Job Offer In Renton (Seattle, Bellevue: violent crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[sejinro]

I currently live in the Los Angeles area (20 miles west of downtown LA). I just graduated from grad school and received an offer from Boeing at its Renton office. I have been working and the offer is 20K less (they said cost of living differences). First, and foremost, is is that much cheaper to live in the Seattle area than it is in Los Angeles?

I have a family so this decision is big. I am thinking about the Bellevue area as I heard that is it safe with good schools.

Any thoughts here?

[scirocco22]

Sounds relatively accurate going on the CNN cost of living comparison calculator. I quickly plugged in a $100,000/yr. salary and this is what it came up with:

Salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach CA:
$100,000
Comparable salary in Seattle WA:
$75,600.05

If you move from Los Angeles-Long Beach CA to Seattle WA...

Groceries will cost: 13.524% less
Housing will cost: 48.46% less
Utilities will cost: 0.986% more
Transportation will cost: 2.071% less
Healthcare will cost: 7.584% more



Cost of Living - Cost of Living Calculator from CNNMoney

[bmsea]

I agree with the calculator and Scirocco that its a little cheaper to live in Western WA (although depending on your neighborhoods, housing could be very similar).

On a more subjective note, having lived in both Seattle (Capital Hill) and Los Angeles (Westchester/Playa del Rey), I would give these opinions:

Reasons I'd rather live in LA:
The Sunshine/warmth
The diversity of people (being around people from varied places)
The culture of diversity (having access to the BEST art/food/shopping of all the world's cultures)
Better shopping
More choices for "things to do/places to go"

Reasons I'd rather live in Bellevue:
Great public and private schools
More constant respect for the environment (eg. more people recycle, take public transportation)
Mountains/Outdoor recreation is better (within a 1 hour drive)
More moderate summer temperatures
Less violent crime/random crime/gang related crime
More likely to find a neighborhood where people actually talk to each other and watch out for each other

Overall, as a city to raise children in, I would choose Bellevue over LA any day.

Good luck!

[CityGirl72]

I'm from California (grew up in Marina Del Rey)

I too would rather raise my kids in Bellevue then LA.

That's where it stops - If I could I'd move back to California in a heart beat...the weather here is killing me.

[CityGirl72]

Total Tangent

I'm called CityGirl because I was brought up in Los Angeles (90045), and when I moved up to Lake Arrowhead (over by Big Bear) everyone thought I was this city slicker, so they called me City Girl.

[St.Croix to Seattle]

Well after living in Redondo Beach, CA then Alamitos Beach, CA for about 6 years I don't see much difference to Seattle..Look up at the sky most days in Los Angeles and it is gray (heavy smog blanket) that the news media always called a marine layer (marine layer of Smog IMO) then Seattle is gray for another reason clouds....but when it's all said and done...it definately was not worth the extra 30k a year in Cost of Living..and on top of that the people mostly suck...End result it will cost you less to live in Seattle on a whole for most people....

[sejinro]

Thank you for the replies so far. This is a big decision for me so the more feedback/input the better.

How are property taxes in the Bellevue area? Here in the Los Angeles area, I pay about 1% on the value of the house. In fact, what are my tax implications in living in the Bellevue area.

My kids are at the elementary school level, so after some research, I discovered that Somerset Elementary is a good school. Any others? Homes for Somerset Elementary are "up there" in terms of price.

THanks!

[scirocco22]

Here are some links to get you started pertaining to property taxes ...I'm going to refrain from giving you the exact amount of my property taxes when living in King county because it's been several years:

Property Taxes, Department of Assessments (http://www.metrokc.gov/ASSESSOR/PropertyTaxes.htm - broken link)

Taxes - King County Taxes (Official City of Bellevue Website)


Somerset Elementary is near the top of Somerset. If you've never been up there, the view is fantastic. You're looking down at Seattle, Bellevue, and Mercer Island with the Olympics in the background. Yes, the homes up there have increased in value exponentially in recent years. I had the chance to buy a view home up there in the early 70's for what I thought was a lot of money then but within reach. I could kick myself for not doing it.

I suspect Somerset Elementary is highly rated because of not necessarily the high income of the residents but more importantly the excellent parental involvement similar to the reason Mercer Island schools are so highly rated.

[sejinro]

Thanks for the response - really appreciated. I have only been to Redmond, Everett and Bothell for work with a previous employer. It was about Jan/Feb and it was cold but I really enjoyed the scenery. I felt like I was camping everyday.

In any case, what is the perception of Boeing up there in the Seattle area? Here in Los Angeles it is viewed as an innovative company but large.

[scirocco22]

The perception? Well, being the Puget Sound areas largest employer, it's still regarded highly I'd guess, even though it's no longer headquartered in Seattle. Before the Microsoft days, Seattle and Boeing had a symbiotic relationship. Well, perhaps not symbiotic but Seattle's economy in those days depended upon what was going on at Boeing. Yes, I'd still have to imagine that it's regarded as an innovative company in the Seattle area too.