Lakeridge, Skyway, Tukwila question (Seattle, Tacoma: for sale, lease, insurance)

[Miata_Joe]

Greetings all, my first post although I have been a quiet observer for a few weeks now.
There seems to be an agreement in the posts I have read telling all to avoid buying to the south of Seattle in general, as in Renton. I have seen some homes with nice lake views for sale in Tukwila, Skyway & Lakeridge a lot less expensive than Seattle proper or to the north & east. From Seattlites, how bad are those areas in regards to crime? Are these areas upgrading or decaying? I am looking from the perspective of an older couple with grown kids and wanting access to kayaking, biking, parks & restaurants
Thanks in advance,
Joe

[Seattleborn]

It's going more downhill every year. It doesn't mean you can't have a nice life there though. The general rule of thumb has always been, south of Seattle to Tacoma and east to the kent area: AVOID. There is more crime there. Do you want to live in the city? What about other parts of W. Washington?

[Agility]

Schools are not good at all. Crime is above average. You description suggests a place in North Seattle would be nice, however it is a lot more expensive.

[seamama]

I grew up in N. Seattle and always had a bad impression of Renton. I resisted the idea of living there but when my husband got a job in Issaquah and that area was out of our price range (and seemed really far to everything we knew in the City), I kept looking at the map and there was Renton, staring me in the face. We got a brand new (new construction) home in the Highlands and have been very happy w/ it.

I know this post was from awhile back but I just felt that I had to "speak up" for Renton. It's changed a lot even in the last couple years... lots of new construction and a pretty nice shopping area just went in on the old Boeing property ("The Landing"). City gov't has a pretty cool program in the budget called "Neighborhood Programs", which allows City officials (often incuding the Mayor) to host neighborhood picnics w/ hotdogs, lemonade, stuff for the kids to do, and even a DJ. That same program also has money in it for neighborhoods to request grants to come w/ ideas and volunteers to improve their neighborhoods through planting projects, neighborhood signs, and even playgrounds.

All that being said, Renton's WASL scores are not great, esp. when compared to neighboring areas (Bellevue, Renton, Mercer Island). But I've talked to many parents around here who say they love their local school and explain the bad scores by the fact that the schools have challenging populations (high # of ESL and free/reduced lunch students) and that the teachers and staff are excellent and are are really dedicated to helping each student succeed. [I do feel I should make a disclosure here that in my own case, we've decided to try and move into the East Highlands so we can be in the Issaquah school district. That being said, we are still planning to stay in Renton (as opposed to moving into Issaquah proper)- partly b/c it's not as expensive but also largely b/c we love it here, esp. the diversity as compared to Issaquah.]

If you've thought about Renton, take a day to come and check it out at least. I personally think it's a lot like Seattle in that there are some really cute areas (not many yet but more are coming- downtown Renton is getting nicer each year!) and some kinda' shady areas that I wouldn't go to at night.

[Ira500]

Somehow I never noticed this thread. Parts of Skyway are scuzzy, but other parts are pretty nice, and it's a very convenient neighborhood in terms of nearness to both Bellevue and Seattle. There are quite a few neighborhoods in Seattle with worse crime rates, such as Fremont, U district, First Hill. Skyway has a bad reputation, but mostly from people who don't live there. Lakeridge is quite nice.
Lakeridge, Skyway, Bryn Mawr, Earlington and a few other neighborhoods make up what is known as the "West Hill", and it is an unincorporated area, not belonging to Seattle or Renton. I live in the Earlington area and I'm a member of the West Hill council. There's a lot going on right now to make the area better, but I personally wouldn't live immediately adjacent to downtown Skyway, though I know people who live a few blocks from the library, and it's quiet there and nice.
It's mostly a matter of perception. People from outside the area think the whole area is nothing but gangs and drive by shootings, but mostly it's very quiet, parts are almost rural, one of my neighbors has sheep, and there's a great nursery/greenhouse in the area, and it's extremely close to Renton, which is getting better all the time and has good restaurants, wine bars, espresso, live theatre, etc.

[dxenopoulos]

Tukwila is GHETTO! How many shootings have there been at Southcenter mall in the past year? It's a good mall, worth the risk, they have plenty of cops there now. That's basically all there is to Tukwila for those who don't live or work there. I've heard from a few folks that the schools are just terrible. Skyway I've heard is not that bad, but honestly I'm not around there very often. I think Renton's getting way too bad a rap, there's definitely some ghetto parts, but the city seems to be moving in the right direction, it's not a bad location. It's an interesting mix of Eastside and Seattle.

[Ira500]

dxenopoulos is mostly right. There are some really bad parts of Tukwila, especially that which is adjacent to Pac Highway...But like most places, Tukwila has some nice areas too.

[azoria]

As an aside and addendum.....

I joined a new dental plan which covered at 100% of the insurance payment almost any dental procedure. No deductibles, no no copays. The nearest location to my residence was list as the 'Seatac' office on Des Moines Memortial Dr. Fine! So I went.

It was absolutely the most desolate, abandoned, rundown area I have seen anywhere in western Washington. Planes landing at Seatac so close I could have caught one. Boarded up buildings, abandoned cars, derelict furinture on the streets, trash, collapsed fences, random trailers, oily auto repair shacks.....a third world country with nice trees. And it was a really foggy morning so that I had no distance perception. I felt as though I was wandering No Man's Land. I couldn't believe this place had an actual Seattle address.

When I got home I googled the zip code, 98168. It was and oddball corner of Burien (which I actually like), Tukwilla, something else, and an unincorporated area of the county. To this day I really don't know where it was--and I have never been back.

Just stay away from zip 98168.

[mitsuturbo]

i actually live in 98168. i've seen some pretty raggedy places around the area, but have yet to come across any problems at all. i'm out and about often, sometimes late at night, walking to the store for a beer just before they stop selling. i've come across a few less than well-off people of different ethnicities, and have never felt fearful of anybody in the area. the housing prices are indicative that it's a less than savory place to live, but if i could get into a home in the area, i'd do it.. because that's all i can afford on mid $20 hourly wages. it may be considered one of the worst areas of seattle, but it's better than some of the places i have seen that are actually considered fairly decent in other cities. our standards here in the seattle, seem to collectively be pretty high. ideally, i would like to live a bit further west.. around fauntleroy, so that's probably where we'll move when the lease is up on this place we're in now

[Ira500]

I don't think there's any zip code in the Seattle area that's entirely bad. I've seen nice houses on quiet streets in the 98168 zip code, and the Duwamish River/Green River trail is nice to walk on.
But yes, some of Pac Highway is a little bit less than savory.
I live in the 98178 zip code, also easily dismissed because it contains Skyway within it, and parts of Skyway are less than savory. But the area also has nice parts and amazing views.