SoCal to NH to Seattle (Everett, Kent: rentals, violent crime, houses)

[cvlp]

Hello,

We moved from San Diego to NH last year but the winter didn't like me so much.....and even though the unemployment rate is low here, there are no jobs....so we're seriously considering moving to Seattle for a lot of reasons.

I have read through a lot of threads here but cannot find one comprehensive thread that answers my questions so if someone could answer or direct me to threads already here that answer, that would be great!

What little towns or neighborhoods are near Seattle or in Seattle that are not gang/drug areas?
We'd prefer a small town that is commutable to Seattle for work but a good neighborhood in Seattle would work too.
Our kids are in college so schools are not a concern for us anymore.

Thank you in advance!

[Hemlock140]

There is no gang activity here that would compare to LA or Oakland, and the main drug area is around Pike-Pine 3rd-4th downtown. Other than that you can choose anywhere within a reasonable commute. Here the commute is more of a concern than crime, with bridge tolls and insufficient freeways. You should post more details about what you are looking for, because
based on your post there are many options. For a small town feel and commute to Seattle you could consider West Seattle,
Lynnwood, Edmonds, Montlake Terrace, Bothell, Issaquah, and more.

[cvlp]

Thank you!

Well, I'd like to be close to the ocean although I am not sure the beaches there are used much or so I have read, I would like to be close to the ocean!
I was basically just looking for a list of towns to start with, towns that aren't overridden with gang and drug activity. I only mentioned that because of some other posts I have read on here talked about some areas to stay away from because of that.

People here in NH say certain areas are gang and crime ridden. We just laugh, after having lived in the Kensington area of San Diego which was very close to City Heights and other areas where we heard gunshots on a regular basis and police helicopters daily, where "mental" patients (who were probably really on drugs) got shot in the street for running......I mean seriously compared to that area and here this place is crime free.

So I don't want that type of environment again.

Thanks for the towns you mentioned. It's a starting place to look.

What about Kent, Renton, and Everett? Just looking at Craigslist for houses to rent for now, those seem to have a lot of rentals but are they pretty far for commuting purposes?

Thank you!

[eskercurve]

If you live in Everett, Kent, or renton and want to commute to Seattle it will be pretty tough. Things start crowding at 6 am. However each city is big enough it will have jobs depending on what you're looking for. Highly skilled engineers and the like are always needed and some companies are hiring machinists and such. Other types of jobs are still hard to come by though, Seattle area is doing good all things relative.

Drugs here are usually meth and pot. More meth in the boonies like east of snohomish and east of Everett. Pot is everywhere, I smell it one time out of five I go downtown. Gang violence happens near Rainier and south until Colombia city.

[Ira500]

I live in Renton and commuted into downtown Seattle for years. I usually took me 20 minutes, and in traffic as much as 35. There are surface street alternatives to getting on the clogged freeway that only add a few minutes. Other parts of Renton and Kent you can add another ten minutes. Kent and Everett have the Sounder commuter train, which doesn't sit in traffic.
As far as drug and gang ridden areas: I'm a native of New Jersey, and the so called "slums" of the Seattle are nothing to compared to the bad areas there.
In Everett, the area near Casino Rd has a reputation for drugs and violent crime.
In Kent, parts of downtown Kent are a little unsavory, and parts of the west side of Kent near I-5 are somewhat run down. The East Hill of Kent has a bad reputation, but it doesn't really deserve it. It's very ethnically diverse, but I haven't heard or read about any violent crimes or drug busts there in recent years, and it's got some really cool restaurants, ranging from Vietnamese to Mexican to Indian to Kenyan to Ukranian.
In the Renton area, the western part of the Renton Highlands is interesting but run down. West of downtown Renton, there are a couple of casinos in Skyway worth staying away from late at night. The downtown Renton Transit center has a history of criminal incidents late at night.
Within Seattle, parts of Southeast Seattle are worth avoiding, such as the Rainier Valley, and places like Brighton and Hillman City.
South Park and White Center have histories of violent crime, but White Center has seen lots of improvement, another place with great places to eat.
Sea-Tac is kind of nasty, both crime ridden and noisy. Same goes for some of Tukwila, and the area between White Center and the northern part of Burien.

[cvlp]

Thank you so much everyone!
This is good, helpful information for us.

My husband is also from NJ originally and so he kind of has that same attitude - I guess it is all relative to where you have lived before, how you measure crime, etc.

Thanks!!

[homesinseattle]

the north end of seattle is pretty peaceful, charming neighborhoods.