Relocating from Ohio to Seattle (Bellevue, Kirkland: rent, house, neighborhoods)

[wistephens]

All,

I'm looking at the possibility of moving my family of 4 to the Seattle area from central Ohio. I've been talking with a good friend who made this move a few years back and has bee a good source of information on the area but I'm looking for other opinions, too.

I'm currently commuting about 45 minutes each way into Columbus, OH. I would like either a shorter commute or commuter train (non-existent in Columbus). I've also heard that north-south travel in the Seattle area is easier than east-west.

Can anyone provide the names of some areas where a 30-40 minute commute into downtown would be possible? I can see that there is train service north and south of town. How is bus service?

We're looking to spend up to 400k and a nice school district is high on our list. Proximity to a Lutheran Church would be nice.

Thanks,
Bill S.

[Woof]

A lot depends on where your job is going to be. Maybe you could get an offer, rent a house near work, and then look for a house to buy? I hear the housing market is starting to soften a bit in Seattle, it might be worth renting for a little while to see if something affordable comes into view.

A lot of people here talk about Seattle having supposedly bad public transportation, but in my opinion it's quite good, unless your job is off the beaten path.

Just as with any major city, Seattle has Lutheran churches all over the place. A good place to volunteer might be the Lutheran Compass downtown, which helps the homeless.

[mayfair]

You might check out Edmonds. I know a few people who live there and commute downtown without a problem. It's a nice town with beautiful views from the waterfront parks.

You can also commute from the eastside where schools will be better but housing likely will be out of your range.

Do a search here on school districts- much has been said on the subject.

[gary_30307]

Originally Posted by mayfair

You might check out Edmonds. I know a few people who live there and commute downtown without a problem. It's a nice town with beautiful views from the waterfront parks.

You can also commute from the eastside where schools will be better but housing likely will be out of your range.

Do a search here on school districts- much has been said on the subject.

I concur with mayfair. I've lived in Edmonds for 3.5 years, and I work at the University of Washington (just shy of the downtown exits). I can take a commuter bus or carpool with my wife and get to work in about 30 minutes.

There is a train stop in Edmonds and you could take that into downtown. You might have to hop a bus from there, depending on where your work is. But, in downtown the buses are free.

Edmonds is a very cute town, too.

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by wistephens

All,

I'm looking at the possibility of moving my family of 4 to the Seattle area from central Ohio. I've been talking with a good friend who made this move a few years back and has bee a good source of information on the area but I'm looking for other opinions, too.

I'm currently commuting about 45 minutes each way into Columbus, OH. I would like either a shorter commute or commuter train (non-existent in Columbus). I've also heard that north-south travel in the Seattle area is easier than east-west.

Can anyone provide the names of some areas where a 30-40 minute commute into downtown would be possible? I can see that there is train service north and south of town. How is bus service?

We're looking to spend up to 400k and a nice school district is high on our list. Proximity to a Lutheran Church would be nice.

Thanks,
Bill S.

You will need to bring home a combined income of around $120,000 a year to make it in such an area. The 2 best school districts are Lake Washington and Northshore.

NEGATIVES:
Train service is called the Sounder and it is always packed full of people and undesirables. Other than that it is great!

Seattle is #6 in auto thefts

I-5, 495, 522 and 167 are usually congested with traffic

Home values are not the same as in Ohio, meaning you don't get the square footage you find in Ohio or Pennsylvania. Instead the prices are sky-rocket high due to some sort of demand & inventory. I don't make sense of it, but that is what the "experts" say. In the end you do get a nice over-priced house.

Weather is gloomy here. It is always grey skies & rain. Though its nice at first, you will get tired of it.

People here are passive-aggressive. They love to use the middle finger as a multi-purpose tool. It is terrible when you get flipped off by a soccer mom on the highway and you are in your car with your kids. What a shame.

Gas prices are expensive. They are dancing around $3.50 to $3.75 per gallon.

POSITIVES:

Due to the constant rain and tons of trees everywhere the air is nice and clean in many places. It is nice.

You never hear thunder or see lightning.

Lots of nice parks to visit, mountains, volcanoes & waterfalls.

Nice Apples.

CONSIDERATIONS:

There are earthquakes here. Most of Seattle is on top of a fault line called the Seattle fault line. Reasearch the 2001 earthquake called the "Nisqualmy Earthquake"

Do yourself a favor and research, research, research for at least 3 months. Come and visit and stay for a week and scout areas.

[jwb123]

You do NOT want your children in the Edmonds school district.

[xsteen]

Have you come to visit yet? It's tough for some folks who need constant sun, but if you generally have a pretty positive outlook on life, most adjust quite well. It's a great place for culture, intelligence, jazz, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, sailing. Name it!!! Traffic is definitely a problem, but just make sure you live close to where you work. Might want to check out Juanita (Just North of Kirkland), Bothell, Kenmore, or Woodinville if you're living on the Eastside. Ask any questions you may still have and if you want to go look at neighborhoods, feel free to let me know! Cheers

[wistephens]

All,

Thanks for the info. I'll be heading into Seattle in the next 2 weeks for on-site interviews and am planning extra time for investigating the area.

We completely expect to get less house for our money and gloomy weather. I won't complain because I'm looking for less house/land to care for. On the weather side, I'll give up sub 20 degree and over 90 degree weather for cloudiness. We get plenty of Gloom in Ohio in fall and winter.

Bill S.

[drewba]

Originally Posted by Negotiator75

You will need to bring home a combined income of around $120,000 a year to make it in such an area. The 2 best school districts are Lake Washington and Northshore.

NEGATIVES:
Train service is called the Sounder and it is always packed full of people and undesirables. Other than that it is great!

Seattle is #6 in auto thefts

I-5, 495, 522 and 167 are usually congested with traffic

Home values are not the same as in Ohio, meaning you don't get the square footage you find in Ohio or Pennsylvania. Instead the prices are sky-rocket high due to some sort of demand & inventory. I don't make sense of it, but that is what the "experts" say. In the end you do get a nice over-priced house.

Weather is gloomy here. It is always grey skies & rain. Though its nice at first, you will get tired of it.

People here are passive-aggressive. They love to use the middle finger as a multi-purpose tool. It is terrible when you get flipped off by a soccer mom on the highway and you are in your car with your kids. What a shame.

Gas prices are expensive. They are dancing around $3.50 to $3.75 per gallon.

POSITIVES:

Due to the constant rain and tons of trees everywhere the air is nice and clean in many places. It is nice.

You never hear thunder or see lightning.

Lots of nice parks to visit, mountains, volcanoes & waterfalls.

Nice Apples.

CONSIDERATIONS:

There are earthquakes here. Most of Seattle is on top of a fault line called the Seattle fault line. Reasearch the 2001 earthquake called the "Nisqualmy Earthquake"

Do yourself a favor and research, research, research for at least 3 months. Come and visit and stay for a week and scout areas.

I take it you don't work for the Seattle chamber of commerce?

I do disagree with a few of your points though.

• Sounder is crowded, but in my experience, the riders are almost entirely professionals commuting to work. I'm not sure about your definition of "undesireables", but professional commuters wouldn't meet mine.
• Gray skies and rain are the norm much of the year but it isn't constant, even in the winter, and the summers are glorious. Don't get me wrong, the gray gets old though.
• Gas is expensive, but nowhere near $3.50-$3.75 per gallon in most places. Unleaded is running in the $3.00-$3.10 area in my neighborhood. That lines up with what is being reported by GasBuddy: King County Gas Prices - Find Lowest Gas Prices in King County, Washington
• Bellevue and Issaquah are also very good school districts, although both are in very high cost of living areas.

One thing I can definitely agree with is the cost of housing, it is way out of line with salaries.

[Seattlemom]

Depends on where you will work but you can get a nice home in Duvall for 400K-500K range. Great family oriented community, very safe & good school system.