When looking for a place to call home many people look for a city that is great for raising a family. Kiplinger recently released a top 10 list of the greatest American cities for raising a family. In order to make it on the list cities had to have a healthy economy, strong schools, low crime rates, job growth, vibrant local culture, and lots of parks and recreational activities. These are a lot of factors to consider when looking at so many American cities, but they did it and on that list is none other than our local Kennewick Washington.
The city of Kennewick with a population nearing 70,000 is a largely a research based economy, they were able to withstand the recession quite well with only a 6.2% unemployment rate and abounding high-tech jobs in nuclear and others forms of sustainable energy. Employment is up 1% in the area bringing in more people to the area with their families. Schools in Kennewick and surrounding areas are doing well, GreatSchools.com rated them 6 with 10 being the highest. The parks and recreational opportunities are plentiful with parks all over and many recreational activities for all ages. Being situated on the confluences of the Columbia, Yakima, and Snake Rivers there is plenty to do outdoors on any of the nearly 300 days of sunshine the area boasts of.
The community of Kennewick is very safe, crime rates are very low, Kiplinger reported 373 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Combing the low crime rates with the low cost of living and reasonable housing costs (median home values are $150,000), I would say that makes for a great place to live!
Posted by Joe and Colleen Lane, your Kennewick Real Estate Agents. Call or email us today with your real estate questions! 509.438.9344
Posted by Colleen Lane on
That is great and should help you sell more homes. Families are always looking for the safest communities with low crime.
Posted by Danny Nappi on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 12:36pmI think so too Danny. Thanks for stopping by.
Posted by Joe & Colleen on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 5:08amI have been reviewing the Tri-Cities information for a 6 months now. The only thing I see is that there is not enough affordable rental housing for people who might only be there for a year or less because of plants closing in other areas, and some workers are relocating to the area for a short period of time. What I am seeing is that people are renting out their rooms in order to assist with the shortfall of housing. The motels seems to be at full capacity, and at $350 a week, well, maybe some Budget Suites type motels with cooking facilities would be the next thing to bring to the area for an investment opportunity, although I don't know why they haven't already...maybe too soon yet.
Posted by Danielle on Friday, May 6th, 2011 at 9:35pmI am looking forward to relocating to this area in the next year, and although I may be one of the lucky ones who will be able to purchase a home shortly after I arrive, in my opinion, investors might look at this area for some rental properties. Just sayin...
I certainly agree Danielle. We have several rental units we personally own and manage. When one comes available for rent, we are inundated with folks wanting to rent it. I guess there being a rental shortage reinforces the notion we have a strong economy and real estate market here in the Tri Cities.
Posted by Joe & Colleen on Saturday, May 7th, 2011 at 4:23amYes, definitely a strong economy, and a great "family" oriented place to live. I just visited the area last week and I can understand why. The town is "clean" and inviting, the people are friendly, and everyone I spoke with had great things to say about the Tri-Cities, and I sure spoke with a lot of people with my own little survey going on. lol
Posted by Danielle on Sunday, May 8th, 2011 at 4:22pmWith that said however, in what time frame in your opinion (since you are in the RE business) will there be more affordable rental homes avail? Are developers looking at some options at the moment, especially in Richland and Kennewick? Also, what is the growth projected for the next 5 years? I am curious. With Hanford and job market becoming a strong point with what's happening in the area that will probably last until 2019, and more and more qualified engineers, building laborers, etc., moving into the area, I would assume that they are more than likely wanting to move into the West Richland, Richland area, which, at this point, I do see some homes that are being built for sale, but not in the way of rental homes, which in my opinion would be a great investment right now, let alone all the business opportunities.
There are some apartments being built for rent, however, not enough to satisfy the immediate demand for rental units. I would expect rents to stabilize within the next couple years and I do not know what the growth expectations are for the next 5 years. Not sure anyone know, as much of our economy is tied to the work that goes on at Hanford.
Posted by Joe & Colleen on Monday, May 9th, 2011 at 5:48amThanks for the reply. Looks like you two are an awesome team in the area! It is so important for the Tri-Cities to have people like yourselves who give us "outsiders" a peek into the area!
Posted by Danielle on Monday, May 9th, 2011 at 10:19pmRight now, with what I have reviewed, it looks like it is growing at a moderate pace, and all involved are taking their time to grow as the need arises, rather than be impulsive, and have too much too soon.
I appreciate all the feedback, and looking forward to seeing how the area evolves. Many Thanks!
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