Eastside commutes to Bellevue (Seattle, Everett: renting, condos, houses)

[TheCynick]

Hi all,

We will shortly be relocating to the Seattle area as I have taken a position with Microsoft. Hooray.

We are considering areas to buy and I am interested in getting some on the ground opinions on commutes (I have done fairly extensive searching of the forum and haven't found anything specifically related to our scenario).

The position is currently based in a campus in Bellevue just north of I-90. I say currently because I understand that it's common to be relocated after a while, so that is also a factor to consider if possible.

There appears to be good value to be had in Bothell / Woodinville / Mill Creek area, but I have heard that the commute to and from Bellevue can be horrendous and is to be avoided if at all possible. Can anyone here speak to that? I'm not adverse to leaving earlier in the morning or to riding transit, but all the transit options I have seen involve at least one change (e.g. at Overlake) and would potentially take more than an hour from start to finish. I really don't want to have to deal with a commute of more than 40 minutes at the *worst* - I think it's such a waste of life to sit in traffic 5 days a week.

If a campus move ever happened (e.g. up to Redmond) then presumably the commute would become that much better? Can anyone comment?

The other option is Issaquah, which seems to tick all the boxes in terms of accessibility to the campus and also appears to offer fair value and good schools (very important). What I don't know about is what the commute up to Redmond would be like if a campus move ever happened, so again insight from those in the know would be helpful.

Finally, are there any other areas that we might consider bearing in mind the parameters mentioned?

Appreciate all insight in advance - looking forward to getting up there soon!

[Seacove]

Woodinville is not bad, typically 30 minutes or so unless there's an accident on 405. Bothell is longer and longer still depending on how far north you are joining 405. If it's Canyon Park, which is I think exit 27, you have to get through exit 24 and then 23 where 522 joins 405. Bellevue is exit 12 so Woodinville would be about twelve to eight miles of 405 driving (depending), Bothell would be anywhere from seventeen to fourteen miles of 405 driving.

Then there's Mill Creek. It's a nice community but it's northeast of 405 off of Bothell Everett Highway. There your choices are west on I believe 180th, getting on Hwy 5, then joining 405 for about 18 miles or battling traffic on the Bothell Everett Highway, multiple lights, then getting on 405 at exit 27 in Canyon Park. Not pretty. Also, while Mill Creek is nice, Bothell Everett Highway is kind of meh. Now that's I've highlighted all this, you will see it on a map and that can probably help you.

From Woodinville, it would depend on where you are in Woodinville. If you are in western edge, just get on 522 and it will take you to 405, joining at exit 23. If you are south, you might want to take 202 to 124th and get on 405 at exit 20, Totem Lake. If you were moved to Redmond, you can join the MS crowd that takes Avondale Rd or 202 south to Redmond. And Microsoft employees do move all over the metro, but mostly Redmond and Bellevue.

Woodinville has a rural feel because home lots average around an acre and the area attracts a lot of small wineries. Bothell is a nice suburban town with houses a little lower in price. Mill Creek has both older and newer homes, a very planned layout and would be more popular if it weren't for the commute.

Issaquah and Sammamish are also popular and Redmond and some parts of Bellevue have homes in the mid-500 range though the further you go out, the nicer the house for your money, as you can imagine.

[Ira500]

Do keep in mind that Microsoft has it's own transportation system, the Connector, and goes places that Metro buses don't.
Metro's 271 bus goes from the Issaquah transit center to Overlake. There's an Overlake Transit Center and an Overlake park and ride, and they're not the same place. One of them is within walking distance to the Microsoft Redmond campus. If that one brain cell of mine weren't on strike, I'd remember.

[Hemlock140]

I have driven between Bellevue and Woodinville many times in the afternoon, most recently last Friday at about 3:30pm.
It was pretty much stop and go all the way, averaged 10 mph and took 35 minutes. Just getting from anywhere in Bellevue to 405 or 520 can take a lot of time as the surface streets are pretty gridlocked getting to the on-ramps but 405 is to be avoided if possible. There are many choices of routes through Bellevue that you can try and learn which are fastest, including 140th to Northup, 132nd to Redmond Way in the Rose Hill area of Kirkland then to 405 or stay on it and work your way through to 202 in Woodinville. It may take as long going 35 with some traffic signals but at least you are not parked on the freeway. I would suggest that you use the Connector.

[Blondebaerde]

Hooray indeed.

Eastgate, huh? I see you've noted that group locations definitely change, at intervals. Could be at Main, SAMM, Westlake (SEA), or Bellevue buildings at some point. Or elsewhere.

There is indeed "value" in north end, some of the cities mentioned. I owned a residence in Mill Creek eleven years and sold with a moderate profit past few years. Commuting there to eastside is a bummer, but do-able. It can vary from horrendous, as you say, to easy. Depends on quite a few factors, including day of week, weather, school season, accidents, or (I assume) Leprechauns in-general.

Yes, mass transit probably would be over an hour, not counting walk and wait time. Did that for awhile, in Mill Creek, and seldom enjoyed it. When it snowed, in-particular, however: that was the least-bad option.

So in the end, going through a similar process decade and a half ago, "best" option is probably to bite the bullet consider eastside. I wasted a lot of time on false-economy of losing 2 hours of my life per day (outbound/inbound) to save a certain amount of upfront costs for comparable condos Mill Creek vs. Redmond. Regardless, wouldn't suggest buying anything without renting and living in the area a year or two: every city/town has a slightly-different flavor. Depends what you are into.

Yes, if you are transferred to Willows, and live north end, for example, you'll be better off (roughly five miles closer to Bothell/Mill Creek vs. Main). Willows was nice-enough plus the traffic dynamic was slightly easier.

Last item: Issaquah changes the dynamic a bit as-well: great for Eastgate access, reasonable access to Main or other campus locations (probably via West Lake or East Lake Blvd(s)). Different traffic patterns.

In the end, it can all be a bit of a headache to puzzle through. Suggest prioritizing: commute, schools, and etc. Study traffic data, and mass transit data. Quality of life is good in Mill Creek, Canyon Park, and Bothell. Eastside Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond are also nice and close to most MSFT. Issaquah, Sammamish are also nice, though rather east of campus.

Visit all, and (reiterating suggestion) consider renting a year or two prior to buying, depending on your level of certainty.