Information about Seattle, please!

[LaurenLC]

My husband is interviewing for a position in Seattle and I was hoping to get some information about the area, specifically, where to live…… What are some nice suburbs around Seattle? Areas with safe communities, good schools, etc. Any additional insight into the area would be GREATLY appreciated. I’m just trying to prepare myself just in case we end up moving!

 

[pixiemel]

We lived near there, in Puyallup, for 8 months, and came RUNNING back! It was a terrible experience for us in every way. Horrible, unsafe, schools. Not many churches-truly a "forgotten" place. Granted, the scenery is beautiful WHEN you can see it because it rains ALL the time, so if you need the sun it hardly ever shines. It was a huge "culture shock" for our family.

 

[plutotek]

Contrary to popular myth, it doesn't rain all the time in the NW (lived there for 20 years). Seattle proper is a beautiful city. As for suburbs, I lived in Bellevue/Lake Hills which was pretty nice. As with any major urban area, you are going to find good and bad w/every area. It's very expensive to live there, but since you appear to be from the Chicago area, I would imagine the cost of living could very easily be comparable. If it was us, it would depend upon where the job was located before we narrowed down the search for a home.

 

[minkydog]

My sister lives across the Puget Sound in Poulsbo. It's more of a country setting, but easy to access Seattle by ferry. I like that area a lot--Silverdale, Poulsbo, Bremerton, Kingston. I don't know how the schools are. Healthcare is easily accessible there. Sis says it's pretty gray during the winter(Oct-Apr) with spitting rain and moisty mist a lot. I was out there last week during what she called a "downpour". Being from the deep South, I know a real downpour when I see one and this was not all that bad. Needed a jacket, but my head didn't get very wet. Don't know if I'd like 6-8 months of that, however.

Best of luck to you. DH & I plan to summer over in Poulsbo in a couple years, God willing. I love it out there.

 

[bethy]

I live in a suburb of Seattle. FYI I would not consider Puyallup to be a suburb of Seattle - it is a distant smallish town - sort of a distant suburb of Tacoma. And for better or for worse a totally different culture than Seattle and it's immediate suburbs (which also differ greatly in culture.)

If you want suburban good schools and neighborhoods then you want one of the following school districts: Bellevue, Mercer Island, Lake Washington, Northshore, Issaquah or MAYBE Shoreline. Not sure about that last one. And there is some variance within those. IMO you'd want to research specific schools and neighborhoods. The best commute into downtown Seattle from the suburbs is along the Interstate 90 corridor.

In Bellevue, the one neighborhood I would not choose to live in would be Lake Hills, by the way. Since someone mentioned it specifically I thought I'd better say something. I live here NOW and know the area well. I've lived here for 14 years.

It rains plenty and is overcast plenty. But the upside is that the scenery is beautiful and the lifestyle is outdoorsy and active. Part of the reason for that is that the climate is temperate. You can do stuff outside most any time of the year and be very comfy. Few people here even have central A/C for example. And it never gets that cold in the winter. But it is gray a lot - especially in the mornings before the Marine fog layer burns off.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

there are some nice neighborhoods within the city of Seattle but you'd have to go with private school then.

 

[bethy]

I just noticed you are from Illinois. I have extended family in the Midwest and have spent lots of time there (mosty Ohio and Iowa). The difference between the two general cultures is huge. But that can be a good thing too - an adventure. There are tradeoffs with both. But it is shockingly different.

For example, as one person mentioned - in the midwest there is a church on every corner. Not so here. I think something like 90% of Seattlites do not attend church regularly. It's a little different in the suburbs. I am a Christian and have found plenty of wonderful opportunities for fellowship and have a wonderful church. But these demographics really do permeate the culture here - in many small ways that are surprising.

 

[bumbershoot]

We lived near there, in Puyallup, for 8 months, and came RUNNING back! It was a terrible experience for us in every way. Horrible, unsafe, schools. Not many churches-truly a "forgotten" place. Granted, the scenery is beautiful WHEN you can see it because it rains ALL the time, so if you need the sun it hardly ever shines. It was a huge "culture shock" for our family.

You moved in Fall or Winter, didn't you...did you stay through a summer? If so, that was a WEIRD year.

Here we are in October, and I nearly need sunglasses from all the bright morning sunshine glaring in our windows!

No churches in Puyallup? Hmm... Well, Puyallup is an odd place, lots of nooks and crannies, and I still can't find my way around there (and I've lived in Tacoma off and on since I was 17), so maybe you were just in a weird nook, because quite a lot of Puyallup is quite nice with lots of churches and not a huge amount of crime and reasonable housing costs.... I don't want to live there, too suburby for me, but I have plenty of friends who have great big houses for not a lot who live there and love it!



OP, I should warn you...a friend of mine just went to a family reunion in Chicago, and when she got back, she said Seattle felt "puny" to her. So be aware that it might take some time to get used to it.

Many people around here work in Seattle for Seattle wages, but live outside of Seattle for a lower cost of living. We do that. But it can be taken up by gas prices and parking etc, depending on your car and where you live. We enjoy taking advantage of the buses and train, and wouldn't rent/buy a place without taking easy access to transit into account. As it is, we live on the cusp of downtown Tacoma, and hubby can walk to the bus station (or walk to the free-for-now downtown Tacoma lightrail which takes him to the spot in between the commuter train and bus stations), he hops on an express bus, and gets to Seattle in around half an hour. Before his company moved, his office was right across the street from the bus station. Now he takes a company shuttle, which adds a little extra time. For the way home, he shuttles then catches the commuter train (the Sounder) instead of the bus.

Most big companies in Seattle give transit passes (aka Orca cards) to their employees as a perk. If the company DH is interviewing with does this, make sure to take that into account for where you'll live, if you think he can handle it. Driving in this area is weird, maddening, and frustrating. Too many people from too many places, all driving in extremely varying ways.

If you move here, please don't giggle too much at the reaction to snow, if/when it snows. The land here is hilly, and people just don't get much exposure to driving on hills when it snows, so everything does seem to shut down. We are very lucky in that where we live things are walkable, and so we had coffeeshops, restaurants, and even the grocery store and videostore open and available to us for the week that most everything shut down. Hubby was the only one in his department to get into work for nearly a week because of where we live and how he gets to work...his coworkers who all live right there in Seattle couldn't get off of their streets to get to the office, because we don't have adequate snowplows (when it only snows once every two or three years, you can't justify the cost!) and it was too hilly to drive. Just learn to live with the reaction to snow, and, maybe, if you know how to drive in it, rescue the occasional person (I was once rescued by a couple of Coloradans when I flew back home in a NASTY snowstorm, had to take a cab b/c my boyfriend couldn't pick me up, had to overpay the cabbie to take me, then he wouldn't take me up the slope to my boyfriend's place, so I was trudging along carrying suitcases, and they picked me up).


Try hard to not move out in winter...then again, you're in Chicago so it might feel downright warm and lovely to you! But most people who move here just as the gloom sets in go stir-crazy and leave before the year is out...

 

[RadioNate]

We have family in the Silversale, Poulsbo, Bremerton area. It is pretty. When it isn't raining. People who live there say it doesn't rain all the time but coming from other areas it really does. When were were looking at moving to Seattle, DH's work would have been downtown and we were looking at the Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah area. We had to go that far out to find anything we could remotely afford.

Either of these 2 areas into Downtown Seattle are hour + commutes. (ETA: at rush hour times. I just have a feeling someone from Seattle will chime in that these places aren't that far...but my DH would have had to commute at peak rush hour)

We also have family in Mercer Island & Belleview but we couldn't afford to buy there. My DH's grandparents live in Dupont and our friends who had a job offer were looking into Gig Harbor but both of those are well over an hour + each way commutes to downtown.

I grew up in Chicago and while not Seattle we lived in Portland, Oregon. HATED IT! I've lived in 8 states now and living in Portland was by far the worst. I was really against Seattle so we didn't end up going.

DH's business partner just took a job there and he is looking at the Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, & Belltown neighborhoods I think. Also ETA, he's a single guy, no kids, etc.

 

[CruisinEars]

It really depends on what part of the city your dh will work. Seattle is quite diverse and spread out. I currently live north of the city in Everett. I work in dt Seattle and my bus ride on most mornings is about 35-40 minutes. Imho, I would avoid anything south of the downtown area except for West Seattle. It seems to have more crime and lesser quality schools. Avoid the Seattle school district if possible. I would choose to live north which is where I grew up or on the East side, Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish or Issaquah. The northend is more affordable than the eastside though. My hubby works for Boeing in Everett and we live near Mill Creek which is a very nice area. My kids attend an excellent private christian school near Boeing so that is an option if you prefer to avoid public schools.

 

[wilderness01]

Why did you hate living in Portland?

 

[RadioNate]

Why did you hate living in Portland?

Me? You want the honest answer?

The weather, the rain, I don't find 50-60 degrees and wet "comfortable" at all.

The people I met were snobby and elitist while trying to cultivate the "hippy" vibe. The "Oregon Native" mentality. I didn't like being looked down upon because I wasn't born and raised in Oregon (or the Pacific NW.)

I lived there 2 years and didn't make 1 new friend. I never saw my neighbors. My coworkers didn't do anything together. It wasn't that they didn't like me, they just went to work and then went back to their little cliques. No one socialized with anyone. DH's work was the same way. His was slightly better because they had a few more transplants but the "locals" never welcomed any of the transplants into their communities. The transplants hung out together but the locals had their friends and made it very clear they weren't interested in anyone new.

There was no sense of community. In fact, we were made to feel very much like we didn't belong there.

Harsh, maybe. But that was my experience. I had lived in 3 states before Oregon and have lived in 4 more since and the experience has always been positive so I don't really think it was me.

What's funny is that my best friend is from Bend. I do miss McMenamins. We've been back to visit the area since a lot of family is in Seattle and my inlaws are in central Oregon but living there was not for me at all!

I'm sure people would say the same thing about places I loved...like Texas!

 

[minkydog]

It really depends on what part of the city your dh will work. Seattle is quite diverse and spread out. I currently live north of the city in Everett. I work in dt Seattle and my bus ride on most mornings is about 35-40 minutes. Imho, I would avoid anything south of the downtown area except for West Seattle. It seems to have more crime and lesser quality schools. Avoid the Seattle school district if possible. I would choose to live north which is where I grew up or on the East side, Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish or Issaquah. The northend is more affordable than the eastside though. My hubby works for Boeing in Everett and we live near Mill Creek which is a very nice area. My kids attend an excellent private christian school near Boeing so that is an option if you prefer to avoid public schools.

My dad lived in Everett for several years, working for Boeing. He loved it there and wanted to retire there.

 

[LaurenLC]

Thanks for all the information! For those that had questions or concerns for me, I thought I'd give you more information about us so that you can possibly give me more information about the area!

Yes, we live in Chicago, but neither my husband nor I are originally from here. I'm from Houston, home of the 4 H's.... HOT, HUMID, HURRICANES, HUGE! My husband grew up outside Philadelphia in the middle of nowhere, so we won't really miss the 'big city' of Chicago. As for weather, I'd take rain over snow ANY DAY!

After doing a little research on the possible employer the offices are located in downtown Seattle. Commuting isn't really an issue for us since my husband commutes about an hour each way and I commuted about 90 minutes each way when I was working.

The most important things for us are really safety and good schools. The only problem we have with moving to the West Coast, besides the packing, is breaking the news to our families if it happens.

 

[bumbershoot]

Either of these 2 areas into Downtown Seattle are hour + commutes. (ETA: at rush hour times. I just have a feeling someone from Seattle will chime in that these places aren't that far...but my DH would have had to commute at peak rush hour)

Many people who live here don't give distances, but drive-times. I've been told it's a unique way of doing things. So you giving the specific drive time is totally accurate. Driving to Seattle from Issaquah on a Sunday afternoon, or mid-day weekday is 20-30 minutes. But during rush hour it's a long, nasty drive.

And that is tremendously important, IMO. We lived in Federal Way for a few years, and hubby worked in downtown Seattle. His bus was part of the Metro Seattle system, and it took as long, if not longer, to get to work than living in Tacoma (further away) and having access to SoundTransit's Express bus system. Not to mention he had to drive on 320th street to get to the bus station, and if you hit that street at the wrong time, it's 20 minutes just to get from where our apartment was to the park and ride. The context of where exactly you live and when you are driving is very important! I always thought it was that way everywhere else, but visitors have told me it's a weird and unique way of doing things...so maybe I'm wrong.


I moved here from CA, and have had to deal with the "ew, Californians" thing...oh well! I was 17 and didn't come here to buy a $150K house for $500 (thereby driving prices up...cuz natives didn't do that to themselves or anything...), I came here for college. I liked it and stayed. Deal with it. I was allergic to everything in San Jose and hated the "weather" there. I have lived in South Carolina, Virginia, and spent time in West Virginia and North Carolina as well. Also, Miami FL. And I say, give me a year's worth of rain over a YEAR...not with frightening downpours over a few months time!

But I don't seem to be prone to "SADD" (where you get bummed when there's no sun, cannot remember the words from the abbreviation). In fact, I think I look better when it's drizzly and not overly sunny. My fair skin just doesn't do well in the sun. Others feel the opposite about themselves!

But still, TRY to not move here until Spring...it's just a bit more successful to start here as the more-sun-time gets closer.

 

[bethy]

Uhm, I actually live in Issaquah right now. I am sitting at my house there right now. My husband drives into Downtown Seattle (right in the heart of DT where the skyscrapers are) and it literallly takes him 25-35 minutes during rush hour and 15-20 minutes during off hours. Unless there is an accident, of course. Granted we live so close to Interstate 90 that we can hear some of the traffic noise from our house. But it's worth it.

Issaquah is very spread out - there are indeed areas from where it could take an hour in bad traffic - it depends how far from the freeway you live and how many windy roads it takes to get there.

For the absolute safest location and best schools and perfect commute into DT seattle you want Mercer Island. But a 2000 sq foot 1950's home there will cost you at least $800,000. Next in line for all those things is south Bellevue, along the I-90 Corridor. And then Issaquah, along I-90 which is where I live. In those areas you can get a 2000 sq foot 1960's - 1970's house for $400k - $600k. But note there are a few elementary schools that are in these locations that I would prefer not to send my kids to: Eastgate, Spiritridge, Lake Hills and Issaquah Valley Elementary. All of these schools are perfectly fine but just have lower parent involvement and support and some ESL issues. I could handle all of them but Lake Hills for my kids. And they are all in terrific school districts overall. There are probably 7-8 other GREAT elementary schools in those same areas that are superb.

And yes, I think it rains a lot here - and is overcast a lot. I won't gloss over that. I wish it were sunnier more often.

 

[bethy]

Two more things to add about commuting:

East and West directions are always less gridlocked than North to South directions. I avoid Interstates 5 and 405 like the plague.

The commute from the Eastside (i..e. the communities located East of Lake Washington) into Seattle in the morning and vice versa is actually the reverse commute. This is b/c Microsoft and other software and telecom employers are mainly located on the Eastside. But many of the younger, progressive folks who work for these places prefer to live in Seattle where all the action is.

 

[RadioNate]

I moved here from CA, and have had to deal with the "ew, Californians" thing...oh well! I was 17 and didn't come here to buy a $150K house for $500 (thereby driving prices up...cuz natives didn't do that to themselves or anything...), I came here for college. I liked it and stayed. Deal with it. I was allergic to everything in San Jose and hated the "weather" there. I have lived in South Carolina, Virginia, and spent time in West Virginia and North Carolina as well. Also, Miami FL. And I say, give me a year's worth of rain over a YEAR...not with frightening downpours over a few months time!

But I don't seem to be prone to "SADD" (where you get bummed when there's no sun, cannot remember the words from the abbreviation). In fact, I think I look better when it's drizzly and not overly sunny. My fair skin just doesn't do well in the sun. Others feel the opposite about themselves!

But still, TRY to not move here until Spring...it's just a bit more successful to start here as the more-sun-time gets closer.

yep - different folks, different strokes. I'd take 10 inches of rain over 3 days than spread out over 3 months any day! lol Not seeing the sun for weeks makes me crazy. I'm a sun worshipper. Living in Iowa it could be -30 degrees but if it was sunny I was happy!

BUT it sounds like the OP has a good handle on what the move will bring and that is really all that matters.

 

[bethy]

Yes, I think I would prefer colder temps and more sun but it's a close call. I'm not sure how I would handle being confined to the indoors much of the year due to extreme heat or cold.

One way we cope is that we spend nearly the entire summer out of doors. And we take a sunny vacation in the middle of winter every year.

No matter what though our families will always keep us here - I'd live anywhere to be close to them.

 

[minkydog]

But I don't seem to be prone to "SADD" (where you get bummed when there's no sun, cannot remember the words from the abbreviation).

SAD=Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's a mood disorder brought on (in persons prone to mood disorders) by low levels of sunlight. It's not uncommon in persons who live in the far northern U.S. where the days are short, usually less than 6 ours of daylight.

SADD=Students Against Drunk Driving

 

[alyssa810]

My brother met my SIL on a cruise and moved from Boston to Kirkland back in 1999. They now live in Bothell, after spending time in Kirkland and Kenmore. Since I've only visited and not lived out there, I can say they all seem like really lovely suburbs. My SIL teaches in Woodinville, and she would like to move there; the kids go to her school, rather than the school in their neighborhood.

Anyway, I remember visiting several times before I ever saw rain in Seattle. It's a lovely place, I just wish it wasn't so far away.