Lived here for 3 years this is my review.
I found this place Extremely isolating and I’m from a town of 300 people. It’s not the fact it’s “country living” that makes it so isolating. The Social circles are kind of knitted tight and they don’t want outsiders and they aren’t very welcoming to it. That’s in part why some love it and some hate it. I think I talked to immigrant workers the most and im a white country guy that doesn’t speak Spanish. They were still more friendly.
It’s also weird coming from a country town to a place where everyone fakes being country. They dress the part talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk. It’s fake and so are the trees and the grass if look close at them. There is a clear division of wealthy and poor from my understanding as well. The river divides it kind of. East Wenatchee is nice Wenatchee proper is more blue collar. Then it gets wealthier the further up the mountain you go on either side. Keeps the riff raff like me grouped up I guess.
They know one earth quake would put the entire thing in the river. So these nice houses are often times built on fill and there is nothing structurally sound under them. Idk if the older places are like that or not but I worked on geological surveys and they were like “screw it. It’s all gunna fall down anyways when the earth quake hits.” So they built on it.
Restaurants are good though some of them are cliquish to so if you want service it’s best to be related to someone there. Not all of them are that way and I loved the Mongolian grill it was best food in town as far as I’m concerned. Even though the town is fake it does have a beauty to it. The river and trails are absolute gorgeous. Saddle rocks cool but I was always told that was where the casual outdoors people go. They ofc wouldn’t tell me where the avid hikers go. There is supposedly cool stuff to see but I never saw them. That said the poop factory on the river smells horrible like the worst thing I’ve ever smelled in my life. Worse than feed lots and meat packing plants in Kansas.
The homeless population started getting out of hand as well when they pushed them out of Seattle. When I first came here there was no homeless to speak of. When I left they were camping on the river and big camps were being hosed down and broken up. There is no where to go there so the homeless congregate hard and regular people kinda have to be up close to them. But maybe that’s the entire state now idk.
All and all I’ll never go back. So one more appartment is available and the rents cheap there. I’m sure someone needs it worse than me. Out of all the places I’ve lived this was my least favorite and it was expensive so it just wasn’t worth staying. If you move here I wish you the best of luck and hope your experience is better than mine. I don’t hate the place but it’s nothing I want anything to do with ever again. That’s my review. Thanks.
Edit: I’m not really trying to dog on your guys home town. This was my experience idk why people are so defensive about someone not liking it there. It’s really odd. I noticed it when I lived there to. There is a no negative culture here. I don’t understand it really. Anyways. I just figured I’d share this experience in case someone is considering moving here. Thanks for all the friendly comments.