Yakima, Washington

[Phantom]

Anyone on this board from Yakima or close by? I'm flying up there 9/7 for a job interview on 9/8 and then back to DFW on Saturday only to turn around and fly to LA on Sunday and then up to Eureka, Ca on Wednesday the 13th.

Any input on the Yakima area would be appreciated. There is just so much you can dredge up off the internet.

[Kennysgreen280zt]

There isnt much there. I think there are one or maybe two members from there, but I havent seen any posts from them in a year at least. Its pretty much a farm city, I think there might be a casio or two. I know thats not much help but its all I got.

 

The Seattle area is a 2-3 hr drive depending on traffic.

[240zV8]

Yakima is like the desert land of washington....well, alot of eastern washington is like that.... Once you go over the mountain pass to eastern washington, it's like a whole other climate and layout....But texas is alot like eastern washington if that helps. Kinda flatland landscape, but u can always drive over to the seattle area and get all kinds of mountains and greenery...lol

[Phantom]

Actually coastal Texas is like coastal Washington - just hotter and West Texas is somewhat similar to Eastern Washington only even drier and hotter. I grew up in Boise, Idaho so I would expect Eastern Washington to be like Southern Idaho or Eastern Oregon. The key is that Texas is hotter. Things finally broke this week. Sunday it was only 98°F, Monday we had a high of 82 and yesterday 90. This morning it was in the high 60's and I thought I'd died and gone to Washington - that is God's country, isn't it?

[Peternell]

go to http://www.yakima.org for the Yakima Chamber web site

 

Yaki-Vegas "the Palm Springs of Washington"

Hey the do have an NHRA drag strip about five miles from downtown so that's gotta count for something!

 

I live about 80 miles from Yakima in the Tri-Cities or as I called it prior to moving here 16 years ago the Dry-Shities.

But opinions change........ Jobs, affordable homes, NOT crowed are qualities most people would consider positive.

 

Within 1 hours drive from Yakima you could be in several National Forests, at numerous lakes or a Ski Resort resort [4,500ft base elevation], lots good wineries. If a person is into hunting, fishing & camping this could be be a good location.

Two hours and your in Seattle and three hours your in Portland.

 

 

 

The City of Yakima is located in south central Washington State, in an area of rich volcanic soil. Yakima is centrally located 145 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington; 201 miles southwest of Spokane, Washington; and 185 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. The city is at an elevation of 1,068 feet above sea level, and occupies an area of 24.23 square miles. It is the county seat of Yakima County.

 

Yakima County is the second-largest county in Washington State at 4,296 square miles, or approximately 2.75 million acres. The county has a latitude of 46° 34’ north, and a longitude of 120° 32’ west.

 

Three entities own over 1.7 million of the total acres of Yakima County. The Yakama Nation owns 1,074,174 acres; the U.S. Forest Service, 503,726 acres; and a U.S. military reservation, 165,787 acres.

 

Population, 2005

 

Yakima County ranks seventh in population in Washington State.

 

Yakima County 229,300

City of Yakima 81,470

Unincorporated 87,070

 

Climate

 

The Yakima valley’s climate is mild and dry, having the characteristics of both maritime and continental climates modified by the Cascade and Rocky Mountains. The summers are dry and hot, and winters are cool with light snowfall. The maritime influence is strongest in the winter when the prevailing westerlies are stronger and steadier. The modifying influence of the Pacific Ocean is less evident in summer. Summer afternoons are hot, but due to the dry air, there is a rapid fall in temperature after sunset. This results in pleasantly cool evenings with minimums in the 50s (degrees F).

 

The valley lies within the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, so the total amount of precipitation is relatively small. The months of November, December and January each receive about one inch of precipitation, for nearly half the annual total. Late June, July and August are very dry with only half an inch total for the period. A July or August with no measurable rainfall is not uncommon. Snowfall is light with an annual total of 20 to 25 inches. The most snowfall in a 24-hour period was 18.9 inches, the maximum snow depth recorded was 27 inches, both records occurring in November 1996. Yakima County’s average rainfall per year is 7.98 inches.

 

Coolest Warmest Average

Temperature Temperature Rainfall

(degrees F) (degrees F) (inches)

January 19 36 1.44

February 26 46 0.74

March 29 54 0.65

April 34 63 0.50

May 42 72 0.48

June 49 79 0.60

July 53 87 0.14

August 51 85 0.36

September 44 77 0.33

October 35 64 0.47

November 28 48 0.97

December 23 39 1.30

 

Historic Timeline

 

1805 – Lewis and Clark expedition

1847 – Catholic mission established in the Ahtanum area

1850 – Permanent parties of settlers begin arriving

1856 – Army garrisons established at Fort Simcoe

1865 – Military units arrive to quell Indian hostilities

1865 – Yakima County officially established

1870 – Census reports 432 pioneers in Yakima County

1880 – Nearly 3,000 people reported in Yakima County

1884 – Northern Pacific extends iron horse service to the valley

1886 – North Yakima incorporated and named the county seat

1889 – Water mains, fire plugs and hydrants installed to sell water to residents; Sunset Telephone Company begins operating

1890 – Electricity turned on

1891– Electric light and water works companies consolidated

1900 – Nearly 15,000 residents reported in the area

1907 – Organization started for first street car; Depression era begins

1908 – Street car system reorganized under the Yakima Valley

Transportation Company

1910 – The properties of Yakima Water, Light & Power are sold

1913 – Water and power systems are segregated

1918 – The prefix “north†is dropped from the city’s name

1994 – Yakima is named an All America City.

Today – Yakima is ranked 25th most livable city in the United States!

 

Housing

 

Monthly Rental Rates

 

House Duplex Apartment

Studio $325

One bedroom $396 $360 $440

Two bedrooms $401 $527 $519

Three bedrooms $862 $734 $625

 

Source: Average costs are based on information available for the City of Yakima, data gathered

from Home Source, (509) 452-2720

 

Single-Family Home Market

 

Listings Average Price

2 bedrooms 200 $102,304

3 bedrooms 444 $68,370

4 bedrooms 176 $217,921

All homes on market 898 $168,178

 

Sales Price Listings

Less than $50,000............................................................................. 13

$50,000 – $74,999............................................................................ 74

$75,000 – $99,999............................................................................ 88

$100,000 – $149,999...................................................................... 158

$150,000 – $199,999...................................................................... 158

 

Building Permits, 2004

 

Permits Issued Value of Permits

City of Yakima 1,124 $54,379,605

Yakima County 1,286 $95,637,883

 

Media

 

Newspapers

 

Published Circulation

Yakima Herald Republic daily 41,726

Yakima Business Journal monthly 8,000

Valley Press weekly 20,000

Central WA Senior Times monthly 13,000

Chamber Update monthly 1,400

(Chamber members only)

Penny Press weekly 19,000

Yakima Valley-Business Time bi-monthly 7,000

Thrifty Nickel weekly 24,000

Viva! weekly 10,000

 

Radio Stations

 

Approximately 21 radio stations broadcast in the Yakima County area in a wide range of formats including religious, country, news/talk, and rock and roll.

 

Television Stations

 

The Yakima area hosts approximately nine local television stations with national affiliations, one cable company, one wireless company, and a variety of satellite services.

 

Churches

 

There are over 250 churches in Yakima County. The variety includes divisions of Christianity, Catholicism and non-denominational practices. Yakima County also has Jewish and Buddhist temples.

 

A Giving Community

 

The United Way of Yakima County raises support for 63 programs at 43 human service agencies and community funds. In 2002 donations totalled $2,075,000; in 2003, $2,060,000.

[Phantom]

Larry,

Dude - you're a veritable chamber of commerce. I used to put out information like that about Boise. Had a high school buddy that lived in the tri-cities area for years but moved over by Seattle when his wife of 20+ years left him.

Thanks for your personal insights,

Bill

[wheelman]

Phantom,

I also live in the Tri-Cities.

If you lived in Boise then you are familiar with the environment you'll find in Yakima, although I think Boise is a bit warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter.

 

As Larry said if you are into outdoors activities it would be a nice place to live, many lakes close by and Ranier National Park about 1 hour away.

Yakima sits in the eastern foothills of the Cascade mountains, Mt. Ranier and Mt. Baker are both visible on clear days, St. Helens used to be but not since 1980. Access to lots of camping, hiking, hunting and fishing is very close. The Columbia River is close as is the Snake which joins the Columbia at the Tri-Cities.

 

If you like wine the Yakima Valley rivals Napa Valley and is getting better every year.

 

One thing you will find is the town seems very disjointed as if there was no planning involved in it's growth.

Housing prices are reasonable, particularly when compared to any larger city in the country.

 

I've lived in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, which is similar to Yakima, although hotter) for 13 years and have found the primary drawback to be the allergies I developed 4 years after moving here. I don't know how Yakima is in this regard but it's a local truism that anyone who has been here at least 4 years will develop them.

 

The one other thing worth mentioning is the cross-mountain rivalry that exists in Washington state. The west-siders (Seattlites) generally view eastern Washington as fly-over country and we are very under-represented in state and national politics. That being said, don't listen to anything a person from the west side says about the east side.

 

All kidding aside, if you liked Boise you'll probably like Yakima.

 

Wheelman

[randy 77zt]

very interesting reading .i live in central california 80 miles east of sanfrancisco.its a valley with agriculture and crowded suburban sprawl.i have allergies bad-have to get shots.but i grew up here.i am looking at moving out of here to somewhere less crowded .it used to be nice here but now its just a big traffic jam.

[alsil]

very interesting reading .i live in central california 80 miles east of sanfrancisco.its a valley with agriculture and crowded suburban sprawl.i have allergies bad-have to get shots.but i grew up here.i am looking at moving out of here to somewhere less crowded .it used to be nice here but now its just a big traffic jam.

 

That's why I moved to WA. I was tired of dealing with the millions of people, the traffic, and just not being able to get ahead.

 

There are many good places left in this country you can make a decent living and afford a good place to live. CA is not one of them anymore; at least anywhere near the Bay Area or L.A / San Diego.

 

Yakima is nice, was there once, a lot like Boise, you're right.

[Wagz]

Like Larry and Wheelman, I live in the Tri-Cities. I was born and raised in the area and just moved back here after 12+ years in the Portland, OR area. There are a lot of good reasons to locate in eastern Washington. The above posts did a good job of covering the pros/cons so, I won't repeat them. I've decided I prefer Eastern WA over the over-crowded, expensive and generally wetter western portions of Oregon and Washington.

 

I've lived in Yakima twice. Each time I lived there for a little over a year. Once, in the west side of town. Once, on the extreme eastern edge of town. Personally, I did not like the city of Yakima at all. There is very little to do in town. There isn't a lot of entertainment options. There are few good restaurants, theaters, or other cultural attractions. The city is poorly laid-out like Wheelman said. My opinion is that it's kind of a dirty run-down little place. However, it is in close proximity to some good outdoor activities (hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, etc). As stated, it is only a few hours drive to Seattle or Portland which are both great places to spend some time.

 

The Yakima valley used to be a major distribution point for drugs in the Northwest. I don't know if that is still true, but when I lived there, I had people step off curbs in front of my car at stop signs and very openly try to sell pot, cocaine, etc. to me.

 

I've spent time in both Yakima and Boise in the last several months. Based on what I saw and experienced in those visits, I would have to disagree with Wheelman. I really liked the changes in Boise that have come about over the last several years. I would not hesistate to live there if the right opportunity came up. On the other hand, I personally would not even consider living in Yakima again.

 

Obviously, I haven't lived there for more than a decade and my recent visits were only over a day or two so, things could be very different now. Check it out and make up you own mind. Good luck with the job and decisions.

[Phantom]

My goal is to get out of Texas (the "ring of fire") and to the Northwest. I was born in LaGrande, Oregon and grew up in Boise. My first preference would be to get back to Boise but need to have a job first. That hasn't happened yet. At least in Yakima I'd be close enough for "weekenders" and could scout property to eventually build on.

Just the thought of low humidity and cool nights is almost more than I can stand. The humidity here carries the heat through the night so I've been getting up at 6:00 AM to temperatures above 80°F. It's a real bummer when you have to use the AC during the morning drive to work.

I don't have any real illusions at this point about Yakima. I figure it's a lot like many other NW cowtowns I've been through. The key will be to be careful to locate in the right neighborhood and identify the areas to avoid early. Right now I live in a nice area of Arlington but a mile away is a bad area of Fort Worth. I don't drive through there and my life is fine.

The job I'm looking at is a big step backward. I'll be going from corporate engineering management at a 2,000 person headquarters campus to essentially a plant engineer job at an 80 person plant. When I say my talents will be under utilized I'm using classic British understatement. I just have to keep the goal in mind and remember that the pay will be as good in an area with a similar cost of living.

[Wagz]

Going back and reading my previous post, I realize I painted a pretty bleak picture of the place. It is, after all, only my opinion based on my unique perspective/experience there. 1989 was the last time I actually lived there. So, I'm sure a lot has changed.

 

It sounds like you have realistic expectations and realize all cities have their good and not so good points. Yakima, like most places in Eastern WA can get pretty darn hot during the day, but the evenings are almost always pretty cool. Obviously, the Northwest in general is a lot cooler than the "ring of fire."

 

Yakima is a pretty hard core motorhead town. I used to work as an auto parts counterman (both times I lived there) for a few different parts houses. There were lots of cruises, car shows, etc. The Vintiques car club hosts a huge (at least it used to be huge) rod run every year at the fair grounds.

 

When I lived there, the west-side of Yakima seemed to be the nicest part of town. Nice older and newer neighborhoods. The lower income parts of town and drug problems seemed to be centered on the east side of Yakima.

[Phantom]

Yeah - I just went through the MLS looking at houses I might like and most of them were just north & south of Tieton and west of 80th or up in the scenic drive area. I saw a couple that were on the east side of the river out toward the military reservation that looked ok but don't know that area.

Good to know about the motorhead thing. I wonder how they'll receive my Z? I have a feeling some of them might be in for a surprise.

Look at me - already assuming I'm moving there.

[wheelman]

Wagz,

I believe you are still correct about the basic demographics of Yakima. I've never lived there but my sister does, or used to now she lives in Selah, and the west side seemed nicer the times I visited.

 

I think the drug problems you experienced in the past have been reduced but Meth is still a huge problem around here. I owned a small apartment building for a short time and it seemed 1 out of every 3 people who applied to rent from us had a problem with it.

 

So you did move back to the Tri-Cities after all. So where did you buy or are you renting?

The local Auto-X club is racing this weekend at Dust Devil stadium, you should come out and run with us.

 

Phantom,

The thing to look for to avoid would be the hispanic neighborhoods as they will be lower income and have much larger drug problems. If you don't mind a bit of a commute then it would be worth checking the Selah or even Naches areas. They are both small towns located close to Yakima that are a little more upscale, at least Selah is. The Yakima valley has some nice areas also.

 

If you don't mind my asking, what is your background? I work for a small high tech firm that designs and manufactures handheld x-ray analysis equipment and we are looking for a production manager. The company is named Keymaster Technologies and we were just purchased by Bruker AXS.

 

Wheelman

[Phantom]

Wheelman,

Sent you a PM. Yeah - I've seen some of the stuff in Selah & Natches. Looked pretty nice. They really aren't that far away - maybe a 20 minute commute to the place I'm interviewing with. Thought the name Selah was interesting - It's Hebrew meaning to ponder or contemplate long on something.

[Wagz]

Wheelman -

 

We just moved back in the last two weeks. We've leased a condo on the 5th fairway at Meadow Springs for the time being. We just closed on 2.5 acres at the far west end of Rancho Reatta (Badger Mountain Plateau) and are working with an architect on a home plan (stand-alone shop included! ).

 

I don't have a road-worthy Z to bring to the autocross, but I may come out to watch. I assume it's the Sand & Sage club. What day/time are you running?

 

A local buddy of mine spent an hour yesterday talking about us partnering on my 260Z and turning it into an autocross car. We used to run his Renault with the Sand & Sage club...

[wheelman]

Phantom,

Yeah, I recognized Selah as that hebrew word as well, thought it was kind of cool. I got your PM and will reply to it directly rather than here.

 

Wagz,

I'll be running on Sat Sept. 2nd and possibly the 3rd depending on how the car and I hold up. Both days the runs start at baout 9:00 AM and go to 4:00 PM.

Yes, it's the Sand and Sage Sports Car Club sponsoring the event. It's one of 2 events taking place this month. This one will be at Dust Devil stadium out by the TRAC in Pasco (Road 68). The next is at Tri-City raceway in West Richland on the 23rd and 24th.

 

You should try and make it out, I'll be the guy driving the Blue, Silver and rust colored Z making all the noise.

I checked the other registrants and saw 1 other Z thats bronze. We'll both be running in the novice class so we'll see how I do against him. I'm sure my inexperience will show.

 

Leased a condo on the 5th fairway at Meadow Springs.

Must have made a killing on your house in Vancouver.

 

Badger plateau is nice but bit too windy for me, plus Richland wants to annex it (if they haven't already) and I really don't want to live in Richland.

 

Anyway we'll have to get together sometime and have a beer or 2. I hesitate to offer but if you need any help moving into your new place let me know. I'll PM you my phone #.

 

 

Wheelman