Moving to either Tri Cities or Yakima please help (Seattle: insurance, crime)

[BigBlake]

Good day all, thank you for taking the time to read my thread. I am relocating to Washington from the Panhandle of Texas in 6 months, and my wife and I are racking our minds for some direction. Fortunately, I am moving to a great job. Unfortunately, I have never been anywhere remotely close to Washington (we are planning a trip in the next 60-90 days.) The company I work for wants me to live near either Tri Cities or Yakama-Sunnyside. We are VERY outdoorsy people. We hunt, fly fish, camp, etc regularly. We are moderately conservative in beliefs and Christian in faith, and don't have to live near the same; but would like to be close to people of the same beliefs, interests, and so on. We aren't your picturesque Texas Redneck, we are very tolerant and enjoy people from other walks of life, faiths, ethnicities, etc. We want to live somewhere close to things we enjoy, but also affordable, awesome schools a must, and in a good and or rural area. We would like to be somewhat close to a decent sized city, and wouldn't mind living in the right larger city. Maybe TMI but I will make $75,000 annually and my wife is educated and skilled in many areas and will be seeking employment hoping to make $35,000-$45,000 annually. We have a home budget of $150,000-$165,000. Again must be in a good area, and have good schools for our kiddos. Where should we concentrate our search? Will our incomes be commensurate with the local cost of living? Any help or direction you could provide would be so much appreciated. Thanks again for your time.

[dAqS6R0gRQet]

Ive spent time in Dallas area while visiting my brother and its essentially 10 degrees cooler temps, minus the humidity and zero chance of tornadoes or major thunderstorms or remains of a hurricane.

gas is like 50 cents to a dollar more expensive and there's some additional taxes that Texas might not have which coming from FL i noticed which had none but I'm still growing my bank easier than I was in FL making the same cause everything else is so much cheaper and we're half your income so you'd live very easily.

I'd build or buy a nice insulated energy efficient house and get some solar panels to take advantage of the 16-17 hours of sunlight with that income and be set

also the gun laws (According to wikipedia) are both open and conceal carry options, probably even more-relaxed here on the east side vs the west, if that appeals to you.

I would cross Yakima off on its crime ratings alone, they're double the Tri-Cities and even worse than Dallas/FW

[BigBlake]

Thank you for your reply. Could you recommend an area of town to look for housing. We will be buying. I don't mind a fixer upper (I am a skilled carpenter and owned a construction company for several years.) I just want my kids in good schools and living in a decent neighborhood. What sort of things are there to do in the Tri Cities area?

[M3 Mitch]

I live out between Prosser and Mabton, more or less in the middle of your desired area. There are houses on say 5-15 acres available. No kids so I don't pay much attention to schools, but I think Prosser schools are at least OK.

There are a lot of decent hunting/fishing around, although from Tri-Cities or Sunnyside, you will have to drive a bit to get to it. It ain't Idaho, but it ain't bad.

The summer days are remarkably long, you will notice that compared to Texas. Of course the winter days are short for the same reason.

[BigBlake]

Thanks Mitch, def looks like my kind of area.

[pnwguy2]

One big difference between Texas and The Tri is that you would be close to mountains for hiking, camping, and snow sports. As has been said, humidity is unknown, and temps, while hot, are not unbearable. Winters are probably similar to the panhandle...cool, sometimes cold, but not extreme. The area is indeed conservative, but believe it or not, still tolerant as well.

I think you will like it here. Just remember your visit and move will be in the cooler season, it is really tremendous in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. And the COL is still quite nice.

[Tall Traveler]

To sum up, Tri Cities is where you want to be, Yakima is okay but doesn't measure up in any area other than it is closer to the Cascade mountains. With kids in school, I would recommend Richland or West Richland.

You need to up your house budget, this isn't West Texas....this coming from someone that moved from Texas. One thing to factor in is that insurance and property taxes tend to be much lower here so your total cost may be less even though your mortgage is higher. But seriously, $150-165K won't get you something you'll want to live in here. Your income will be about average in Richland area but higher than average in Yakima.

BTW, both Tri Cities and yakima lean right and are majority Republican in contrast to Seattle. Also, there are plenty of good churches here so you should be able to find one that suits your needs.

[BigBlake]

Thanks Tall Traveler, that's good Intel. Can you please give me a more realistic budget? I don't mind going a little higher, but would have to live somewhere my wife would be able to make a decent income. What is average pay in the area? She has a bachelors degree and 10 years management experience. What is the availability of good work? Thanks again for your time

[M3 Mitch]

You know, you might find an old farmhouse on a small acreage out around Prosser, Grandview, etc. in your original budget range. You strike me as the kind of guy who would be more at home in the country than in town. Sometimes you can find a "fixer-upper" that is mostly just "out of fashion" and/or has easy to correct issues like a bad yard, muddy driveway, bad paint and carpet colors inside, etc. As long as the location is good for you, and the house has good "bones" and no structural issues, a handy guy can shape it up for peanuts, relative to what you save on initial purchase price.

Where is your job exactly? You might as well set up for a relatively short commute.

What is your wife's degree in and what industry does she have management experience in?

In general the economy and job market is good around here, but of course this drives relatively high house prices as well.

[BigBlake]

Thanks Mitch, I am more at home in a rural community but will compromise for good schools and my wife having decent employment in a suburban area. I am quite handy. I flipped houses for a while and prefer to find one that needs attention so that I can make it what I want. I am a milk quality specialist in the dairy industry. I will be traveling to wherever the dairy farms are in Eastern Washington. Right now, I am uncertain of exactly where they are. I have just been given a geographical area that would be best suited. My wife has a teaching degree with 0 desire to teach lol. Her degree is in general studies. For the last 9 or so years she has been the lead decorator and manager of a large bakery, and is incredibly talented with sculpted and wedding cakes. Website is canyoncakeninjas.com if you want to kill 10-15 min to see her work. I think she's aware that the opportunity to stay in that field may not exist there. She has done quite a bit of web design and graphic stuff on the side too.