The Rankings (A Place to Call Home, Part 6)

Hello all. If you have been following the Criteria for a Place to Call Home series you will know that Kristy and I developed an algorithm and point system for ranking different places we were considering making our home. Follow the following links for a review of what we have talked about so far:

Criteria for a Place to Call Home
Criteria for a Place to Call Home: Part 2
Criteria for a Place to Call Home: Part 3
Criteria for a Place to Call Home: Part 4
Criteria for a Place to Call Home: Part 5 

A map of some of the areas we are interested in

After adding all of the points together for each location, we came up with the following rankings.

Ranking	Area	Points
1	Sequim, WA	220
2	Port Angeles, WA	218
3	Prescott, AZ	210
4	Williams, AZ	208
5	Flagstaff, AZ	206
6	Port Townsend, WA	205
7	Bonners Ferry, ID	201
9	Porthill, ID	198
10	Grangeville, ID	196
11	Polson, MT	193
12	Coeur d'Alene, ID	188
13	Fort Collins, CO	187
14	Coupeville, WA	183
15	Colorado Springs, CO	179
16	Spokane, WA	177
16	Kamiah, ID	177
18	Bigfork, MT	169
18	Moscow, ID	169
18	Orofino, ID	168
20	Durango, CO	166
20	Oakridge, OR	166
20	Ashland, OR	166
23	Hood River, OR	163
23	Cheney, WA	163
25	Medford, OR	160
25	Milton Freewater, OR	160
27	La Grande, OR	156
28	Logan, UT	149
29	Corvallis, OR	147
30	Roseburg, OR	144
31	St. Maries, ID	138
32	Boulder, CO	137
33	St. Helens, OR	136
34	Molalla, OR	132
35	Drain, OR	128
36	Dallas, OR	120
37	McMinnville, OR	117
38	Cottage Grove, OR	103

The point system was always meant to be just a starting point. It was meant to give us a way to compare different locations in a somewhat objective way.

There were three factors that had the most effect on the rankings:

1. Annual moisture & factors relating to growing conditions
2. Affordability of land and
3. Proximity to recreation/public lands 

I believe that is why northwest Washington, north-central Arizona, and northern Idaho rose to the top. These areas did not rain too much for our liking, had reasonable enough climates for agriculture, had land available within our price range, and in general were within 10-20 miles of recreation/public land. Oregon on the other hand sank to the bottom because it in general rains too much, we can't afford the land, and it often takes a surprisingly long time to get to recreation opportunities (often 60 miles or farther away.)

From these rankings we decided to home in on the top 15 for more research.

Ranking	Area	Points
1	Sequim, WA	220
2	Port Angeles, WA	218
3	Prescott, AZ	210
4	Williams, AZ	208
5	Flagstaff, AZ	206
6	Port Townsend, WA	205
7	Bonners Ferry, ID	201
9	Porthill, ID	198
10	Grangeville, ID	196
11	Polson, MT	193
12	Coeur d'Alene, ID	188
13	Fort Collins, CO	187
14	Coupeville, WA	183
15	Colorado Springs, CO	179

When we started doing more research we noticed something curious. Many of the places that ranked highest had relatively dry climates, sometimes too dry. When we looked at some places such as Arizona and Colorado, the land that was affordable for us was very much desert. So while Arizona ranked highly, we decided that it would be just too dry for us. This was the ultimate indication that our criteria are just a tool to be used in conjunction with other information in the homestead search.

Since narrowing down our our focus have made reconnaissance trips to the following communities:

•   The rain shadow of the Olympic Pennisula in Washington State including:
• Port Angeles
• Port Townsend
• Sequim    
• Northern Idaho including the communities of:
• Bonners Ferry
• Porthill
• Coeur d'Alene
• The Chain Lakes (north of St. Maries)
• Moscow 

Northern Idaho near Rose Lake

At this point we have not ruled out Coupeville, WA or Polson, MT, but we have not had a chance to visit either place yet. If we do not find the time or money to visit them soon, then we will continue to focus our search on places we have had the chance to visit.

So ultimately going through the trouble of the criteria was worth it. It helped us eliminate some areas and focus in on others. Now that we were done with this step we could start the fun part: Field Trips!

Next week I will talk about our first trip to northern Idaho.