Suggestions for a small, family-friendly community in commuting distance to Seattle? (Bellevue: for sale, houses)

[Wyo713]

Hi,

We are looking at relocating to the Seattle area for a job transfer. Currently, we live in a fairly small town (approx. 7,000) about 30 miles outside of Fort Worth, TX. While we have all of the amenities within easy traveling distance, we have small, high quality schools in our area and not much threat of crime. Therefore, I am looking for what areas around Seattle might be somewhat comparable to this so I can do some looking into schools/houses/etc.

At the moment, we have an acre lot and I would really like to try and have at least a 1/2 acre. I am well aware that the cost of living in your area is a lot higher than Texas so I am planning for that. Mainly, I am just looking for a nice, small community with friendly locals, where our kids can go to a decent school and us not have to be worried about their safety! Any input or feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[Vinylly]

I would say that most suburban communities are 'family friendly'. The suburbs are where the families live. Downtown Seattle is not family friendly however I would say that Wallingford is one community in Seattle that is family friendly. It is close to Green Lake and all the activities there, plus the wonderful 'Goodsheperd Center' and it's children's park, Wallingford Center, and St. Benedicts school.

[Wyo713]

Thank you for your reply! Is Wallingford fairly small? Originally, we are from Wyoming, so I am looking for a town that still has that small-town, country feel! Fort Worth has a lot of family-friendly suburbs, but still a little too big for what we were used to, so that is why we ended up in a small town on the outskirts! I am excited about the prospect of the availability of healthy foods and an open-minded outlook!

[texastrigirl]

For a smaller town feel, my 1st choice would be Maple Valley, 2nd would be North Bend and 3rd Woodinville. I love the Fort Worth area. What town are you from? I used to go out to Possum Kingdom Lake when I lived in the DFW area.

[Wyo713]

We live in Decatur right now and love the community, we will definitely miss this area and Texas in general, but are also excited for a new experience! I don't think Decatur would even be considered a suburb, just a nice small town. So I would really like to keep that small town atmosphere and feeling out there, especially with the kids in school!

[Wyo713]

Vinylly, I appreciate your feedback, I did look up Wallingford and although it appears to be a nice community, I think it is bigger than what I have in mind!

texastrigirl, Maple Valley looks nice and seems to have some homes on the type of acreage I am looking for! I love the look of North Bend, it looks like it has that nice small town feel, do you know if the roads around there get really bad in the winter? My husband would have to commute to downtown Seattle for work. I am excited about being somewhere back near the mountains, I have missed them while living in Texas. But I love the big, beautiful brick homes here, you get so much more for your money down here!

[Ira500]

I was thinking Maple Valley too. Family friendly, good schools, lots of places with at least 1/2 an acre.
Wallingford is a neighborhood within the city of Seattle. Nice place, but not at all what you're looking for, unless you've changed your mind and now want a 4000 sq ft lot.
Parts of Bothell would fit the bill. Woodinville is awfully nice, though a lot more expensive than Maple Valley. Not far from Woodinville are Duvall and Carnation, and a bit north is the town of Snohomish, which is a much older town than other places nearby and has a cool old downtown.

[Richard Karl]

For good schools look at Mercer Island and Bellevue

[Wyo713]

Ira500, I have found a few homes in Maple Valley that look like they would fit the bill. What are your property taxes like out there? I think the biggest thing is adjusting to the sticker shock, we will have to pay around twice what our house here is worth, to have anything with property out there. While I have been aware of that, it is still hard to adjust to that fact that in some ways you will have to down grade when going out there. But you do have lots of scenery and outdoor activities that just aren't available down here so I am sure that makes up for some of it! Having property in Woodinville is probably out of our price range. I found quite a few places with acreage in Snohomish. In your opinion, what would that commute be like? My husband commutes about 30 miles right now, but since his job location here is on the outskirts, he doesn't really have to deal with any traffic. In Seattle, he would be working in the downtown area so I am sure he would have to deal with a lot more traffic.

Richard Karl, I did look up Mercer Island, but there were absolutely no homes available there in our price range so I am guessing it is a pretty upscale neighborhood. Bellevue had some homes, but they were all fairly old.

texastrigirl, being as you also moved from Texas, what were your first impressions as far as the climate and weather?

[Ira500]

Supposedly, taxes are about 1200 dollars for every 100,000 dollars of assessed value,but it's not exact. Just perusing some Maple Valley listings, all on a half acre or more and currently for sale between 279 and 395 thousand, the taxes ranged from 4500-6000 per year.

Originally Posted by Wyo713

Ira500, I have found a few homes in Maple Valley that look like they would fit the bill. What are your property taxes like out there? I think the biggest thing is adjusting to the sticker shock, we will have to pay around twice what our house here is worth, to have anything with property out there. While I have been aware of that, it is still hard to adjust to that fact that in some ways you will have to down grade when going out there. But you do have lots of scenery and outdoor activities that just aren't available down here so I am sure that makes up for some of it! Having property in Woodinville is probably out of our price range. I found quite a few places with acreage in Snohomish. In your opinion, what would that commute be like? My husband commutes about 30 miles right now, but since his job location here is on the outskirts, he doesn't really have to deal with any traffic. In Seattle, he would be working in the downtown area so I am sure he would have to deal with a lot more traffic.

Richard Karl, I did look up Mercer Island, but there were absolutely no homes available there in our price range so I am guessing it is a pretty upscale neighborhood. Bellevue had some homes, but they were all fairly old.

texastrigirl, being as you also moved from Texas, what were your first impressions as far as the climate and weather?