~~wanting to move to walla walla ~~ (Everett: employment, colleges, camping)

[acarl]

I live in Everett WA. Population 120,000. I have researching to move to Walla Walla. I like the information I found online. It sounds so friendly, and fun.

What is your opinion?
Whats the pro's and con's.

[laceme]

I've lived in Walla Walla for six years. I went to college here, and now I'm working for a while to get my feet on the ground.
When I first moved to the valley, there were many open fields within the city limits and little traffic. Since then, numerous housing developments and new roads seem to have taken over the open spaces. Rose Street, a main thoroughfare, is now often clogged, and it's nearly impassable after work or on Fridays. Some people speculate this is because of the wine industry, and it's true that there are many more tasting rooms and wineries than when I first came. In fact, I don't remember noticing wine's "presence" back then. The changes in Walla Walla have made me less happy living here. It's a small town with few amenities, as others have mentioned, and the problems of bigger towns are coming in faster than new possibilities. Walla Walla also has a very high hispanic population, which is neither a benefit or a drawback, but is an important element of the the town's flavor. For example, Mexican restaurants by far dominate the mid to low-range eating choices.

The positives are, as I see it:
• A pleasant, quaint downtown, including some quaint shops
• A strong arts/culture scene
• Several lovely parks, including a modest network of trails near Bennington Lake
• Close proximity to blue "mountains," which provide suitable camping and hiking opportunities
• Three active, respectable colleges
• Low cost of living, though not as low as six years ago

The drawbacks include:
• Hot summers and intolerably foggy winters
• Nearly no retail shopping, and the nearest "city" area, Tri-Cities, has better but limited options
• Few employment opportunities
• Increasingly crowded and poorly maintained streets
• Polarized population: Many retirees, many college students, few in between
• Far from cities, oceans, and real mountains
• Overloaded doctors, with very few accepting new patients
• 24-hour glow from the penitentiary
• Few middle-of-the-road restaurants

[j_k_k]

We don't go over to Wally very often but it seems like a nice enough place. What you might miss are some of the semi-urban amenities and variety, because Tri-Cities is the closest source of such things and it's definitely not going to have as many options as SnoCo.