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A Farm of My Own:  Anyone from Walla Walla?  |
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lamamama
True Blue Farmgirl
255 Posts
Melanie
CA
USA
255 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 12 2005 : 4:42:16 PM
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| I've been doing a lot of research lately - trying to find a good place for a farmgirl to live. One with 2 young children, & very little money. Walla Walla seems like an interesting place. Do any of you live there? Please tell me about it! Thank you! |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2005 : 4:11:31 PM
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Melanie,
I live 65 miles east of Walla Walla. Actually some of my family live there. I really like that area. There are a 3 colleges, 65 wineries(that's really a booming business around here), very pretty country. I don't know what to tell you about the economy or cost of living. You know it's more or less a farming community with some extras :0) I like the place but can't get DH to move there. What size and kind of area are you looking for??
Marcia
"I suppose the pleasure of country life lies really in the eternally renewed evidence of the determination to live." Vita Sackville-West
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lamamama
True Blue Farmgirl
255 Posts
Melanie
CA
USA
255 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2005 : 10:27:33 PM
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Hi, Marcia!
And thanks for the feedback....... I'm looking for a very small town, kinda semi-rural, or at least not too close to a big city. Also can't be in a geographically rainy area, since I have a child who gets asthmatic with too much rain/fog. Being an "arty-farty" kind of gal, I'm partial to a college town for the cultural benefits. Like all the farmgirls here, I dream of gardens, a big dog, a few chickens, slow pace, etc. I am a maternity R.N. by profession, so obviously need a fairly good-sized hospital for work ( fortunately, not too hard to find). Main thing is cost of living: as a single Mom, it has to be affordable. While doing some looking around (internet, reading, etc.), I came upon Walla Walla. It looks so promising - but I know looks can be deceptive. One thing that worries me is the presence of the state penitentiary. What do people think of that? And what about the nuclear plant? How do the local folks feel about newcomers? Those are the kind of things I wonder about.
Thanks, again! And if you know of any other place in eastern Wa, or northeast Or. - please let me know. :) |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 8:57:22 PM
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OK Melanie,
I consulted with my DH on this. He travels through all of these places and more. I'm suggesting Waitsburg...20 miles west of WW, about 1000 people, rural, farming community with some great older homes. He says he'd choose Prescott.....even smaller, 12 miles north of WW, very rural but would be a nice place for kids. Either place is probably very affordable. There are 2 hospitals in WW plus the VA hospital. The hospitals are St. Mary's and WW General(adventist). I've been in both and they are both very nice. St. Mary's is pretty good sized. I'm a nurse too(OR for 10 years, 11 years Med-Surg before that, now 9 years in a urology office) and I would work in either place but I would insist on OR =0) but that's just me.
In NE OR you might look at Pendleton or LaGrande, which is a very pretty area. I'm not fond of Pendleton though, it's too much desert for me.
You don't have to worry too much about the rain here....lol....we're having a drought. I wouldn't worry much about the penitentiary either. It seems to be very secure. Now that I said that they'll have a break out or something. I also don't give much thought to Hanford. It's in the TriCities and I avoid that place(more desert :)too.
Part of it depends on what you call 'a very small town.'
"I suppose the pleasure of country life lies really in the eternally renewed evidence of the determination to live." Vita Sackville-West
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 9:02:11 PM
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I didn't mean to submit that yet.
What kind of area are you in now? Can you afford to visit any of these areas or have you been here before?
Marcia
"I suppose the pleasure of country life lies really in the eternally renewed evidence of the determination to live." Vita Sackville-West
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lamamama
True Blue Farmgirl
255 Posts
Melanie
CA
USA
255 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 09:19:22 AM
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Hi!
Thanks again for your help - I really appreciate it!
No, I've never been to that part of the country. Currently, I live in the SF Bay area, where you need 1/2 of a million for a nothing special condo. No kidding. Since funds are limited, I'm trying to do all the research I can - to come up with a "short list" of 2 or 3 places. Then I'll invest the time & money in a visit. Maybe do a job interview while I'm there; @ the very least check out the local hospital (I'm a nurse.) And BTW, I'm right with you on that "too much desert" thing. Having grown up in Kentucky, I really crave a little more green. :) Besides job stuff, schools are a top priority, because of my children (ages 9 & 12). Schools are very good, here, but there is so much elses here I do not want my children further exposed to. The focus on money, & the self-absorption around here is incredible. And nature is a place you drive to. Sad, but true..... |
Edited by - lamamama on Aug 18 2005 09:21:40 AM |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 7:03:06 PM
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Well there's definitely nature here. Tonight there are deer in our backyard eating the apples that have fallen on the ground.
I really understand about the schools. Everytime Tim and I have discussed moving from here to one of the bigger towns nearby the school systems have been the deciding factor. Our youngest(and last) is a Jr. this year. We didn't want to take him out of this school system. This is a very small town(1500 people)and school(100 in the high school)but they get a good education. Our older kids have proven to us(and themselves)that this is a very good place to start.
Good luck with your search and let me know if we can be of any more help to you.
Marcia
"I suppose the pleasure of country life lies really in the eternally renewed evidence of the determination to live." Vita Sackville-West
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NancyM
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Nancy
Fall City
WA
113 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 7:35:09 PM
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I visited Walla Walla about a month ago-does that count? It seems like a great little town-a nice miss of arty, college and agriculture. It's not terribly green though. It was very warm, about 95 degrees, but didn't feel terribly hot as there was always a nice breeze. Loads of great wine! I would recommend a visit if you can swing it. I was talking to a realtor there who said housing prices are increasing quickly due to the number of people from Seattle moving over there.
Good luck in your search!
Nancy |
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lamamama
True Blue Farmgirl
255 Posts
Melanie
CA
USA
255 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2005 : 09:36:37 AM
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Thanks, Nancy!
Your input was great - any little bit helps me try to put those whole magical, mystery search together. I also have heard that many from Seattle are leaving for Walla Walla. Which is ironic, because the 1st town I looked at, 3 or 4 years ago, was Bend, Or. Unfortunately, I couldn't move from here right then, & over the last 4 years, real estate has shot up to the point where I can no longer afford to buy there. Gee, there seems to be some kind of weird connection between me & a certain kind of person in Seattle ! :)
This time, however, I'm ready to move & buy. Next summer is move away time. If Walla Walla turns out to be THE place, I hope things don't shoot up too fast. BTW, where is Fall City? Is that near Seattle? I sometimes look @ a little town west of there, Port Townsend. Anyway, thanks again....... that was so kind of you.
Melanie |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2005 : 9:10:27 PM
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If you're looking for anything green then Eastern OR and WA are not the place to look. There isn't much green around here from mid-June on until the next spring. That's one thing I don't like about living here but this area has it's own beauty(or so people tell me).
It's very true that more and more people from the Seattle area and California are moving in around here and driving up the price of real estate. They seem to be the only ones who can afford to buy the small acreages that are for sale. The people around here can't afford it.
Fall City is over by North Bend(Snowqualmie Pass). I've been through there. It was very pretty but that's all I can tell you about that. Too close to Seattle for me, as is Port Townsend, which is very pretty but touristy too.
Marcia
"I suppose the pleasure of country life lies really in the eternally renewed evidence of the determination to live." Vita Sackville-West
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A Farm of My Own: Anyone from Walla Walla? |
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Anyone from Walla Walla?
