moving to Yakima (Seattle, Riverside: insurance, crime, YMCA)

[rimigo]

Hi All,

I am looking to relocate to Yakima this summer. I have a 5 year old who will be starting pre-k (has already been in montessori for 2 years). Any ideas on the best private schools out there or should I convince my wife that west valley schools are just as good???

Any comments on Yakima fitnness center??

I was up there last weekend and it looks like it is growing/developing so it seems like there is potential in this city...

Thanks!!

[Sobefobik]

Yeah.... until Mt. St. Helens blows up again and further destroys the city.

[stevetogo]

Rimigo,
I'm heading there for a job interview next week. I've read alot about a crime problem there. Where are you moving from?

Sobefobik,
What effect did Mt. St Helens have on Yakima?

[rimigo]

Stevetogo:

CA. smaller town on central coast. The crime problem seems to be the biggest issue apart from a lack of major retailers - which sound like they are trying to and have plans to attract. Overall, interesting place, which may be even more so in 5-10 years. Schools seem fine, but still am debating on whether this is the right place.


Not sure about what the effects of Mt. St. Helen's were; perhaps, sobefobic can shed some light. Did not seem like all that much and insurance ratings
don't say much.

Good luck!

When you return, I can send some of the other city links I have found regarding stats and developments.

[Sobefobik]

Originally Posted by rimigo

Stevetogo:

CA. smaller town on central coast. The crime problem seems to be the biggest issue apart from a lack of major retailers - which sound like they are trying to and have plans to attract. Overall, interesting place, which may be even more so in 5-10 years. Schools seem fine, but still am debating on whether this is the right place.


Not sure about what the effects of Mt. St. Helen's were; perhaps, sobefobic can shed some light. Did not seem like all that much and insurance ratings
don't say much.

Good luck!

When you return, I can send some of the other city links I have found regarding stats and developments.

When it erupted almost 30 years ago they had feet of ash in that city. It took them a long time to get it all cleaned up. There actually wasn't really that much "damage" to the city, but that volcano is still VERY active....

[KrystalAway]

Originally Posted by rimigo

Hi All,

I am looking to relocate to Yakima this summer. I have a 5 year old who will be starting pre-k (has already been in montessori for 2 years). Any ideas on the best private schools out there or should I convince my wife that west valley schools are just as good???

Any comments on Yakima fitnness center??

I was up there last weekend and it looks like it is growing/developing so it seems like there is potential in this city...

Thanks!!

Well, there aren't that many private schools in Yakima that I know of. There's Riverside Christian School and St. Joseph/Marquette Elementary (Catholic). I can't vouch for how good they are, but they're almost certainly better than most of the public schools in the Yakima district.

As for fitness centers--the only one I've ever belonged to was the YMCA and I loved it. That was about five years ago, though, (before I moved to Seattle), so I'm sure they've changed things up. It's worth looking into, though; I was in the best shape of my life when I was a member there.

Good luck with your move!

[amikay]

Yakima is a great place to live! I have loads of family and friends there even though I'm now on the east coast. I would suggest moving west of 40th Avenue and the public schools anywhere on the west side are very good. There is a good Baptist private school in Yakima. Yakima's economy remains strong and if you want an honest, first-class realtor, contact Joanne Almon. She's the best.

[rimigo]

Thanks to everyone for the constructive replies. I will take this advice and check out the YMCA and West valley area. As far as realtors go, I will look up this site too. I visited St. Joseph's site and it seems like a good blend of education and religion as we are more along the lines that values are important but should not come solely from one particular religion or another.

The crime still concerns me so I will have to weigh this independently. They need to clean up the crime problem, as the stats show significantly higher crime per capita than even some of the worst cities in CA. Scary for a small town....

thanks again.

[M3 Mitch]

If you take a house-hunting trip to Yakima, it will be pretty obvious where the good and bad parts of town are. The statistics on crime are pretty high per capita, but you have to consider that gang-banger on gang-banger assaults, murders etc. are counted along with "real" crimes, they are not separated out. As posted elsewhere, the crime is mostly concentrated in a certain part of town and to a certain demographic.

Friends that live in Yakima proper say you are better off outside the city limits, that the town itself is not very well run.

All that said I do enjoy visiting Yakima, I wouldn't want to live there, but I wouldn't want to live inside ANY city limits, myself. So your mileage may vary.

[rimigo]

Thanks M3. I took the trip a few weeks back and noticed things that were fairly consistent in terms of getting out of the town-more towards the west side. Good points on the per capita crime stats; mostly if you stay away from the trouble it won't come looking for you.

Downtown was weak, but again, sounds like they are trying to clean it up and activities. There was an interesting survey I read done by the economic development council that acknowledged the problems and perceptions and identified ways to improve. Again, though survey and action are two different things - but awareness is the first step...

Thanks again.