Looking for a good place to raise a family (Wenatchee: living, rain)

[Debee]

Raising a family? Lynden, hands down!Or Whatcom county anyway.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCouple

We're both looking for a place to settle in where we can start a family in a couple years and not have to worry about our kids' schools or our neighbors for that matter. We're looking for a place where we can find "nice" people. We are looking for people like us, who would go out of their way to do things for others and who are focused on family and friends.

Then avoid anything on the east side of Puget Sound, basically from Bellingham to Olympia. High crime, some of the worst traffic in the nation, congestion, and very expensive real estate.

If you've got your heart set on Washington State, I'd stick to the Olympic Peninsula.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCouple

Is Washington a good place for this?

In my opinion, no. We lived in Washington State for about 10 years and were pretty miserable the whole time. I'm so glad we got out of there.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCouple

We're crossing our fingers here because we took a trip to Colorado recently thinking we would find the place we're looking for and we were pretty disapointed.

Colorado was a lovely place to live up until about 30 years ago. It's just plain too crowded now.

[tedore]

Check into Moses Lake WA. About 50,000 in the surrounding area, 17,000 in the city limits. Great recreational area with plenty of parks and a nice Water park in the middle of town. Sun... Sun and more sun... Over 300 days of sunshine. Yet we still have 4 distinct seasons. Just google Moses Lake Wa and read all about it. A great place to live!!

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by tedore

Check into Moses Lake WA. About 50,000 in the surrounding area, 17,000 in the city limits. Great recreational area with plenty of parks and a nice Water park in the middle of town. Sun... Sun and more sun... Over 300 days of sunshine. Yet we still have 4 distinct seasons. Just google Moses Lake Wa and read all about it. A great place to live!!

Moses Lake is lovely, but the crime rate there is pretty high.

Check out: http://www.city-data.com/city/Moses-...ashington.html

[509]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Moses Lake is lovely, but the crime rate there is pretty high.

Check out: http://www.city-data.com/city/Moses-...ashington.html

Why would anybody move to Moses Lake when they could live in Ephrata!!!

This is a serious comment...better schools, better community. Not that I don't like Moses Lake. But if I had to chose between the two it would definitely be Ephrata.

[rpstumpf]

Small eastern Washington towns are very friendly, generally. Moses Lake has a reputation for a lot of crime and drug activity; I'd stay clear. Some small communities in Whatcom and Skagit counties are friendly and open, but I have found folks east of the mountains to be much more warm. You get more sun, too!

[we5beckers]

I love washington and think there are lots of great area's for family's. I love LakeStevens wa. Nice cute town and people are very friendly. Lots of young family's and great schools! I also no a lot of people who rave about Bellingham and Camano Island!

[tcres]

A lot of families are moving from California to the Tri-Cities. I think the climate is a lot more comparable to California and the cost of living is much better here.

[wgallan]

Having been born and raised in East Wenatchee my thought was, "There's a big world out there and simply must move away to greener pastures." Indiana was the place to be, Kokomo, IN. There were bugs, lightning bugs, (they were fun) but fleas and cockroaches even in the best of homes. The weather was so humid that one would lay dripping with sweat on a 70-degree day. There were no mountains but tornadoes and earthquakes, so back to East Wenatchee moved I. Lakewood, Western WA was the next mistake, it rained too much, and there was no sense of community, moved back to East Wenatchee. . . Puyallup, Western WA, what was I thinking? Of course, even more rain and dreary days, very isolated and desperately dark. Moved back to Wenatchee. Off to sunny Sunnyvale, CA. It was too spread out and overpopulated with terrible smog. On a deceptively sunny day, one month before my daughter was born; we took a drive up the mountain and saw the smog cloud that blanketed the valley. It was so thick the city below was not visible. The thought of her vulnerable infant lungs breathing in the polluted air so motivated us get out of that valley. We moved back to Wenatchee when she was one month old. Job seeking and once again ended back on the west side of the Cascades in Everett, Western WA. When the sun chose to shine, it was celebrated. Nice area in the country but had to make a monthly trip to East Wenatchee to breathe in the dry air and make sure there was still a sun in the sky. The “seasons” faded from grey to darker grey with rain on occasion. Moved back to East Wenatchee. We have spent the last twenty-two years in the same house. It has a glorious view of the Cascade Mountains. The view from the East side is most serene. My three children grew up here. They know, "there is no place like home." The mighty Columbia flows between East and West Wenatchee. There are lakes nearby for fishing and sailing. The Wenatchee National Forest is but fifteen minutes west from town. The rolling hills of wheat are beyond the basalt cliffs of Badger Mountain to the east. To the north is the crystal-clear Lake Chelan. To the south are the plateau farmlands of Quincy. Seasons are definite, all four in this valley. We enjoy two months of snow more if it is a good year. Summer is hot for a few weeks but it is a healthy hot. Low humidity. In the summer, we don our swimsuits and dance in the rain. Fall is crisp with the fragrance of apples ripening in the orchards. Spring, is alive with growth. The nearby foothills change from white with snow to velvety green then to a burgundy and last but not least, the golden yellow ocher of summer. The cost of power in East Wenatchee is the lowest in the country. Irrigation is necessary and available in most areas. Fruit and vegetables are abundant. Shopping is good but if you like big city shopping Seattle and Spokane are 2.5 hours away. Most every interest a family’s heart might desire is to be had. This is an artistic valley with many opportunities for dance, music, pottery, painting and an assortment of diverse activities. Camping, bike trails, hiking, water and snow skiing, sledding, mountain biking, rock climbing, sleeping out in the yard, swimming, canoe and kayaking, hockey, Frisbee, soccer, baseball, football, cricket and golf (six courses from 5 to 30 minutes away). Neighbors are friendly if you present yourselves friendly. As you can tell from my description this valley is to be loved. Come visit. If you stay, be a part of keeping it the treasure we have found it to be.

[wgallan]

Having been born and raised in East Wenatchee my thought was, "There's a big world out there and simply must move away to greener pastures." Indiana was the place to be, Kokomo, IN. There were bugs, lightning bugs, (they were fun) but fleas and cockroaches even in the best of homes. The weather was so humid that one would lay dripping with sweat on a 70-degree day. There were no mountains but tornadoes and earthquakes, so back to East Wenatchee moved I.
Lakewood, Western WA was the next mistake, it rained too much, and there was no sense of community, moved back to East Wenatchee. . . Puyallup, Western WA, what was I thinking? Of course, even more rain and dreary days, very isolated and desperately dark. Moved back to Wenatchee.
Off to sunny Sunnyvale, CA. It was too spread out and overpopulated with terrible smog. On a deceptively sunny day, one month before my daughter was born; we took a drive up the mountain and saw the smog cloud that blanketed the valley. It was so thick the city below was not visible. The thought of her vulnerable infant lungs breathing in the polluted air so motivated us get out of that valley. We moved back to Wenatchee when she was one month old.
Job seeking and once again ended back on the west side of the Cascades in Everett, Western WA. When the sun chose to shine, it was celebrated. Nice area in the country but had to make a monthly trip to East Wenatchee to breathe in the dry air and make sure there was still a sun in the sky. The “seasons” faded from grey to darker grey with rain on occasion. Moved back to East Wenatchee.
We have spent the last twenty-two years in the same house. It has a glorious view of the Cascade Mountains. The view from the East side is most serene. My three children grew up here. They know, "there is no place like home." The mighty Columbia flows between East and West Wenatchee. There are lakes nearby for fishing and sailing. The Wenatchee National Forest is but fifteen minutes west from town. The rolling hills of wheat are beyond the basalt cliffs of Badger Mountain to the east. To the north is the crystal-clear Lake Chelan. To the south are the plateau farmlands of Quincy.
Seasons are definite, all four in this valley. We enjoy two months of snow more if it is a good year. Summer is hot for a few weeks but it is a healthy hot. Low humidity. In the summer, we don our swimsuits and dance in the rain. Fall is crisp with the fragrance of apples ripening in the orchards. Spring, is alive with growth. The nearby foothills change from white with snow to velvety green then to a burgundy and last but not least, the golden yellow ocher of summer.
The cost of power in East Wenatchee is the lowest in the country. Irrigation is necessary and available in most areas. Fruit and vegetables are abundant. Shopping is good but if you like big city shopping Seattle and Spokane are 2.5 hours away.
Most every interest a family’s heart might desire is to be had. This is an artistic valley with many opportunities for dance, music, pottery, painting and an assortment of diverse activities. Camping, bike trails, hiking, water and snow skiing, sledding, mountain biking, rock climbing, sleeping out in the yard, swimming, canoe and kayaking, hockey, Frisbee, soccer, baseball, football, cricket and golf (six courses from 5 to 30 minutes away). Neighbors are friendly if you present yourselves friendly.
As you can tell from my description this valley is to be loved. Come visit. If you stay, be a part of keeping it the treasure we have found it to be.