Is Grandview Really the Worst Town in All of Washington?

Is Grandview a good place to live?

People put a lot of thought, effort, time, and research before they move to a new town. You want to make sure you've exhausted all avenues before you uproot your life and the lives of your family members. Various websites offer data to folks who want to know more about a potential new hometown, with criteria including schools, crime, local food, nightlife, and more.

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I gave myself a mission today: find the worst town in Washington. It was much harder than I expected it to be. To put it plainly, a lot of Washington is just average or mediocre at worst. To be the "worst town in Washington," you just have to be really "mid," as the kids say. I couldn't find any towns that placed lower than a D- in the two key categories on Niche. I was surprised to find that Grandview was generally poorly rated since I know a lot of people that really like living there.

Is Grandview safe? How much crime is in Grandview?

Niche gives Grandview a B- for its crime grade, which just means it's just above average for the rest of the country. To put it in perspective, Kennewick has a C+ crime grade. People living in Grandview are no more likely to be a victim of a crime than most towns in the United States unless it's car theft. Lock your car doors.

How good are the schools in Grandview?

This is where Grandview takes a pretty big hit. With a grade of D+, it is pretty evident the schools could be better. This may not be a big dealbreaker if you don't have school-aged children, but it could be if you do and education is important to you.

Overall, Grandview pales in comparison to say, Richland. Richland has an overall grade of A, while Grandview is a C with housing, jobs, and fitness getting low grades.

What do people that live in Grandview think?

Despite the less-than-stellar grades, people seem to love living in Grandview. One reviewer says living in Grandview is a "blessing," while another says gang-related crime has been greatly reduced in recent years. Out of 27 total reviews, none are less than three stars. I've been to Grandview myself and find it to be quite pleasant. All the data in the world doesn't show the heart and soul of a community.