Question for any CAFers from central Washington state

[dixieagle]

Hi,

My dd and her very-soon-to-be-husband are seriously considering spending a year before grad school with Intermountain AmericaCorps working with children who need help with reading and other school subjects.

We are trying to find out everything we can about the area - north central Washington State near Wenatchee - and this particular program. Is anyone familiar with it?

What is the cost of living like? It appears to be a fairly rural area, so I imagine it’s not too high. I also imagine the crime rate is pretty low - not all that many people!

Any and all info about the area, Catholic parishes, etc., would be most welcome and appreciated. Thanks.

 

[blessedtoo]

Hi there!

Here is your new diocese:
yakimadiocese.org/html/index.cfm?fuseaction=parishes&pageID=28

I am not familiar with the Bishop. Can’t really comment on the Churches there either since I live in Seattle.

Can comment on Wenatchee. It’s BEAUTIFUL there. Be prepared to SWEAT as it is considered desert and can get well into double digits in the summer. In the winter, expect to see tremendous amounts of snow! It’s a lovely area, very rural, very Americana! Lots of farmland and wide open spaces!

Good luck to you!

 

[dixieagle]

Hi there!

Here is your new diocese:
yakimadiocese.org/html/index.cfm?fuseaction=parishes&pageID=28

I am not familiar with the Bishop. Can’t really comment on the Churches there either since I live in Seattle.

Can comment on Wenatchee. It’s BEAUTIFUL there. Be prepared to SWEAT as it is considered desert and can get well into double digits in the summer. In the winter, expect to see tremendous amounts of snow! It’s a lovely area, very rural, very Americana! Lots of farmland and wide open spaces!

Good luck to you!

I just noticed the time that you posted this; either you stay up very late or get up very early!

Thanks so much! The heat won’t bother them, as we live in the DEEP Gulf south, where very, very hot summers are the norm, though we certainly cannot be considered desert - HUMID!

The snow might present a problem, as I can’t remember the last time we had even so much as a snowflake here. But, where there’s snow, there’s snow-removal equipment. Sounds as if good snow tires will be a must.

Thanks for the link to the diocese, as well. It will be good for them to have a Catholic “home base”, as their program is not Catholic, but government-run.

Sounds as if dh and I will have a nice place to visit if this works out!

 

[blessedtoo]

Yes, night owl here!

Snow tires, snow shoes and boots, hats, gloves, etc…and a white Christmas guaranteed every year!

Keep us posted!

 

[Jimdandy]

It would be very helpful if your daughter spoke Spanish-80% of Catholics in this area are Hispanic, their are some Native Americans too. Some are bi-lingual, but not all.
Lots of vineyards, Hops and dairy cows(in the lower valley) Lots of apple and cherry orchards too

Gangs are a problem.

Wenatchee itself is a beautiful city and the new Catholic Church is supposed to be beautiful.
wenatcheewa.gov/
stjoewen.org/
wenatcheevalley.org/

 

[CatholicNerd]

I’m from Richland, which is more south-central than north-central Washington, but I know a few people from Wenatchee. The city itself is not one of the most beautiful in Eastern Washington, but it is close to some of the most beautiful ones, like Leavenworth. leavenworth.org/

Get used to driving. Because of the way the roads are layed out, Seattle, Portland, and Spokane are all a fair distance from Wenatchee. Seattle is 148 miles, Spokane is 169, and Portland is 302. The other “major” population center in the area is the Tri Cities of Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. They are 119 miles away.

Thankfully, Horizon Air (the regional arm of Alaska Airlines) flies out of Wenatchee, so you’ll be able to fly pretty much anywhere in the country. It’s a bit costly to fly out of Wenatchee, but rising gas prices have made it a viable option.

 

[dixieagle]

Dd had a little Spanish, and her nearly-husband has a better background in it.

Gangs? I guess they are most places now.

I have heard some scary stuff about the marijuana fields tended by armed “gardeners” and have been told that hiking can be dangerous for that reason.

It does look like a beautiful area. Thanks so much for the great links and info.

 

[CatholicNerd]

Dd had a little Spanish, and her nearly-husband has a better background in it.

Gangs? I guess they are most places now.

I have heard some scary stuff about the marijuana fields tended by armed “gardeners” and have been told that hiking can be dangerous for that reason.

It does look like a beautiful area. Thanks so much for the great links and info.

Yeah. Stick to trails in relatively well-traversed areas. There is a budding drug problem in Eastern Washington (no pun intended!).