Healthcare and more (Seattle, Vancouver, Bellingham: sales, house, colleges)

[Greytraveler]

We are considering relocating and have certain criteria, the basics being decent health care, clean air and clean water. We have been to Wenatchee quite a few times and like the area so it is on our short list.

We know about the smoke in the past but anywhere with a forest and open scrub land is a potential for the problem. We live backing to national forest and fire is always a concern.

Being retired and on medicare can be an issue in some communities. An active senior center would be helpful it there is one.

I have seen so many great posts on City Data I am hoping for answers.

[StealthRabbit]

Might better clarify your thread title "Seeking to retire in WA, need Dr / Medicare / clean air and water..."

Start here
https://wenatcheeseniorcenter.com/

our SWWA (Vancouver, WA) senior news / activities is here.
https://www.cityofvancouver.us/messenger

(pretty good spot if you can deal with climate. many medical choices, plenty of water)

If active, lots of hiking, Oregon Coast and Mtns and Columbia River Gorge and many colleges (for special programs) ~1 hr)

Like to travel?... Great airport 10 minutes away. (voted best in USA several yrs) Travel Conde
No income tax WA
No Sales Tax OR (10 min)

[509]

We moved to Wenatchee in 1985. I WAS a wonderful community until a few years ago.

Good luck...finding a doctor. In the 80's I would call my doctor in the morning, and see her in the afternoon. LAST appointment with a doctor....SIX months.

I retired from the Forest Service. Smoke??...well, there are millions of acres of National Forest managed land...and thanks to Senator's Cantwell and Murray there are millions of acres still left to burn. So yep, smoke the past 30 years is getting worse and worse....but your kids will get clear skies. The fires have literally changed the soils...so that in the future the public lands will be shrubs instead of trees and brush puts up a lot less smoke. Give it another 30 years.

Traffic. Wenatchee was never designed for cars. Get a good stereo system in your car.

Once a wonderful community. Today it is rapidly becoming a suburb of Seattle in the worse sense.

Oh, there is a senior center in town...I am only 68 so haven't had much need for a senior center.

[rkcarguy]

Washington in general is experiencing a lot of population growth, and as such our necessities are becoming over-taxed by the additional population. If I were to call to make a doctors appointment today I'd be looking at a June appointment or later. Many offices have signs in their lobbies saying "not accepting any new Medicare patients". A co-worker was at the ER with a relative of his and witnessed an elderly women more or less die in the lobby entrance, and she went unassisted for about 3 minutes. After help finally came she was revived and pushed back out into the waiting area again in a wheelchair with all these IV's and stuff connected because there was no room for her the hospital was full.
Our property taxes/valuations, sales taxes, and gas taxes are some of the highest in the country...government's got to get it's money somehow and our state loves perpetually taxing and spending.....
Traffic is a real concern anymore. All around the Seattle area the costs of housing are pushing people out into areas like Monroe, Wenatchee, Lake Stevens, Snohomish, and so on. This means a lot more commuter traffic going to and from these towns.
The smoke is also a very real issue, while we had our own fires it was largely from Canada wildfires. They turned the whole northwest into a smoky fog for almost a month last year and it crept clear down into California. Up here in Bellingham we had ash falling out of the sky.
I'm not trying to give anyone the typical "we're full go away", but strongly advise looking into everything carefully to make sure that you aren't going to end up taking a step backwards compared to where you are coming from. There is a lot of turnaround anymore, of people that move here only to find it isn't anything like what they expected.

[elkotronics]

Traffic. Wenatchee was never designed for cars. Get a good stereo system in your car.


Yes to this statement! I worked in Wenatchee from September 2017 to January 2018 just before I rehired on down here at the hospital in Alamogordo, NM. Wenatchee's traffic is full-up, and that includes the City of East Wenatchee, too. The entire Wenatchee area has busy traffic. Wenatchee has its charm with its pine trees and brown hills, much like Alamogordo has. We have 4 pine trees in the backyard of our house here.

But listen to books on tape or have some good music or several favorite radio talk shows queued up - you'll need them in Wenatchee.

[razmatazzy]

Coming here from King County traffic is a breeze to me. There may be a few backups at rush hours, but pretty smooth most parts of the day. Plus everything is so close that you have a short distance to travel. Costco, grocery stores, restaurants, parks, takes 10 minutes typically even when crossing the bridges.

[509]

Originally Posted by razmatazzy

Coming here from King County traffic is a breeze to me. There may be a few backups at rush hours, but pretty smooth most parts of the day. Plus everything is so close that you have a short distance to travel. Costco, grocery stores, restaurants, parks, takes 10 minutes typically even when crossing the bridges.

Are you in Wenatchee or a "suburb of Seattle"??

Suburbs of Seattle are traffic hells!

Just because you lived in a non-functional community it doesn't mean that is acceptable in communities that WERE liveable BEFORE YOU showed UP.