We may be looking at a move next year, heading back to the West. Aside from Seattle loonies, Washington is looking good.

Known drug haven for meth/crack dealers, users, and manufacturers.

We live 2.5 hours to the East, in Walla Walla, and avoid "Crackima" like the plague. Look to the Tri-Cities area (Kennewick, Richland, Pasco) if you must be in a larger urban area in that part of Washington. If you want a smaller town, Walla Walla is superb. But Yakima, not on your life.

I had occasion to go into Yakima about two years ago. Saw more junkies and whores in one hour than I've seen in five years in the rest of Washington. Nasty, nasty place.

Otony

Kennewick, Spokane, and Walla Walla are on the list of potentials too. I kind of wanted to be within easy driving distance of Sea-Tac though.

I am sure Glen and Bob will come along soon enough. I would be surprised if they had a different opinion of Yakima.

I can make Seattle in less than five hours, obeying the speed limit, usually about 4.5 hours. Portland is four hours. Spokane is less than three hours. Boise is five hours. That is all from Walla Walla. If you are in the Tri-Cities you can cut at least an hour off most of those times, except for Boise of course.

Otony

Idaho is more conservative, too.

Yakima... No But out of town along the Skykomish river...vineyards, farms nice country.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

...and have enjoyed living here (although we will probably be moving, at some point). OTony pretty much nailed it in his description. Yakima has more crime, drugs, gangs, etc. than other places in eastern WA. Ellensburg is nice, has some very scenic mountains around it, and is also much closer to Sea-Tac.

Thanks for the info. My business requires a fairly good sized population base. What is the metro area headcount?

I don't mind a real winter, but Michelle does. She was in Vegas too long, and I was in AK. Our acclimation's are quite different.

...

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

I'm not much of a desert dweller though. Trying to stick with states that don't have income tax too. I'd head down towards the Quinns in a heartbeat, but being further west is good for seeing my daughter, and the NW is even better for flights to and from AK.

Yakima winters can really suck. There's a reason we cited the DEA office there and not in the Tri Cities or Walla Walla. Good beer, great wines and all the heroin and meth you can ingest.

Meth and Heroin are news makers here too. Seems to be a problem everywhere.

I travel to Spokane a good deal with my work and I really enjoy it. Enough city for any positive purpose and lots of beautiful country around. The airport there is adequate for any need I suppose.

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Colonel, USAF (Ret)
NRA Life Member

....including West Richland, Finley and Burbank, I think it's about 200,000.

the tri-cities or Spokane would do you better than Yakima. Grandma lived there (Yakima) and I'd visit it every time we were up north. The place gives me the heebiejeebies and I'd do my best to not spend over 24 hours there. She's gone, don't have much reason to stop in more than to say "Howdy!" to the kinfolk still there, and not much reason to do that either.

Yeah, that Space Needle seems to be a beacon for the stupid people...

I'll through another vote in for Walla Walla. Anything on the Eastern side of the state will keep you away from most of the idiots that inhabit the Sea-Tac area. It'll also get you close to some great areas of Oregon and Idaho. I grew up in Oregon, and I definitely like the eastern part.

Next time I go up to visit my folks, they live just across the stateline from Walla Walla in Milton Freewater.

Dave