Best/Worst places in Washington (Spokane, Yakima: school, camping, taxes)

[skinem]

Look at eastern WA for much more sunshine than western WA. SE WA also has pretty mild winters.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by kerrig777

We will be flying in to SEA in August. Is it going to be difficult to navigate around there? My husband used to go to Battle Ground Washington .. I plan to take our GPS, but was wondering if the highways are pretty easy to navigate. I really hope they are easier than California!

Not a big problem getting around, just stay clear of freeway traffic in Metro SEA from 6 AM to 8 PM weekdays, especially bad on sunny Fridays. BEWARE We_t WA drivers don't know how to drive in sun glare (this is true, be careful)

Is the ethnic demographis on the C-D site? Maybe I should find a Dutch community since that is my ethnic background.... HOnestly I want to just be in a community where it's not necessary to know Spanish!

Some demo stuff on C-D, Lynden, WA is really Dutch, you should look it over. Great place to raise kids, and nice to be so close to BC

Colo Springs is actually another area we were looking at ...I don't mind the cold and even a little bit of snow, so long as it's not several feet all winter long. ... I love to live in a place that has weather that varies. rain, snow, sunshine, thunderstorms.... I enjoy the sunshine, but would really like a little rain

Personally, I would concentrate on that choice; Colorado Springs (for many reasons). CS usually gets a couple heavy snows (over 1'), but they should be gone in a couple days, worse case is a week. It can be 60-70F on some winter days. It is sunny, so often warm enough to drive and do errands in shirts, not heavy coats. More often dry than snowy. It is brown there in winter, and they have 4 seasons with some great thunderstorms. We have had a few rumbles of thunder in the 30 yrs I've been in PNW, but nothing like the ripping lightning and deafening thunder elsewhere. I summer, it rains almost every afternoon in Colo Springs for about 10 min at 3pm. In PNW it starts drizzling in Sept, raining in Nov, ~ 1 week of sun in mid winter, rain through April, drizzle and about 50% sun in May and June (not this yr). Sun (usually) July 5 through day before Labor Day. (BTW, I have had to run my fireplace in July in PNW on rainy yrs)

No place will be perfect, but I would be more comfortable in Colorado than WA. Just personal choice, as there is much change in WA to make it just like CA (w/o Prop 13... I pay $12k/ yr in property taxes, up from $800). Even CARB is coming here.

[kerrig777]

YIKES!!! Those property taxes even excede ours!! I am agreeing with you, I think Colorado would be a better fit for us. The housing prices are still reasonable too with low (well low relative to CA and WA standards) property taxes. Now we will just have to see how the job market is.
I'm going to look into Lynden while we are there in August though! I'm still keeping options open. We are narrowing our search, but it's still up in the air depending on where he can find a job. I won't be able to work for a few years with the baby at home and no family to watch her. Besides I'd like to raise my own child. Once she's in school then I can put my Masters degree to work.
thank you for all your info.!

[Garfield-Boii]

Originally Posted by Fat Freddy

I agree.

Most large cities have low income areas and areas of ethnic concentration but that doesn't mean they are "Ghetto".

South Central LA is Ghetto.
Hunter's Point, San Francisco is Ghetto.
Central Oakland, CA is Ghetto.
Detroit is Ghetto.

Many large cities across the country have areas that are Ghettos, but I have never seen any place in Washington, including the worst parts of Seattle that would qualify.

I gottah disagree with you on that. The south side of seattle is very much ghetto I lived for my whole entire life and their was gangs, theft, murder, drugs just name it. When I went down to Cali to visit my sister South Central LA yeah its ghetto but SouthSide of Seattle is worst so is some parts in Ballard, Browd way street, and other parts.

[kickinit]

There's a place that I lived for a little while recently. I think you might like it from what I read from you. It's called Liberty Lake, Washington. It is in Eastern Washington near Spokane. Also close to Couer D' Alene, Idaho. I have been to nearly every city and town in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and more. I think you would like this place. It's very nice. The Schools are Superb! It's just great.

[stingray427]

fyi: Chevron 91 Super Unleaded gas here costs $3.50 a gallon

[stingray427]

Originally Posted by kickinit

There's a place that I lived for a little while recently. I think you might like it from what I read from you. It's called Liberty Lake, Washington. It is in Eastern Washington near Spokane. Also close to Couer D' Alene, Idaho. I have been to nearly every city and town in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and more. I think you would like this place. It's very nice. The Schools are Superb! It's just great.

Have you been to Custer yet? Or Birch Bay?

[kickinit]

I have been to Custer and Birch Bay, Last time I was about 12 years old. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington near Portland. I assume the weather is much the same in Custer and Birch Bay as Seattle and Portland, since it's as far west. I Love Canada, and they are on the border. Near Alot of water and very Pretty. Agree!!

[stingray427]

Originally Posted by kickinit

I have been to Custer and Birch Bay, Last time I was about 12 years old. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington near Portland. I assume the weather is much the same in Custer and Birch Bay as Seattle and Portland, since it's as far west. I Love Canada, and they are on the border. Near Alot of water and very Pretty. Agree!!

I looked up the stats on Custer and it appears to be a very small town with little population and the income levels are very low. Is it considered a high crime area? It looks very rural and one would think it wouldn't be high crime if it is low in population.

[davin]

how is wenatchee to live? heard some good thinngs about it but would like to know more.
thanks much. ron