rural and affordable living Washington state? (Seattle, Spokane: transplants, real estate, apartment)

[Nerda]

Hello!

So my boyfriend and I are planning on moving to Washington within the next year or two and I was hoping to gain some insight from all of you. We currently live in the city (Austin), but the both of us have lived in more rural settings (from a ranch in the hill country of Texas, to a farming hamlet in upstate ny, to a small working farm in south east Asia) and have longed to return to them since leaving them behind.

However, because of work, we must live within reasonable driving distance to major city (Seattle, for example) where there is a level one trauma center (my boyfriend currently works as an EMT in a level one trauma center here in Austin). He may be joining the Austin Fire Academy this winter and could potentially be working as a fire fighter instead. Regardless, being close to a city would be helpful. We are both in our twenties and won't be buying, just renting for the time being. We love being outdoors and while I currently teach pre-k, I would love to gain some experience working on farms and/or ranches if ever the opportunity were to present itself to me. I have a bit of experience purveying wine and working within a vineyard, too.

Again- not looking for specifics, just a general idea of what life in rural Washington for two transplants in their twenties who love to be outside and desire/crave mountains and long winters, as well as a future in farming might be like from those who would know. As far as rent is concerned, we are trying not to break $1250-1300 a month on rent and would prefer a home with a bit of land (not apartment living for sure). Where would you suggest we look? What's the atmosphere in those places? A couple of places suggested to me by a friend who has just recently moved to Seattle (and loves it) are:

Issaquah
Lynnwood
Mt. Vernon

Thanks so much!

[sourdough]

For small town Walla Walla, big Spokane ,Wa. Stay out if the west side of the state. Not rural and it's expensive.

[Nerda]

Originally Posted by sourdough

For small town Walla Walla, big Spokane ,Wa. Stay out if the west side of the state. Not rural and it's expensive.

geez- walla walla is surprisingly affordable! Is there a reason for that?

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by Nerda

geez- walla walla is surprisingly affordable! Is there a reason for that?

Who said Walla Walla is affordable? For being way the heck out in no man's land it is hardly affordable. If you want affordable in Washington and not to be in an utter no man's land, consider living outside of Spokane, Wenatchee or the Tri-Cities.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by Nerda

geez- walla walla is surprisingly affordable! Is there a reason for that?

Real estate-wise, Walla Walla, is definitely NOT affordable. But if you are REALLY into the winery thing, that would be your spot in this state.

If you want outdoor activities, rural, ability to afford to live on some acreage, and need access to a level-one trauma center, I would also recommend Spokane.

Those Western Washington towns you listed have an expensive cost-of-living and are not rural (maybe suburban at best), but would be close to Seattle and also have lots of outdoor activities.

[amaiunmei]

Originally Posted by Nerda

Hello!

So my boyfriend and I are planning on moving to Washington within the next year or two and I was hoping to gain some insight from all of you. We currently live in the city (Austin), but the both of us have lived in more rural settings (from a ranch in the hill country of Texas, to a farming hamlet in upstate ny, to a small working farm in south east Asia) and have longed to return to them since leaving them behind.

However, because of work, we must live within reasonable driving distance to major city (Seattle, for example) where there is a level one trauma center (my boyfriend currently works as an EMT in a level one trauma center here in Austin). He may be joining the Austin Fire Academy this winter and could potentially be working as a fire fighter instead. Regardless, being close to a city would be helpful. We are both in our twenties and won't be buying, just renting for the time being. We love being outdoors and while I currently teach pre-k, I would love to gain some experience working on farms and/or ranches if ever the opportunity were to present itself to me. I have a bit of experience purveying wine and working within a vineyard, too.

Again- not looking for specifics, just a general idea of what life in rural Washington for two transplants in their twenties who love to be outside and desire/crave mountains and long winters, as well as a future in farming might be like from those who would know. As far as rent is concerned, we are trying not to break $1250-1300 a month on rent and would prefer a home with a bit of land (not apartment living for sure). Where would you suggest we look? What's the atmosphere in those places? A couple of places suggested to me by a friend who has just recently moved to Seattle (and loves it) are:

Issaquah
Lynnwood
Mt. Vernon

Thanks so much!

Believe it or not, the vast majority of work as an EMT is NOT in King County. It's actually further south, in Pierce County, because that's where most of the druggies and crazies reside. I have a friend who works as an EMT up in this area, and he told me that (for the most part) he almost always works in the Tacoma area so you may want to look south of the city. Maybe between Tacoma and Olympia ...

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by Nerda

geez- walla walla is surprisingly affordable! Is there a reason for that?

Walla X 2 is a pleasant little city but it's not an economic center or close to any cities. I think the main part of the economy is agricultural with some very good wineries in the area so there's no high paying industries to bring in the incomes. I wouldn't move there unless you have a decent job already lined up.

[Nerda]

Originally Posted by PS90

Real estate-wise, Walla Walla, is definitely NOT affordable. But if you are REALLY into the winery thing, that would be your spot in this state.

If you want outdoor activities, rural, ability to afford to live on some acreage, and need access to a level-one trauma center, I would also recommend Spokane.

Those Western Washington towns you listed have an expensive cost-of-living and are not rural (maybe suburban at best), but would be close to Seattle and also have lots of outdoor activities.

I guess when I was checking out rentals on hotpads and craigslist it was where most of the houses in my price range were, so it just kind of seemed affordable? Obviously I wouldn't know, though haha.

Any more rural areas around there you could recommend?

Thanks so much for the response. I checked and it says that Spokane actually pays above the national average for fire fighters and EMTs. So I'm really happy to hear that it could potentially be a better fit.

Also- does it snow much up there?

[sll3454]

Originally Posted by Nerda

Hello!

Issaquah
Lynnwood
Mt. Vernon

Thanks so much!

Most of Skagit County (where Mount Vernon is) is rural, but it is not reasonable driving distance to Seattle. (We do know someone who works there - he leaves at 3:30 a.m. to beat the traffic.) Seattle is almost a different world - maybe just a word to put in front of "Seahawks." Snohomish County also has rural areas and is closer (but not necessarily close) to Seattle. King County, which includes Seattle, is the least rural of the three and the most expensive. Look into areas south of Seattle, too, in case the job is in the southern part of Seattle.

I don't think any of the areas will have rents as low as what you want, but you will have more money available for rent if you live closer. The difference between living 15 miles from work and living 85 miles from work will probably mean over $300/month.

[509]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

Walla X 2 is a pleasant little city but it's not an economic center or close to any cities. I think the main part of the economy is agricultural with some very good wineries in the area so there's no high paying industries to bring in the incomes. I wouldn't move there unless you have a decent job already lined up.

Tri-Cities is less than an hour away. Tri-Ciities in the past, had the best educated and best paid workforce in the state.

As a former economist, one trick to determining incomes and wealth in small towns in to look in the yellow pages. Way before, the wineries became big business I did that for Walla Walla.

Walla Walla is a wealthy community. It was so before the wineries were established. Most people confuse consumption with wealth. In many rural communities, the wealth is not out there to see. Well, maybe but most people do not notice the 70,000 dollar diesel pickups, air strips on farms, and of course, miss all the farmers at their winter digs in Palm Springs.

In Walla Walla's case I was stunned with the number of investment firms and travel agencies for such a small city.

Wealth is poorly correlated with jobs. It is highly correlated with owning your own business.