Quote:
Originally Posted by Nell Plotts
There are towns in the mid-Willamette Valley that meet your criteria.. depending on your definition of low cost of living.
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agreed
... and if you don't like winter fog... head north an hour...
Ridgefield / La Center / Woodland, WA (No State Income tax) 1/2 hour to sales tax free Oregon
2-3 snows / yr (1 - 2 days of cover) PLENTY of natural WATER (200+ days of drizzle / overcast) but improving and some cluster areas are MUCH better than others.
60 degree SLEEPING nights in summer
1.2 hrs to Oregon Coast, or Mt Hood, or Mt St Helens
I joined Master Gardeners when I arrived (age 27) was GREAT experience.
http://ext100.wsu.edu/clark/
I bought a u-pick fruit farm and could have lived happily ever after...
Then 'life' happened
It was 10 yrs of near perfect gardening Nirvana. (but I had to trim orchard in the drizzle). Not the BEST idea to retain existing trees, new varieties / horticulture ) columnar orchards are WAY smarter...
https://www.google.com/search?q=colu...FcePgAodPTICQQ
http://web.idiggreenacres.com/blog/b...olumnar-Apples
Sandy Lome soil! PERFECT!!! not a rock on the farm! (and I was on a decent Hill / good light / breeze / drainage!
)
Near to here: (10 min to PDX, Downtown Portland, 'in town', but country quiet / neighborhood)
Farm history - 78th St. Heritage Farm
County Park next door also;
Hazel Dell Park - Parks - Vancouver, WA - Reviews - Photos - Yelp
Sun / dry breaks can be had:
1 hr east (The Dalles / Goldendale)
1 hr SOUTH by Air ($39 - $89 for Sacramento or Bay area).. Spirit Air was running to San Diego for $23.10 each way... Down at 5AM and back at midnight, no rental car required! I also fly to TX, AZ, CO NM for sun breaks.
I Do not do gardening at my TX place (yet). I am building an underground water storage for that. Bought a Windmill last week. I am not there in summer cuz PNW cannot be beat! Renters will like to garden in my TX place and I can do 'shoulder season'
PNW (we_t side) you can garden Yr round! stick it in the ground and it GROWS! (not as EZ in my Gorge location, COLD and terrible clay soils) but I do have a TON of stuff in my garden and 12' high sunflowers!). I am building my soils there. (sand, and compost) Takes about 10 yrs...
BEST advice in PNW We_tside of Cascades... add cover crops in fall, and DON"T even bother with warm weather crops till May 10...after that they will thrive... before that they will ROT (in wet days / nights). I have planted corn AFTER 4th of July and made harvest (I no longer plant corn... too hard on soils, too CHEAP to go and GLEAN on real farms...)
Affordable? $86k bought me a VERY nice 3 acre place with gardens and orchard and flower park... 30' high rhodies. small home and NICE shop / barns... (it was a DEAL and lots of cleanup...)
My friend sold and very nice 5 acre place across the street for $77k this yr.
20 mi / min to PDX. <10 min to town / Safeway.
Best to buy a TRASHED mobile home on gorgeous acreage and 'tune it up / demolish it' takes 4 hrs...
Many choices of medical and lots of great VA facilities
BTW:... my place is empty most of the time (except for a 'tenant' in the 2000sf basement 'view' apartment). I keep multiple residences on my rural places. come give it a try! (SWA is running a special tonight!).
here is a link to the local 'Senior News'
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/messenger