What is a very wheelchair-friendly town in Washington (Seattle, Spokane: to buy, to live in)

[halljosh80]

I am very interested in moving to Washington at some point in the somewhat near future, but my only problem is finding a wheelchair-friendly (accessible) town. I prefer to live in a smaller town, as opposed to, say, Seattle. I like what I have seen in pictures of Forks (not because of the "Twilight" series, mind you). I live in a small town in Minnesota, but I want to get away for a while.

If anyone can help me out, that would be excellent!!

Thanks in advance.

[Lynda05125]

Small towns are nice to live in,"but if you need to work while you live here in Washington might be better to live in closer to the main cities; the commute would be bad from small towns to get to where the most jobs might be.
As far as wheelchair friendly towns they all have some kind of wheelchair accessibility,just depends on the establishment that you visit.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by halljosh80

I like what I have seen in pictures of Forks

You like clear-cut forests, a struggling economy and muddy dirt streets?

OK on a more serious note, Forks is not really very "accessible", wheelchair or not...

Let's see, small town MN? How about something in the Spokane area? You'd have 4 seasons there just like you have in MN but the winters aren't as harsh (generally!) as the upper MidWest and the summers aren't anywhere near as humid. Spokane and its surrounds are smaller than Seattle yet big enough to provide all the accessibility you're seeking.

Might be worth checking out-

[halljosh80]

Hey Dendrite and Lynda, I appreciate your input! I have looked at Spokane...it seems very nice. I also like the 4 seasons, but if I could find someplace that has a winter without snow, that would be excellent. Any suggestions on that aspect?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by halljosh80

I am very interested in moving to Washington ... I prefer to live in a smaller town, as opposed to, say, Seattle. I like what I have seen in pictures of Forks ...

Josh, give us a few more clues. (lots of nice towns in WA, very diverse climate and activities)
Do you need work, if so what industry?
Hobbies, and activities of enjoyment? (sports, culture, libraries, parks, fishing...?)


What did you like about Forks? (forest, sea, remoteness, climate) ?

A big difference is east side (70% of state land area) vs. west side (70% of state population)
east; more conservative, drier, farms, prairie, dams and hydro, smaller forests but more days to enjoy them, stars, moon, sun, 4 seasons, more traveling distance between towns, cafes. (10F>110F)

west = pretty liberal politically, wet ~ 200 days / yr, dark and cool, clouds, (40F > 90F). tall and dense forests, towns pretty close together, traffic jams, more available arts, coastline, coffee bars and deli's.

(Just saw your note, winter w/o snow.... that is a bit tough with the Pacific Ocean nearby. Would you settle for infrequent snow? Do you prefer dry winter, or wet winter (Rain). Spokane got hammered this yr, but normally not too bad for snow. I would look to Walla Walla, if you can handle a 6 hr drive to the coast. Otherwise I like Wenatchee (Still east side) or on west side you have many choices, State Capital, Olympia, will be most 'accessible'. Our snow does not typically stick around long in WA, but where I came from (Northern Colo) it was very infrequent (snow) and very sunny and nice to be out in the winter)

[509]

Originally Posted by halljosh80

I am very interested in moving to Washington at some point in the somewhat near future, but my only problem is finding a wheelchair-friendly (accessible) town. I prefer to live in a smaller town, as opposed to, say, Seattle. I like what I have seen in pictures of Forks (not because of the "Twilight" series, mind you). I live in a small town in Minnesota, but I want to get away for a while.

If anyone can help me out, that would be excellent!!

Thanks in advance.

I was disabled for a short period of time. I also had a baby to ferret around and my father who had mobility problems came to visit. That said.........

This is what I learned. Stay away from cities. I never did pick up my temporary sticker since I did not need one in Wenatchee. Then I went to Seattle to pick up my father. The airport was a disaster. They can deal with one disabled person, not two. And, of course, I had no sticker!!!

We stopped at IKEA. All the handicapped parking spaces had portable toilets for their sale. IKEA did have a motorized cart. Unfortunately, there was no space to put purchases on the cart!! So what was the point? Don't you shop to buy things?

Anyway check out the smaller towns. I would look at Wenatchee and Walla Walla. They are large enough to have cut-outs at curbs and other design features built in. The towns are small enough that people still pay attention and care, but large enough that they upgrade their facilities.

Good luck to you. Good design serves everybody.

We need to design communities for everybody. There are no excuses.

[Sobefobik]

Forks is a great place, but it takes the right person to live there. It is very secluded, and if will be hard to find work if you are looking for it. It is also a rainforest...literally. They get a huge amount of rain there. You can find housing, but you really have to look. It is a beautiful area, though, and the beaches around there are close and the best!

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by Sobefobik

Forks is a great place, but it takes the right person to live there.

I agree.

All the recent interest in Forks is by exactly the wrong type of people and what they seek won't be found there.

Forks exists because of the old growth cedar which fed the shingle and shake mills. But now, the cedar is gone and the mills are closed.

Forks is still there because it's on Hwy 101, is the only town between Aberdeen and Port Angeles, and is a convenient stop to get gas and a Pepsi.

It does however, support a miniscule tourist industry, and a fairly recent influx of retirees.

[spearmint_roland]

Well, I've read your comments, but now I'm wondering.. if you do live in Forks, that is.. where do you get money to live comfortably in that town?

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by 509

Anyway check out the smaller towns...They are large enough to have cut-outs at curbs and other design features built in...

Maybe someday they will pave the gravel streets and put in sidewalks, but until that happens, sidewalk ramps and cutouts are not a problem in Forks.

The main street through town is Hwy 101.

Good luck getting across that in a wheelchair.

If a drunk in a pickup doesn't get you, a logging truck or a tourist in an RV will.