Love beer? Next time you enjoy a frosty mug, have a moment of gratitude for Toppenish, WA -- which, as part of the Yakima Valley, provides 77 percent of all American hops. You might not be able to have your beer without Toppenish!
If you're moving here, make sure to pack your boots and spurs, because this small town has an image to maintain
Love beer? Next time you enjoy a frosty mug, have a moment of gratitude for Toppenish, WA -- which, as part of the Yakima Valley, provides 77 percent of all American hops. You might not be able to have your beer without Toppenish!
If you're moving here, make sure to pack your boots and spurs, because this small town has an image to maintain. Located about 127 miles southeast of Seattle, the land was originally given to the Yakama Indian Reservation. But, with the promise of gold in the river and the oh-so-tantalizing dream of the American West, the laws changed to encourage Native Americans to sell their lands. Bounded by farmland on all four sides, Toppenish itself only covers about two square miles, or less than twenty blocks in any direction.
The good news is that renting in Toppenish is super cheap, whether you go for a rental house or an apartment for rent. Finding one, however, might be like panning for gold in the Yakima river, requiring equal measures of elbow grease and luck. Census reports show that more than 85 percent of residents had lived in the same house for the past year, and there sure aren't many vacancies around here. Don't let that get you down though, because you're about to get the scoop on where to look to rent in Toppenish.
But First, Partner...
Maybe it's part of the Wild West persona to be wary of strangers. Every apartment complex in the town states that it performs background checks, and so do most individuals with rooms and homes for rent. Bring references, proof of income, and your credit report. Leave your custom leather holster in your suitcase.
These are the three main neighborhoods of Toppenish. A railroad line runs through Toppenish, dividing the town into north and south neighborhoods.
North Side: The northern half of the town consists almost entirely of houses. Here, you'll find more parks and more community centers. Aside from the American Hops Museum towards the center of town, there isn't much in the way of gawking tourists here.
South Side: You'll find most of the rental apartments in Toppenish on the south side, conveniently nestled among shopping centers, restaurants, and the community hospital. The neighborhood becomes more earnestly residential further west of the south side, near Toppenish High School and other things tourists find too mundane.
The Countryside: Depending on how badly you want to be able to ride off into the sunset every evening, you can find houses cheaply in the surrounding countryside, particularly in the sprawling farmland west of Toppenish. It might be worth a look.
Crammed into Toppenish's two square miles are over 70 historical murals painted onto buildings to remind folks of the town's glorious gun-fighting, gold-panning past. In fact, most of the businesses and public buildings are tricked out in the quintessential style of the Wild West, though it could be all for the tourists. Though it boasts a robust tourist industry, the permanent population was just over 9,000 in the last census. You probably won't find the residents gun-slinging in the streets, but you might encounter folks practicing cowboy poetry for the yearly regional festival. The town makes sure everyone knows it's proud about its heritageand, no, the river isn't red.
