We have been here about 6 years now. In that time, we have renovated the kitchen, two baths, the house exterior and yard, I had a knee replacement, and Ray had a pacemaker installed. As you can imagine, we have stayed busy. In addition, we have more wineries than I can count, several breweries, a distillery and two pot shops. It’s hard to stay sober here, but we are managing it!!
While Prosser is indeed a small town it is not so different in character from a suburban neighborhood in Maryland. Many have their own local shopping/restaurant areas, libraries, schools and summer farmers’ markets, similar to “downtown” Prosser. And…people are people wherever you go. There is one major difference that gives Prosser its own unique culture. Unlike most Eastern suburban neighborhoods, housing choices in Prosser are quite varied. This allows people of different incomes and lifestyles to call Prosser home. We live on a tree lined street in a house built in the 1900’s, one of the first built in Prosser. On that same street are houses of similar age interspersed with small houses built in the 1940-50’s and large houses built or renovated in the 1970-80’s. There are also mansions, new houses/townhouses, mobile home parks and some apartments spread around the town. Just outside of the town area are houses on acres of land, most used as small farms. A bit further out are larger farms, orchards and vineyards. The primary employers here are agriculture and healthcare. Prosser boasts a brand new hospital complex.
We are also enjoying many cultural experiences. Events are much more accessible than they were in the DC metropolitan area. There are a variety of musical experiences, plays, comedy acts, and other entertainment each weekend at wineries/breweries, the local theatre, and other venues. Most are no more than 10 minutes from our house. There are also multiple festivals each year in Prosser and the surrounding areas. On the other hand, shopping is a challenge. All the larger stores (Costco, Macy’s, Home Depot, Michaels etc.) are in the Tri-Cities area, which is about 30-40 minutes away. In Maryland the Home Depot, Ikea, Costco, multiple large grocery stores, several large malls, and a couple of art supply stores were about 10 minutes from our house. Somewhat brought on by COVID, but also because of the distance, I have become the consummate online shopper.
All things considered, we like it here.