[treeswarper]

How are you at dealing with snow? Spokane gets a lot of that in the winter and you'll be driving around in it with a lot of other people. They have a plowing plan where streets are prioritized which can kick in during a bad winter. That's not unusual for towns to do. This can cause a lot of whining especially if you didn't know. That brings up another part of research to do. Plowing. If you want to live out of town, think about how your private road is going to get the snow cleared. Or, if the realtors advertise "surrounded by Forest Service land" you'd really better do your homework. You may need to get a permit to plow the road. You'll be maintaining that road, and spring breakup can be a muddy pain even with a 4x4. Another rural issue is open range. If you settle in an area designated open range, it is up to you to build a fence to keep the cows out of your yard and garden. That's along with being responsible for compensation to the rancher if you hit a cow with your car on the highway. That's what those Open Range signs on the road mean. You might want to read the online Spokesman Review for research purposes.

[glenoid]

I have retired and live in Southeastern Washington. I lived in Seattle (20 years), Whidbey Island, Alaska, New Hampshire, Indiana and Michigan. Did 10 years in Northeast Washington, 2 years in Northwest Montana and now 8 plus years down here. So what do I see as pros and cons of living east of the cascades? The weather! I got tired of my sheep's wool turning algae green on Whidbey. And that was much drier then Seattle! Over here the sun actually comes out and there are not weeks of drizzle and grayness. Summers are hot, but I like it now. Air quality is great. (Smoke last summer for a week, but not as bad as everyone thought) This winter I have had to shovel snow twice. You can bicycle almost daily in the Lewiston/Clarkston area , yet ski resorts are one to two hours away. Cross country skiing is 15 miles south of my home. The downside of living here is the distance you have to travel to get to bigger cities, shopping and entertainment. Living in Pomeroy, our go to city is Lewiston/Clarkston. Ocasionaly go to Walla Walla. For ski trips north we will go to Spokane. We chose not to live in Clarkson as it litterly stinks there from Lewistons paper mill. Walla Walla is nice, but to me boring. Spokane is fine. Lots to do, but crime is higher there, not to my liking. Northeastern Washington is great, but the winters require snow shovels and snowplows. (Spokanes snow plowing is getting better, but side streets can get awful if not plowed right away.) To go hiking in the Cascades it is usually a four hour drive to the trailhead. For me it is 20 minutes to the "lonely" Blues. The Wallowas are 2 hours away. My wife and I stay to ourselves, but in my town or the bigger cities, have numerous community type programs to get involved with. The colleges in Lewiston ,Spokane and Walla Walla have community education programs for many interests. Over the last year and a half I remodeled my home completely. Value has doubled, but since I am old, poor and retired, my property tax went went from $850 to $170. Yet the biggest reason I have stayed here. Medical care is quite an issue for both the west and east side of this state. As I have worked as a physician on "both sides now" I can only say, you get what you get. It is Russian roulette as to how good of care you are going to get. (For me I would use the hospitals in Spokane and Walla Walla. Probably not go to any others! Lots more to say, but I do like it here!!! I can always drive to the mountains, but not always like where I live near them.

[AlpineRose]

This is a good thread. Lots of useful info being presented.

[glenoid]

I failed to mention a concern some retired people have about medical care in smaller rural towns. For those seeking to get a Medicare Advantage plan, you will need to check out if the area you plan to live in offers them. In my county (Garfield) none are offered. You are left with Part D and a supplemental to choose from. (The big white slaughter house in Ellensburg seen from I-90 in days past was for lambs. It is closed now. The nearest large scale slaughterhouse for beef used to be down near Pasco.) Eastern Washington is a great place to garden by the way. Your tomatoes will actually turn red on the vine. I forage down the Tucannon and mushroom hunt in the Blues. I get more then enough of apples, apricots, prunes, and pears, morals, chanterrelles, oysters, boletes and bears head. Huckleberry, blackberry, elderberry and chokecherry are abundant.

[mike]

[Joey]

[RichP]

[Randito]

[treeswarper]

Some pictures from my walk with the slightly used dog this morning. It isn't a real prosperous town. It does seem to attract a lot of Canadian shoppers though.

Looking towards the intersection that has one of four stoplights in the county.

Across the river at the Stampede grounds area--walking on the dike.

The "world famous" hill is in the background across the river.

Looking to the southish westish.

If this meadow was 100 miles to the west, it would be stomped, rutted up and trashed. I think a real campground will be put in this summer? Or not. It's a nice place although a bit buggy and is nearby. This was last summer.

[Roly Poly]

I am surprised by how expensive homes are in the Reno/Carson City/Garnerville area. Albuquerque has gorgeous homes that are very inexpensive. Even the Taos area looks pretty reasonable. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of road trips to find the perfect place. If it wasn't for poison oak in much of Oregon, that area might be appealing. Good to know that the meat processing plant in Ellensburg has gone. I remembered detouring off of I-90 to avoid seeing it.

[MtnGoat]

Ok there may be some poison oak around here sure, but finding more ticks in any given month of spring than I'd seen in my entire life prior to moving here, more than makes up for it. :0

[Bootpathguy]

Anybody on the east side have any issues with living on, or near a orchard? Health, water quality etc... I have a friend in Peshashtin and he says on days that they are spraying, he says you can actually taste it in the air Thanks

[treeswarper]

Bootpath, that can happen along with overspray. It's been a while since I lived here but I chose to not live near an orchard or a pot farm. The latter stinks. I once rented a house that was in the middle of an orchard and the guy would just start spraying with no warning. I would be running around closing windows or making a made dash for my car if it was time to go to work. I didn't stay there very long. They try to spray when there is no wind. That's why so much is done early. that's all I know. I moved into town. I remember the reek of orchard spray in Wenatchee, but most of those orchards are now houses.

[boot up]

[RichP]

Here's a hotel for sale in Waterville for the price of a tear down or 2 br apartment in Seattle. http://www.watervillehotel.com/hotel-for-sale.html