centralia or chehalis (Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia: how much, hotel, buying a house)

[dkwinkie]

Hello out there West: I am in Montana, would like to be in Centralia or Chehalis, as it's country, and want to be within a short distance of my children(future grandchildren!) in Portland and Puyallup. I have seen all the statistics, but want a community that 'green/progressive' in thinking as well as a hometown feel. Looking for Farmer's Markets, places to be with and meet people and things for company to do. Does anyone feel Centralia or Chehalis fits this bill more than the other? THANKS, Mom in Montana

[Ira500]

I don't think either Centralia nor Chehalis is " progressive/green". Both towns have populations that mostly consider themselves conservative. But Centralia has a little bit more going on, there's more stuff to do, and has a historic retail district.
...But if " progessive/green" is a priority, look up the road to Olympia.

[Leap of Belief]

Hi dkwinkie ~

IMO, Centralia is FAR outpacing Chehalis with regard to community development improvements. The historic downtown area and the surrounding Edison District Neighborhood are on the National Register of Historic Places. There are many buildings in the historic downtown that are currently going through the rehabilitation process and there are many new innovative businesses moving in. The 'crime' that Centralia was once known for, in comparison to Chehalis is becoming a thing of the past. At night you USED to see LOTS of weird folks (tweekers & down and outs)walking around after dark - - there was a "day" crowd and a "night" crowd in Centralia. The historic downtown used to have 22 bars & taverns at one time and was the HUB of the logging industry. Now (June 2008) there are only 3 bars left - one on the far north end of Tower (the main street in downtown) called Joe's Poker Room. Joe's is mostly locals who will NOT put up with any junkies so it is for the most part a quiet place that locals gather. At the south end of Tower the last trouble making outfit, the Hub is located next to the old Tower Tavern. The Tower Tavern is pretty low key. The Hub is where a lot of the folks who used to frequent many of the other (22) bars & taverns have gather because it is the LAST stand in town for riff-raff.

In 2004 the City of Centralia made a public statement and established the Centralia Downtown Revistalization Plan which included turing downtown around. There is a new downtown association in place in Centralia and that organization is making HUGE efforts to keep the momentum focused and progressive with regard to the revitalization efforts in downtown. All of these efforts are blending into the surrounding neighborhoods. Edison being the most influenced because of the location right next to downtown.

Literally, a year ago you would not walk the streets of N. Tower after 10pm and now there are PLENTY of walkers, joggers, rollerbladers well into the late late night enjoying the downtown. It is just awesome! It is great to see the citizens of Centralia TAKING THEIR CITY BACK.

Centralia has plenty of open land and houses at good prices. You can get some acreage and a 4 bed house for $250,000 up... this is HARD to find in Washington. Centralia has a great potential to grow in the future because of the location between Portland and Seattle.

As you can tell - - I think Centralia is TOPS! I love the downtown and I find the people to be great hometown folks with a lot of growing pride in the community. As far as small towns go - Centralia is coming into the limelight!

Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer for you? :-)

[Leap of Belief]

OMT, the "green" movement is just catching on in Centralia as more folks like YOU move to the area with "green mindedness." This is a community that is learning about "green" and diversity. It takes a few folks who have been exposed to what "green" means to cast a new vision for the future. This is rapidly happening in Centralia IMO. :-)

[Xonenine]

I live in Centralia and have lived here for about 3 years now. I moved to Centralia from Tacoma and moved to Tacoma from Texas. My reason for moving to Centralia was the cost of housing. I picked up an awesome nice-sized fixer home that was built in 1921 on North Tower (near downtown) for $71k (3 years ago). I like to say I live the urban lifestyle haha…even if it is Centralia. Many people I know say Centralia is the bedroom community to Oly. If it hasn’t happened yet, it will…especially with the opening of the Great Wolf’s Lodge (indoor water park) nearby, the renovations of the Outlet Mall and downtown, AND the widening of Interstate-5. All good things. I think I made a smart decision buying a house in this area. I love being able to walk out my door and walk to the downtown area and check out the antique shops, farmers market, grab a coffee or whatever.

Like Leap of Belief said…Centralia is becoming greener and learning more about diversity. We love having open minded greenish people like you here! Being gay, I wasn’t too sure about the area. Now I feel I’m seeing all that change…Centralia is not the redneck town some people think it is. When I bought the house, I didn’t know the reputation of North Tower…but I did notice it. I never really thought it was scary…especially since I came from near downtown Tacoma…but somewhat unpleasant…that was 3 years ago. Leap…you’re right…it was about a year or so ago when things really started to change in the N Tower area…I now see kids playing on the sidewalk or in their front yards, people jogging, walking their dog past the front of my house from the early evening to well after dark. Nice seeing this while I sit on my front porch relaxing and sipping wine.

[THEMANN]

Well i have been here my whole life. I would not tell anyone to move here. Chehalis is a retirement town. Centralia is a teenagers town. We are now in the middle of the gangs coming in. Yea we have all the stores that most citys have. But for a new family with kids no. The cops harrass all kids and teenagers. I would go olympia or vancouver washington

[Leap of Belief]

IMHO, it is always best to listen to folks with a varied and wide range of experience when asking about "where to live." I have found that the insight of folks who have lived in many different places outweighs the opinions of those who have lived somewhere their "whole life." Basically, most folks who have lived in one place their entire life have a more limited view of what a place is "really" like in comparison to another place. As always, every opinion counts... it is up to the listener to decide how much each should count...

Personally, I have lived in 4 states and 5 different towns - which is not all that much compared to some who have moved many more times and lived in a lot of different places. However, I did live for a considerable amount of time in Los Angeles which gave me exposure to MANY different communities. So my thoughts remain the same that Centralia is really a place that is "revitalizing." My last post about Centralia was over 6 months ago - - there is even more going on here than before! The downtown is coming alive and breathing a second wind. Inspite of this lousy economy there are many buildings in the historic downtown that are being rehabilitated and new businesses have continued to open.

In downtown there are some darling unique shops - Fruffels (Fruffles) home decor store that is similar to a home grown version of Pottery Barn only better, HUB BUB Art for Everyday which is an awesome store infused with trendy art for everyday, Christella's Closet which is a speciality dress shop that is expanding in the months to come and has a great selection for all sizes, Foxy Moxy which is a brand new lingerie boutique located in the back of the Historic Wilson Hotel building, the Bath Depot that carries all sorts of awesome bath products from the US & Europe, Heyman Winery which is also expanding and moving in next to the new 3 story antique arcade called Caddy Wampus, there is also Cheryl's Attic that is a wonderful women's clothing boutique, McMenamen's Olympic Club & Hotel - just awesome... the list goes on...

Housing prices have dropped here like they have across the nation. I just saw the other day a 4 bedroom home in the historic Edison District that was priced at $165,000 which is a great price for what you get! Adorable historic home with tons of character and charm at a really reasonable price. IMO, Centralia is an ideal location being half way between Seattle & Portland - more importantly, the historic downtown is one of the best I have seen and it gets prittier everyday. The community seems to be really embracing the changes being made in the city center and it is great to watch folks re-fall in love with their downtown. Being new(er) here - I have not seen the ugly past I have heard about. It is a new day for Centralia and we are really happy to be seeing the change happen and glad to be a part of the community.

[Leap of Belief]

Hi Xonenine - thanks for the compiliment and nice to post along side of ya'

[Sandy Nelson]

dkwinkie,

It sounds to me like Centralia would be a good fit for you. It's between Puyallup and Portland, it's rural, yet there are things to do, and it has a home-town feel. I wouldn't say it's green/progressive, although it's more progressive than Chehalis. If the green/progressive attributes are important to you, I'd recommend Olympia. There you're not too far from Portland and Puyallup and you'll also have a fantastic farmers market.

Greetings,

Sandy

[RogueRiverRat]

Check out Ridgefield.