Why is Yakima such a desirable place to live?
The beautiful Yakima Valley, located just a short 2½ hour drive from the greater Seattle area, used to be best known as the apple capital of the world. In the last few years, the Yakima Valley has become famous for being the gateway to eastern Washington’s Wine Country, and is now becoming a mecca for retirees looking for a friendly environment, great weather (300 days of sunshine), affordable housing, and a lower cost of living—while still having all the amenities and conveniences that a metropolitan area has to offer.
Below are only a few of the amenities and conveniences that the Yakima area has to offer.
- 300 days of sunshine
- Short drive to outdoor activities
- Yakima Air Terminal (flights by Alaska Airlines)
- 9 affordable public golf courses and 2 private
- Yakima Greenway’s more than 20 miles of paved pathway, as well as parks, fishing lakes, picnic areas, and playgrounds.
- The Capitol Theater (hosts an average of 175 events annually, including The Yakima Symphony Orchestra)
- Seasons Performance Hall and Music Festival
- World-class medical and health care
- Virginia Mason Memorial Hospital
- North Star Lodge (cancer center)
- Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
- Heritage University, Yakima Valley Community College, Perry Technical Institute
- SunDome for year-round major sporting and entertainment events
- Access to major shopping including a mall, Costco and 2 Walmart's
- Gateway to northwest wine country
- Yakima Farmers’ Market (arts and crafts and locally grown produce)
- New World Class YMCA (men and women) including an indoor pool and spa
- Fly Fishing on the Yakima River
- Minutes to skiing, fishing and boating
- And much much more!
