West vs. East of Stevens pass

[Sinjin Lee]

Hello everyone,

I posted below on an introductions section and realized it would be more appropriate here lol. 

I am a newbie investor looking to buy a summer home in the cascade Mts (in Washington) that can be used as STR during our vacancy. Wife (i.e the boss) and I are exploring mountainous towns in the cascade mountains and would like some inputs from the locals to explain the difference between west (i.e. Gold Bar, Skykomish) vs. east of stevens pass (leavenworth, lake wenatchee) ? Looks to me like leavenworth is very touristy, which is opposite of what we want. I am from out of town and do not know these areas in detail but am told that east rains less than west for example ? Can some locals confirm this ? Any other difference would be appreciated such as desirability, crime, rentability, amenities etc

Looking forward to your responses.