Opinions of Seatac, Renton, Tukwila, Des Moines & surrounding areas

[SPOKENFOR]

Originally Posted by TRC2k11

I moved here from Savannah, GA in May for a job with a Boeing supplier and settled in Auburn (next to Kent) and I really like this area. I'm not that far from Renton.

I'm renting a place conveniently located on top of the hill overlooking Auburn with highway access to pretty much anywhere I need to go. I can leave the house and drive a mile to catch Hwy 18... going east takes me to I-90, going west takes me to Hwy 167 and I-5. I really like this area because I'm literally in the middle of everything... north to Seattle, south to Tacoma, and don't have traffic issues being that my work is also in Auburn.

That is a jump..from Georgia to Seattle. Georgia and Seattle are extreme opposites.

How do you like it so far?

[cherie85]

Nice to know, hemlock. :-) Thanks for the reply

[2workerbee]

We have lived in the Kent area for the past 12 years. The crime here has escalated so much that we are moving out. They talk a great school district but that is just not so. The school district and police department won awards decades ago and they still claim those as though it was yesterday. I suggest you stay away from Kent. Lots of gang activity. We lived in Des Moines/Normandy Park area for 18 years before moving to Kent. I would avoid those areas also. My husband works in Auburn and he would like to move down there primarily because the temps. tend to be a degree or two warmer and it gets less rain, a big plus to us, however crime is high in Auburn. Most of it is terribly run down. The west side, where the lady from Savannah spoke of is the best of Auburn.
Fairwood and Maple Valley is where we are looking. Maple Valley gets 12" more rain per year but the crime rate is way lower than any of the other cities discussed. And the MV Tahoma school district is highly rated. It is out there aways though, and gas prices are going to be going up during 2012. Fairwood is a low crime, less rain area but stay on the east side of 140th, away from the Cascade area.

[Michi527]

Originally Posted by cherie85

Thanks for the input everyone.
I realize $650 is a bit limiting, but I'm fully prepared to live below my means for a bit (both of us will be graduating in May and are unsure how long it will take to find jobs once in WA, in response to the last post.)
It's near impossible to judge any city without stepping foot in it, but every bit of info I can gather makes me feel a little better :-)

I've read a lot of positive things about Renton, so that's where I'm leaning. Thanks IRA500 for the tips!

Who rents to unemployed people?!

[skihikeclimb]

Originally Posted by 2workerbee

We have lived in the Kent area for the past 12 years. The crime here has escalated so much that we are moving out. They talk a great school district but that is just not so. The school district and police department won awards decades ago and they still claim those as though it was yesterday. I suggest you stay away from Kent. Lots of gang activity. We lived in Des Moines/Normandy Park area for 18 years before moving to Kent. I would avoid those areas also. My husband works in Auburn and he would like to move down there primarily because the temps. tend to be a degree or two warmer and it gets less rain, a big plus to us, however crime is high in Auburn. Most of it is terribly run down. The west side, where the lady from Savannah spoke of is the best of Auburn.
Fairwood and Maple Valley is where we are looking. Maple Valley gets 12" more rain per year but the crime rate is way lower than any of the other cities discussed. And the MV Tahoma school district is highly rated. It is out there aways though, and gas prices are going to be going up during 2012. Fairwood is a low crime, less rain area but stay on the east side of 140th, away from the Cascade area.

Anywhere along the valley floor (kent, Auburn, Tukwila valley) is ghetto with lots of industrial parks and stupid strip malls. Puyallup, sumner, and fife suck too.

Additionally anything along HWY 99 sucks. Avoid these two areas and you will be fine.

[cjeanpatton]

I'm from st. Louis and was trasnferred to Seattle for work. The rental agent hired by the company, took us on the apartment hunting tour. My rent limit was $800 per month. In St. Louis, $800 gets you a really nice apartment. The places that we saw were places that I would never live in. I ended up in Seatac, just because it was on the bus line to Boeing and not far from the airport. I was a nice apartment, very small, but nice.The rent was $850 per month, but I got none of the amenities that I would have gotten for that amount in St. Louis.No pool, tennis court, gym or community room. For $850, all we got was a two bedroom apartment. I did like the apartment, but the area around the apartment left a lot to be desired. The cost of living in the Seattle area is so much higher than in St. Louis. That being said, it is beautiful there and very diverse. Justbe ready for a cultural shock.

[tickyul]

Watch out for Rentonadelphia, there are many cra**y parts that I would not live in.

[cjeanpatton]

I like Renton and Federal Way