Kettle Falls, Colville Wa. (Spokane, Vancouver: fit in, apartment, car insurance)

[Wrongway]

My wife and I are considering retiring to the Kettle Falls - Colville area of Washington. I have lived all my life in Longview Washington (Southwest). We both love the beautiful country northeast and want to get out of the rain and the continual clouds on the west side of the Cascades after I retire.
I have looked at the other threads concerning Northeast Washington. But they seem kind of vague concerning the seasons. What are the typical conditions during the winter months, are they still drivable? I realize winters are cold and the whole area typically gets lots of snow. But can you still get around in a 4X4? How about spring and summer? Is spring wet, Or sunny and warming after winter breaks? We are not use to distinct seasons of the year so this will be a new, and I hope welcome experience for us. My wife is a little concerned about the remoteness if winter months are not travelable?!
Any advice will be most helpful! We are planning to come up this late August or September and take a good look around and check with local realistate on property values and such. Your advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

[StealthRabbit]

A friend from Vancouver, WA retired to Ione, WA and does all his shopping and services in Colville, which he claims is much better weather than Ione (4' of snow in winter). He claims the Kettle Falls is consistently better weather than Colville, tho they are very close. He said he would move to K falls if given the choice again) .

I would have at least one 4x4, and a front wheel drive econo car.

The roads are easily traveled most of the winter, excluding a few rough days, but sunshine helps melt, and keep clear. It is ez to get to Spokane, and many folks commute daily from Colville. It is a nice area, but is much more remote than Longview ! I was warned that sometimes wives are too happy with relocations to destinations that husbands have dreamed for... I'd see if you can just 'try it on for size' for awhile. (rent, and retain you old joint till you are sure you know where home is)

[Ash12]

Wrongway... I have also lived in Longview/Kelso my whole life and we are looking to move to Colville area in 2 years. We are also going to check out the area in September. Perhaps we can compare notes.

[jamesdmaniac]

Howdy!

Here's my 2 cents. I love the Spokane area, but realize that my spouse needs some things that aren't there. So we moved from CA to Camas, WA, and haven't regretted it a bit! We are close to Portland, OR, but have a small town feel. We can drive down the Columbia Gorge or head out to the WA/OR coast. And we have fewer grey skies than Longview!! (I used to live in Oly...this place is a lot sunnier!!) Plus, we're not that far from your friends/relatives in Longview! Check Camas out!!!!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by jamesdmaniac

Howdy!

Here's my 2 cents. I love the Spokane area, but realize that my spouse needs some things that aren't there. ... (I used to live in Oly...this place is a lot sunnier!!) Plus, we're not that far from your friends/relatives in Longview! Check Camas out!!!!

I'm in the same boat, as spouse has a draw to PDX area (and it is pretty nice to have 30 min away)

You can check out the 'rain map' (posted in this forum) and also get specific info from Clark County Extension service. I would prefer to be out of Clark County for tax reasons, and I like living in the gorge, as the high winds keep some of the riff-raff out. Take a look at North Bonneville, tho windy and pretty wet, it is a nice spot. You have to get to White Salmon to dry out much, as the area around Stevenson collects a lot of rain (but has a nice pool, actually 3!! counting the lodges). Lots of folks retire to Goldendale / Troutlake but... it makes the trek to Portland and the coast too far to be ez. It is nice to run out for sunset and dinner, and be home before midnight, even in August! The Camas / Washougal area has a wide variety of terrain, jobs, and housing, (rural to apartment to gated community, river front (big or small river...))

I did get some advice from a guy who moved his wife out to the 'clearwater' NE of Lewiston, ID... it is a superb 'guy' haven, but... has caused significant marital challenges to many. Some couples can do great, and both be happy, but if momma ain't happy... ! We don't have any grandkids yet... but I've already been warned.... "Cross Kansas and ND off your list !" (I'm a prairie kid ) too bad.... besides, I think those are the only locations you can still buy houses for under $50k.

[jeanninefafb]

I worked in Colville this past winter for just a few months....i live in spokane and i drove highway 395 every day. I happened to work in the hospital up there and I have to be honest we had some nasty accidents come in due to road conditions and due in large part to people being idiots and still trying to go 60mph on highway 395 and pass other people who are doing 35-45 due to road conditions. That highway has some passing lanes but for the most part its one lane each way and people arent patient and try to pass when they shouldn't at all. The majority of people who were injured were passing/not restricting speed due to road conditions. However---I drive an all wheel drive vehicle with traction control and i made it the whole winter driving back and forth 5 days a week without incident. For me the scariest thing was driving in the dark and the large amount of big rigs and logging trucks that drive that road at high speeds in the winter. It CAN be scary if your stupid about it i think but if you use common sense you wont be stranded in any way in that area for the winter. Of course you can the most careful driver in the world and still get hit by someone though.

[forestlittle]

Hello...I just moved to McCleary, Wa. three weeks ago after living nearly twenty-four years in Coville, Washington. I do suggest a 4x4 if living on that side of the state. If you do decide to live in the town of Colville, the road are usually kept fairly clear and commuting to stores and work should not be a problem. If you decide to live out in the country, then you may have your work cut out for you. Winters can get cold and snowy, but I have not heard or seen too many problems in the local area. The commute on 395 can be a bit hairy in winter months, have to watch out for black ice, especially once you hit the Loon Lake area near Spokane. We (Northeastern) do not have the road congestion like there is on this side of the State, this is one thing that is far different then what I am use to. Colville has great schools and a tight community, it is a great place for people that are retiring or have young children. I think it is a bit harder for teenagers, not alot to do unless they go to Spokane or like outdoor activities. Beautiful seasons and lots of wildlife. Colville has a Wal-Mart, Safeway, SuperOne, several fast food places such as McDonalds, Arbys, Zips, Ronnie D's and KFC, Taco Time and Taco Bell. Kettle Falls is quite small, but has a beautiful camp ground that is near the Columbia River. The main job there is Boise Cascade Lumber Mill, which is the heart of employment for many in Colville and Kettle. Colville has a Medical Center and one in Kettle, there is also a hospital in Colville as well, awesome staff...anything too major, a helicopter to transport pt. to Spokane. There is tons of churches as well. There is a diversity of people in Colville and Kettle, I think any individual can fit in depending what section of town they decide to live in. In any case, best wishes in your retirement!

[LISA IN LONGVIEW]

Hey forestlittle, can you tell me what the summers are like. how long is the growing season. and Everyone says the winters are cold. do they mean that it snow's alot. or that it snows alot then freeze's below zero kind???? Does it tend to be cooler in the summer months cause you are up higher? I am wrongways wife, so i thought i would ask some questions for myself. thanks Lisa in Longview

[Dean-O]

If you are retiring here, will you be in town or out in the country? I'd assume you aren't planning on a daily commute to anywhere, so road conditions really only figure in if you NEED to get somewhere for services. Many properties in the country are on gravel or dirt accesses. Many of those are steep. 4WD is a must even in good weather, I think. But, in-town I've gotten by marvelously with a 2WD since everything I drive on is a flat road. Even going to Spokane 395 has only one major incline and it is not steep. You wait until a couple of days after the snowfall and you are fine. It doesn't snow non-stop or anything. We only get sub zero temps rarely. But we DO get them... I would, however, never again go skiing at 49 degrees w/out a 4WD. The tops of the mountains do stay in snow a long time.

But why do you want to move here? For conveniences of city life or to view and enjoy nature? Recreation? The snows here create a wonderfully pretty view to see snow atop the mountains from October to April all around you even as the valley warms up. Yes, you will go to Colville for many services. But you can get essentials in Kettle Falls--the delightful thing is you can walk to the library, the market, the post office, to get a pizza, and enjoy a gorgeous view of the mts along the way. In Colville you can walk or bike to everything, depending on how able you are. (Colville, due to Vaagen Brothers lumber mill tends to smell of sawdust all spring and summer and into fall, being almost choking in the air at times.) Now, seasons? There is winter which begins for real sometime in November. (Sept and Oct are welcome rain usually--it's been DRY DRY DRY from June-August one beautiful sunny day after another as you watch your lawn die if you don't water it) Summer had maybe one week or maybe 2 weeks where it was over 90-100 degrees many days and we needed to run a window AC as it didn't get down to the usual 40s or 50s at night. Spring isn't very wet, really, either, as we depend upon the melted snow for most of our precipitation for the YEAR. Yes, it does warm up nicely for spring, but keep a sweater on hand for EVERY evening until at least July-August. For a week you might not need that sweater... Growing seasons? Probably not what you're used to. Remember, we don't have heartworms here because there isn't a 2-week period where the temperatures stay above 70 degrees all day. We had a frost already in September. Just a slight one. I'm thinking we still had frost in May? Here in Kettle we can be shaded more by the mountains. Last year in Kettle Falls we had snow continuously on the ground from Thanksgiving until March. Colville and Spokane all melted periodically, but not in Kettle. My kids played in the mountains of snow plowed off the roadside all winter long. It made the town pretty and me less likely to notice if it was cloudy because the white ground makes it bright. Colville seemed darker and drearier in contrast, with bare ground. The towns are all very good at plowing deep snow on roads. But it stays packed down as a base and I, myself, cross country skiied on all the roads in KF (except 395) thru out Dec-Feb. They do put down a lot of anti-skid material to help with traction. All we do is put on studded tires (remember them?) and you are good to go. (I think we pay more in car insurance here but is because of all the deer you will see by the roads--you're more apt to see and hit one here--even in down town...) If you want small town slow paced life and beautiful country, this is it. Fall colors are minimal as most of the trees here are conifers. There is a train in Pend Oreille county where you can view fall colors Sept-October. Take the free ferry from Gifford to Inchelium and see how remote Ferry county is. (We usually see bear) Sip fresh made cider at Cider Fest in Marcus 1st Saturday in October and you might see a bald eagle skimming Lake Roosevelt in the drive along the way. You can watch turkeys and quail out your window in the early morning the way you might watch robins where you are now. (By the way deer can hop a 6 ft fence and turkeys love gardens) You will hear the noon whistle blow to remind you it's lunch time and you will have to have patience to wait while the train crosses Meyers Street, as it has no schedule and you can't predict when it will stop traffic. But you can but a fancy cafe latte in town and you can go to the theatre at Woodland and see some really good shows (we saw Oklahoma! there last spring). Oh, and in the summer you can go to an old fashioned drive in at the Auto-Vue. All in all, it takes a certain kind of person to live in Kettle Falls.

[sternman]

forestlittle. Your review and comments were instructive and helpful. I am a
Senior and live alone. I am interested in Kettle Falls and possibly Colville
for retirement. Since there is limited law enforcement capabilities in small
towns and surrounding areas I am concerned about the reports I have heard
about Meth problems. I realize it is everywhere, but could you give an opinion about the severity of it and general security in that area. I like to fish and do
limited hunting so going out alone is of concern if security is an issue.