The Ritzville Tease

If i had my drothers, i'd live in Ritzville. Sure, it gets screamin' hot in the summertime, but any city that has the charm vs. population ratio that it does, is the place for me. Last pop. count, Ritzville's "growth" rated -2.6%. Yes, negative! I love that! Means more farms will remain farms, more land will remained trees (or sagebrushed in this case) and more historic homes will remain original! Over half of the city's pop is "married with children". It would be a little strange to live in an area where 96% of the pop is caucasian since i haven't really spent that much time in communities without much diversity. The coolest thing this little town has going for it is the influence of the Nat'l Historical Register. Thee *entire* historic "biz district", bound by Division & Broadway Ave. and Railroad Ave. & Washington, is listed on the NHR! I love it!

Here's a map so you can get your bearings:


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Ritzville was founded by a gent named Phillip Ritz, hence the name. It became officially incorporated in 1890. The name for Ritz crackers apparently derived from Ritzville, also, because at one time only the best wheat from Ritzville would go into making the butter cracker we all love till this very day.

Here's my version of a little pictoral essay for the sweet city of Ritzville.

This is downtown looking East on Broadway Ave.: historic building include the Circle T tavern, The H.E. Gritman Building (with it's Victorian turret), Whispering Pines (a restaurant i believe), a US Bank (wat whoa, Waggy!) and the Ritz theatre.

Not to different, eh?

This is a building across from the library a block up from Broadway.

The Railway museum in the original NP rail station

It's got a Mom and Pop grocer in downtown!

Here's the library...

not to much has changed there either.

picture from Ritzville Heritage collection
www.whr.statelib.lib.wa.us/ritzville/

A historic church

Broadway Ave is a beautiful avenue. It has the business district down in town and as you drive south up the Ave (looking more like a street at this point), you pass adorable houses like this one and more shown below. About the time you happen on this home the Ave resembles an Ave, with the directional traffic separating out into two lanes surrounding a median of green grass and huge trees!

The rest of my pictures are a few of the houses i'd consider living in. :o) This first one especially--it has a view of the farm below (cattle) and a view of the cemetary and beyond, the rail line, the farms on the horizon, and is on Broadway Ave.

Dr. F. Burrough's Historical Home built 1890 (remodeled 1902)
on Broadway Ave.

 This one has a great matching treehouse!

Haven't you just died and gone to Heaven, looking at a place like this?? It's actually across the tracks from the business district.

I don't know what style this is, but it's interesting...and close to the community pool and park. :o)

This is a little more "Hollywood" house than i like, but it's interesting at least. Maybe because it's stucco and adobe vibe reminds me of my AZ roots.

After driving around the city, i thought i'd drive around the farms and happened upon the cemetaries. I am asucker for cemetaries, so i had to stop. This could almost be the perfect place to rest your soul...maybe the 3rd best on my list.

Many souls born in the middle of the 1800 rest here!

And sadly, such was life in the Wild West back in the early 1900's, lots of babies grave here.