Dayton, what is it like? (Spokane, Walla Walla: low crime, house prices, theater)

[plantlover]

I have read about Dayton in some other threads. I have a few specific questions. This is the Dayton near the Blue Mountains. What is the climate like? Heavy snows? Hot summers? Lots of cloudy days or not? What is the nearest town of any size? How close is it to Portland? I am considering a visit out there, but would appreciate any information. Thanks!

[tudorjason]

My parents visited Dayton, thinking it would be where they would retire. Of what they've told me, it's very small. The largest employer is the school district. It is also a county seat of Columbia County, so there are a few government jobs. It's weather is more extreme due to the rain shadow effect from the Cascade Mountains. And the closest city of a good size is Walla Walla.

[j_k_k]

It's pretty Cletus.

[liveshere]

Originally Posted by plantlover

I have read about Dayton in some other threads. I have a few specific questions. This is the Dayton near the Blue Mountains. What is the climate like? Heavy snows? Hot summers? Lots of cloudy days or not? What is the nearest town of any size? How close is it to Portland? I am considering a visit out there, but would appreciate any information. Thanks!

I live in Dayton and it is a small community, not much crime and not many jobs either. During the summer it does get pretty hot here and sometimes there is snow in the town but more so in the mountains. the closest city with a good size is walla walla and it takes about 30 mins to get there. not much cloudy days unless its fall or winter.

[drhdrh]

I taught here for thirty years and still live here. It is a small town and might be a little Cletis, but we like it that way. I wouldn't say there aren't jobs here. It is the county seat, has a hospital, golf course, two fish hatcheries, Little Goose Dam, Ski Bluewood, several agribusiness related jobs, over thirty small businesses, and over 300 windmills.
It is very attractive to retirees. It has low cost housing, low taxes and a low cost of living. Everything you need is here including hospital, doctors, dentists, vision care, banks, lumber yard, hardware, appliance store, pharmacy, restaurants, Liberty Theater, golf course, Ski Bluewood and the Blue Mountains. The Touchet River runs through town and the Tucannon and Snake river is twenty minutes away. If you want better shopping, Walla Walla is 30 minutes away, the Tri-Cities is 60 minutes away, and Lewiston-Clarkston is about 70 minutes away. Spokane is two hours away.
We live in a little banana belt here with very mild winters. It was unusually warm today..Dec 7 and 58 degrees. The summers will have a few dry 100 degree days.
It has an easygoing lifestyle with low crime and virtually no traffic problems. We do have the only stop light between Walla Walla and Spokane though. This town is not for everybody, but I love it here.

[plantlover]

Originally Posted by drhdrh

I taught here for thirty years and still live here. It is a small town and might be a little Cletis, but we like it that way. I wouldn't say there aren't jobs here. It is the county seat, has a hospital, golf course, two fish hatcheries, Little Goose Dam, Ski Bluewood, several agribusiness related jobs, over thirty small businesses, and over 300 windmills.
It is very attractive to retirees. It has low cost housing, low taxes and a low cost of living. Everything you need is here including hospital, doctors, dentists, vision care, banks, lumber yard, hardware, appliance store, pharmacy, restaurants, Liberty Theater, golf course, Ski Bluewood and the Blue Mountains. The Touchet River runs through town and the Tucannon and Snake river is twenty minutes away. If you want better shopping, Walla Walla is 30 minutes away, the Tri-Cities is 60 minutes away, and Lewiston-Clarkston is about 70 minutes away. Spokane is two hours away.
We live in a little banana belt here with very mild winters. It was unusually warm today..Dec 7 and 58 degrees. The summers will have a few dry 100 degree days.
It has an easygoing lifestyle with low crime and virtually no traffic problems. We do have the only stop light between Walla Walla and Spokane though. This town is not for everybody, but I love it here.

Sounds like a very nice, peaceful place. Would a horticulturist find opportunities there? I've seen the term "Cletis" a couple of times. Sorry, but could someone please explain what "Cletis" means?

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by plantlover

Sounds like a very nice, peaceful place. Would a horticulturist find opportunities there? I've seen the term "Cletis" a couple of times. Sorry, but could someone please explain what "Cletis" means?

By that I meant that it had a rural style and feel, and that social attitudes would generally be in line with those of rural areas. And having gone to high school in a town far more Cletus than Dayton, I have a pretty good sense for those.

[drhdrh]

I take Cletus to mean like Mayberry if you remember Barney Fife, Aunt Bee, Gomer, Cletus, Opie, and Sheriff Taylor.

Senaca/Green Giant still has a research facility here that employs a few people, one of which is a horticulturist, that gives talks all over the world. I think she specializes in plant genetics. We used to have the largest aspargus processing plant in North America... until they moved to Peru a couple of years ago!

[pkvinegirl]

My husband and I moved to Dayton about 3 years ago, and while I agree with most of what drhdrh said, I would modify by saying it has "a little bit" of everything you need. Specifically, medical and public transportation services are available, but are minimal. In the time since we moved to Dayton, my husband has developed fairly serious health issues, and we've experienced a lot of frustration with those aspects of living in such a rural area. I drive 45 miles to my job, but financially we still come out ahead because the cost to live in Dayton is much cheaper than Walla Walla. And though we have met some wonderful people, it can be a challenge to make friends because we don't work in town and many people have lived in Dayton their whole lives and have already established friendships. If we had children or attended church that would probably be different, though. I absolutely love the area--It's beautiful, it's laid-back and charming, the weather is pleasant (often better than Walla Walla), house prices are reasonable, and it's easy to become involved in town events if you like that sort of thing.

[Jo Anne Meginnes]

After staying in Dayton overnight this June on the way to Joseph, OR, we left feeling that this might be a great place to semi-retire and live in. We intend to revisit this fall to find out more and stay a bit longer but the more information we can get, especially from those who have lived or are currently living there, the better.

We have lived in Vermont for 30 years and now live in Western Washington so are well acquainted with small town living on both coasts and feel the positive aspects far outweigh a few negative ones. Winters and snow obviously don't worry us much having routinely survived ones with between 120-160" in VT! What does worry us a bit is the heat in the summer in beautiful Dayton.

We understand that it hits 100 degrees, but how often? Dry heat, yes, but in general how do people tolerate it? Assume that everything is AC'd. Guess my question really is: if you aren't used to that kind of heat, would you find it a problem?

Only other concern is developing new friendships. Our children are grown but we are an active couple in our 60s with lots of interests. Though not regular church goers, we are caring and thoughtful individuals and have worked and participated in the other small towns we have lived in and enjoyed long friendships with many. Politically we would probably describe ourselves as leaning toward liberal, tempered with good old common sense. Would it be difficult for us to develop new friendships in Dayton?

Thanks for your comments