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Old 06-12-2013, 08:48 PM
 
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Hello everyone. I'm moving to Federal Way to work as a volunteer for the upcoming school year in one of the public schools and I don't know anything about the area. My income will be about $1000 a month. I do not have a car. I have an option to live with three other people I have never met in a house in Tacoma for about $400 a month. They seem like generally nice people based on what I know. Also, the place is not furnished so we would have to get that stuff. I don't know how the public transit system is in Tacoma/Federal Way, but I did some research that it would take about an hour and a half to get there. My other living option is to live by myself for about $715 a month. I could possibly walk to work if I did that.

My questions are: How is the transit system there? Are people in that area generally friendly? Is it easy to meet people? Can I make it in Tacoma/Federal Way without a car? Is there a lot of crime in Federal Way/Tacoma? Would you recommend someone moving to a city they have never been to before to live with roommates or alone? Thanks guy!
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Old 06-12-2013, 09:08 PM
 
Location: PNW
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First I would ask where are you from? People are generally nice here but it's like any other city. Crime is moderate in both cities, Tacoma's crime used to be some of the worst in the country but has fall over the years. If you are only making 1000 a month I think it would be wise to room with multiple people. There is buses that directly go into the Federal Way city center from Tacoma so you should be fine.
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Old 06-12-2013, 09:41 PM
 
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I am coming from Philadelphia. I've lived there for most of my life, so I am used to living in a large city. My biggest concern isn't living with other people, it's that I am worried about the commute to Federal Way. I tried to calculate the travel time on SoundTransit.org and it would take around 90 minutes to get into Federal Way if I took the bus from Tacoma and vice versa. I don't know if this is accurate or exaggerated. I guess I was hoping to get some insight about that. I don't know if you have experience with the public transit there or not.
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Old 06-12-2013, 09:47 PM
 
Location: PNW
2,011 posts, read 3,444,073 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by p.adolphus View Post
I am coming from Philadelphia. I've lived there for most of my life, so I am used to living in a large city. My biggest concern isn't living with other people, it's that I am worried about the commute to Federal Way. I tried to calculate the travel time on SoundTransit.org and it would take around 90 minutes to get into Federal Way if I took the bus from Tacoma and vice versa. I don't know if this is accurate or exaggerated. I guess I was hoping to get some insight about that. I don't know if you have experience with the public transit there or not.
Do you know what area of Tacoma you would be living in?
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Old 06-12-2013, 09:49 PM
 
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I used Google and, leaving at 7:00 am, I got at least 3 commutes ... all taking under 1 hour.

And I think it's best to keep your capital free and live with roommates. It'll be fun, besides!
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Old 06-12-2013, 10:01 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DevanXL View Post
Do you know what area of Tacoma you would be living in?
Yeah... Tacoma and Federal Way share a border, so 1.5 hrs seems like a long ride unless you're way off in the burbs on both ends.

As for the safety - Federal Way is typical lower to middle class burb. The kind of place where you can find trouble, but not usually if you aren't looking for it. Tacoma depends heavily on the neighborhood. Neither compare to the bad spots in Philly/Camden.
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Old 06-12-2013, 10:44 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DevanXL View Post
Do you know what area of Tacoma you would be living in?
I have the address of the possible house with roommates. It is 5000 S State Street, Tacoma, WA 98409. Hopefully that helps.
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Old 06-12-2013, 10:47 PM
 
10 posts, read 32,345 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amaiunmei View Post
I used Google and, leaving at 7:00 am, I got at least 3 commutes ... all taking under 1 hour.

And I think it's best to keep your capital free and live with roommates. It'll be fun, besides!
I guess I should've tried Google first. I tried to use the website someone in the program suggested and that completely threw me off. If the commute is under an hour then that makes things much better. I'm hoping it will be fun!
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Old 06-12-2013, 10:50 PM
 
10 posts, read 32,345 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkarch View Post
Yeah... Tacoma and Federal Way share a border, so 1.5 hrs seems like a long ride unless you're way off in the burbs on both ends.

As for the safety - Federal Way is typical lower to middle class burb. The kind of place where you can find trouble, but not usually if you aren't looking for it. Tacoma depends heavily on the neighborhood. Neither compare to the bad spots in Philly/Camden.
I'm coming from North Philly and its no where near the best neighborhood in Philly. I was already assuming the crime rate would be lower in Tacoma/Federal Way, but I just figured I'd ask how it was since that's usually my first concern whenever I am planning a move.
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Old 06-12-2013, 11:20 PM
 
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I tried Google from the address you gave and the distance upped the commute to over an hour.

Have you considered looking for roommates in Federal Way or Auburn (also nearby)?
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