Help me find a lovely little Washington town? (Walla Walla, Wenatchee: purchase, living in)

[Kaib13]

Hello!

My fiancé and I are looking for the perfect little town to move and build a home, and I have no clue where to begin. I’m an avid television watcher, and I love the small towns from shows like Gilmore Girls and Ghost Whisperer. All the lovely little shops and restaurants around the town square and its gazebo, it’s just so beautiful and homey.

My fiancé loves snow, so anyplace that gets a decent layer in the winter is great. Anywhere near the mountains or a hill, etc, would be wonderful, because I'd love a sweeping view. We’d like to purchase a decent sized chunk, a few acres at least, preferably with a good percentage of it forested. (We're basically looking to live just outside of town.)

Is there anywhere out there like this in the Washington area?

[amerideaf]

I am a green-faced Washingtonian after living in this state for 8 days so I am told that this town could be Wenatchee. I hope to visit this town within a month. More at Best Places to Live + Play: Mountain Towns

[Kaib13]

Thanks Amerideaf. It looks like it might be a little too touristy. However, I like the lots of sunshine and the festivals and such, especially the river running through town and that it's close to the mountains. That means we could build on the mountain and be close enough to the town.

[Hemlock140]

That's the trouble, people like such towns to visit so they get tourists. I was going to say Leavenworth
but now that I know you don't want floods of tourism I'll suggest Winthrop. They do get some summer tourists but nothing like the usual traps, and in winter some shops close up because the main highway closes due to the snow. Beautiful little town.

http://www.winthropwashington.com/index2.html

[Kaib13]

Thanks Hemlock140. Winthrop looks nice, but it's very far north. I have family in Portland, and I'd like to visit occasionally. Do you have any idea how touristy Wenatchee is, because the more I look at information about it, the more I like it, and I could probably get over the tourist thing.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Kaib13

Thanks Hemlock140. Winthrop looks nice, but it's very far north. I have family in Portland, and I'd like to visit occasionally. Do you have any idea how touristy Wenatchee is, because the more I look at information about it, the more I like it, and I could probably get over the tourist thing.

Leavenworth is definitely touristy... I don't think Wenatchee as touristy. But it is definitely an awesome town with lots of festivals and town events, how can anyone resist a visit?

Why not look into Camas as well? (Since its closer to PDX.)

[Cinebar]

Visit Leavenworth Washington - The Official Site of the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce

City of Roslyn

I've never actually been to either of these towns, but from what I've heard, Leavenworth might be just what you're looking for.

If you liked the television series Northern Exposure, you might like Roslyn, which is where the show was filmed.

Good luck!

[Kaib13]

Thanks Inkpoe. I know what you mean, Wenatchee looks great! I'm glad to hear it's not as touristy as I'd thought. I'll look into Camas too.

[Kaib13]

Anyone know anything about the horse scene in Wenatchee? There doesn't seem to be any stables in town...

[cjg5]

Roslyn, Cle Elum and South Cle Elum, Salmon La Sac, Winthrop, Omak, Chelan, Waterville, Easton, Orondo, Entiat, Ellensburg, North Bend, Snoqualmie, Teanaway, Cashmere, Monitor, Leavenworth, White Salmon, Trout Lake, Naches, Morton, Liberty (okay not really, Liberty is nearly a ghost town with just one small general store and only a few residents, it's an old mining town, but neat area none the less), and then there are the more desert areas such as Vantage, George, Quincy, Othello, Euphrata, Coulee City, Soap Lake, Electric City, Grand Coulee, etc.

You might also like some areas in and around Walla Walla.