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We were originally from Northern California and moved here after my husband retired from the Army. We live 10 miles out on Hwy 20 and love it here. People are great, town is great, but we are raising two small grandchildren and found there is nothing to do here. I was a professional roller skater when I was younger, owned a rink in Sonoma CA, and decided to open one here. Then there would be a place for kids to go, good, clean fun. Lessons, competitions, event center, bridal and event planner on staff, sock hops, etc. We have the land we have the contractor, we are working on the loan, but we need someone to (silent) partner in for 150,000. The whole project will cost us 1.2 M and we will be able to handle that, but do not have enough cash up front. But, we believe God will get it going, so enough about that. Just wanted everyone to know that God willing and the creek don't rise, the rink should be open by summer.
Here's an objective scoop on Colville from a transplant who moved here ten years ago: Demographically, the area is a curious mix of provincial locals who brag about how long their families have been in the area (and expect due acknowledgement and preferential treatment), aging hippies who bought land in the 70's and who continue to attract more aging hippies to the area, undereducated youth who start popping babies right out of high school, and retirees. Families will feel very comfortable here. Singles may not.
Having said that, Colville boasts the friendliest, warmest people this side of the Rockies. I made more friends here in one year than decades suffering Seattle snobbery. This place is authentic. It hasn't been popularized by Hollywood or "discovered" like Montana or Idaho have, so there are no phonies putting on airs or driving up property prices. The folks you see wearing cowboy boots really do work on ranches. Getting "back to the land" is a reality for a good portion of the population. And the cost of living is quite low compared to the rest of the Inland Northwest. If you have a medical/nursing/counseling background you'll find plenty of career options. Other than that viable job opportunities seem to be limited to state/city/fed.
Where weather is concerned, Colville is a banana belt relative to it's neighbors on the 49th parallel, usually a good seven degrees warmer than say, Sandpoint Idaho. The growing season is longer too, especially near Lake Roosevelt, where peaches and cherries thrive. I'm a bit of a weather nut, and watch the forecasts daily. I've noted that storms frequently bypass Colville while Northern Idaho and Montana get pummeled. i do, however, find the scenery in Montana much more dramatic than in NE Washington. Montana has craggy, soaring peaks and Colville has gentle, rolling mountains and valleys right out of Tolkien's Hobbiton.
As an aside, those considering Spokane might reconsider, as it has the highest crime rate per capita in Washington State. I have personally had one car stolen and another vandalized there. The problem is so bad the mayor is looking for a new police chief from out of state. Colville is a good hour and a half to two hours north of Spokane, and the drive is inconvenient enough to keep the area insulated from big city crime. Conversely, it's a pain in the butt to drive to Spokane from Colville for stuff like Costco and Home Depot. 395 is just one lane in each direction, with the exception of a few passing lanes.
Last edited by NorthofHades; 08-22-2012 at 12:04 AM..
my wife and i have finally retired. Both of us are fairly young for retirees and wanted to find a place to put our "base camp". I am retired military and was keenly interested in the medical services in the area that would provide care using my medical insurance. Colville fits the bill. The hospital and clinic associated with the hospital are very good from what i have learned.
We decided that developing raw land and building was for us. We bought 23 acres at first then added 4 more later. We are about 7.5 mi. From town with a driving time of about 12 minutes. Traffic is a none issue. When the mill in town lets out the rush hour seems to be about 5 minutes long. Land prices are very reasonable but are going up. This part of washington has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Both summer and winter has just jaw dropping views.
I too like to fish. The area has kokanee, walleye, bass and trout. There are more but off the top of my head i can't think of the others. What is interesting about the area as far as fishing goes, is that lake roosevelt is actually the back up of the colombia river caused by grand coulee dam. There are many lakes with abundant fish as well as natl forest lands with lakes that can be hiked to. If your a hunter deer, wild turkey (tons of turkeys) and a hunter bagged a moose last fall. I have not seen elk but a assume they are there.
If your a skier, 49 north is a ski resort just east of chewelah which is 25 minutes south of colville.
correction on the medical--it is horrible--you'll be going to spokane for any specialty and if you have diagnostics done in colville-they litterally cost 3 times what they cost in spokane.the hospital looks nice but you sure don't want to be taken there for anything important.now the medical clinic on the other hand isn't even nice.they have terrible medical care and their customer service is even worse.
we were originally from northern california and moved here after my husband retired from the army. We live 10 miles out on hwy 20 and love it here. People are great, town is great, but we are raising two small grandchildren and found there is nothing to do here. I was a professional roller skater when i was younger, owned a rink in sonoma ca, and decided to open one here. Then there would be a place for kids to go, good, clean fun. Lessons, competitions, event center, bridal and event planner on staff, sock hops, etc. We have the land we have the contractor, we are working on the loan, but we need someone to (silent) partner in for 150,000. The whole project will cost us 1.2 m and we will be able to handle that, but do not have enough cash up front. But, we believe god will get it going, so enough about that. Just wanted everyone to know that god willing and the creek don't rise, the rink should be open by summer.
Here's an objective scoop on Colville from a transplant who moved here ten years ago: Demographically, the area is a curious mix of provincial locals who brag about how long their families have been in the area (and expect due acknowledgement and preferential treatment), aging hippies who bought land in the 70's and who continue to attract more aging hippies to the area, undereducated youth who start popping babies right out of high school, and retirees. Families will feel very comfortable here. Singles may not.
Having said that, Colville boasts the friendliest, warmest people this side of the Rockies. I made more friends here in one year than decades suffering Seattle snobbery. This place is authentic. It hasn't been popularized by Hollywood or "discovered" like Montana or Idaho have, so there are no phonies putting on airs or driving up property prices. The folks you see wearing cowboy boots really do work on ranches. Getting "back to the land" is a reality for a good portion of the population. And the cost of living is quite low compared to the rest of the Inland Northwest. If you have a medical/nursing/counseling background you'll find plenty of career options. Other than that viable job opportunities seem to be limited to state/city/fed.
Where weather is concerned, Colville is a banana belt relative to it's neighbors on the 49th parallel, usually a good seven degrees warmer than say, Sandpoint Idaho. The growing season is longer too, especially near Lake Roosevelt, where peaches and cherries thrive. I'm a bit of a weather nut, and watch the forecasts daily. I've noted that storms frequently bypass Colville while Northern Idaho and Montana get pummeled. i do, however, find the scenery in Montana much more dramatic than in NE Washington. Montana has craggy, soaring peaks and Colville has gentle, rolling mountains and valleys right out of Tolkien's Hobbiton.
As an aside, those considering Spokane might reconsider, as it has the highest crime rate per capita in Washington State. I have personally had one car stolen and another vandalized there. The problem is so bad the mayor is looking for a new police chief from out of state. Colville is a good hour and a half to two hours north of Spokane, and the drive is inconvenient enough to keep the area insulated from big city crime. Conversely, it's a pain in the butt to drive to Spokane from Colville for stuff like Costco and Home Depot. 395 is just one lane in each direction, with the exception of a few passing lanes.
Spokane for a decent restaurant, clothing, medical, and just about everything you need ain't here.
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Entertainment coming to Colville
Medical
