Please help me find a city in Washington.....

[mitchmountain]

I am currently living in Flagstaff, we are about 7000 feet up. If you do not mind that Arizona statewide has some water concerns compared to WA, there is really nothing about Flagstaff not to love! If I didn't have a burning need for more water around me, and family farther north, I would not be wanting to move. Flagstaff people are great, too. Wages are a bit low. Tourist town, typical! If you want tall trees and a tad more snow, go west of the peaks here, up Hwy 180. If you go out too far, it is off the grid, or haul water. It is haul water many places in Northern AZ, but not Flagstaff proper or most of the immediate country. Doney Park is Juniper, more high desert type country, very horsey. Still almost 7000 feet though! Weather here is awesome. And as they say in the mountains, "If you don't like the weather, wait fifteen minutes!" Monsoon season is wonderful, a balmy breeze every afternoon, a quick thundershower, then it clears.

[Ryan]

Aberdeen area, Walla Walla area, Shelton, Tri Cities (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco). Possibly Moses Lake as well.

[pazooter]

Waterville -- best kept secret in WA, maybe in the whole USA. Sunny but cold winters, mild summers as it is 1/2 mile high on a plateau. Small airport. 22 mi from Wenatchee (which is outrageously expensive). 'Nuff said. Don't want everybody crowding in.

[Nature Girl]

All I have to say is, if you find that place with all your criteria, please let me know! Decent weather, bigger city, and under $200K for a home? I hate to say it, but you will have to give something up! Either settle for a smaller town, or higher price range! Colorado would be your best bet weather wise. It has something like 300 days a year of clear skies, the summers are not too hot, and the snow melts away pretty quickly. We were actually looking at relocating to Arvada or Fort Collins. In your price range and from what you described I would suggest CO Springs. I would think CO would be more of a fit for your family than the NW, just my opinion. It's worth checking out anyway. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decided.

[whooptink]

Check out Yelm, WA. It's right in the middle of Tacoma and Olympia, about 30-40 monutes to each place. Close to shopping, good schools, lots of trees. My kids have grown up in the Yelm schools and have done great. I love it here.

[JonnyD]

I have to agree with Nature Girl, sounds like you're looking for what everyone is looking for, but I think you and I are in the same boat in what we are both looking for. I'm in Florida and I'm going insane down here, this is a place for vacationers and people coming to die! Why anyone would want to move here is beyond me!
What I havent heard anyone say (or perhaps I missed it) is anything about Oregon. It amazes me that every year Oregon cities are within the top 10 best places to live! It seems to me that per your requirements there is a place in Oregon that fits everything you're looking for. As long as you stay to the west of the Cascades, you won't get too much snow, dont get too close to the coast and you won't get too much rain either. Summer is warm 75-85 avg, dry (no humidity) and as long as you stay away from the "trendy" areas, Portland, Bend, Hood River, etc. the prices aren't ridiculous, the jobs are good, etc.
Check it out!
I lived in WA for 4 years and long for it almost everyday, but except for the coast (where you have to deal w/a lot of rain), you won't escape tons of snow most anywhere you go in WA.
I commend you for wanting to move out west though, there is something about the Pacific NorthWest, that is undescribable, I've traveled the entire world, for business & pleasure and there is no place like it.
BC is awesome too, especially Vancouver & Victoria. The people here are more "Real", there is less stress, less anxiousness, a connection to nature that looks at it with respect & wanting to protect it, rather than just looking at it as something else to make money from....I dont know I could go on forever, I can't stand the east coast, & even though I grew up here, I can't wait to have the chance to leave (in about 2 years).
*Do me (& everyone a favor though), don't tell too many people how great it is up there! heh heh
Here's a link you can use to compare areas in OR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...me_etymologies
Good Luck!

[WazzuCoop21]

Okay, here's the deal, 90% of the towns in Washington, on the eastside or westside of the state, get little to NO snow a year. Aside from the mountains, Washington weather in general is incredibly mild. But, like most people know, the westside does get a lot of cloudy, rainy days and that would include Vancouver. The only places that really get any kind of snow (more than a few inches a year) are at elevations higher than 2000 feet. I live in Michigan right now (lots of snow), but I'm originally from Kennewick (Tri-Cities) and I think it would be a great fit for what you want. Very mild winters. 325+ days of sunshine with absolutely no clouds. Hot summers (over 100 at times). No humidity. Rains less than 10 inches a year. Plus, housing is still relatively cheap, average new house is around $175k. Washington has no state income tax and when you don't live in a major city, you get more out of what you make. Oh, and it was ranked as one of the top 5 safest cities to live in, because in our area there are no natural disasters (flood, hurricane, earthquake, etc.) and we're far enough away from the volcanoes that it's nothin' to worry about. Just my 2-cents. Good luck on the search.