Kennewick and Richland reputation (Seattle, Moses Lake: renting, buying, live)

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by MFij

I lived in both Richland and Kennewick for several years while working for the Department of Energy. I personally witnessed black CITIZENS being hassled in Richland (e.g., ignored while trying to check out in a store, having the police called on them just because they asked someone to jump their car due to a dead battery). And Kennewick was worse. The street we lived on had one black family and one asian family. Their children were shunned by other children (it was a Mormon neighborhood), their houses were egged, and the black family had their mailbox bombed. I was more than happy when we left and would never go back to the Tri-Cities. And while I am on it, Walla Walla was not too welcoming either. At work, there were no problems.

I appreciate those comments. I'm sure you are relating true experiences from your time in the Tri-Cities.

I would comment in return, this is not the Tri-Cities I know. Again, I am not denying you experienced this.

Before I comment further, can I ask what year(s) did this occur?

[87112]

Does the Tri Cities feel W I D E open like Albuquerque?

Albuquerque is a very unique city to me. From every direction in a matter of minutes you can be in areas so open it feels like the landscape and sky never ends.


These kind of cities appeal to me the most, Seattle where I live is the complete opposite of wide open to say the least there are views but to get to the views you kind of have to dodge a lot of people and cars on the way which unappealing to say the least.

I thought of Wenatchee or Yakima also to relocate to but don't find the Asian food or grocery scene to be good.

Any other ideas of wide open space medium size cities to relocate to? I definitely prefer less than 1 million metro population max.

As it stand the 1st desire is ABQ but dang that crime rate is the only holdback.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by 87112

Does the Tri Cities feel W I D E open like Albuquerque?

Albuquerque is a very unique city to me. From every direction in a matter of minutes you can be in areas so open it feels like the landscape and sky never ends.


These kind of cities appeal to me the most, Seattle where I live is the complete opposite of wide open to say the least there are views but to get to the views you kind of have to dodge a lot of people and cars on the way which unappealing to say the least.

I thought of Wenatchee or Yakima also to relocate to but don't find the Asian food or grocery scene to be good.

Any other ideas of wide open space medium size cities to relocate to? I definitely prefer less than 1 million metro population max.

As it stand the 1st desire is ABQ but dang that crime rate is the only holdback.

To some extent, yes, the Tri-Cities are wide open. It certainly is not a dense urban area by any definition. Again, I think the main difference is the rate of growth is high in the Tri, and pretty moderate in Albuquerque.

As for crime, I understand your concern. Anecdotal, but just a day or two ago a middle-aged man entered a Winco store in Richland and shot a random woman in the head. She survived. He thought she was trying to stalk him. She claims she doesn't know who he was. He is now charged with attempted murder. (according to the latest local news rerports.) This seems to be more of a mental illness story, than a crime story.

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/...215990875.html

The point here is that general crime is low, but any area is not immune from crazy.

[87112]

Well Rio Rancho which is a suburb of Albuquerque from what I have read is completely different in crime stats than ABQ, its a typical boring suburb with chain stores galore and not much soul. Been there once, everyone is in a car from here to there lifestyle.

I am priced out of Seattle. I will miss the taco stand at 12th and Jackson- and my gym and the cooler summer temps. Other than that, not really anything. Its way too crowded now.

[7Sunset7]

I have followed this thread with much interest. I am a senior lady of color and have wanted to move into the Tri-Cities area for the last two years. Visited once and felt the people open and friendly, but again it was a visit. My life circle is at post retirement status but I am active, active, love the arts and would love the climate and geographical environment of the tri-cities. Like everyone else on this planet desire fun, safe, friendly, compassionate, artsy community. What are your opinions concerning my potential move. You do have a Winco and that is a positive. My roots are from Texas and Yes, I considered Albuquerque as well but the crime rate is definitely a deterrent. Give the old lady some solid knowledge to help me make my decision. Thanks

[7Sunset7]

Could you throw in your perception of healthcare in the region as well...thanks

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by 7Sunset7

I have followed this thread with much interest. I am a senior lady of color and have wanted to move into the Tri-Cities area for the last two years. Visited once and felt the people open and friendly, but again it was a visit. My life circle is at post retirement status but I am active, active, love the arts and would love the climate and geographical environment of the tri-cities. Like everyone else on this planet desire fun, safe, friendly, compassionate, artsy community. What are your opinions concerning my potential move. You do have a Winco and that is a positive. My roots are from Texas and Yes, I considered Albuquerque as well but the crime rate is definitely a deterrent. Give the old lady some solid knowledge to help me make my decision. Thanks

Hi 7Sunset7,

I don't know how much more I can offer beyond what I have already posted on this thread, but I will try to answer your specific questions.

I'll start with healthcare. It isn't bad, especially compared to 20-30 years ago. The growth of the area has meant the area has had to catch up. In the past decade Kadlec has become the largest healthcare organization in the region, and in fact built a new highrise at their Richland hospital location. The other factor is the area has definitely become a regional healthcare center, as the nearest big city is Spokane, over two hours away. I have nothing but good experiences with health care providers in this area.

"Arts" is in the eye of the beholder, but in general for a metro of 300K, there is a strong arts scene here. You just have to look for it sometimes. It is there, but kind of is in the shadows. From actual art galleries, to local theater, to art in the park type events, it is definitely out there.

While like everywhere else, we are recovering slowly from the virus. Things are opening up again. Shopping, before the pandemic was pretty well-covered with the only large regional mall in this part of the State, as you mentioned, yes a Winco. (Actually two of them). Can't beat their prices, no doubt.

I think people here are generally friendly, compassionate, and while the area certainly leans conservative, it is not the same kind of conservative you see in the south. (I think that may have been covered earlier in the thread). The other thing to keep in mind is we are getting a lot of growth from very liberal areas such as Seattle and Portland, and of course, California. Many of these transplants bring a lot with them, including different driving styles, and different political beliefs. But such is life, and areas do evolve whether we like it or not.

I hope you make the right decision for you, and perhaps a 2nd visit might be what decides it. Best of luck.

[7Sunset7]

PNWGUY2, WoW what a positive person, You help me weight the positives. This will probably be my final destination in life for it is time to settle down and enjoy people, place and things. I love photography so maybe I will meet many of you on my journey as a novice photographer...I look forward to the friendship. I will be in the Tri-Cities area within the next couple of weeks....thinking about driving the central route from Nevada....is it scenic? Oh by the way your answer about healthcare was comprehensive and much appreciated. I believe it helped others as well as myself. Good blessings to all!

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by 7Sunset7

PNWGUY2, WoW what a positive person, You help me weight the positives. This will probably be my final destination in life for it is time to settle down and enjoy people, place and things. I love photography so maybe I will meet many of you on my journey as a novice photographer...I look forward to the friendship. I will be in the Tri-Cities area within the next couple of weeks....thinking about driving the central route from Nevada....is it scenic? Oh by the way your answer about healthcare was comprehensive and much appreciated. I believe it helped others as well as myself. Good blessings to all!

Thanks 7Sunset7. By central route I assume you are talking about 395 or 95 from Nevada. Both have some scenic value but generally are desert highways with miles and miles of basically scrubland.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by 7Sunset7

I have followed this thread with much interest. I am a senior lady of color and have wanted to move into the Tri-Cities area for the last two years. Visited once and felt the people open and friendly, but again it was a visit. My life circle is at post retirement status but I am active, active, love the arts and would love the climate and geographical environment of the tri-cities. Like everyone else on this planet desire fun, safe, friendly, compassionate, artsy community. What are your opinions concerning my potential move. You do have a Winco and that is a positive. My roots are from Texas and Yes, I considered Albuquerque as well but the crime rate is definitely a deterrent. Give the old lady some solid knowledge to help me make my decision. Thanks

I wouldn't say Tri Cities has a strong artsy vibe, more a strong engineering and agriculture vibe. I would say there is a fairly good active senior community for its size. Winco is definitely a plus. This is a safe community with West Richland being the second safest city in the state but all of the Tri are pretty safe compared to the nation.

I've grown a bit negative on the overall climate with pretty cold winters, windy spring and part of the summer very hot and we can have smoke in the summer although this year hasn't been bad so far.

We are considering to move to northern Idaho after retiring in the Tri a few years ago due to the panhandle being much prettier, less wind, more rain (so much less dust), and our concern about the direction of Washington state from seeing what is happening in Seattle.