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Yakima Neighborhoods

Click map for PDF versionThe City of Yakima is the only community which is large enough to have distinct neighborhoods. I will describe the neighborhoods in the same manner as the local multiple listing services breaks down the community. See MLS map. In general, streets and avenues streets to east of 1st Street and avenues to the west run north and south while named streets run east and west.

Area 1-A and 1-B, is bounded on the west by 1st Street, one of the main commercial streets in the city and on the west by the I-82 freeway and the Yakima River. It contains the downtown business corridor. Yakima Avenue is the main east/west business street and separates area 1-A to the North from area 1-B in the South. Hotels, motels, the Yakima Convention Center and the YMCA are in area 1-A along Yakima Avenue and North First Street. Yakima Farmers Market is held here on 3rd Street from the middle of May thru the end of October. The Yakima Valley Mall containing over 85 merchants and over 140,000 sq feet of shopping is located in area 1-B next to Union Gap. Also located in area 1-B are the SunDome, home of the Sunkings basketball team and many sporting events, Yakima County Park, home of the Yakima Bears baseball team, and the Central Washington State Fairgrounds site of many events throughout the year.

Area 1-A and 1-B contain many of the oldest homes in the community with many larger homes clustered around Naches Avenue. Many of these homes have been converted to offices, especially in the area surrounding 2nd Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard where both City of Yakima and Yakima County offices and courthouses are located. The Yakima Greenway Foundation maintains over ten miles of paved pathway connecting parks, river access landings, nature trails, fishing lakes, and protected natural areas running along the scenic Yakima River.

Area 2-A and 2-B is defined as the area between 40th Avenue on the west and 1st Street on the East. Yakima Avenue marks the southern boundary with the Naches River and highway 12 to the north. The area is split by 16th Avenue, a main north/south corridor lined with commercial businesses, with area 2-B to the west and 2-A to the east.

Area 2-A, is a largely retail and commercial area serving the downtown area. Just south of highway 12 a large new shopping area called Riverpointe is in the planning stages.

Area 2-B contains some lovely neighborhoods around Yakima Avenue and on either side of Summitview Avenue. Along 40th Avenue commercial businesses dominate and a new area of professional and medical offices is located north of Englewood.

Areas 3-A, 3-B & 3-C are located East of 40th Avenue and West of 1st Avenue, bounded on the north by Yakima Avenue and on the south by Ahtanum Ridge. These areas are split by 16th Avenue with area 3-A to the east and 3-B & 3-C to the west. Area 3-A contains Davis High School, Yakima Regional Medical Center and numerous medical and support businesses and on 16th Avenue the Yakima Valley Community College. This area also contains Nob Hill Boulevard, a major east/west business corridor.

To the west of 16th Avenue is area 3-B, which contains Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital on Tieton Avenue at 28th Street. This area also contains Franklin Park, a lovely park with tennis courts and swimming pool and the Yakima Valley Museum, Kissel Park, a new park with an excellent tennis facility and Fisher Golf Course.

Between 16th Avenue and 40th Avenue and south of Washington Avenue is area 3-C. This area is dominated by the Yakima Air Terminal – McAlister Field which has daily service to both Seattle on Alaska Airlines and Salt Lake City on Delta Airlines. It’s also home to the Yakima Athletic Club, one of the city’s larger fitness complexes.

Area 4 is bounded on the west by 80th Avenue and on the by 40th Avenue, on the south by Yakima Avenue and on the north by Cowiche Canyon. This area contains some of the most prestigious homes in the region especially along Scenic Ridge which has beautiful views of the city, the valley and Mt. Adams. This area also contains Gilbert Park, home of Allied Arts and the Warehouse Theater, a very active organization dedicated to coordinating and promoting art events in the valley. Also at 65th and Summitview Avenue is the newly built Harman Center home to many of the city’s senior programs.

Area 5-A and 5-B, are located east of 80th Avenue and west of 40th Avenue, south of Yakima Avenue and north of Ahtanum Ridge. The area is split by Washington Avenue with area 5-A to the north and 5-B to the south. Area 5-A contains Westwood West Golf Course and Randall Park, a lovely rural park with duck pond, paved walkways, and playground, which is a favorite for walking, jogging, and summer picnics as well as the Community Band concert series during the summer. The West Valley Junior High and Eisenhower High School also are located here. School districts and what is generally thought of as West Valley versus Yakima split this area with the north south boundary being somewhere between 48th street and 55th street. For school district boundary information, visit the school’s websites. Nob Hill Boulevard crosses this area and is the site of a planned and much contested Wal-Mart development. This area has many newer residential developments as well as a group of condominiums and townhouses clustered along Summitview Avenue and 55th Avenue.

Area 5-B is south of Washington Avenue and is a mix of small acreages and housing developments. Ahtanum Road is the main east west arterial.

Area 6-A and 6-B, is the area west of 80th Avenue running to the mountains, Occidental Avenue splits the area with 6-A to the north and 6-B to the south. Area 6-A is an area of new sub divisions, acreage, farm, orchard and open ground running across rolling hills crossed by numerous creeks. Many newer homes and developments are located in this area.

Area 6-B contains Apple Tree Golf Course and Resort. The golf course is recognized as one of the premier championship courses 6900 yards in the Pacific Northwest. Adjacent to Apple Tree is an active real estate development with condominiums and custom homes. This area is largely rural with acreages, orchards and open land. Some new housing developments have started including Falcon Ridge a gated community with lots and acreages of over 800 acres with its own airport. Ahtanum Road is the main east/west corridor heading west toward the small communities of Ahtanum, Wiley City, Tampico, and the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Terrace Heights makes up area 10 which is the area of Yakima east of the Yakima River, south of Yakima Ridge and north of Moxee. This suburb overlooks downtown Yakima and has beautiful views of Mt. Adams. The Yakima Country Club is located here with an excellent 18 hole golf course, tennis facility, swimming pool and clubhouse with restaurant and bar. Yakima Sportsman Park is here with 247 acres, ponds, walking trails, and camping.

Other areas in the Yakima Valley will be addressed as Communities, below.

Details of Yakima Valley Communities

Selah is the northern gateway to the Upper Yakima Valley. It is the first community you see as you travel south on I-82 from Ellensburg. The community has about 7,000 residents and is known as the apple juice capital of the world as the city is home to the TreeTop and Yakama Juice m juice plants. Selah serves an extensive area of small acreages and small farms stretching for several miles up the Wenas Valley to Wenas Lake and onto the Selah Heights area of Selah Ridge. The road up the Wenas Valley leads to the Cascade Mountains and goes past the L. T. Murray and Oak Creek Wildlife Area.

Selah is home to Carlin Park which hosts the girls fast pitch softball fields for the area, the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak American Legion baseball team and tennis facilities. McGonagale Park contains four youth baseball fields. Wixsom Park, located in the center of the community, has a swimming pool, soccer field, picnic shelter and is home to Selah Community Days held each year the third week in May. Selah also has two golf courses, River Ridge and Yakima Elks. Selah still offers a small community feel, yet has close proximity to downtown Yakima for additional work opportunities, dining out and cultural events.

To the north and west is the Town of Naches a small community of less than 1,000 located at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. To the west are White Pass Scenic Byway and Chinook Pass Scenic Byway and the Nile River Valley, on the Naches, Tieton, and Nile Rivers. Several fruit and vegetable stands are maintained here. The roads leading to both White Pass and Chinook Pass are national scenic byways and offer small communities of cabins outside the national forest areas. White Pass Ski Resort is just 30 minutes up highway 12 from Naches past Rimrock Lake.

To the east is the Lower Naches Valley and Gleed areas, Eschbach Park a large park with natural swimming and picnic areas on the Naches River is located in this area. The Naches School District is the largest in the state and consistently excels. Nile Valley Days are held the third week of July in Jim Sprick Community Park in the Nile Valley and Sportsmans Days in early September in the Town of Naches. Each fall river whitewater rafting on the Tieton River provides exciting recreation due to the annual discharge of irrigation water from Rimrock Lake. Clemans View Sports Park has four baseball fields and an events building and Applewood Park has a swimming pool, tennis courts and picnic areas. Suntides Golf Course, an 18 hole public course, is on the eastern end next to the Yakima RiverThe Naches Valley is dominated by orchards and small farm acreages and subdivisions, a berry and nut farm and fruit warehouses. Several vineyards have been planted in the area in recent years.

Tieton lies just to the west of Naches, a small rural community of about 1,000 and the center of the fruit growing area west of Yakima. Mighty Tieton is an artist-led initiative with ambitious plans for future growth.

Cowiche is a small community southeast of Tieton, and like Tieton of the center of the local fruit growing region. Homes in both Tieton and Cowiche often offer good view acrerage, adjacent to orchards and views of the picturesque hills surrounding Cowiche Canyon. A walkway through the canyon offers hiking and leisure biking.

Union Gap is just south of Yakima and has about 6,000 residents. Ahtanum Youth Activities Park has facilities for soccer, large group picnicking, tennis and volleyball and an outdoor equestrian facility and Fullbright Park is 234 acres and home to the Central Washington Agricultural Museum. Union Gap has the large retail complex called the Valley Mall, which draws customers from throughout Central Washington.

Moxee lies on the eastern end of the Yakima Valley and has about 1,000 residents, It is the center of the areas Hop farming and hosts the annual Hop Festival around the first week in August. Land and homes in this area offer country living with acreage.

The lower Yakima Valley is characterized by orchards, vineyards, small farms, dairies and small communities clustered around the Yakima River and on the surrounding hills. The first community you come to on highway 97 is Wapato, a town of about 4,500 residents which like its neighbor to the south Toppenish is located on the Yakama Nation Reservation. Many fruit and vegetable stands are located in this area as are wineries, particularly those associated with the Rattelsnake Hills Wine Trail. Fort Simcoe State Park is 22 miles west in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in an oak grove watered by natural springs. The park is primarily an interpretive effort, telling the story of mid-19th century army life and providing insights into the lifestyle of local Native American culture.

Toppenish lies just to the south along highway 97 and is noted for its Old West, Native American tradition, historical murals, museums, annual pow wow, Toppenish Rodeo, Yakama Nation-run Legends Casino and Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center. This unique community of about 9,000 residents also supports Heritage University, a four year independent liberal arts institution. Just south of town is the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge a wildlife oasis fed by water from Toppenish and Snake Creek. On the way down highway 97 you will pass Mt. Adams Country Club and Golf Course which is ofter available for play year round due to its mild climate.

Zillah lies just to east off the I-82 freeway, a town of about 2,200 residents. Zillah lies in the center of Yakima Valley’s Wine Country with over 60 wineries in the area. Zillah city council recently adopted an initiative aimed at developing the business area in a Tuscan theme. Vineyards Resort, a recently announced development with 7,500 yard 18 hole golf course, hotel and real estate all designed around a Tuscan theme is located just a few miles to the northwest. And just to the southeast is Zillah Lakes, a large new residential development built around man made lakes and a 9-hole golf course. Homes in this area ofter offer acreage, or even your own orchard or vineyard, with beautiful views of the Yakima Valley and Mt. Adams.

Moving southeast down the Yakima Valley, Granger is the next community with about 2,500 residents. In Granger, “where the dinosaurs roam” you can walk among life sized replicas made of steel framing and cement. Annually, Granger hosts the Cherry Festival and Cinco de Mayo celebration, both on the first weekend in May. Cherry Hill Golf Course and Fun Center is located just off the I-82 freeway. Granger also has two unusual businesses, Yakima Bait which manufactures ties flies and fishing lures and H. L. Worden, which manufactures and sells Tiffany style lamp kits.

Sunnyside, with about 15,000 residents, is the largest city in the Lower Yakima Valley. Annually, it hosts the Lighted Farm Implement Parade the first week in December. The Sunnyside Historical Museum provides insight to early Yakima Valley life. Black Rock Creek Golf Club lies just east of the city is an 18 hole course. Lower Valley Sunnyside Wildlife Area lies just south of town and at 2,800 acres is one of the largest gathering areas for migrating waterfowl in the Yakima Valley. Sunnyside is the center of the dairy industry in the Yakima Valley, and Darigold has a large processing facility, dairy fair and cheese factory with tours, gift shop and deli sandwiches.

Community Information

Listed below are a number of great sites where you can learn about the communities in the Yakima Valley.

City Town Info
Yahoo Neighborhoods

City of Yakima
County of Yakima
Everything Yakima
Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce
Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima Visitors and Convention Bureau
Yakima Net

Topography

While the Yakima River defines the region and gives it its name, for real estate purposes, it is its ridges, hills and mountains that give Yakima such an abundance of premium real estate. View property in most communities is scarce. In the Yakima Valley, view property is abundant, with the only problem being choosing which view you wish to enjoy.

Yakima County is crossed by no less than 8 ridges, 2 sets of hills and 3 mountains. Views overlook the Yakima River, Naches River, Tieton River, Manastash Creek, Umtanum Creek, Wenas Creek, Cowiche Creek, Wide Hollow Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Ahtanum Creek, Toppenish Creek or the cities the Yakima Valley. Additionally, many of these ridges or hills have glorious views of two volcanoes – Mt. Adams and/or Mt. Rainier.

Starting in the north, Manastash Ridge overlooks the lovely Kittitas Valley, the Yakima River, Ellensburg, and the Stuart Range of the Cascade Mountains. The next ridge is Umptanum, because of its location running across the Lt. Murray Wildlife Area and the Yakima Firing Center has few homes except those looking south on the Wenas Valley. – One of the most spectacular views of the valley comes as your enter the Yakima Valley on the freeway – I-82 – as it crosses Umtanum Ridge viewing the town of Selah, the Wenas Valley, the Yakima River and Mt. Adams and Mt.Rainier in the distance.

Naches Heights Ridge looks north and east over the Naches River Valley. South and west Naches Heights overlooks Cowiche Canyon with Mt. Adams and Mt. Ranier in the background. Cowiche Canyon Conservancy maintains a walking trail running along Cowiche Creek through the entire length of the Canyon. Cowiche Canyon is quite narrow with steep walls molded out of basalt rocks formed from the many lava flows which cover this area.

Cleman Mountain looks north and east over the Wenas Valley and south and east over the town of Naches and the confluence of the Tieton and Naches River, and the Naches River Valley. Mountain sheep are fed each winter at the base of this mountain just north of the junction of Highway 12 and 410. Thousands of elk are fed each winter in both the Wenas Valley and just west of this same Highway junction, all part of the massive Oak Creek Wildlife Area.

Selah Heights Ridge looks north and east over the Yakima River, the Wenas Creek valley and the town of Selah. South and west Selah Heights overlooks the Naches River Valley with its numerous orchards and farms and its southeastern portions, overlooks the city of Yakima, the confluence of the Naches and Yakima River and Mt. Adams.

Scenic Ridge is home to many of Yakima’s premium homes and looks north and east over Cowiche Canyon and south and west over the city of Yakima, and West Valley with Ahtanum Ridge, Mt. Adams and, in some locations, Mt. Rainier on the horizon. The Yakima Greenway Foundation has 10+ miles of paved walking, running, biking trails running from 40th avenue in Yakima connecting to Selah in the north and Union Gap in the South. There are plans to extend this popular walking/biking path all the way to Gleed and Naches, and to connect to the Cowiche Canyon Trail.

To the west, Yakima Ridge starts at the east side of Selah Gap and runs southeast. Views look south and west over Terrace Heights, the city of Yakima, the Yakima River, Moxee Valley, with Mt. Adams on the horizon. Sunsets from this area are spectacular. Terrace Heights is home to the Yakima Country Club, with its own spectacular view of the Yakima Valley. The Moxee area is home to many of Yakima Valley’s hop yards. To the north, the view is of the Yakima Firing Center.

Cowiche Mountain marks the end of West Valley and the start of the Cascade Mountains and looks north and east over Cowiche Creek and south and east over Wide Hollow, Cottonwood and Ahtanum Creeks. To the north is Oak Creek Wildlife Area where thousands of elk and hundreds of big horn sheep are fed each winter.

Ahtanum Ridge looks north and east with beautiful sunrises over Ahtanum Creek, Bachelor Creek, Cottonwood Creek and the city of Yakima and West Valley. Appletree Golf and Resort community is located in this area. To the south, the view is of the Yakima Indian Reservation, with Toppenish Ridge and Mt. Adams in the distance. Later A road in the Wapato area is home to many of the areas vegetable stands and farms.

Rattlesnake Hills begin at the east side of Union Gap and run southeast and overlooks the Moxee Valley to the north. To the south and west, the view is of the Yakima River Valley, the communities therein, and Mt. Adams on the horizon. Konnowac Pass, on the Rattlesnake Hills, just 10 miles southeast of Yakima is the site of Vineyards, a new Tuscan themed wine and golf resort and community with lovely views. This is a great place to watch the weather pass as it builds over the foothills of the Cascades and runs down the Yakima Valley.

Toppenish Ridge looks to the north and east over the Yakima River Valley and Toppenish Creek, a national wildlife refuge with many creeks, ponds and sloughs for migratory birds..South Toppenish Ridge overlooks the Yakima Indian Reservation. This is a remote area with few houses.

Snipes Mountain runs along the Yakima River between Granger and Sunnyside. On the northwest end is Cherry Hill which is just south of Granger. Snipes Mountain looks to the north and east at the Yakima River Valley, Rattlesnake Hills and Sunnyside and to the south and west over the Yakima River, Horse Heaven Hills and Mt. Adams. The Lower Valley Pathway is 14 miles of paved pathway stretching southeast from Sunnyside to Prosser. Many wineries, orchards, farms and vegetable markets are located in this area.

Finally, in the southeastern corner of Yakima County is the Horse Heaven Hills which look north over the towns of Mabton and Grandview and the Yakima River Valley.

Property for homes is available in all these areas enabling the new owner to construct their own dreamhomes, find an existing home with acreage or lot with incredible views.

Searching for lots, acreage or homes is easily done with our property tracker search engine, and you can be notified immediately when property matching your criteria comes on the market

Micro Climates

Summarized in the chart above is the base data showing the differences in the micro-climates in the Yakima Valley. I have included information on Seattle, Portland and Spokane for comparative purposes and because it was fun the show the differences. This information is sourced from the Western Regional Climate Center (wrcc@dri.edu) which has data on many locations in the west, including monthly information most of which has been gathered for 20 plus years.

Ellensburg and the Kittitas Valley to the north of Yakima has a slighly cooler climate and significantly more wind.

Rimrock is thirty miles to the west of Yakima, at the base of the Cascade Mountains and has a significantly cooler climate and over three times the precipitation of Yakima, making it both a playground in the summer to escape the heat and enjoy Rimrock Lake and a winter wonderland for those who enjoy the snow.

Wapato is just 10 mules to the southeast of Yakima through Union Gap and has slighly higher maximum temperatures but quite significantly higher minimum temperatures giving it a significantly longer growing season. This area is home to many vegetable, soft fruit and farmers market properties in the Yakima Valley.

Sunnyside shares much the same climate as Wapato, giving the lower Yakima Valley the mildest climate in the Yakima Valley.

Much has been said about the differences in the Yakima Valley climate to our more urban neighbors to the east and west, this table should provide factual documentation of those differences.