Wenatchee (Seattle, Spokane, Yakima: ski resort, apartment, rental)

[timetogo]

What are the pro and cons for living in wenatchee?


I am single and retired with no friends or family in Washington.

I want diverse actitivities from shopping, long walks, hiking, camping.

The lack of sun and so much rain around Puget sound scares me. I now live in calaifornia foothills buth the heat is too much for me, as well as the taxes in California.

What part of wenatchee is the best to live in: I want at least one acre for peace and quiet,.

[chris]

Pros: Low housing costs, close to tons of nature/outdoor activities, Leavenworth, W Lake(s), fresh veggies, vineyards/wine, available land.

Cons: Isolated, no large cities close by, cold winters.

Wentchee is classic middle America, mostly blue collar, economy relies largely on agriculture and industry. Obviously there isn't a ton of rain like Western WA... The city of Wenatchee is nothing you would write home about but I'm sure with all the people moving there it's changing. Good or bad I couldn't really say. I looked there myself for my family as a place to relocate (between ther and Leavenworth) but ended up in Western WA to be closer to family.

It's definitely *not* California, but if given the choice I'd choose it over most of California.

[Brooke]

I live in Wenatchee. I moved here in '92, up from Yakima, prior to that from Seattle area. In '92 Wenatchee was perfect. Now it is very crowded, nothing like California tho. And of course right now it's very hot, 105. This is unusual. Usually it's 90s in July, 100 for two weeks in August, then 80s until october. it's a good place to settle because it's right in the middle of the state, 3 hrs from Seattle, 3 hrs from Spokane, less than an hour from mountains, 15 minutes from skiing. there's a beautiful bike trail from one end of town to the other, crosses the river and does the same thing. We call it the Loop.
Not a bad place to live, especially if you're retired. Or try something smaller. Waterville is 30 miles up a canyon and VERY peaceful. Very small town tho. could be culture shock.

[Woof]

How's Wenatchee compare to Spokane and Yakima for scenic beauty/outdoor recreation, apartment rental costs, and weather?

[7.3 Liters]

If you can't take the heat then Wenatchee is not the place. Like a prior poster said - 105 in the summer, but not humid like down there in the Cali valley. I'm up in Leavenworth with trees, rivers, and such beauty everywhere. Leavenworth is like Solvang but with a Bavarian theme. You should see the size of the fish during the run - incredible!!
Wenatchee on the other hand is like a small city, it has almost all the convenience stores that you can find anywhere, but it is growing at an incredible rate - it is considered a metropolitan area now and is the fifth fastest growing one in the country. Housing prices are skyrocketing so you need to get here before they get out of reach. But you can't beat the four seasons here. Real seasons, it is snowing right now, I've had to use my four wheel drive more in the past couple of weeks than the last five years I was in Cali.

[Woof]

My God, 7.3 Liters, some of those mountain views in Leavenworth are stunning! I think I want to live there - maybe I'll check when the weather breaks for a cheap studio apt. I'm a total sucker for mountain views, it must be in my DNA since my ancestors were Swiss.

[freeedom]

What are the winters like in Leavenworth? How much snow? I love the snow, I live in Oregon Washington county and we just get alot of rain.

[rosanielle]

How's Leavenworth as a retirement community? It looks like Colorado but hopefully without the pricetag! Since my husband has arthritis,we can't live in too wet of a climate and central WA may be a good choice. Leavenworth looks divine.

[cspeaker]

I just got back from the Leavenworth area 2 days ago on vacation. We stayed in Plain 18 miles from Leavenworth. We fell in LOVE with Plain! Everybody knows everybody - every time we went into the grocery and hardware stores it seemed like a family reunion was going on between the locals. And everyone there was so very friendly and genuinely nice. The scenery all around was breathtaking views of mountains. The snow was waist deep but dry, not wet and slushy, which made it easy and enjoyable to get around. It made for postcard quality scenery everywhere you looked. We never felt too cold and had a blast sledding, snowmobiling and snowboarding at the nearby, very popular ski resort, at Stevens Pass. Growing up in eastern WA I hated snow until I visited Plain, now I love it so much we're planning on moving to a place that gets lots of snow. Leavenworth is close enough to drive to for supplies and in-town entertainment and is very beautiful, especially in winter with all the thousands of christmas lights everywhere in the downtown area.

The downside of our experience was that Leavenworth is very touristy and so many people were visiting for the holidays that it was almost miserable trying to do stuff in the popular hot spots. Plain, however, never got very congested and we had a great time just staying around there. There are lodges and plenty to do if you love the outdoors. I suggest you visit the area during both peak and down seasons. The area is gorgeous, quaint, and there's lots to do in the great outdoors. Cost of living is right around the national average and is lower than the state average with the median income reflecting the same.

[vigilance71]

Originally Posted by timetogo

What are the pro and cons for living in wenatchee?


I am single and retired with no friends or family in Washington.

I want diverse actitivities from shopping, long walks, hiking, camping.

The lack of sun and so much rain around Puget sound scares me. I now live in calaifornia foothills buth the heat is too much for me, as well as the taxes in California.

What part of wenatchee is the best to live in: I want at least one acre for peace and quiet,.

Wenatchee is very crowded for such a small town. Used to be all apple orchards but is developing with people from Seattle and other parts. Jobs are very hard to get due to so many people applying for the same job. People are not friendly and very high prozac for such a small population.
I have to say the health care is very good, hopitals, clinics.
I would recommend Spokane WA. Traffic very smooth. So much more to do and homes seems to be less and shopping is better. People are alot more friendly. If you want country type living or city, it has both.
I love to camp, walks Spokane Parks are great and so is the camping. Idaho or MT. Couer'd Alne has so much to offer. Your right in the center of it all. Good luck....