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I just relocated from Philly to Seattle. My job will be in Bothell. I've always lived/worked on the East Coast so this is a big transition. I currently have two friends in the Seattle area.
I'm in my 30's, single, introvert, Asian-American, Christian, and moderate. A manageable commute to work, ease to make new friends, and opportunities to meet high character single women with intent to marry are important aspects for me.
Do you recommend me living in Mill Creek, Bothell, or Kirkland? I toured apartments yesterday. My first impressions are Mill Creek is young married couples, Bothell is isolated hermits, and Kirkland is fresh out of college carefree partiers. Is this a relatively accurate assessment? I apologize in advance if my gross generalization was offensive.
I just relocated from Philly to Seattle. My job will be in Bothell. I've always lived/worked on the East Coast so this is a big transition. I currently have two friends in the Seattle area.
I'm in my 30's, single, introvert, Asian-American, Christian, and moderate. A manageable commute to work, ease to make new friends, and opportunities to meet high character single women with intent to marry are important aspects for me.
Do you recommend me living in Mill Creek, Bothell, or Kirkland? I toured apartments yesterday. My first impressions are Mill Creek is young married couples, Bothell is isolated hermits, and Kirkland is fresh out of college carefree partiers. Is this a relatively accurate assessment? I apologize in advance if my gross generalization was offensive.
Thank you for any advice you can provide me.
Not offensive, but not accurate. Mill Creek does have a lot of young families, but there are apartments there occupied by single people. Bothell is pretty big, and ranges from big suburban houses, to an older but kind of charming downtown, to lakefront.
Kirkland too. Parts of the downtown area do get some fresh out of college partiers, but there's a lot more to Kirkland than that, and I'd say 95% of the people living in Kirkland are not fresh out of college partiers.
Downtown Bothell is growing a lot. The Juanita area in Kirkland would be a fairly easy commute and is pleasant, has shops and restaurants. Mill Creek looks nice and people like living there, but I'm not sure it would be a good fit for you. Maybe Bellevue Native or someone more familiar with Mill Creek knows more.
I just relocated from Philly to Seattle. My job will be in Bothell. I've always lived/worked on the East Coast so this is a big transition. I currently have two friends in the Seattle area.
I'm in my 30's, single, introvert, Asian-American, Christian, and moderate. A manageable commute to work, ease to make new friends, and opportunities to meet high character single women with intent to marry are important aspects for me.
Do you recommend me living in Mill Creek, Bothell, or Kirkland? I toured apartments yesterday. My first impressions are Mill Creek is young married couples, Bothell is isolated hermits, and Kirkland is fresh out of college carefree partiers. Is this a relatively accurate assessment? I apologize in advance if my gross generalization was offensive.
Thank you for any advice you can provide me.
First impressions are, as-usual, only part of the story. Which is why you asked: smart. Your gross generalization is offensive only if you really believed that was the whole story. You don't, thus it isn't.
I lived in Mill Creek a long time, and currently live in Kirkland. Demographically, we (weren't, at one time) too terribly different.
Mill Creek was/is a bit dull, suburbia. I liked my townhome, kept my own counsel, found things to do outside the house, and had few complaints OR kudos in more than a decade. It was simply where I could afford to live based on economic realities in the late 1990s. Of course, there is a larger community there, for those who choose to get involved. The little downtown section sprang up out of the swamp in the early to mid 2000's, I watched it happen as I hiked and ran the North Creek trail system all around there. Highlight of that, in my opinion, is the Central Market. Then again, I know the owners of the original (in Poulsbo) and understand their business plan pretty thoroughly. I was there weekly for years, when it opened to the day I left town.
Problem was, and is, and always will be, actually getting anywhere from north end (or south end) to where people want to hang out and work. Those two places primarily being Eastside and Seattle-proper. Since I was always going to either one or the other...no big surprise...I was continually frustrated the level of time and effort needed during commute hours (= a lot).
Bothell is an enigma. But it's a big place, so depends where you mean exactly. They're trying to reinvent, "I think". Makes sense, since people who can't afford Eastside or the swankier parts of Seattle are fleeing to the outliers like mad. Not sure how I feel about Bothell, but really enjoyed the waterfront (slough-front) park system in downtown-proper.
Kirkland is a number of communities. Let's assume you mean downtown, and NorKirk, Moss Bay, Houghton. If you mean Totem Lake, Juanita, and points south, the conversation changes slightly.
The communities around downtown are young-ish couples with just a few kids. Nice homes. Condos and townhomes, around the core. I find the stores downtown to be fluffy, with something like ten hair parlors. Also, women's fashion stores, hip restaurants with better views than food, and precious little else. Major exceptions are the Greek places and Wilde Rover pub. There is a fluffy men's clothier down there, too, with gorgeously robust stuff I occasionally buy, too: small shop, but personal service. There (were at one time) enough coffee places to drown Juan Valdez, but now there is the Starbucks (always busy) and just a few others. Love 'em all, frankly.
Kirkland is no hell-raising town: professionals (mostly) with good incomes, conveniently located to the major areas of employment. That's why I live there, I'm smack in the middle of that demographic.
So: for you, Mill Creek if the budget is tighter, Kirkland if-not. Or move to Totem Lake in Kirkland, which is OK but slightly grungy: last bastion of quasi-affordable housing in the immediate area, I think? Assuming that's what you're down to in terms of choices. Rent or buy one of the condos in either "downtown" Mill Creek, or same in Kirkland.
In Mill Creek, you'll be going with the commute flow (to Bothell), so consider Canyon Park as-well to minimize churn. In retrospect, that's where I should have lived (intersection of I405 and I5 area).
In Kirkland, you'll be going counter-commute which I assume is a breeze on I405.
Resist going in the commute directions during rush hour, if freeways are involved.
Since OP haven't really defined what is "manageable commute", I'd say stick to Bothell until you're ready to spread your wings and deal with the traffic. Bothell is... not what it was 5 years ago, it's growing and evolving very quickly. There is a plan, at least check it out. Downtown Revitalization Plan | City Services | City of Bothell
I generally agree with the posts above. All three are very nice places to live, with mixes of demographics and housing types.
Mill Creek doesn't have as many apartment complexes, so I'd say of the three, it feels the most suburban residential to me. The Town Center has really grown into a nice assortment of restaurants, bars and shopping, but I don't know how many singles congregate there. I know some do because there are a few very popular bars in Mill Creek that attract a crowd. If you moved up to MC, I'd probably recommend a condo rather than an apartment. What's nice about lots of the apartments and condos in MC is that they're in walking distance of downtown and the Town Center.
The apartments and condos in Bothell are pretty spread out, with some being in walking distance to shops/bars/restaurants and others very isolated and located by office parks. Convenient for commuting, obviously, but not very social. Bothell is working on a really cool redevelopment of its downtown, but it's going to be a couple years until the McMennamins is done, I think, and that feels like the centerpiece of the project to me.
Kirkland is great, but the really desirable area near the lake is expensive. It's also mostly condos. But of the three, there are definitely more bars and pedestrian-focused areas in downtown Kirkland. Juanita area is also nice, though more compact. Very affordable condos in Juanita.
I think you would be good to go in any of the three, as long as you don't mind driving to Seattle, Bellevue or elsewhere nearby for occasional dates or for going out. You certainly won't be alone being a single professional living in any of these three towns, and in fact I've lived in a couple of them (and even sleepier suburbs) as a single. Singles in the Seattle area are used to driving all over to see friends or dates. Oh, and in terms of commute, these are all close enough to Bothell that it won't be a problem at all.
I think you would like Kirkland the most staying as close as you can to the downtown area. Even Kirkland can be boring (compared to downtown Bellevue) but at least you can meet up with some friends at the Lodge to watch a football game, etc.
Bothell is pretty boring and Mill Creek is even more boring...for a single guy that's not good. For a young family, boring is good because it's quiet, etc.
Bothell is pretty boring and Mill Creek is even more boring...for a single guy that's not good. For a young family, boring is good because it's quiet, etc.
I will second that on Mill Creek. Lived here since '02.
Mill Creek is great if you're a young family (read: you and/or the spouse are in your late 20s to mid 30s) that's wanting to settle down, that's who they primarily cater to.
If you're single, I would keep your social expectations realistic. Because it's very heavily family-oriented, after 8-9 P.M., there's really nothing to do here except do some late-night grocery shopping. People might say hi to you in passing or have a side conversation to kill some time, but for the most part they're in their own little world.
As for social things to do, I would suggest making plans to have things to do outside the city, unless you're a real lone wolf kind of person, but being the lone wolf obviously doesn't help your cause to find someone though.
I have to go along with the majority, Mill Creek is boring and out of the way, Kirkland is the polar opposite (on those two points) with Bothell falling into the middle and if your job is there it might be a happy medium; but keep in mind that it straddles two counties and it's a pain to get in/out of, imo, not too many plan b's if 405 backs up.
I think where your generalization goes askew, and where I disagree with the other posters, is related to singledom, because the entire region is very young, hip, techy, and unmarried. It might not be as noticeable as an inner city locale like Capital Hill, but it hasn't had the feel of a family focused area since at least the late 80s.
You shouldn't have a problem meeting a significant other unless your introvertedness presents a significant social roadblock because this is a very introverted city.
Bothell and Mill Creek are some of the most desirable areas in all of western WA, very family oriented, expensive, and rarely will you see people walking out and about like u would on Capital Hill or Green lake for instance. Very family oriented, and getting more and more crowded by the day it seems, as the traffic running down Bothell-Everett Hwy is never ending, 7 days a week imo.
I really like Mill Creek, if for nothing else over the other two cities I just really like the convenience of the town center. I live in Mill Creek when in Seattle and really enjoy it, but I telecommute so I am a bit "out of touch" with commuting. Still, when I have to be in Bothell or Kirkland/Bellevue/anywhere south during commute hours it can be rough, yet still manageable and not awful on 527. The town center has an LA Fitness (so-so gym, I lift at the Gold's half way between Thrasher's and Mill Creek for the heavier duty equipment, so if that's your thing you probably wont' like THIS LAF), some great small restaurants, a "hippie" market (Central Market), and just feels "new" and "clean" when compared to anything in Seattle. Of course there isn't a "single scene" in Mill Creek so-to-speak (Kirland would probably be best among the cities listed), but I suppose all of the Seattle area can fall into this classification as well somewhat.
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