Is it expensive to live in Newport, OR?

Do you live in Newport, Washington?

• So I am writing a book, just for fun. It is set in Newport, Washington, USA. I don't live there or even in the USA, so I was wondering if people could give me; - little 'city gems' that Newport has. - hangout spot for teens. - a place to go swimming on the river (whats the river called?) - something to do with the washington/idaho border. - I saw on a map the to the right of the idaho border is Oldtown, but it looks like it is a part of newport. Do you guys go there and say "lets go to Oldtown" or how to you say things like that? - are there a trailer park there? If so do you call it a specific name or call the people who live there certain names? - Are there stereotypes in Newport? -What does the high school look like inside? - what are the kids/teachers like at the high school? - Bands and music, trends and fashion?

• Answer:

  I don't currently live in Newport, but I spend quite a bit of time there every year. Since it is such a small town, you may not get an answer from anyone else, so I'll do my best to answer: - little 'city gems' that Newport has. Not sure what you mean by "a gem". It is a really small town. Basically 2 main streets, both about 4 blocks long make up the business district. It is the county seat for Pend Oreille County so it has the courthouse and county government buildings, the Pend Oreille Co Historical Museum, a small hospital, a Safeway grocery store, a small city park, several restaurants, lots of churches, the Roxy Theater and a US Forest Service Ranger Station. The rodeo in June is the annual big event along with the 4th of July celebration. - hangout spot for teens. I'm not a teen so I really don't know. I don't see a lot of teens hanging out anywhere in town. From reading the local newspaper it sounds like they party in the forests outside the town. In town, maybe the bowling alley in Oldtown or Westside Pizza? In the summer the Silverwood Amusement Park in Idaho would be a place to go. Priest Lake in Idaho has a lot of popular resorts and camping areas in the summer. Other activities that local kids do would be horseback riding, fishing, hunting and 4- wheeling, motorcycle dirt riding, snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding at 49 degrees north. - a place to go swimming on the river (whats the river called?) It's the Pend Oreille River, but I don't think people swim in it all that much. The water is really cold even in the summer. It is used more for boating and fishing. There is a canoe poker run down the river each summer and they also have a rubber duck race to raise money for charity. I think most people prefer to swim in some of the nearby lakes which have warmer water in the summer. Diamond Lake is probably the closest lake to town. Some of the other nearby lakes include Davis Lake, Calispell Lake and Sacheen Lake. - something to do with the washington/idaho border. The border basically runs right through the town. On the Idaho side it is Oldtown, ID and on the Washington side it is Newport. The sales tax rate is a little lower in Idaho so sometimes people will go there to shop to save a little money. Hard liquor is sold in the grocery stores on the Idaho side of the border, but only sold in state liquor stores in Washington. However that will be changing soon. In November a state wide initiative was passed in Washington which will eliminate the state liquor stores and allow sales of hard liquor in grocery stores. - I saw on a map the to the right of the idaho border is Oldtown, but it looks like it is a part of newport. See answer above. The two towns run right together and share a Chamber of Commerce. There is a street that forms the boundary. Do you guys go there and say "lets go to Oldtown" or how to you say things like that? I don't know for sure, but I doubt it except in the context of buying something on the Idaho side of town to avoid paying the higher Washington State sales tax. - are there a trailer park there? If so do you call it a specific name or call the people who live there certain names? There is an RV park in town but it is more of a camping resort type of RV Park. It is more common to see someone living in a trailer on their own small acreage outside of the town. - Are there stereotypes in Newport? The 3 Rs: religious, republican, redneck The majority are very conservative, religious rednecks. There is a smaller component of the population that I would describe as aging hippies who went there to get away from the city and live off of the land in a sustainable way. They are a minority, but there are quite a few families that sort of fit that description. They tend to be more liberal, less religious and more laid back. The other main component of the population are those that come to the area because it is sparsely populated, has few law enforcement agents and is close to the Canadian border to grow marijuana, set up meth labs, smuggle drugs back and forth across the border with Canada, poach and profit from puppy mills. Although sometimes the rednecks engage in the poaching and puppy mills, too. -What does the high school look like inside? I don't know - I've never been inside, but it is fairly new. - what are the kids/teachers like at the high school? Don't know - Bands and music, trends and fashion? I would suspect country music or Christian rock music. Most of the kids I see are dressed pretty casually wearing jeans. Here are some links that might help: http://www.newport.wednet.edu/site/default.aspx?PageID=1 http://grizzlyprint.com/?p=1598 http://www.newportoldtownchamber.org/ http://pendoreillerivervalley.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport,_Washington