Dayton, what is it like?

[pkvinegirl]

The temperature in summer will often hit 100+ during a month-long period or so...not necessarily every day, but regularly enough and it's not necessarily true that every house has a/c. If you're able to arrange your days to be active in the early mornings and late evenings during those really hot days, then I think you could adjust. This side of WA is generally conservative, politically speaking. I think you may find a good group of people in roughly your age group that are also quite active in the town--my husband and I are in our early 30's, but we found our favorite people to be more our parents' age. If possible, I would recommend trying out the town for as long as you can manage to really get a feel for what it's like--maybe rent a place for a couple months during the summer and then you could test out both the weather and the people without being heavily committed to staying if you feel you're not finding what you like. It's honestly what I wish we had done, even though it may sound a bit extreme.

[Jo Anne Meginnes]

Thanks for your very helpful thoughts, pkvinegirl.
It actually hit 100 degrees here on the Olympic Peninsula where we live a few weeks ago but that only happens on rare occasions and practically nothing here is air conditioned and half the windows in town don't open! Like anything I guess one adapts to the situation and I'm sure we would get used to some hot days -- the rest of the year there weatherwise sounds great to us.
The political scene in eastern WA is interesting and reminds me a bit of how it was in Vermont years ago when we first moved there. It was rock-ribbed Republican and thru the years it has changed to become quite liberal in its thinking. However, people there are fiercely independent and because the state is small no politician gets away with too much. If they are not representing their constituents well then they will not be in office long.
I think your answers were really honest and your suggestion to try it out for a bit if possible is right on. Are you happy living in Dayton? It seems that no matter where one chooses to live there are always some issues, good and bad -- trade offs must always be made -- it really comes down to what one can live with best, I guess.

[Ruth Younce]

I grew up in Dayton. I hated it at the time because everybody knew everything about everyone. I realize now that knowing who people are is good.

If you want to get away from the rat race, Dayton is a great place to live. There is very little crime, people are friendly and neighbors watch out for each other. I grew up on a 5 acre farm just outside of Dayton along the North Touchet River(by the way, my parents are putting the place up for sale and moving to town) and was involved in FFA and 4-H which are both really big in that town. We fished, floated the river, swam in our own swimming hole and thoroughly enjoyed life. I haven't lived in Dayton for 25 years but go to visit often since I and my family live about 2 hours away. They have a wonderful walking/biking trail that runs along the Touchet River through town. The river itself is well stocked with fish. There is also fishing in the Tucannon and Snake Rivers--not that far of a drive. Dayton is situated in the foothills of the Blue Mountains where people can hike, ski (both cross country and downhill--Bluewood). There is a first class gourmet restaurant in town--Patit Creek Restaurant, and a wonderful Victorian style motel--Weinhart Hotel. There aren't many stores--one grocery store, a few gas stations, NAPA dealer, Farm Bureau store, and lots of antique and gift shops; so when people want to do the bigger shopping they drive to Walla Walla (30 mins away), the Tri-Cities (1 hr away), or Lewiston, ID (1.25 hrs away). There aren't many jobs in Dayton itself, but quite a few people make the commute to Walla Walla which is big enough for the higher powered jobs. The Liberty Theater on Main St. puts on live plays several times a year (excellent productions!) plus brings in current movies. Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, the town has a big to-do with lots of special family type activities on Main St. and at the various shops as well as fireworks which can be viewed nicely from the courthouse lawn (which by the way is the oldest working courthouse in the state). Dayton is considered a retirement community and even has an active Senior center. The political feelings are pretty conservative and some are downright redneck but there are a few of the more liberal mindset. If you don't make a big deal about it, people won't care.

Dayton is lush compared to Pullman where I live. It does get hot in the summer, 2 or 3 weeks of 100 degree weather but it's a dry heat so it isn't too bad. The winters are cold but definitely not worse that a lot of portions of the midwest--cold enough to keep the undesirable bugs such as roaches and termites away, but not so cold that the snow stays around all winter. Sometimes it gets a lot of snow but it only sticks around for a few weeks. This last winter was unusual in that they got a lot of snow that stayed for a month.

If you don't mind everybody knowing your business as is typical in a small town, Dayton is a great place to grow up. I live in a town now that's almost 9 times the size of Dayton (Dayton is just under 3000 pop) and I miss the laid back atmosphere of Dayton.

[lombardo42]

Hello everybody,

My name is Richard and I've lived in Long Beach, California for 22 years; that's all my life. My family and I have just decided we want to move to Dayton, Wa. (my father's hometown) and live there temporarily due to a very serious crisis we have just faced here in Southern California only recently. My mother, after working for 15 years, has just been laid off from her company. She is now unemployed and may be for the rest of her life due to some health issues she has been experiencing for some time. My father is retired from the military and receives a retirement check at the end of every month, valued at about $1200. My sister and I are also unemployed and have never had a job before, though I am a part-time student. I'm 22 years old and she's 25. We are all currently unemployed and will be moving to Dayton using the money from my mother's 401K. We've had no luck finding jobs here in Long Beach and hope to find anything in either Dayton or commute to Walla Walla or any local area that has some job opportunities. Our primary concern, as a family, is finding jobs and having a place to live. We also have relatives in the area, but staying with them is simply out of the question. We'll be coming with about $15,000 plus my father's retirement check that comes every month; we hope to use that check for the rent where ever we decide to live in Dayton. We have enough money to last us, if we're lucky, for one year. But that's only a guess.

My question to you all: Does all this sound foolish to you? Is moving to a different state a bad idea considering our financial situation? Is there any guarantee we will find jobs locally? How are the employment opportunities in Dayton? Or even Walla Walla? Are there many places to rent in Dayton? Apartments or even houses to rent? What is the average cost for a two bedroom apartment in Dayton? What is the average cost to rent a house in Dayton, if there are any available? Do you think we have enough money ($15,000 plus the retirement checks every month) to live there comfortably until one of us finds a job, which might take several months?

All of these questions are important to us, and I would appreciate any kind of reply that can help. Our lives are changing, and our future is already at stake. We are taking a big risk in deciding to move to Dayton, but California simply is no longer working for us. If we must fail as a family I would rather it be in Dayton (with relatives nearby) than here in California.

Richard

[deuceschinagirl]

I have lived in Dayton for 17 years and can honestly say that I would not consider living anywhere else. It is a very pleasant little town and to anyone who thinks Dayton has nothing to do, they are sadly mistaken. Dayton has many festivals through out the year as well as sporting events, plus you can enjoy virtually any out door activity. The blue mountains are less than 12 miles away and consiquently, skiing is very popular in our area and is a major source of income for Dayton. Dayton also has it's own movie theater, a very old, very beautiful old building which was restored several years ago. not only can we watch movies, our theater host several live productions, put on by our very own dramatic society and they are very good too. Yes it's true Dayton is a very laid back town, but there is definitely more than meets the eye, and if you don't belive me, than come visit Dayton for yourself!

[Ruth Younce]

Housing is very cheap in Dayton. If you have good references you can usually find a decent place. If you keep the place nice you're guaranteed a place to live for some time. The biggest expense to living in Dayton is the commuting. There are a few local jobs and there is always seasonal employment on the wheat farms around the area. There are lots of entry level jobs in the Walla Walla area--retail, fast food, etc. There is some industry there as well. There are also quite a few jobs with engineering, health care, business. If I'm remembering correctly, a person can rent an average house for $400/mo. Contact the Dayton Chamber of Commerce and visit HistoricDayton.com to find out more.