WA cost of living: East cheaper than West? (Seattle, Spokane: real estate, rentals)

[Catlynn]

I'm a sadly displaced Seattle girl living in the upper midwest and longing to move home. Looking at city-data cost of living - housing cost in particular - it seems clear that Eastern WA is less expensive than Western Wa. I've lived in Seattle, Olympia, Bothell and Woodinville - never east of the mountains. Michigan sucks, but I wonder... am I being foolishly nostalgic for my birthplace? When I left Seattle (2000) growth was so rampant and unchecked it was nauseating. Cost is the big factor for me, though...
Anyone live in Eastern WA who'd like to weigh in on nice towns with reasonable cost of living and OK job prospects? (I work in social services currently, but worked in animal shelters for many years before that. Any work is fine if it will pay the bills.)
Thanks!
Catlynn

[j_k_k]

Most parts of the east are cheaper, though real estate in some areas is getting more expensive. You might like Spokane or Tri-Cities, especially the latter if you don't need a lot of excitement. Buy a house here for $90K without much difficulty (and it makes little sense to rent because rents are high relative to the cost of buying). Ellensburg is a college town, as you know, and a pretty pleasant place.

[Catlynn]

Thanks, JKK.
I didn't even think of Ellensburg - had myself way on over by Spokane. A college town would be right at the top of my wish list, too. I really appreciate your real estate info: all the houses I have looked at online seem to be 250K and up! I'll go take a peek at Ellensburg, and thanks again.
Catlynn

[CoastieTX]

You mentioned cost is a big factor to you. Sooo....would it be safe to say you wouldn't move to California because of its high cost? I mention this because it costs just as much, if not more, right now, to live in Seattle and most places in Western Washington than Southern California. I didn't move to Western Washington from California, but plenty of my coworkers did, and I've heard an ear full from them about this. Housing here is just as expen$$ive, the co$t of grocerie$$ outrageou$, ga$ price$ higher than just about anywhere else, etc.

If you're complaining about HOUSES costing $250K and up, imagine how you're going to feel when that same money will get you, at most, a tiny condo here.

You also complained about the rampant growth in Seattle in 2000 being nauseating. You want to see something nauseating? Log on to the Washington State Department of Transportation's webcams or local news channels every weekday (weekends too, come to think of it) so you can witness from afar the transportation debacle that repeats itself every morning and evening.

I don't know how else to tell you this. You need to visit modern day Seattle for a week or two before you commit to moving here. Get with a realtor so he can show you what you can afford, and where. Drive the commute to where you think you'd be working. Don't move here because "Oh, I miss home sooo much!"

You should read something I wrote a while back about somebody else who wanted to move back to Seattle: http://www.city-data.com/forum/1049710-post7.html

If I were you and really wanted to move back here, I'd look at Spokane or, even better, Boise. I can't think of one compelling reason a working, middle class person should move to Seattle or Western Washington in general anymore.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by Catlynn

I didn't even think of Ellensburg - had myself way on over by Spokane. A college town would be right at the top of my wish list, too. I really appreciate your real estate info: all the houses I have looked at online seem to be 250K and up! I'll go take a peek at Ellensburg, and thanks again.

You notice I didn't mention Yakima. That's because while I might be reaching a bit, since your post said nothing about a drug habit or being comforted by the sounds of gunfire in the distance at night, there was no reason to suggest Yakima.

I checked Wenatchee real estate at one point in time and was appalled. I'm sorry. No one is getting $250K from me to live in Wenatchee, and that's what they seem to want. Leavenworth is either totally quaint or totally phony kitsch, depending on your view, and costs just as much. The school district is shrinking as increasingly only elderly retirees with good money can afford to live there.

There is always Cheney or Pullman. Those are the ultimate college towns, mainly built around colleges. Or Moscow, Idaho.

[Catlynn]

Coastie -
It isn't Seattle I miss so much, it's the Pacific Northwest. Mountains, in particular. I grew up seeing Rainier every day - like the face of god! - and now I'm living in these Michigan flatlands, jonesing for jagged snowy peaks. Nothing like being an hour from both the mountains and the ocean...
Still, Eastern WA would be fine with me, and Spokane is on the list.
Thanks for your input!
Anyone living in Eastern Washington: do you like your town and think others would like it, too? "Others" meaning me.
I'm clean, quiet, honest, kind, and live lightly - promise I won't clutter up your community with yuckiness.

[Catlynn]

JKK-
No drugs, no guns, - so thanks for the warning about Yakima! I'll check out Cheney and Pullman, too. I guess it's time to make an investigative trip West.
Catlynn

[j_k_k]

Now if college town wasn't a must, a surprisingly pleasant small town would be Prosser. It's totally nuts about its powerhouse football team, but as long as you don't dissent openly from that party line, it seems like one of the nicest places in Washington. Contrast this with similar-sized Othello, a.k.a. Ohellhole.

I'm tending to assume Vancouver would have price problems similar to Portland, thus similar to Seattle.

You know, you might flat love Walla Walla. It has a downtown people care about, and it really hasn't been discovered yet (when it is, its population will probably double). You can't see the pokey from most parts of town. It is a serious college town with Whitman, WWCC and WWC IIRC. Wally's about 50 minutes from me.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by Catlynn

Anyone living in Eastern Washington: do you like your town and think others would like it, too? "Others" meaning me.
I'm clean, quiet, honest, kind, and live lightly - promise I won't clutter up your community with yuckiness.

I like Kennewick a lot. I can tell you much more about it than I can about the rest of eastern WA. It has a great many weaknesses for many people, similar to the other Tri-Cities, few of which are relevant to me:

I don't care if city government is stupid, hidebound and somewhat corrupt because I expect that of them and would be shocked by anything else.

I don't care if there is minimal nightlife and excitement because I hate clubs and crowds.

I don't care if rentals are absurdly expensive relative to buying a house, because I own a house.

I don't much care if the medical care situation is lousy, because I'm so reluctant to use our medical system it impacts me less, and if it was really serious I'd go to Seattle anyway.

I don't care that it doesn't provide a bunch of ways to entertain me, because I learned growing up to make my own entertainment.

I don't care if there isn't much shopping, because I'm not into consumerism anyway.

I don't care if it's 25% Mormon and probably 50% some form of very religious Christian, because they never give me any trouble about not being one. Nothing like South Carolina, for example.

I don't care if it lacks a vibrant downtown because I am not attracted to vibrant downtowns. Just don't care.

I don't care if it has a nuclear waste dump about 40 miles from me, because I can't do anything about that, and it's evident it hasn't killed us all yet.

I don't care if it gets up to 105-110 F in summer because I like climatic extremes and enjoy letting the blistering heat toughen my spirit.

I don't care if it can drop to -20 F in winter (rare but happens), because I love to feel ice in the air and in my mustache and beard.

I don't care that its population has a lot of flag waving, because they never demand that I join in.

I don't care if its population is greatly ignorant of other countries or cultures, because I don't value collective public opinion much. More precisely, I value it less than what I had to clean up this morning when our Labrador Retriever wolfed down his breakfast too quickly.

I don't care about the Hanford Mediocrity Mentality, same reason.

Thus, most of the very evident drawbacks of the area for many people are okay or no problem for me.

I do care that it has the confluence of two great rivers, storied rivers, rivers that shape a respectable piece of the landmass.

I do care that its people are generally civil and mean one no harm.

I do care that it has affordable housing, light traffic and not too burdensome taxes.

I do care that we make a good living here.

I do care that it's close enough to big cities to get what I want from them.

I do care that it has golf courses, because I like golf.

I do care that it rarely rains, because I got sick of rain in Seattle.

That's how this area impacts me. You may vary your mileage through that list and see what fits.

[StealthRabbit]

The lower cost of living is largely due to home prices, so... if you are going to rent it is not a huge difference (excluding trendy SEA and metro rents). I would look at Wenatchee, Ellensburg, and Walla Walla. Spokane is not that great (IMHO).

Each of these places have need for Social Service workers, not sure of openings, but should be listed on web.