Walla Walla?

Hey folks -- if anyone is familiar with Walla Walla, Washington, can you post your thoughts about this area? We are considering relocating and I know nothing about this region of the country other than it is approximately 4 hours SE of Seattle. What can you tell me? Thanks! Maureen

Hey Maureen! You'd be my almost-neighbor! Walla Walla - it is a college town and also has a prison there. I was there for a college visitation 20 years ago and thought it was quite pretty/beautiful town. It's close to the OR/WA border and a nice area from what I remember. I seem to recall that north of Milton Freewater, OR and going up there, there were a lot of fields...grain or alfalfa maybe, but for some reason it made me think of grain. Rolling hills - very different from the other areas in the eastern state that I recall. You would be close to I-84 and the Columbia Gorge. Once you hit I-84 it would be about 200 miles of freeway to Portland. Not sure about the freeways up in Washington. If you like rodeos, Pendleton, OR is a short distance away and they have a very popular rodeo called the Pendleton Roundup. I'm not into that myself, but many people are. The climate is, of course, drier than you are used to, but that makes the cold & snow not so chilling, and the heat not so stifling. Let me know if you decide to move. We will DEFINITELY have to plan a meet then. My brother lives in Hermiston,OR which is not very far from there. My other brother lives part time in LaGrande, OR - down the freeway a bit from there. Let me know if you have more questions! Dina

Been there a few times, it is a nice area and would be radically different from what you are used to in your current location. Walla Walla borders Oregon and Idaho. It is about five hours from Seattle, four hours from both Portland and Boise, and three hours to Spokane. Whitman College is a very highly regarded private school in Walla Walla, and my nephew is a grad. He has since obtained a Masters in East Asian studies from the University of Montana, and his PhD from Tufts in Boston. Walla Walla is considered a semi arid envirnoment and has a large agricultural economy with the Walla Walla Sweet onion being one of the biggest crops. It is also home to other crops including wine grapes and isn't far from Washington's apple belt. It has rolling hills and is actually pretty lush for a arid environment. There are lots of opportunities for outdoor activities and it would be a very different lifestyle in regards to pace. In addition, you would be much closer to your sister in Helena. Also, there are some nice cities not too far away should you desire a taste of culture. Get miles out of your head in this part of the country, because traffic is nothing to what you know. On the down side, it is pretty close to the "Tri-Cities" ( Yakima, etc) and is a hot bed for meth for the entire NW. Due to the apple production, there is a large illegal alien community and is Yakima is considered the conduit for most of the illegal drugs in WA, Oregon, Idaho, and MT. But, then you really can't escape that element in most places. Feel free to email me if you have any more questions. And be sure to let me know if you make the move, I'd love the opportunity to meet you and our twisted sister from Oregon.

Thanks Dina and Ken - would be worth the move to spend the day with you both! Can you imagine the hootin' and hollerin' we'd do together??? It's a long shot because it constitutes a move to another planet, especially for my kids...but the opportunity is a good one. I am VERY concerned, however, about the maximum security prison situated right there in Walla Walla...M.

I think Dina would agree that sometimes being in the town is the safest place as any escapee usually attempts to get out of that area as soon as possible, plus all of the resources for recapture are in that area. It would be a huge change for your kids. I have never lived in the east, but having visited there, I can say there are some very nice attributes to the western, more rural life. I don't know if my surgically repaired gut could take the laughter of being with you two. Throw Connie into the mix, and I know I have to make a trip to the ER for repairs.

Well, when I lived on the Southern Oregon coast, they were talking about putting a minimum security prison in Smith River, just over the border in California. They assured everyone it would be low risk offenders, etc. Well, welcome to Pelican Bay State Prison - home of Charles Manson and others just as bad and worse. HOWEVER, that being said, there is actually a comfort in having a Maximum security prison as opposed to minimum because, as the name implies, maximum security means they don't ***** foot around with prisoners. They'd just as soon shoot them than give them an inch, so there are very very few escapes that actually occur. Of the one or two I've known of over the last 15+ years, like Ken said, they try to get the hell out of Dodge....they don't want to be hanging around locally. As for the meth - it's everywhere, and yes, out west it is bad. That is why Medford, where I live, has been nicknamed Meth-ford. But as with any drug culture and crime in general, there are places to go where you can avoid that atmosphere, and unless you have concern for your kids getting involved in it, I wouldn't place it as any different a risk as anywhere else really. If they want to do it, they will find a way to do it. And I would love to get together to hoot and holler....as long as we can leave the yonkie stompin' music out of the fray. Country music makes me writhe in pain. Seriously. Dina

I'm pretty much a rock guy myself too.

Wow,Maureen..... You certainly know how to throw me for a loop!! First you whack me in the face with some serious health issues and now you are contemplating moving coast to coast!! When my life gets a bit dull, all I need to do is check in on Maureen and BANG!!!!!!!!!! abundant excitement!! Well.....inquiring minds need to know what's the story.....if I'm not prying, that is. Mike

You can't get rid of me that easily....the story is (and if you didn't "pry" I would think you didn't care) -- a couple of things. A position has opened in the area that is ideal for me and would mean a nice step up in my profession. Here's the thing, Mike - since I've lost this weight I just can't handle this New England cold! Honestly, I have had the most miserable time of this winter - in fact, I'm sitting in my office typing this right now in my winter coat. So that's one aspect of considering this very Big Picture. Otherwise, mine is a restless soul...I have always had a difficult time staying in one place for too long a period of time, especially when it comes to career. I am always thinking about what I'm missing, and always on the lookout for new adventures. Unfortunately, this has worsened for me with the weight loss -- I gotta move, dance, fly! Now, is moving across the country going to settle these cravings for me? Probably not. And it certainly is an awful lot to ask of my family, especially my kids -- which is the most important thing to consider. So, I'm only in research mode right now but I have to say I am very attracted to the Pacific Northwest region of the country as a place I have yet to experience. Hope this helps to clarify a bit...anybody else going through anything like this since you've los the weight??? Love, Maureen

Well, I'm the last one to try to get rid of you.....I only just found you! Having said that, I must admit that I'm having a hard time dealing with winter now that I've lost all of this weight. It seems like I'm always cold....especially working nights where you lose the effect of the sun. As for the other issues you mention, I have noticed a lot of restlessness and general lack of satisfaction in my own life recently. It's taken a while to kick in because my move to supervision coincided with the timing of my surgery, so it took a while for all of that to settle down. I'm not sure if it's a direct result of the surgery and the resulting need to live a fuller life or what's going on. As usual, my friend, you've got me thinking......keep posting.....I'll never have a chance to have my brain stagnate with you around!! LOL Mike