area they will face it head on. Some don't mind the trade off given the gorgeous views. But it is a factor to be made aware of none the less. That would be quite surprise if no one told them.

StealthRabbit basically gave me this line where the wind is the worst which apparently tappers off as one approaches western Vancouver.




You can read more about it here: Microclimates: Neighborhoods and The WIND!!!

Regarding driving, I found Vancouver itself much better than Portland while visiting the area. The main problem would be having to drive into Portland from Vancouver during the wrong times off the day.

Derek

The place in Washougal is on the Washougal River. The property is somewhat elevated from the river but not on a hill. So the view is of the river itself and the permanent open space on the opposite bank. A home with a Columbia River view would certainly cost a lot more. From the pictures my friend sends it is indeed "God's country" as she likes to call it. As one gets older this area would be isolated short of driving and not near the major medical facilities in Portland. The wind? I'll ask her about that. I'd be more concerned about the river rising. Their home is quite close to the rushing waters as you can see in the photos.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Doug1245

The place in Washougal is on the Washougal River. The property is somewhat elevated from the river but not on a hill. So the view is of the river itself and the permanent open space on the opposite bank. A home with a Columbia River view would certainly cost a lot more. From the pictures my friend sends it is indeed "God's country" as she likes to call it. As one gets older this area would be isolated short of driving and not near the major medical facilities in Portland. The wind? I'll ask her about that. I'd be more concerned about the river rising. Their home is quite close to the rushing waters as you can see in the photos.

Beautiful spot! We actually stayed in a cabin like that along the McKenzie River while on vacation. You could hear the river flowing while sleeping at night. It was very relaxing. Lots of homes are built right along the banks and they've been there for quite a long time. Based upon the construction they looked to be at least 50+ years old.







Derek

[Ultrarunner]

Just investigate flood plane so you go in with both eyes open when considering waterfront.

[silibran]

The traffic in Van is nowhere near as bad as Portland traffic. But it is getting worse. We notice a difference in the last 6 years of living here. And the traffic lights are not keeping pace, at least in the county.

We drive in from Portland once a week during rush hour. Northbound traffic on I-205 has gone from bad to awful in these last years. Rush hour starts roughly at 2:30, or possibly it never diminishes much. The roads are simply not designed to carry the traffic they do.

But I see the same trend in Van. Roads here aren't designed for the traffic they will ultimately have to carry. If someone hates driving in traffic, I suggest moving north to a smaller community.

One of the problems we have is that we lack a third bridge, which would help so much, with commutes north/south. But that is not going to happen in my lifetime, I don't think. Redoing the old bridge will help, but it will be a nightmare driving I-205 while the old bridge is out of commission. I don't even want to think about it!

Basically there has been a lack of foresight, and lack of funds to execute what needs to be built.

I do not see growth in this area slowing, although perhaps it will if we enter a recession.

[StealthRabbit]

Rush hour is 7 - 9am and 3pm - 7pm (except Fridays, starts at noon)

We just need a commercial I-5 bypass (planned 40 yrs ago WEST of Portland metro)

Definitely don't want a 3rd bridge bringing more traffic (crime / congestion) east

I arrived before 205 was opened and everything crossed I-5 Drawbridge and it was open a LOT, several times / day.

Working night shift for 30 yrs helped save commute time and hassle.(I have no idea why anyone would work indoors during the daylight) As a farmer & contractor... my hours OFF-WORK (i.e. job) MUST be during darkness, and I wish stores and schools (and especially libraries) would comply and be open during graveyard shift (since those operations actually have lights, for a reason! (to be open at NIGHT!) . It was SO NICE to have 24 hr Home Depot, so my employees didn't have to sit around burning daylight waiting for supplies to arrive.

Forget the traffic woes and move to a county with ZERO stoplights. ! That is a great thing!

In retirement you really don't have time for traffic lights, as you are REALLY burning daylight. Your precious few hours remaining on earth may be over tomorrow (or yet today).

Supposedly every hour of sleep you lose comes off the TAIL end of life!

That's Fine with me!

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by Doug1245

The wind? I'll ask her about that. I'd be more concerned about the river rising. Their home is quite close to the rushing waters as you can see in the photos.

During winter, Washougal will get blasted with periodic high winds. I don't live there, but we are just west of Washougal, so we get our fair share. As I said in the other linked post, the high Gorge winds appear during winter only. And even then, they are periodic. This past winter, in Camas we had just about 17 days/nights of "high" winds, meaning sustained 20+ mph and gusts occasionally hitting 30 mph, and maybe a very rare 40 mph gust just a couple times during winter. The rest of the time, it's calm. So maybe the winds will be stronger in Washougal, in fact it's probably likely given the closer Gorge proximity. But I would imagine not too much stronger.



The thing I hate about the winter winds is the noise. It makes a racket and it does bother me, though proper earplugs for sleeping plus noise cancelling headphones during the day make an enormous difference. And at least in Camas, the winds are strong, but from what I am told, they are minor compared to wind events in the Gorge, as well as strong wind locations like high deserts, the plains, and coastal areas when storms come ashore. I've been in Troutdale and Corbett during a Gorge wind event. Now those places get serious wind; it's noticeably stronger (at least double, possibly triple), they are closer to the mouth of the Gorge and right in the firing line. So, in Washougal, you're definitely going to have two, two and a half-weeks of wind during the winter, sometimes strong enough to knock down garbage cans and fling outdoor furniture.


I think it'd be much more important to focus on the river water and potential flooding issues. If the property's trees are secure, a 30 mph winter wind isn't going to do much. A flooding event, however, could be a real problem.

[texasdiver]

There was a recent article in the Vancouver Columbian about an epidemic of unsafe speeding and crashes on the Washougal River Road. Apparently it is so bad some longtime residents are moving away. It is a very curvy rural road and the driveways are often fairly blind. Plus it is narrow and not the kind of place I'd want to depend on for walking the dog, getting exercise, that sort of thing. That is one big disadvantage to living out there. You have no other roads or safer streets to rely on.

https://www.columbian.com/news/2018/...al-river-road/

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by silibran

The traffic in Van is nowhere near as bad as Portland traffic. But it is getting worse. We notice a difference in the last 6 years of living here. And the traffic lights are not keeping pace, at least in the county.

We drive in from Portland once a week during rush hour. Northbound traffic on I-205 has gone from bad to awful in these last years. Rush hour starts roughly at 2:30, or possibly it never diminishes much. The roads are simply not designed to carry the traffic they do.

But I see the same trend in Van. Roads here aren't designed for the traffic they will ultimately have to carry. If someone hates driving in traffic, I suggest moving north to a smaller community.

One of the problems we have is that we lack a third bridge, which would help so much, with commutes north/south. But that is not going to happen in my lifetime, I don't think. Redoing the old bridge will help, but it will be a nightmare driving I-205 while the old bridge is out of commission. I don't even want to think about it!

Basically there has been a lack of foresight, and lack of funds to execute what needs to be built.

I do not see growth in this area slowing, although perhaps it will if we enter a recession.

Personally I doubt there will ever be a 3rd bridge.

No matter how much Vancouver or Clark County residents might want it, there is no incentive or infrastructure for such a thing on the Oregon side. There are only two somewhat logical locations for a 3rd bridge, Camas and Ridgefield.

A bridge in Camas near 192nd or even further east would find no support in Oregon for several reasons. First, there are no connecting highways on the Oregon side of the river in Troutdale. So a new freeway would have to be built connecting such a bridge to I-84 and that would be a massive undertaking through existing industrial development. And for what? How many people in Oregon are eager to drive up to Washougal or Camas for any reason? Why would they spend a billion + dollars just to see I-84 get even more congested than it already is?

Likewise, a bridge out near Ridefield faces the same problem. It would either connect to US-30 out near Skapoose or St. Helens which is already a congested dangerous 2-lane highway. Or it would need to be part of a massive new highway project connecting a new freeway loop across or through the mountain to Beaverton and connecting with Highway 217 or some new loop highway around the west side. But that ship has sailed. What was once rural land decades ago is now increasingly filled with upscale suburban development and there is basically no chance of pushing a new freeway through that area, especially one that wouldn't really solve their traffic problems as Beaverton people are trying to get to Portland not Ridgefield or Salmon Creek.

The only support for new bridges that you'll ever get from the Oregon side are those that would improve the existing freight corridors which means I-205 and I-5 to Seattle. Those are the only corridors that would produce any economic benefit for Oregon and the only corridors along which you will see support for bridge improvements. The only purpose new bridges in other locations would serve would be to facilitate more sprawl in eastern or northern Clark County and frankly Oregon has no economic incentive to pay a single dime for that.

Rather than clamoring for more bridges, Clark County should be looking to bring more high paying tech jobs to Vancouver so commuters aren't forced to drive to Portland or Beaverton to find work.

[cdelena]

We just spent $200 million to thrash around and conclude we cannot agree with Portland about bridges... to actually build something might cost 1000 times what we spent for nothing. Let the whole issue age for a while.

[StealthRabbit]

I agree... give it time...

+ = drones / telecommute / jobs into WA / higher fuel costs / conservation / dedicated Express busses / use of more rail (freight and passenger), future advances in communication and transportation, less need for truck shipment (everyone has a 3D printer to make their JUNK...)

minus -
varied reasons for Portland 'needs' (food / culture / crazies / Gardens / shopping...)
Amazon Prime!!~!, creates WAY too much traffic / wear on roads, congestion of commerce (IMHO... it has cost me $20k in new driveways for my rural rentals, ),,, last week a renter had a $0.25 box of baking soda delivered by a big fast moving truck that tears up the roads.