Klickitat, WA ????? (Goldendale, Stevenson: rental, homes, buying)

[rsr]

I would appreciate any information from residents of Klickitat or anyone who is fairly familiar with Klickitat. Currently, I am seriously thinking about buying a lot (sight unseen, only a photo of the river which supposedly is a view from the property) from a realtor in Goldendale. The description states that it is a farm land with trees, a river view. What I would like to know is the weather throughout the year, facilities available in the town (such as supermarkets, video rental store, gas station, etc.). My wife and I will be retiring soon and would like to live in a quiet small community within 2 hours from a larger city that has a Costco, movie theaters, etc. Our first and only grandchild so far,(1 year old in March) lives in Hillsboro, OR. If it is about 2 or 3 hours drive, then it would be very nice. Lastly, the lot size is 124.51 x 96.63 according to the realtor. In terms of acre, how big is the lot? I am not a gardner and prefer to have a rock garden with few fruit trees rather than a lawn in the front and back yard. I am an avid reader, net surfer, trout fisher, and a home theater enthusiast. Any kind infor will be greatly appreciated concerning these questions. Thank you.

[katdancin]

The Dalles would be the larger city you are referring to. As I understand it, a Costco is under construction. they have several big box stores, movie theaters, and other activities. Klickitat is a very small town. The market recently reopened after having been closed for many years. There is one restaurant and a gas station. Riverfront properties are prone to flooding in high water years, though many folks have put their homes on low stilts and that takes care of the problem. Cell phone service is spotty, and I'm not sure about highspeed Internet, but lots of people opt for Hughes Net or Wild Blue. Netflix (or similar) is the best bet for video rental. The weather is mild, some snow in the winter, hot in the summer. It's about three hours to Portland from Klickitat. The lot size is just over a quater of an acre.

[dachmom]

Well, if you call ONE Home Depot "several big box stores" The rumor about Costco going in at The Dalles has been around for AT LEAST 15 years and they have yet to build! There are chain stores such as Safeway, Fred Meyer, Albertson's, K-Mart, Bi-Mart, and Walgreens.

You probably want to be closer to Portland, especially since the gorge (I-5 and sometimes SR-14) can get shut down for days during the winter if the snow and ice get bad. You might want to try the Stevenson/Cascade Locks area.