Small Washington City Named 2024’s Best Place to Live

Washington has many towns that provide families with a high quality of life. You have great family-friendly options on both sides of the Cascades Mountain range.

It's not surprising that a lot of people choose to relocate to call Washington their new home.

In my hometown of Wenatchee - we saw an influx of new people moving here. The real estate website, Redfin reported the top places people have moved here from. western Washington and western Oregon, California, and even from Louisiana!

Niche recently listed the best places to live east of the Cascades. Wenatchee is one of them. The quality of my life went up considerably when I moved here 17 years ago. There is, however, a different town that came in as the #1 town to live in Washington.

50 Best Places to Live in America

Money.com ranked The 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S. by comparing communities in each state - based on these four metrics:

• Health of the local job market
• Average housing costs for both homeowners and renters
• Percentage of residents in poverty
• Quality of public schools.

Money.com found great towns with thriving local economies that blend affordability, diversity, and an exceptional quality of life.

Here is their choice for Washington.

Money Magazine named Camas, Washington, as one of the best places to live in America.

The Southwest Washington small town ranked #1 in our state due to its commitment to revitalizing its downtown while honoring its great past.

Camas sits alongside the nightly Columbia River.  This small town (population 27,000)  is home to a historic paper mill. The Camas mill was built in 1883 and is still in operation today.

The downtown area has attractive restaurants, hotels, and even an opera house. If you visit, you’ll never know that the community experienced hardship 15 years ago - during the harsh 2008 housing recession, a business vacancy rate spiked to nearly 60%.

Proud locals rolled up their sleeves and worked to bring the community back to what it is today - the #1 ranked best community in all of Washington.