What is the Goldendale area like? (elementary school, gated, live)

[crayonofpink]

My grandmother was born in Goldendale, mom was born in Goldendale too but they lived in Klickitat so she was born at her aunt's house because she was the midwife. Grandma lived in Goldendale and Klickitat from 1907 to 1946 then moved back from 1965 to 2006 she was in High Prairie in assisted living when she died. Grandma and grandpa raised cattle on 17 acres without irrigation but could only raise 5 because grass was sparse. After they moved downtown my aunt and uncle got the farm and raised mules. They are retired now but have been in Goldendale since they were married in 1946 and most of my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents families lived there and many still do. I lived there for a while in the 70s working in the hospital. My great grandmother died in the nursing home there in 1968. It is sad now that the nursing home and saw mill are gone. My ex worked at the aluminum plant and it is gone too. Most of the stores are gone because there is no sales tax in the Dalles. It is very cold and icy in the winter and too hot for me in the summer. I don't care for the look of pine trees and prefer fir trees. My great uncle's family owned the saw mill. I had 12 great aunts and great uncles there when I was young but most have passed on now.
The town has always been tightly family and the gossip is rampant. When you meet someone they want to know who you are related to and why you are there. I only got the hospital job because the women in the unemployment office was best friends with my third cousin in high school. It would be hard to land any work there now if you aren't related to someone.
One big employer besides the county is the landfill. They have a golf course with a creek and deer and a landing strip. Pretty much poverty and drugs now.

[j_k_k]

Goldendale probably isn't the worst place in Klickitat County, but that's because there are some pretty woebegone places beside it. I don't know if there are scorpions in Goldendale, but there sure are in the county; I stepped on one once in our basement, caught another in the kitchen. Rattlers aplenty as well.

Klickitat County is a good place to visit for hunting and fishing, or to view the scenery, or visit Maryhill, or drive the north side of the Columbia. I wouldn't live there again if you paid me. I know the sorts of people who become sheriff's deputies there, far too well, and when I drive through I am pretty careful to stay below the speed limit simply because I don't trust the local concept of justice.

Was surprised to see a poster actually raised in Bickleton. Don't know much about it except its remoteness and the bluebirds, it's just remarkable because there are very, very few people raised in Bickleton--it's so small. There just aren't that many living people who can say they grew up there.

There used to be a lot of haying up on the prairies near Goldendale, around where people turn north to go to Glenwood. Not sure if it's profitable now.

[ktbaker]

Thank you so much for the insight. I am considering a move to Goldendale as I passed through on my way to Roseburg last week. Oregon has become like Calif was years ago and it is much too busy for me now. I am looking for an RV park in Goldendale, I have seen Far View ( not for an extended stay) have called Sunset and gotten no reply and Cottonwood which I am told has no wifi. Does anyone have any more information about these locations to share. I grew up in a small town in Calif and now live in Ephrata, not really jazzed with the snake and illegal populations here. I am retired and want a place to meld into and become part of. Kathy

[onetougholdbird]

We bought a place in town 3 years ago and are on the west side of town. No critters of the crawly type,only skunks, deer, 'possums and raccoons. It's quiet, leave your windows open and sleep with no worries. As to R.V. parks it might work but the city counsel is hard to get anything passed. They like keeping the money in town but the out-of-towners are buying the cheap places and just having them as rentals, and if they would require a city business license on each house that is a rental, the city may get some money to help with improvements. But then you have people on the counsel that own rentals and won't pass it. The mayor sounds like she wants to do things but the counsel stops her in her tracks. What do you think of a theme for Goldendale? I think it should be Craftman style as there are a lot of cottages in town that could be done in that style, mayor thought it should be western, I think of lawlessness and no morales when I think of western. What do you think?

[amuletmlj]

Originally Posted by Transplanted

Thanks for the info
I thought of something else ....is there much grass there where a person could have pasture for cattle and horses or the land more or less just scrub with bushes?

There are lots of pasturea an lots of horses and cattle and sheep and goats. Very peaceful area to live in and people are very friendly. There are rattlesnakes in the out lying areas. We have had three this year. There are a lot of wooded areas with Douglas and pines of various kinds. There are rolling hills and clean air. We have 18 horses ourselves. Excellent quality hay is produced also.

[Sohlenlede]

I grew up in Goldendale. Scenically it is a beautiful place, there is little rain and lots of wind. Beautiful mountains, with lots of areas for fishing and recreational activities We lived on the edge of town and I never saw a rattlesnake or a scorpion. We did see the occassional black widow spider or other unidentifiable critters. The landscape is a lot of scrub brush and in the spring it blooms with lupines and other wild flowers. However the scenic side of the town hides what I consider a not very nice place to live. While growing up there I found that child abuse was rampant and the local officials turned a blind eye to it. Drug abuse and alcoholism is also rampant, probably from the lack of employement opportunities. Poverty is a serious problem, and while there were many native Americans in school with me I never noticed any racial tension among the students but I knew several adults who were extremely prejudice. I heard the high school principal at one time tell his own children to clean up the house because it looked like a bunch of indians lived there. Gossip is pretty much the town occupation, nothing much happens there that isn't known city wide within a day or two. Groceries and other necessities are extremely high, and going for groceries and clothing in The Dalles is pretty common. The stores there charge convenience store prices for most items, probably because it is a good 30-45 minute drive to go anywhere else for them.

[lovesjesus]

Hi,I'm a truck driver retirng and looking for an inexpensive place to live,where there are not too many people40,000-0,,and not much cold rain or humidity-for arthritis-.I have been looking at TheDalles,Goldendale,Clarkston,WallaWalla.I am pretty familier with dalles and goldendale,but not with the others.I am in vancouver ,wash. right now and hate the rain ,too many trees,and people.I need more sun.Is there a reason to not live in Oregon,other than they are weird ? I might need some help with health services as not too much money ,but will have enough to live on.I am not going to buy any property.I might buy a large 5th wheel or mabee an old mobile home.Thank you for all the pros and cons of any or more than these areas.I might consider outside of spokane ,but don't want a lot of snow.I also love church activties.God Bless all and thank you.PS are there any spider problems,I saw one post that said tics where bad in gold. Do they come in the house ?

[tu,mbleweed]

Hi I live in goldendale moved from spokane wa and I do have to say goldendale sucks. If your a new comer there are no jods here am moving back to spokane and goldendale is a small town and it sucks.

[cje1955]

Enjoyed reading jeannem's post. We too are looking for a quieter way of life after we retire and Goldendale is on our list of places to be considered. Like jeannem, we also considered the Bend/Sisters area and quickly dismissed it for the same reasons. After working and commuting to a large city (Seattle) for 20+ years we are ready for the simplier, finer things in life. Maybe it will be Goldendale, maybe not.

[StealthRabbit]

There are lots of bargain houses / mini-ranches in Goldendale, as many folks from Vancouver / Camas / Portland went there for retirement and are currently looking to go elsewhere. (Some going back, some going on, some staying). It is a bit of a toss-up, but worth trying on for size (renting preferred). Some just can't handle the 'hicksville' aspect for longterm, others either join in or ignore (as is possible). Rising fuel prices makes it less attractive to run to TD for shopping and entertainment (or healthcare if you aren't satisfied with local stuff) and Yakima or Portland for a Costco.

I think you will find much better places (with even less traffic) that are MUCH closer to recreation, scenic beauty, services, airport, culture.... Some folks in Goldendale are very nice and easy to deal with, some are totally a lot of trouble and will never be approachable. Can be dangerous at times (if one of them happens to be a neighbor you must drive by every trip out the gate). Such is life in Klickitat and Skamania Counties. Very interesting social dynamic. The environment and remoteness is a minor detail if you aren't sleeping at night over worrying about some goofy loose cannon for a neighbor.

Do watch for booby traps in these parts, It is real dangerous to be a sheriff or an EMT and HAVE to go into some of those driveways. Send a 'mine-sweeper' in first. Bout lost my head last week pulling into a friend's place, as he had forgot I had the particular car I was driving, and he was 'loading-up' before he recognized me. Sent some chills up my spine when I realized how close I got to