Relocating to Okanogan County (Wenatchee, Port Townsend: apartments, house prices, employment)

[Barina]

I desperately want to live in Okanogan County, I want the drastic living, hot summers, snowed in winters... The problem I'm having is work, I will be fine as I want to be a stay at home mom ( we plan on having 1 child) my husband though will need a job. He is retiring from the Navy in 4 years, has a BA and working on a Masters in health care management. He will need a job preferably at a hospital. Is there any large hospitals in Okanogan County? We are considering moving to the Ocean, but our spending limit will be around 250k, and from what Ive seen I can get a 3 bedroom house on the Ocean with a lot or a 3 bedroom in Okanogan with 10+ acres, we are definitely leaning on the acreage side. I have lived in Port Townsend, WA my hole life and love the small town feeling which PT is loosing. Do you think the lack of jobs in eastern WA going to be a problem?

[racechick73]

Hey Barina,
My parents fled Whatcom County about 8 years ago and made the move to Omak. They were tired of the traffic, weather, high-housing costs, and liberal-minded people of Western Washington. They really do love it there, but you're correct about the job situation there.
My dad found a job there running heavy equipment and making about half the wage that he made here, but he says it's worth it to live there. Housing has gone up, but it will seem cheap compared to Western Washington.
Locals are also very wary of people from "the coast". It took my folks a long time to make any friends, even though they're the nicest, friendliest people you'd probably ever meet. The locals are really nice there, but they aren't too trusting of us "coasties". So keep in mind it might take a while to truly be accepted.
There is one hospital in Okanogan County- it's located right between Omak & Okanogan, and I know there's a good-sized Medical Center on the north side of Omak. There is also a Super WalMart and a new Home Depot.
One thing you should also be aware of is that the schools have a terrible reputation, especially Omak. My mom has worked in the Omak School District since they moved there, and she has all kinds of horror stories about it. She does say that Okanogan SD is slightly better.
I hope this helps you in some way- if you have more questions feel free to PM me! Good luck to you guys.

[ilovewood]

Sorry to butt in.....What is the reason, do you think, for the problems with the schools in the area? Are there significant drug problems?

[NCWmark]

I'll add my two cents.

The employment aspect could be a problem, although one of the fastest growing employment fields in North Central Washington is the medical field. Retirement homes, Assisted Living Apartments, and Nursing Homes are springing up just as fast as the luxury homes that retirees are building along the Columbia River.

With the influx of older people (retirees) the going philosophy is that there will be a continued need for more and more medical professionals. So, if thinking of relocating to the area your husband does have skills in the right field.

As far as the school district problems, I don't have first or second hand knowledge like the previous poster, but I do feel that there are problems in every school district. Many Eastern Washington school districts are smaller so the problems may stick out more because they can't hide behind the massive student populations of some of the bigger city schools. Just a thought.

[Alcon]

Originally Posted by ilovewood

Sorry to butt in.....What is the reason, do you think, for the problems with the schools in the area? Are there significant drug problems?

With the recent exception of the Winthrop-Twisp area, Okanogan County tends to be unfriendly to education bonds and such. I'm not sure if this is the reason for its troubles, but clearly there is some level of dissatisfaction with the district.

I believe that Omak High School has no AP courses. The complaints I've heard revolve around excessive focus on the WASL. For students motivated beyond blue-collar jobs, it apparently just is not strong. GreatSchools.net gives it a rating of 5/10. That's not a disaster, but it's poor.

Okanogan High School doesn't fair much better - 6/10.

Other Okanogan County public highs:

Brewster - 6
Lake Roosevelt [Coulee Dam] - 4
Liberty Bell Junior-High [Winthrop] - 9
Oroville Middle-High - 4
Pateros - 7
Tonasket - 4

Liberty Bell is apparently quite a strong school, but it's way far from Okanogan-Omak (which are basically attached). It's an entirely different world there, culturally, politically and everything, but absolutely stunning. House prices also could be worse, but if you have a job in Okanogan-Omak, it's just not a possibility, I suppose.

Simply put, it's not necessarily the sort of place where the school district is looking much beyond succesfully graduating a heavily blue-collar population.

[racechick73]

In my mom's experience, working with the elementary school aged kids, most of the problems arise from their family environments. I am in no way stating a racist or prejudiced opinion here; but the fact is that there is so much drug and alcohol use on the reservation, it bleeds over into the schools. My mom says a good percentage of the students are lucky to be living with even one parent- most of the parents are either in jail or can't be found at all, so the kids go to live with a relative. So a lot of the kids act out at school, and the teachers are so busy dealing with them, the other kids get left fending for themselves. The teachers are burned out and understaffed. My mom sees the teachers passing a student just to get them out of the school, because the only discipline is to expel them, which the student thinks is just great.
It really is a sad situation.

[Barina]

Thank you all for the helpful info... I am so excited to tell my husband about the expanding medical field (thanx NCWmark)... The school situation does put me off quite a bit, I have thought some on home schooling as I myself was home schooled through 1 -6 grade. I feel that I did not learn even half as much as my public school friends did, so I am not confident on being able to educate my child enough to enter into college.

[NCWmark]

Just wanted to caution you, it is true that the healthcare industry is expanding in North Central Washington. But, the pay is not comparable to the west side of the state. It does even out a bit as the expenses are not comparable to the west side of the state either. Just wanted to make that clear.

[racechick73]

As for the homeschooling bit- I know a lot of people who do homeschool, and you'd probably be very pleasantly surprised at the resources available these days. I've heard a lot of it can be done via DVD and internet, and there are a ton of homeschool groups out there. I'm guessing that since the schools aren't so great in that area, there are probably a few groups in the O/O area. You could call the C of Commerce or any church and they'd probably have contact info for you.
Also, you might want to check into Wenatchee. My mom said a lot of families moved down there b/c of the school situation. If you're a small town girl like me, you could live on the outskirts of Wenatchee- there's always Entiat, Cashmere, or Rock Island. (Although Cashmere sure isn't cheap- and pretty darn busy.) But there should be some great job opportunities in Wenatchee, and the schools will be a lot better if you decide homeschooling isn't for you.
There are so many great areas in Eastern Washington. I grew up camping all over the east side, nearly every weekend every summer, so I know a lot of the areas. It's just so tough to find a decent job. If I didn't have kids or a job to take into account, I'd be in Republic in a heartbeat. Cute town, small, off the beaten path, and most importantly- there's a dirt track there!!!

[NCWmark]

I'd have to agree with racechick, there are many options in that area. Wenatchee, where I live, is a bit bigger but there are options. It is very common for people to live in any of the small towns/communities around Wenatchee (Entiat, Monitor, Peshastin, Dryden, Cashmere, Rock Island, Malaga, Three Lakes, Orondo, and even Waterville) but be employed in Wenatchee.

The thing that separates North Central Washington from a lot of areas is that there are definitely four seasons here. The winters will sometimes hit you hard, but the spring and fall are gorgeous, and the summers are mild to hot. Plus, if you like the outdoors then the options can't be beat. Again... I'm biased though