Is living close to or in Seattle a possibility on 65K with a child? (Bellevue: sale, rentals)

[evergreentori]

I currently live in Issaquah and have a 5-year-old son. I make 65k and work in Beacon Hill. I love my job and love the multi-cultural aspect of the clients I work with in the Beacon Hill area.

So far, Issaquah has worked fairly well for us. My son seems to love it here and goes to a private pre-k where he is thriving. We are definitely one of the less wealthy people living here, but is has been ok. The commute on the 90 takes me anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes in rush hour. The longest it has taken me so far is just an hour. So, here are my 2 problems:

1. I am very concerned that when they start tolling the 520, my commute will be terrible. I also worry about being so far away from my son if there were to ever be an earthquake or something (though this is obviously less-likely than bad traffic).

2. I love the city! I really like Issaquah, think it is a great place for kids and is very beautiful. The mountains in the background take my breath away sometimes as I am driving through the Highlands. But at heart I am a city girl. On the weekend, I am in the city almost always. I take my son to the zoo, Green Lake, the Science Center, etc. or I am meeting friends for dinner downtown. Between work and weekends, I feel like I am usually in the city. Plus I am a single-mom and feel slightly isolated in Issaquah. I have thought of Bellevue or Mercer Island, but my dollar does not go very far there at all. The rentals I looked at in my price range there were not nice.

Is it possible to find a place to live on 65K and still have decent schools in the city (or close by)? My parents have offered to pay a large portion for private school for my son, but I also don't want to rely on that. I have worked a bit with some schools in SPS and have been extremely unimpressed. My job can be transferred to the Bellevue/Issaquah area, but I feel uneasy at the thought of that, even though it seems to be the easiest solution. I used to live and work in a rural suburban area and found it very, very depressing.

I guess I feel caught between what makes me happy and what is best for my son. I wish I could have both. Any thoughts?

Tori

[Ira500]

You might want to visit the ORCA K-8 school in Seattle. It's a public alternative school with a ton of parent involvement, and a nicely diverse population.
If the main focus on schools for you is high test scores, ORCA might not be the best fit. Some schools, especially on the east side, focus on making sure that students test scores are high, since some parents look at test scores as the measure of whether a school is good or not. So ORCA is loved by parents and students, they have a big greenhouse and have an annual plant sale where they sell plants grown by the students. Yet they don't focus as much on making sure that their students achieve the highest test scores.
It's east of Columbia City, not too far from Beacon Hill, and not too far from the PCC Co-op store.
That might be the happy medium of seeing your child happy while allowing you to be happy living in the city?

[evergreentori]

Do you happen to know if Orca is easy to get into? I know someone who works for SPS who couldn't get their kid into Catherine Blaine, Salmon Bay or Stanford International. The schools I saw south of Seattle were really, really bad (Dunlap, Thurgood Marshall, Aki Kurose). Not even test scores - I mean serious violence and students suffering from major social maladjustment. One school in particular was just complete chaos. Its just not something I want my kid exposed to.

[Ira500]

I'm kind of out of the loop as far as which schools are easy or hard to get into at Seattle Public Schools, especially given the more recent assignment changes. But i will concur with you, the south end of Seattle has some horrible schools, ORCA being an exception.

[evergreentori]

Good to know about Orca - I hadn't considered that possibility. I also heard that St. Edward is pretty good on the south end, albeit private.

[evergreentori]

Are there any areas outside of south Seattle that might be an option for me? I just feel like, without going over a bridge, my options are limited.

[observer]

Given your situation, I would consider transferring to Bellevue or Issaquah if it is an option. Think of the benefits:

1) Less of a commute and you will save on time and gas.
2) You will be much closer to your son in the event that you must pick him up from school due to illness.
3) You can still go to the city on the weekends just like you do now. You can still go during the weekday on occassions if you choose to.
4) Less commute time=more discretionary time which = to a better quality of life and less stress.
5) In my opinion, schools in general are better in Issaquah than Seattle.

These are just my 2 cents. Good luck in your decision.

[tobester]

I did South Seattle with five kids ... mixture of public/private schools. Was lucky - Hawthorne for elementary at the time my kids were there was a national award winner ... now, one of the worst in the city. Schools seem very dependent on just who's running things. If I were starting over in Seattle, it would probably be private all the way. With your income, many of the private schools might provide scholarships.

[Hemlock140]

I commute from Sammamish to the waterfront in Seattle and it takes 45 minutes or less, but I go in the express lanes since we are in a carpool. There are vanpools and carpools available through the King County Metro Rideshare website.

If you are concerned about your children's education, the best schools in Seattle are at the other end, and the commute, though shorter, could take longer from Ballard or Magnolia, and they are higher priced than even Bellevue.

Mercer Island and Bellevue just do not have any bad areas. The homes may be older, but for a shorter commute and great schools it seems worth the compromise.

[evergreentori]

I was actually not really thinking of South Seattle as a single mom. I just think I wouldn't feel all that safe walking my dog there after dark. I know that it is probably relatively safe, but I would just not feel all that safe. I was thinking more Central (like Queen Anne or Leschi) or North Seattle...or any other area that would improve my commute, etc. Do you think moving to Bellevue would really improve my commute all that much? Right now I take the 90 and it is a straight shot, but 20 miles. I feel like the areas I can afford in Bellevue really don't have great schools (there are actually some less than average schools in Bellevue!) like Phantom Lake or Ardmore. Are there areas in Bellevue with good schools and good access to Seattle that I could rent a decent place for $1500 or less? Mercer Island would certainly improve my commute but I just feel like it is SO far out of my price range.

Do you really think a commute from North Seattle (Green Lake for example) or even Shoreline would be longer than from Issaquah?

Thanks!