Vancouver's out rim too far (Washougal, Woodland,etc)? (Seattle, Tacoma: apartments, house)

[MtnSurfer]

I'm seeing a lot of interesting properties and wondering if too far out from town or what they are like?

Thanks,

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

Sorry, I was rushing a bit on the way out with the first post, late for son's recital. Here's a bit more information.

We have relatives who retired in Camas. They seem to like just fine. Washougal is the next town east. We've also seen some nice homes in the upper northern boundary of Vancouver or just outside.

We are 'not' retired and I work remotely. So good internet is required. Fiber optic lines would be best. Typically, the further out one goes from towns the spottier internet service gets. Things like satellite internet won't cut it. My wife homeschools our three teenagers. They will all be attending CC while in high school - RunningStart. So proximity to a campus is important. In addition, she doesn't want to have to drive a 'long' way to the stores for shopping to feed these hungry teenagers.

I prefer to be the closest possible to hiking trails like those in the Gorge including all the falls along the OR side. WA has some nice Gorge hikes as well such as Dog Mountain which we've done. But it seems most falls are on the other side in this region. I was initially thinking places like Carson or even White Salmon would be great since I love the outdoors. But they are pretty far removed from most amenities. She normally shops at Trader Joes and Costco which I see closer to central Vancouver. Overpriced organic 'Whole Paycheck' type stores are out when feeding a family of five.

Thanks,
Derek

[StealthRabbit]

~10 miles east of Washougal and I can be to the 205 bridge in <20 min, (one stop light) suits me. (I purposely moved to CGNSA to have protected future growth, and lifelong acces to ez recreation.). Our kids drove daily to RS, before current 192nd campus opened. Often 2x / day for night classes + jobs, and while teaching skiing at Meadows. (1hr further east)... great job for homeschoolers.

I have never shopped at TJ, but am a regular at Chuck’s Produce.(tad closer) + QFC And FM for great weekly sales. I grow and buy from growers (and NA fisheries). Edible landscape is very ez, pretty, and handy.

My internet is unacceptable, but 600’ away is decent 25mbsp DSL. Some of Skamania Cty has fiber (including North Bonneville). USDA ED can fund rural counties for infrastructure that are far enough away from metro.

Cape Horn and Beacon Rock, Hamilton, Mtn, Franz Lake, Stiegerwald, and many NF hiking sites on the WA side not nearly as busy as OR. Plenty in the backyard... nice boat launches and backwaters for kayak and such. Woodland is fine for frequent needed trips to Olympia, Tacoma And Seattle.... if you must drive... and weather is milder for gardening.

[silibran]

SR 14 is quite clogged during morning and evening rush hours.

[StealthRabbit]

Might need to consider you will probably be changing locations as your life / activities change.

Nice properties will always be able to resell quite ez. (on parks, lakes, view, greenbelt, acreage...)

During your 'kid (taxi) yrs' stay central in an acceptable neighborhood (We had 5 acres in Minnehaha next to a large park and 200 Acre County Farm), so it was 'peaceful in the city'. ~5 min to I-5 and Shopping and <10 min to CC. 20 min to PDX. There are several areas like this that are central, but pleasant (not in subdivisions or filled with commerce).

I Moved further out when I got sick of fighting County Planning bringing Apartments and development adjacent to my U-pick fruit farm. Which was nice for a season, and could still be 'acceptable' for many. I'm a country kid, so was felling 'fenced in'. YMMV

Was VERY nice for 'kid yrs' / activities attending things in town.

As a retiree / (or working from home), having QUIET and an infinite and eternal view from every room in the house is very enjoyable. (no future building / development allowed)
Still get to town a few times / week, but only when necessary.

If your kids can do the Clark campus off 192, or schedule their classes so they are not on SR 14 from 7AM - 8AM or 4:30PM - 6:30PM they should be free from traffic woes. (Usually just a very small stretch (I-205- 164th) still moves, just congested.

[texasdiver]

We live in one of the newer (2006) subdivisions in Camas and have good fiber coverage through Frontier. I haven't done a speed test in a while but generally we can have 3 or 4 different screens screening 4K resolution video off Netflix or Amazon in different parts of the house and rarely ever get buffering delays. It's certainly fast enough for most any work situations. But our cell coverage is spotty with any service other than Verizon.

Generally speaking your most reliable internet is going to be in established subdivisions. The further out you get the worse both your internet and cellular coverage is going to be. But each neighborhood is unique.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

We live in one of the newer (2006) subdivisions in Camas and have good fiber coverage through Frontier. ...
Generally speaking your most reliable internet is going to be in established subdivisions. The further out you get the worse both your internet and cellular coverage is going to be. But each neighborhood is unique.

yes, such as Autumn Hills rural subdivision (Mt Livingston // Camas).
A Comcast Exec was in on the first stage development, so that fairly remote subdivision has good Comcast coverage

Do verify this need / service. Verizon is the ONLY strong coverage, broadband, wireless service in rural Western USA. Their techs have not been helpful on locating towers / improving signals. Privately friends have had good success with amplifiers and different antennae. Much of rural Camas has land based broadband which can be GREAT when it works. When it doesn't ... the company won't answer the phone for a couple weeks.

Really good rural fiber is predominantly in Eastern WA and provided by the Dams / Power Co-ops.

As mentioned... North Bonneville, WA is a relocated city (by Army Corp) and they had T1 lines 30 yrs ago and current businesses in that region get excellent coverage (I am not sure how the residential coverage is, but have not heard complaints from heavy users)
Fiber runs through my driveway easement (I'm rural with NO coverage), but it is only accessible by Schools and Libraries.

I understand that Washougal is residential fibered east of town to Sunset View Rd (Western Edge of the CGNSA)

[MtnSurfer]

Thanks, guys. That's good to know about internet connectivity varying per neighborhood. I'll definitely have to confirm before making a move as my job depends on it.

StealthRabbit, thanks for the heads up on lessor known hiking options on the WA side of the Columbia. We love hiking trails especially with water features and/or views. We enjoyed Dog Mountain and the flowers are great in the Spring. But I hadn't heard of too many others on that side. Maybe that's a good thing for the locals since the OR side get's the lion share of traffic. Its pretty hard to miss all those waterfalls!

Regarding kayaking, I would imagine most wear drysuits or really thick wetsuits most of the year due to the cold water temps. I'm willing to adapt to that since I love paddleboarding. I'm just trying to psych myself up for it and prepare for the cold! Most of the time (99%) I'm above water. But you have to plan to 'go in' just in case.

Derek

[notnamed]

As for the northern outskirts check out Battle Ground. We're living there also doing the work remote thing. Comcast provides a good fast stable connection in the main part of town. Up in the hills is another story. Good views of St. Helens/Silverstar/Hood/etc available on a good number of lots. Lewisville, Moulton Falls, and Battle Ground Lake parks nearby. Lake Merwin, Yale Lake, and Swift reservoir provide paddle boarding opportunities. And of course all the southern Mt. St. Helens area opportunities are just ~35 miles away. Fun winding drive up 503 if you're into that sort of thing.

Has a reputation of being a bit of a hick/redneck rural area among Vancouverites who haven't been up here lately. But it is growing quickly. 4 major supermarkets in town now. I've been enjoying Safeway/Albertsons delivery service. Saves a lot of money and time as it eliminates impulse buying and wandering aisles looking for things. Since it's still new delivery is free.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by notnamed

As for the northern outskirts check out Battle Ground. We're living there also doing the work remote thing. Comcast provides a good fast stable connection in the main part of town. Up in the hills is another story. Good views of St. Helens/Silverstar/Hood/etc available on a good number of lots. Lewisville, Moulton Falls, and Battle Ground Lake parks nearby. Lake Merwin, Yale Lake, and Swift reservoir provide paddle boarding opportunities. And of course all the southern Mt. St. Helens area opportunities are just ~35 miles away. Fun winding drive up 503 if you're into that sort of thing.

Has a reputation of being a bit of a hick/redneck rural area among Vancouverites who haven't been up here lately. But it is growing quickly. 4 major supermarkets in town now. I've been enjoying Safeway/Albertsons delivery service. Saves a lot of money and time as it eliminates impulse buying and wandering aisles looking for things. Since it's still new delivery is free.

That's good to hear about the northern end. Thanks for the heads up and connectivity. Also, those lakes look really nice. I just check them out. Looks like some great fishing at certain times of the year as well.

Derek