How bad is Kelso and environs, really? (Longview, Aberdeen: real estate, crime)

[chiroptera]

I'm planning on moving in a couple of years. I have friends in the Astoria/Long Beach area and have fallen in love with the entire region.
Real estate prices are high in and around Astoria - my plan is to pay cash for property - but Kelso, Longview and around there seems really affordable.
However, on the citydata page I see crime is extremely high (higher than Flint MI where I currently live - that's high!) And I know the economy is a bit depressed. I can work from home, so that's not a big concern. I also don't have children, so schools are irrelevant.
I understand that low housing costs = lower quality of life, one way or another. However, Flint is pretty nasty and my house is in a so-so part of the city. I wouldn't mind being in a marginal neighborhood if it gets me out of the upper Midwest.
If anyone can give me a locals' eye view of the area, that would be cool. I will probably visit late/summer fall.
Thanks!

[Ryan]

I'd really advise against Longview/Kelso. Have you ever seen the movie 'Drugstore Cowboy'? That was a Portland slum in the 70's, which is basically what Longview/Kelso is and looks like today. Add in the rampant crime fueled my the local methamphetamine pandemic, homelessness, and unemployment and you've got the Northwest's version of Flint. I'd highly avoid that area.

On to other things.. We looked in Astoria also, and although it's immensly beautiful we felt it was missing a few things and in the end, the unjustifiable home price appreciation in '04 sent us looking elsewhere up the coast. That's when we found Aberdeen, WA. VERY similar to Astoria in many respects, half the price and with more conveniences. Has a ton of homes on the hill facing the river (like Astoria), giant victorians, an old downtown area close to the water etc. Unlike Oregon, you're still allowed to drive on the beaches here (they're considered a state highway) and there is no state income tax.

[mw98642]

i meant to say look at Kalama, Wa as an alternative to Kelso

[chiroptera]

Ryan - that bad, huh? I looiked through the online local newspaper and that hinted at a significant meth problem. That is too bad. Here, the drug of choice fueling lots of crime is crack.
Aberdeen sounds nice, affordable homes too, I checked. I didn't know that about the WA beaches. I know you can drive along Long Beach just north of Astoria, I loved that!

mw, thank you also - that looks like another affordable area. That whole region is so beautiful - the isue is finding someplace I like that I can afford. Life surely much be easier for the wealthy, haha.