This is one of the best dry land farming regions in eastern Washington.
The drive east of Walla Walla is like a trip back in time to typical
1950s American farming country. Aside from the satellite dishes and
the now ubiquitous crop sprayer tank trailers, not much has changed
since then! When searching for a potential retreat, concentrate on
the small towns east of Walla Walla proper--like Waitsburg
and Dayton,
but none
smaller
than
Dixie.
Statistics (for Walla Walla):
Average high temperature in August:
Average low temperature in January:
Growing season: 190 days.
Average snowfall in January: 19.8” (64.7” annually.)
Walla Walla County Median residential home price: $114,300.
Advantages: Proximity to good hunting and firewood sources in “The
Blues.” Precipitation is sufficiently plentiful year-round to
provide reliable dry land farming. Crops in the region include: Wheat, peas
(including seed peas), barley, rye, sugar beets, alfalfa (for hay and
seed), and
of course the famous Walla Walla sweet onions. Sadly, even though the
climate is favorable, truck farming has declined in the past few decades.(There
used to be a wider variety of vegetables grown--but now most of the
truck farmers have switched to the Walla Walla sweet onions since
they are a more sure cash crop with few spoilage problems.)
Disadvantages: A Washington State maxiumum security prision is located
near Walla Walla. This could prove problematic isn grid down situation!
(it houses 16% of the state's worst criminals, including
approximately 116 sex offenders. The current inmate population is
2277. Walla Walla is sometimes downwind from the Umatilla chemical
weapons storage depot,
depending
on the
winds.
The
large college-age
population
could produce a sizable displaced population in the event of a sudden-onset
TEOTWAWKI.
(There
are three
colleges and Universities in Walla Walla.) Heavy winter snowfall.
Grid Up Retreat Potential: 3 (On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1
being
the best)
Grid Down Retreat Potential: 7 (On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best)
Nuclear Scenario Retreat Potential: 5 (On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best)
