Michael & Suzanne Maurer
Brokers ~ OR
Assoc. Brokers ~ WA
Windermere, Glenn Taylor Real Estate
504 Cascade Street
Hood River, OR
541.386.2831
800.755.7544
WASHINGTON STATE, AN OVERVIEW
Washington State is a gateway to business opportunities in Asia, Europe and North America. Washington's manufacturing productivity is 13% above the national average when measured in terms of value added per production man-hour. This state is among the best educated with 9 out of 10 adults between the ages of 25-64, have completed at least 12 years of education.
Washington State's moderate tax system ranks fourth lowest among the 13 western states. Washington has no corporate or person income tax, no unitary tax, no inventory tax, and no personal, dividend or capitol gains tax.
White Salmon, Washington
The City of White Salmon is comfortably situated on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River at an elevation of 550 feet. The city also includes approximately 3/4 of a mile of river frontage, including access to the Hood River Bridge. The views from the City of White Salmon are quite spectacular. From the bluff looking south one can see the river, the city of Hood River and its valley as well as the truly majestic Mt. Hood. Looking towards the northeast one can catch a glimpse of Washington's Mt. Adams.
Stevenson, Washington
Stevenson, Washington is located along State Hwy
14, approximately 45 miles east of Portland, Oregon and 40 miles east of
Vancouver, Washington. The town itself is nestled between the mountains and
rugged basalt cliffs of the Gorge to the North and the Columbia River to the
south. Views of the Gorge in and around Stevenson are breathtaking and not
to be missed.
The recent opening of the $10 .5 million Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center has provided a boost to the city's tourism economy. Located just west of Stevenson near Skamania Lodge, the 23,000 square-foot center depicts the historical, cultural and geologic development of the Columbia Gorge.
Stevenson enjoys a mild temperate climate. Temperatures in the summer months are extremely comfortable, ranging from 70-100 degrees. The fall and winter bring a great deal of rain to the area, which in turn leads to a spectacularly green and colorful spring.
Visitors to Stevenson can walk along the riverfront park and envision where fishwheels once churned through the water for Salmon. Today one will see the colorful sails of windsurfers speeding, jumping and looping along the swells of the Columbia River. It is hard to imagine that one tiring of the sites along the river, however in such a case one can return to town and browse through the many gift shops, art galleries and antique stores or grab a coffee at the local shop and enjoy the warm personalities of the locals.
Goldendale, Washington
Goldendale sits on a fertile plateau north of the Columbia River between the windswept Columbia Hills and the pine-covered Simcoe Mountains of South-central Washington. Goldendale is the county seat of Klickitat County. The sprawling 1,200 square miles of the county contains a variety of scenery. It ranges from pine forests in the west and north to spectacular lava flows along the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge at the south. Fertile farmland lies in the central section and to the east, arid, desert-like land that has its own beauty that seems to many first-time visitors harsh, but is captivating in its own uncompromising way.
With a population of approximately 3,700, Goldendale is the county seat of Klickitat County. The city is located in the central section of the county, 70 miles south of Yakima, Washington, 35 miles north of The Dalles, Oregon, and 120 miles east of Portland, Oregon.
Klickitat County
Klickitat County is located on the Columbia River in south central Washington including part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and includes the towns of Goldendale, Bingen, White Salmon and Lyle. The county lies east of the Cascades of the southeast flank of Mt. Adams, while the Simcoe Mountains are on the north and contains part of the Yakima Indian Reservation, and the Columbia River forms its southern border. The gorge of the Columbia eroded through the Cascade Mountain plateau is the most scenic feature of the area. Major streams include the Columbia, White Salmon, Klickitat, Little Klickitat River and Swale and Rock Creeks.
The climate is relatively mild in all four seasons. Rainfall averages 45 inches in the west, providing perfect conditions for orchards. To the east is less than 10 inches, and there irrigated crops alternate with dry wheat farming. There is usually enough snow in the higher elevations in winter months for cross-country skiing with Mt. Hood an hour driver away with alpine skiing, including Timberline's upper year-round slope.
The county is 84 miles long and varies between 13 and 29 miles wide. The largest town in Goldendale, the county seat, followed by White Salmon and Bingen. The potential labor forces i roughly doubled with two Oregon riverfront cities (Hood River and The Dalles), each connected to Klickitat County by bridge, are taken into account. The majority of the population is located in and near Goldendale, in the center part of the county and Bing/White Salmon, at the southwest corner.
The economy of the county is based on agriculture and forestry, with the forest products industry the principal industry. Education, retailing and aluminum productions the next largest industries. White Salmon/Bingen, on the Columbia River, has gained word recognition for windsurfing, bringing to the area the newest industry of windsurfing boards and sail manufacturing.
*Most of this information courtesy of the Columbia Gorge Economic Deveopment Association: www.gorge.net/cgeda
