Consider the FINANCIAL BURDON OF Income Tax and Tolls (Vancouver: crime, houses)

[walkerdawg]

Vancouver Washington is, for the most part, a lovely city with really nice people. Mid sized with lots to do if you are into the outdoors and are adventuresome. There asre plenty of parks and nice beaches and places to swim. You can windsurf 30 miles north in Kalama. You can have a boat on the river in no time. There are plenty of lakes for kayaking. The climate ias gentle. Schools are considered very good.

Crime is relatively low although the politics here seems to heavily support halfway houses and homeless shelters that do little rehab from some of the stories we have heard- but that is a problem in most cities since churches suck money out of people in the name of the Lord to help the less than willing to live a crime free and drug free life. And lots of people with liberal arts degrees are dependent on grant funded jobs. With titles like 'drug and alcohol rehab counselor' they get a paycheck and do not care that the shelters they support are in your neighborhood and the bums that inhabit them are kicked out everday to buy alcohol, buy and sell drugs, molest drug addict's children and commit burglary. The number of homes with alarm systems is alarming.

The next curse to hit Vancouver, Washington will be bridge tolls on both river bridges. This will hurt your bottom line if you are one of the Vancouverites who travels to Oregon to work. In exchange for a job you will pay the heavy burden of Oregon's high income tax. Washington State does not have an income tax as of yet.

Vancouver is a really nice place to live but you need to look at your financial picture before you move here and make sure Vancouver's ammenities are worth it to you.