Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

State:    Washington--Northwestern

City:      Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County. Downtown Mount Vernon is known for its annual Tulip Festival Street Fair which is part of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The climate of Skagit County is similar to that of northern France. While millions of tulips are grown in the Skagit Valley, none are shipped to the European Union, which has strict import-export laws that protect its markets. In 1998, Mount Vernon was rated the #1 "Best Small City in America" by the New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.

Mount Vernon's first industry were the logging camps set up to log the townsite. The community grew quickly following the loggers and hotels and saloons opened up along the Skagit River next to English & Clothiers' store. While poised to grow, river access to the community was stymied by a massive and ancient log jam in the river which prevented large ships from being able to port. Mail carriers instead had to paddle canoes down-stream to nearby Skagit City. The mining activity at nearby Ruby Creek spurred growth for a short time in 1880, gaining the city a new hotel, but little else was accomplished when the mines proved to be shallow.

Growth slowed considerably after the Panic of 1893. Following a large flood in 1894, the first dike was built along the Skagit River. Another great fire in 1900 wiped out all of Mount Vernon's original structures including English & Clothiers' store and the Ruby Hotel. Fire would destroy more downtown businesses in 1903. The city finally received a water system in 1902 after a failed attempt in 1894.

The city again grew in the 1910s when it became the southern terminus for the Bellingham & Skagit Railway's Interurban railroad line which would carry passengers as well as freight between Bellingham and Mount Vernon as well as Burlington and Sedro Woolley. The line opened on August 31, 1912 with passenger trips to Bellingham every two hours during the day and freight operating at night. Mount Vernon business owners soon began pressuring the railway company, since renamed the Pacific Northwest Traction Company, to extend the rails south to connect with the interurban line in Everett. Plagued by a weakening economy, the onset of America's entrance into World War I in 1917, and numerous infrastructure failures that led to line closures for months at a time, extension of the interurban was put off indefinitely. The completion of the Pacific Highway between Seattle and Bellingham in 1920 posed a great threat to the still incomplete interurban line. After a series of accidents and bridge wash outs, passenger service on the money-losing line was permanently suspended in June 1930. In 1969, Interstate 5 was built through downtown, severing it from most of the residential district and opening the farm lands north of the city to urban development where many of Mount Vernon's downtown businesses moved.

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2009: $47,401 (it was $37,999 in 2000)

Mount Vernon:	$47,401
Washington:	$56,548

Estimated per capita income in 2009: $20,522

Mount Vernon city income, earnings, and wages data

Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: $243,881 (it was $136,100 in 2000)

Mount Vernon:	$243,881
Washington:	$287,200

Mean prices in 2009: All housing units: $245,690; Detached houses: $266,077; Townhouses or other attached units: $238,157; In 2-unit structures: $317,128; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $240,833; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $221,932; Mobile homes: $95,600

Median gross rent in 2009: $817.

Jan. 2011 cost of living index in Mount Vernon: 100.1 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

·       Climate Charts

1.      Average Temperature

2.      Precipitation (Rain)

3.      Humidity

4.      Wind Speed (MPH)

5.      Snowfall

6.      Sunshine

7.      Cloudy Days

·       Tornado Activity History

·       Hospitals & Medical

·       Airports

·       Colleges/Universities

·       High Schools

·       Locations of Interest

·       Shopping Centers

·       Churches

·       Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Creeks/Parks

·       Tourist Attractions

·       Banks

·       Housing Costs Information

·       Crime Statistics

·       Radio Stations AM/FM

·       TV Broadcast Stations

·       Discussion Forums

For the above information and photos, click this link:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Mount-Vernon-Washington.html

Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate3.html#WASHINGTON

Listing of Active Retirement Communities:

http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/239-washington/1-active-lifestyles?city=98273-mount-vernon

OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:

Silly Service--38 Years of Federal Civil Service (A book in progress, with weekly additions)

www.ivanegillis.com       

Gillis Motor News (Monthly Listing of Car Events Nationwide)

www:Gillismotornews.com

World of Collectibles

http://www.collectibleshg.info

Dogs

http://www.zcanines.com

Cats

http://www.zcats.com

Bird Watching

http://www.zavians.com

Dance Sites

http://www.ezdancers.com

World of Antiques

http://www.eantiques.info

MODEL TRAINS & RAILROADING

http://www.modeltrainsetc.com

Quilts, Quilters, & Quilting

http://www.quiltscentral.com

EZ Rides

http://www.ez-ride.com

OLD TRUCKS

http://www.zoldtrucks.com

EVERTHING MUSIC

http://www.ezmusica.com

FARM TRACTOR COLLECTORS

http://www.tractorscollectors.com

DESSERT FIRST

http://www.ezdessert.com

SPORT & EXOTIC CARS

http://www.sports-exoticcars.com

HOME WINE MAKING

http://www.winemakingetal.com

OFF-ROADING

http://offroadingetc.com

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