Relo to Seattle area - looking for "small town" close to big city amenities (Bellevue: to rent, crime)

[mcatrussell]

Looking for some updated ideas of areas to look at in the Seattle area for my family.
Our priorities are:
- good schools
- like to keep the airport commute to under an hour
- neighborhoods with character (unique and historic homes are our preferences - like to avoid "cookie cutter" developments) - homes in the $500 - $900k range.
- within 5 minutes of great mom n' pop eating and shopping options (i.e. "quaint" or "historic" local shopping district)
- within 15 minutes of big box or chain shopping (target, costco, trader joes, whole foods)
Where we've looked:
1. Mercer Island (like the houses, schools, but lacks shopping/eating)
2. Bainbridge Island (love the houses, schools, but lacks shopping/eating, and the airport commute is a bit longer than I'd like, might be more rural than we like)
3. North Admiral (like houses, schools, shopping/eating, but how is the crime? Perhaps busier than we are hoping for, and property prices seem higher - you spend more, but don't get the land like you do on MI or BI).
4. Magnolia seems too far from the airport - what's a realistic commute (best case and worst case)? Also have heard that it's sleepy and retired.
5. Bellevue - too cookie cutter, lacked the history and charm we love in both our house and our neighboring community.
We're coming from Alameda - a 30 minute ferry ride into San Francisco, a great little local downtown area with lots of local eating and shopping establishments. But we also have Berkeley and Oakland close by with chain shopping alternatives when needed.
We have 2 young children (oldest starting Kindergarten) and want to prioritize schools and community first, but having a fun and diverse neighborhood with great entertainment options for the kids and nice date-night options for parents is also important.
I get the impression that the Seattle area is great for all of the above - but I feel like I haven't quite found that one little spot that's quite right for us. Seems like there are lots of pocket neighborhoods and districts.
We're willing to rent for a while to scope things out - but ideally we'd like to rent in an area we're serious about purchasing in (so we don't have to transfer schools).
But over all we're pretty laid back and flexible - just looking for some good feedback or suggestions.
Thanks in advance!

[fnh]

Edmonds!

[CarawayDJ]

I'm about to move to Seattle, and share some of the same "wants". I'll throw my "outsider about to be insider" $0.02 in.

1. Magnolia is the only neighborhood in Seattle proper we are considering. Too much property crime in the other neighborhoods for my liking. I really don't feel like having my car windows smashed the first time I forget something on the seat. Nor do I want to find my house burglarized. Lots of people will downplay it because it's not "violent" crime, but it's still crime. To put things into perspective, Seattle only has a slightly less rate of burglary than Oakland, and has 50% more theft than Oakland. This is based on a site I can't link to here. Magnolia has some of the lowest crime in Seattle. The cruise terminal isn't far from Magnolia and I think I drove from there to the airport in a little over a half hour. I remember getting to the terminal earlier than I expected. I imagine the time of day can influence that greatly.

2. I liked Edmonds as fnh pointed out above.

3. Did you visit Kirkland? People who have lived there and know us are strongly recommending it. It seems like we like some of the same attributes about a place.

[texastrigirl]

Kirkland, Issaquah or I also think Edmonds is a great place! I think you can take the train all the way to the airport right?

[crust-n-patti]

No, you can't take the train from those places to the airport. The train runs basically from downtown to the airport and that part takes 40 minutes and stops (I think) 13 times. You can take a bus to the train but your times are kind of limited the further out you go. Also, note that the park-and-rides usually enforce the parking for no more than a few days so you can't leave a car there and head to the airport.

[Hemlock140]

Look at upper Queen Anne, in Seattle, I think it has everything you want as does Madison Park. Both are still in the problematic Seattle School District but some of the best schools in Seattle. Edmonds is a good alternative but a longer run to the airport. You could also by new for under $900,000 in Sammamish, with great schools but 5-6 miles to shopping at either Redmond or Issaquah. Probably more like Bay Farm Island in the hills. Coming from the Bay Area, I don't know of anything here like Alameda with good schools. Some of the areas of Seattle like Maple Leaf and Ravenna have a similar feel but the schools are not great.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Look at upper Queen Anne, in Seattle, I think it has everything you want as does Madison Park. Both are still in the problematic Seattle School District but some of the best schools in Seattle. Edmonds is a good alternative but a longer run to the airport. You could also by new for under $900,000 in Sammamish, with great schools but 5-6 miles to shopping at either Redmond or Issaquah. Probably more like Bay Farm Island in the hills. Coming from the Bay Area, I don't know of anything here like Alameda with good schools. Some of the areas of Seattle like Maple Leaf and Ravenna have a similar feel but the schools are not great.

I've only read and heard great things about the schools in Ravenna. I've known parents thrilled about those schools. Test scores are as high as the schools on the eastside,(about the highest in Seattle), parents give mostly great reviews to those schools, and students go on to good colleges. What do you know that I don't know, Hemlock?

[Inkpoe]

OP, would you be willing to consider private schools as well? Because that would help open up a bit more more Seattle neighborhoods for you.

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

Kirkland, Issaquah or I also think Edmonds is a great place! I think you can take the train all the way to the airport right?

Originally Posted by crust-n-patti

No, you can't take the train from those places to the airport. The train runs basically from downtown to the airport and that part takes 40 minutes and stops (I think) 13 times. You can take a bus to the train but your times are kind of limited the further out you go. Also, note that the park-and-rides usually enforce the parking for no more than a few days so you can't leave a car there and head to the airport.

There is a Light Rail that goes between the airport and DT area. There is a heavy rail commuter train that connects Edmonds to Seattle DT. I personally wouldn't rely on (or even want to be) using the trains to get to the airport even if I have all the time.

[BellevueNative]

Neighborhoods I thought of when reading your description:

- Market neighborhood in Kirkland
- Upper Queen Anne in Seattle
- Madison Park in Seattle
- North Capitol Hill in Seattle
- Ravenna or Bryant in Seattle
- Surrey Downs in Bellevue - lots of midcentury modern homes, many of them beautifully restored or kept up, by famous northwest architects
- Beaux Arts Village (technically its own town nestled next to the Enatai neighborhood in Bellevue) - not within walking distance to restaurants/shops, but very close via car

These are very popular neighborhoods, because everyone wants what you're looking for. Therefore, you may have a hard time finding the perfect home for you in your budget, but if you do find something, it will likely be toward the top end.

If you can truly afford a $900k home, I would recommend you also consider neighborhoods that may meet all of your criteria except for the schools. If you could find a beautiful home in West Seattle, it would still likely be much less than other neighborhoods, so you would have money to spend on a private school. I love West Seattle and think it meets many of your criteria, but I think it's schools are a little sketchy.

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by Ira500

I've only read and heard great things about the schools in Ravenna. I've known parents thrilled about those schools. Test scores are as high as the schools on the eastside,(about the highest in Seattle), parents give mostly great reviews to those schools, and students go on to good colleges. What do you know that I don't know, Hemlock?

Bryant is actually really impressive on paper. It's rated a '10' on Greatschools, and Schooldigger's stats also looks great: Bryant Elementary School, Seattle WA School Profile, Ranking, and Reviews - SchoolDigger.com. I can't find an appreciable difference between these scores and those of a similar Eastside school.

It's the anecdotal evidence that's sometimes hard to find when coming from out of state, but I can say that so far we are very happy. Both of our elementary teachers have advanced degrees, which is wacky to this Californian.

For what it's worth, I am in love with Ravenna!