Relocating from Texas To Seattle area, job in Tacoma (Federal Way: sales, apartments)

[TxCraftBeer]

Hello,

New to the board. I am relocating from south Texas to the Seattle area and have so many questions about the area but more specifically where to live. We are a couple in our early thirties with no kids, who enjoy going out but don't do it every night. I have a job with a sales territory covering greater Tacoma south to Lakewood, Parkland and Payallup. Looking to rent a 2 bed 2 bath townhome/apartment/duplex or small home. Had thoughts of living in the downtown Tacoma area, I hear it has some nice spots. We also saw some apartments that looked appealing near 16 & I-5. If we were to live north of Tacoma any recommendations that don't have over a 30 minute drive to be at least in Fife? I already drive over an hour to work here and would like to reduce it if possible. Thanks in advance!

TxCraftBeer

[artistic22498]

I lived in Tacoma for over 30 years--and after 4 years, I'm moving back. Tacoma offers numerous outlets for a couple--several nice museums (free to residents once a month), art galleries, antique row downtown, quality restaurants, etc. Lots more than just your usual malls.

If you are interested in continuing your education or just taking classes for fun, there are numerous opportunities--University of Washington Tacoma branch is downtown, farther west is the University of Puget Sound (both are alma maters). South in Parkland is Pacific Lutheran University (also an alma mater). There are also several community and vocational colleges (which offer reasonably priced community classes, such as jewelry-making, etc.) and an extensive community center system with lots of community-oriented classes as well, such as Yoga, and art classes for kids, gymnastics, Martial arts, etc. Lots to do!

Point Defiance is a terrific spot if you want to commune with nature (there's also a zoo). 5 mile drive is popular for joggers--and there are several other wonderful parks--some wilder than others, but Pt. Defiance is quite a gem. It's not quite in Tacoma proper, but in the teeny tiny town of Ruston Way lopped off just the tip of the north-west Tacoma city limits. To add to your weekend fun, there are 2 state parks just up north with overnight camping, then of course campsites on and on the way to Mt. Rainier. It's a lovely area. Keep in mind the weather is also moderated by the Puget Sound, creating a local "micro-climate" that helps keep the temperatures from getting too extreme.

Where you want to live in the area partly depends on your budget and what kind of residence. Downtown but north of city center is full of lovely old Victorian type homes which can be pricey. Moving north but inland you will find some lovely little neighborhoods, especially as you move towards UPS (University of Puget Sound). Downtown itself offers numerous lofts and apartments, as well as lower-cost older homes as you move inland. Keep in mind you'll be competing with college students there which helps to drive up costs--but depending on your budget you can find a lot of lower rent homes as well. I don't know if it's changed much, but it was quite a mixed bag.

Tacoma is also surrounded by several other communities such as the tiny town of Stielacoom (one of the oldest in the state) which is a quiet little place but it doesn't offer much in amenities--although it does have some nice average houses, a teeny tiny historical museum and the Apple Squeeze every year. Of course anytime you find a home with a real view that drives up the costs.

Lakewood is a nice area (south down I-5 on the west side of the freeway)--I lived there twice and really liked it. As it name suggests, it is dotted with lakes--so the roads kind of meander around and it can be easy to get lost at first if you stray off the main paths! Housing prices vary widely and you do have housing pressure from the McChord-Ft. Lewis joint base for that community as well as in Parkland (south on Pacific east of I-5). In terms of commutes it is more difficult to get anywhere from Parkland. They've talked about a freeway cutting through Ft. Lewis for years in order to relieve congestion and improve commute times from that community, but as far as I know it hasn't happened yet. Logistics and security. Parkland has older, generally lower priced homes, while as you go south towards the mountain you have the usual range of less convenient housing. There is a Walmart down that way.

Up north of Tacoma heading in the Seattle direction of I-5 you have Fife--which really doesn't offer anything I can think of. You also have Brown's Point--a funny section of Northeast Tacoma which is sliced off from the city proper due to the Puget Sound/harbor. It connects with Federal Way and sits on the border of King County. It's a higher priced neighborhood and most people who live there shop in Federal Way. For both Brown's Point (north Tacoma) and Fife, commuting to Tacoma proper can be a headache. You can avoid I-5 rush hour traffic by taking the back roads, but that suffers from its own congestion as everyone else has the same idea and it really isn't built for that much traffic. Nice views in Brown's Point (N. Tacoma) however. Commuting from Federal Way is even worse--it can be a nightmare heading north or south on I-5. I would look at a map to see what I'm talking about.

East of Tacoma the next major town is Puyallup. It's a nice little town that goes crazy twice a year with the Puyallup Fair, one of the largest ongoing Fairs in the country. It is a fantastic fair--and I highly recommend going! There is something for everyone. Lots of residents make good money every year renting out their yards for parking if they are anywhere near the fairgrounds. In turn this means traffic and parking headaches for residents twice a year--though the Spring Fair isn't as much of a big deal as the Fall Fair. Other than that, Puyallup is a really nice little town (well, not so little anymore--it's grown a lot), that retains its small town feel. It does have a rail connection commuter to Seattle (there is talk of extending it to Tacoma--though Tacoma has its own commuter, last I heard stupidly enough, neither one actually went all the way to Seattle), antique shops and a strong arts community. Puyallup really is a commuter town, and has (relatively) quick short cuts in just about every direction.

Federal Way has a more modern, big-city feel to it, even if it really isn't that much bigger. Also Federal Way is in King County, while most of Puyallup is in Pierce County--if that matters. I am not familiar with housing costs in either city, though it seems to me, housing in Puyallup was a bit higher than the average Tacoma home, and more single family dwellings (fewer apartments). None of the towns around there are big on duplexes. They exist, but aren't that common. You would have to deal with traffic and commuting, but if you like small towns (and can live with the fair complications) Puyallup really is a nice town--I would definitely choose it over Fife or Parkland (even if they are technically closer to Tacoma).

Commuting to Tacoma from Puyallup during rush hour is not quite as bad as Federal Way believe it or not, because there are back roads you can take as well as 512 (Federal Way is quite a bottleneck on I-5), but admittedly traffic has been getting worse over the whole region in the 30 years I lived in the area. When I left Tacoma had committed to and started some major road expansion projects through the city proper, but I don't know if they've done anything about the traffic in the I-5 Federal Way, Fife section.

Anyway, I hope this helps! Feel free to ask more questions!

[ukiyo-e]

My son is also a graduate of University of Puget Sound, and I visited the campus for concerts and recitals several times while he was a student there. IMO, the north part of Tacoma is vastly underrated as a nice place to live. If I were going to take a job in the area, I wouldn't hesitate to live there!

[tacomaite79]

I recently relocated to Tacoma from Texas and love it. I love the rain and clouds, but it's not for everyone. Most people here are very friendly, and it actually has a much stronger sense of community than Austin did. I moved to Hilltop, which is a very diverse up and coming area just south of downtown. I work in Fife, which is under 6 miles away, and theres a couple of faster alternitive routes to get to Fife instead of the I-5 traffic mess. Another neat area is 6'th ave and north Tacoma around Ruston, where many cool bars and eateries are located. Most of the housing here was built before 1930, and some of the apartment buildings still have most original features still intact, I live in one. This city seems geared for the 30 and 40 somethings as far as nightlife is concerned, unlike the drunken frat party Austin 6'th st crowd I avoided at all costs. Fife and Milton are nice if you prefer suburban life as well as University Place, and don't mind driving everywhere, especially since Fife has no major grocery stores. Tacoma is nice if you don't like driving everywhere, want to have fun at the bars and not drive and kill someone, and a few bums here and there don't bother you. I