Spokane versus Yakima as home for next year

I'm weighing a year-long gig that would require me to reside (anywhere) in Washington state. I'm thinking of Spokane and Yakima because either would be less expensive than the Seattle area. Any reason to favor one over the other? I'm thinking more about general quality of life and cost than climbing, but feel free to weigh in on anything. I would also consider other places (Bellingham? Pullman?) in the state too. Mainly interested in alpine climbing and mountain biking these days. thanks

If you could pick anywhere in the state you might look at the Wenatchee area.  Close to lots of good climbing and some decent mountain biking.  Spokane it good but definitely not a destination for climbing...enough to keep you entertained for awhile and train on real rock.  Probably depends on the size of town you want to live in too.  

I haven't climbed much in Spokane, but it seems like there are a few decent crags (basalt and granite) around town. Yakima has a sweet beginning/intermediate place to learn trad, and a decent sport area. I live in Bellingham, and if you're into mountain biking, you should definitely come here for a year long gig. The climbing is mostly meh (unless you climb 5.12), but the access to great biking and alpine is excellent.

Bellingham as a city is fine. The food is decent, live music/bars are fine, and there are a lot of college students.

Ellensburg could be the best option east of the Cascades.

I'd go for Wenatchee if close access to good granite climbing and alpine terrain is higher priority. Bellingham if top tier MTB is higher priority.

North Bend is a really great overall home base also, but it's expensive since it's within the Seattle bubble. Depends on your budget. Good MTB and cragging right around town, and a good central location for weekend trips throughout the Cascades.

Spokane has some decent cragging and good MTB close to (in) town, but you're driving a ways to get to proper mountains. It's alright there, but given the choice I'd go for somewhere closer to the Cascades. 

Yakima... Don't move to Yakima.

mark55401 wrote:

 Mainly interested in alpine climbing and mountain biking these days. 

My buddy lives in Wenatchee and he raves about the mtn biking that's basically within the city limits.  You also have access to the enchantments for day trips and easy access to wash pass for weekends.  cost of living is pretty comparable to Spokane. 

Spokane and Yakima are far away enough from Seattle that they are their own full fledged mini-cities.  People tend to like these cities, but they are far from a lot of things and what northwestern WA has to offer (which is my personal favorite stuff in WA).

Bellingham is also a full fledged mini-city and is really nice for outdoor activities, but the weather will be harsher during the precipitous months.  

Wenatchee feels kind of optimal weather and location wise, but would come with less amenities.  

Ellensburg is great location wise, but is is a much smaller town and feels as such.  

North Bend, Snoqualmie, etc, are all nice suburban towns with great access, but they are going to be pretty impacted by the high pricing you are trying to stay away from.

I love the varied opinions, some I think are downright wrong after living in a few and spending a fair amount of time in every place mentioned, I wont let the cat out of the bag on anywhere, but from a cragging after work and being centrally located to better objectives Yakima beats Spokane. Spokane is closer to ice (Bozeman/Banff) since it looks like you like to ice climb. Spokane is more urban, while Yakima still has a rural feel to it. It also appears you like hoppy beer, there is a clear winner between the two options in that category.

I grew up in Spokane and it's a great place to live in terms of general quality of life and cost. For mountain biking you have beacon hill (I don't mountain bike but my friends that do rave about Beacon). Spokane has great climbing near and around town if you're into sport climbing, but alpine climbing would be less convenient than Wenatchee. There are some routes up in the Selkirks (2-3 hr drive) but other than that you'd need to drive over to the east cascades. IMO the extra hour of driving from Spokane vs. Seattle for weekend trips to WA Pass / Leavenworth isn't too much of a drag time-wise, though much less scenic.

I lived in Yakima for 7 years, have visited Spokane many times and driven through to get to outdoor stuff.  Between the two: Yakima. Se habla español? Cheaper than Spokane, 50% Hispanic, within an hour of more than 15 different climbing spots, Two hours or less to all the Leavenworth and Vantage climbing. 3.5 hours from Smith. DM me if I can be of help. 

I'm currently living in Spokane and I'm considering Wenatchee in the near future.  Cost of living is similar

Spokane is great for cragging and MTB.  Probably edges out Wenatchee for MTB (downhill at least) and definitely for cragging (unless Peshastin Pinnacles is WAY better than everyone says?) but you really lose out in terms of mountain access. Wenatchee is right next to the enchantments, index is 90 minutes, WA pass is day trip-able (from Spokane you have to sleep at the trailhead).  Much better BC skiing.

Spokane has the benefit of North Idaho / Montana options.  N Idaho has some decent climbing but I'd rather live 2 hours from WA pass than 2h from the Selkirks personally. Though it's closer than you might think, and N Idaho has a lot less people. It's also 3 hours closer to Montana, good to keep in mind if you want to do Bozeman ice trips.  Silver Mt is a nice lift access MTB park.

Wenatchee is pretty big, has big box stores and all that, but is a bit lacking in terms of craft beer, night life, resaurants, etc.  Though people coming from Seattle or other big cities would say the same about Spokane so I guess it's relative.  Wenatchee is closer to Seattle though for big concerts and sports and stuff.  Don't need to take Friday off to spend the weekend over there like you would coming from Spokane.

What did you decide, Mark?