Clarkston, Wa (Spokane, Pacific: for sale, real estate, to rent)

[Kerby W-R]

I've done a search and have found a little info but not much.
I'm a live and let live liberal. All info on Clarkston will be
greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Kerby W-R]

Are there nice areas where the older homes are ? I tend to like the older Victorian and Craftsman style homes.
Is there good high speed internet access ?

[allforcats]

Have you read these threads?

//www.city-data.com/forum/washi...rkston-wa.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/washi...n-wa-help.html

Have you read these?
//www.city-data.com/city/Clarkston-Washington.html
Clarkston, Washington Chamber of Commerce... your gateway to Hells Canyon.
Communities - Welcome to Clarkston
Clarkston Washington Travel Guide and Directory

[Kerby W-R]

Thank you. I had seen some of that but not all. I appreciate any info.
I'm also interested in your personal experiences with this area.

[509]

Originally Posted by Kerby W-R

Thank you. I had seen some of that but not all. I appreciate any info.
I'm also interested in your personal experiences with this area.

I have heard good things about the community. Lewiston and Clarkston appear to be working together well.

A out-of-state steel company was snooping around about locating a steel mill there and asked about tax breaks. The response from the community was that we would love to have you locate here, but your part of the community and as such we expect that you will pay your fair share of taxes. At least, that was the story in the Spokane paper.

Small towns generally have a live and let live attitude. When I lived in Idaho they did not care what you were as long you stayed away from "in your face behavior". Clarkston is only a short drive from Moscow if you need a liberal fix.

We considered moving to Clarkston for retirement. The draw was being only a couple of hours from Montana and close to central Idaho. Weather is pretty good in winter and nice and hot in summer.

The major drawback is that pulp mill. Spend some time in the valley and decide if you can live with it. Smell of money or whatever, it still stinks.
I would not live in Salem, Oregon and it was the reason I held back moving to Missoula, Montana when they had a pulp mill.

If your an outdoors person it is a great area. I believe it was outdoor life that rated it as the top fishing and hunting town in the US. That does not even get into the other outdoor activities besides hooks and bullets. That was our main draw for considering Clarkston.

[knittie]

We have been here in Clarkston, WA on business for about a year. I'm very familiar with the Pacific NW - lived all over. Clarkston is a small city which is trying to grow. To be honest, most of it looks rather dumpy. I have met a number of successful small business people who finally just moved over to Lewiston, ID. They got tired of the local police being so easy on all the drug houses and the large population of those who move to Clarkston, WA because WA pay good welfare/disability benefits as compared to Idaho and Montana. Sorry, but that is what I hear - continually. You seem to really want to know how "liberal" it is over here. Well, eastern WA and even Moscow is not really that liberal. The western part of our state has lots of that and if politics in that regard are real important to you, I would suggest the many farmy type towns in the western part of the state. This area will probably hold onto a lot of its conservative roots. Lewiston and Clarkston both are pretty determined that the culture of their respective cities is not going to change much. It is very very white. (No problem, people can live where they want.) I have met a lovely black woman here (one) and she LOVES it. She said she has no problems at all. There is a lovely Indian gentleman in Lewiston who owns a business and he has had difficulty with discrimination, but is determined to stay and work through it. Lots of nice people have come to his defense so I do think it will work out, as well. He has a good Indian restaurant. Generally, people are very nice here. Lots of newcomer retirees cuz prices are so cheap compared to western WA. There are LOTS of homes for sale. Some still insist on their $350,00 price tags (and they are still sitting on the market a year later too) but there are lots of good places in the $150-200,000 range as well. Lewiston especially has some really nice older home districts. I hope this has helped. I tried to be honest. Sometimes its hard to be honest without sounding unkind - we have really enjoyed it here. We bought some land in Gennessee, ID (also really reasonable prices) where summer isn't so hot, so see? We do like it here. Hope you find what you want! Uh, pulp smell isn't a problem. I would say the dumpy look of Clarkston is more the problem and lack of good jobs to attract people who work and not just come to rent and collect benefits.

[lcinfo]

Clarkston Heights does not get the mills smell...That is a nicer area to look at with great views. You have nicer neighborhoods that are mixed older & brand new. It is kept up better as well. Coming from a very nice area to Clarkston last year we have been very pleased.

[skinem]

My folks retired to Clarkston and my sister lives there--I've spent a lot of time there.

As someone said, Clarkston does look kind of dumpy---you'll find really nice homes right next door to crap shacks. There are quite a few older homes in the downtown area that are just begging for restoration, and that's beginning to happen to many of them. Many can be purchased for not much, although there is some very pricey real estate in the area as well.

I hear some folks say crime is bad, but I haven't seen it, nor anyone I know there has. It's quiet, and there's no part of town in which I don't feel safe.

It's a small town with a live and let live attitude, a you mind your business and I'll mind mine attitude. That said, it is conservative. Most people there are live and let live conservatives.

There are areas that don't seem to get the pulp mill smell much--my folks are in the heights and I've rarely noticed it. Everyone I know who lives there says you get used to it so that you don't notice it...I expect your nose would be no different.

The area has fantastic outdoor rec opportunities. In fact, Lewiston, just across the river, was named this year by Field and Stream Magazine as the #1 town in America for outdoor recreation--the same could be said of Clarkston as the two towns are separated by only a couple of hundred yards...

Clarkston has very mild winters (that's why American Indians wintered in the area) and the summers are warm and dry. Well, actually, it's just dry, period.

It's a nice area with friendly people. Wouldn't mind living there myself.

[TXknitter]

Its quite a nice place to retire. Large population of unemployed young people. You can see that after only being there a few days. Being so nice to Moscow, Lewiston, ID, however, makes Clarkston an OK place to retire. All the shopping you might wish for is in Lewiston, ID, and for cultural stuff and a wonderful wonderful health food store, Moscow, ID is right up the road as well. We were there last year for business for eight months - lovely people, nice small friendly hospital. Summer was hot, winter was a winter - more severe of course than the western WA coast but not exactly Minnesota either. Above poster right - GREAT outdoor rec.