The Dalles, as a local tells it.

The Dalles is the seat of Wasco County and the eastern gateway of the Columbia River Gorge, on the Oregon bank of the river about 80 minutes east of Portland. Grace was born and raised here, and her family has been here more than fifty years.

Who it suits

First-time buyers and growing families, mostly: that is who Grace works with day to day, and it is who the town fits. Homes here still trade well under the Portland metro, and the pace is calm enough to learn the process without being rushed.

The everyday

The Dalles sits past the Cascade rain shadow, so it is noticeably sunnier and drier than Portland or Hood River: real summers, mild winters, and cherry orchards on the hills. The Cherry Festival is the town's big weekend, and Grace is at most things this town puts on.

What Grace watches here

She works The Dalles first, then Dufur, Mosier, Hood River, and Cascade Locks. She is licensed in Washington too, so homes across the river, Dallesport, Murdock, Lyle, White Salmon, stay in the same conversation. Ask her which streets turn over fast; that answer changes month to month, and the numbers below update with the market.