Washington may have a reputation for being naturally glorious and full of fun in every area. Well, that might be true in a lot of places, but it’s certainly not true in all of them. Yes, even Washington has its snooze cities, as do all states, and there’s a few more of them than you might guess.
There’s 10 of them, in fact, that the
Movoto Real Estate Blog decided to focus on today. We did some research, tried not to yawn too much, and came out with this rather dreary little list. The most dull and drab places in Washington were:
1.
City of Covington
2.
City of Kelso
3.
City of Bonney Lake
4. Salmon Creek CDP
5.
City of Longview
6. White Center CDP
7. Elk Plain CDP
8.
City of East Wenatchee
9. Orchards CDP
10. Lakeland South CDP
Now, before you get all up in arms about this ranking, rest assured that some of these places are indeed great to call home. Many are safe, welcoming, and very inclusive little communities, and most have their own unique charms.
However, what we’re saying is that excitement isn’t their strong suit, and that they cater better to the peace and quiet type of folks. So take this with a grain of salt, and try not to take this ranking as anything more than a bit of snarky fun.
If you’re wondering just how we defined boring anyway, you can see what we did in the very next section. If, that is, numbers aren’t to boring for you.
How We Created This Ranking
First, we made a list of the 100 most populated places in the state that had data. We collected that data from the U.S. Census (2010) and business listings, and the data we considered important and exciting was:
- Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
- Crime per 100,000 people
- Live music venues per capita
- Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)
- Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the less boring)
- Percentage of non fast food restaurants (the higher the more exciting)
- Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the higher the more exciting)
Once we had that information, we ranked each place in each category, with scores closer to one being more exciting. Then we averaged each places scores together into one
Big Deal Score. The place with the number closest to 100 for that score became our most boring place to live.
If you’re curious where your hometown ranked, you can see the 50 most boring places in the state in a chart at the bottom of this article. For now, though, lets examine a little more closely why our top (or maybe) bottom 10 got where they did on our list. We promise, we’ll try to keep things upbeat.
1. Covington
Even though this place was our most boring, let’s take a moment to look at the positives.
The number of music venues here per capita were was not at the very bottom of the list, and the crime rank was pretty middle of the pack. There was some young population, and if you look hard, you can even find a few active life amenities. So, all you outdoorsy types that enjoy peace and quiet might be at home here.
However, that doesn’t make this place oodles of fun. There was virtually no nightlife scene for people who like to have fun after dark, and there was a ton of fast food here rather than unique and interesting non-fast food restaurants.
2. Kelso
While Kelso is home to a pretty wonderful minor league baseball team (go Black Bears) getting active and sporty in this place can be a little difficult.
Ranked 81st in active life amenities, and 80th for the huge number of fast food restaurants this place has per capita, Kelso is probably better for lounging, relaxing, and munching rather than having tons of fun.
Admittedly, this place had a very good ranking for music venues per capita, scoring 11th despite its small size. That probably has something to do with the fact that there is some amount of young people who call this place home.
Still, with the 91st crime rank, the 61st nightlife rank, and the 71st non-fast food restaurant ranking, it’s hard to call this place a perfect place for the young and restless.
3. Bonney Lake
Make no mistake, this place is lovely. It’s also a pretty safe place, and it’s a great little community. Of course, safety, community, and beauty don’t necessarily make a place exciting.
There was next to no nightlife here, and the young population was decidedly lacking. Even the nightlife was pretty blah. But, hey, if you like peace and quiet, you can’t go wrong here.
Still, for a locale of only 17,964 people, this place has spawned not one but two Olympians, so they’ve gotta be doing something right.
4. Salmon Creek
Have you ever checked this place’s Wikipedia page? Go on, take a look. All you’re going to find is Census data and its location. That alone should be a bad sign for the fun options of this place. However, if you want numbers to back up these bad omens, it has those too.
The 85th placed active life and 84th ranked nightlife start off the parade of dullness, followed by a mostly older population and a mediocre crime rank.
On the upside, this place did have next to no fast food… actually it had next to no food of any sort, so be ready to drive to more interesting places for dinner. On the bright side, it is very, very pretty.
5. Longview
Despite being one of the bigger places on our list, this place had the 85th place crime rate, the 73rd nightlife, and the 70th ranking for young population. It also had a mediocre active life ranking, and only some non-fast food restaurants for locals to enjoy.
Okay, so it’s not all bad. The Hop-N-Grape is pretty fantastic and there are actually a few music venues to choose from. There’s a skate park, and there’s Lake Sacajawea to explore as well.
Still, once you exhaust those options, and if it starts to rain, which it will because it’s in Washington, you’re going to be hard pressed to find things to do.
6. White Center
First off, we’re not going to be nearly as harsh as the folks on Urban Dictionary when talking about this place. Seriously, go read some of those. Yikes.
That being said, we can agree that this place is kind of dull if you’re looking for fresh and new excitement.
There’s basically no selection of music venues or nightlife, and the young population is a huge minority here. The active life options ranked a dismal 85th, and selections for eating out on a friday night were next to nil.
The place is nicknamed Rat City, which is sort of interesting, but we really, really, hope that has to do with some quirky part of its history rather than any possible… infestations.
7. Elk Plain
Once again, let’s look at a few positive here. The crime rank was middle of the pack, as was the young population. Those are both pretty positive, right? Okay, well, we tried.
Elk Plain is a small CDP and its scores back that up. There was virtually no nightlife or music scene, and there were few options in non-fast food restaurants either.
On top of that, the active life options here were seriously lacking. We would check their website to find out if there was anything interesting there, but we couldn’t find one. Again, probably not a good sign.
8. East Wenatchee
Honestly, the most interesting thing about this place might be its name. Well, that’s not totally fair. There are great orchards around the city, and there are many nearby attractions. However, nearby attractions doesn’t make the place itself exciting.
If you like nature and being fit, this place might actually be ideal for you. There were plenty of walking, hiking, and workout options in the area, so if you’re that type of person, you’ll have a great time.
However, if you like nightlife, music, non-fast food restaurants, or a ton of young people, you’re not really going to find any of that here.
9. Orchards
Speaking of orchards, you would think that a place with a name like that might be at least a little exciting. Not so, though it is a kinda relaxing and peaceful locale.
There was a medium portion of the population that was between the ages of 18 and 35, so the most thrilling part of this CDP might be the locals rather than the attractions.
There wasn’t really any nightlife for people who like to party after dark, and there wasn’t a music scene for those who like to rock out. There really wasn’t even an interesting selection of eateries, sadly, so foodies aren’t likely to find anything to thrill their taste buds in Orchards.
On the bright side, at least the crime wasn’t completely terrible.
10. Lakeland South
The last place on our list, and the smallest in our top 10, this little CDP of only 11,574 really embodies the idea of a sleepy little town.
The majority of the population is older, and the food scene was pretty much nonexistent. That’s pretty surprising, considering how generally wealthy the locals here were.
Though it’s a lovely little community, with pretty low crime, excitement still wasn’t this place’s forte. The nonexistent nightlife and music scene spoke to that pretty strongly, as did the few active life options for those who like to get out and about.
Sure, there are nearby attractions, but as far as finding things to do right there at home? Forget about it.
Wake Me Up When We Reach Seattle
Exciting, these spots are not. Good communities and some very pretty settings, yes, but fun and thrills are just not what these places are about.
There were some very exciting places in this state, like
Seattle, these 10 certainly take the cake in boredom, quiet, and relaxation.
