What is it like in Auburn?

[tudorjason]

The best parts of Auburn are on the hills, like Lea Hill, Lakeland, and West Hill/Jornada area. Auburn schools have been well-respected for many years and they make the most of their money too.

For shopping, you have the Supermall and downtown for in-city. But other malls in neighboring cities are just 30 minutes away, like The Commons in Federal Way and the South Hill Mall in Puyallup.

Auburn, although considered a suburb, is not really a bedroom community. People commute into Auburn and out of Auburn for work. But there are several notable employers in the city itself, including Boeing and the Northwest Headquarters of the General Services Administration.

Traffic on the freeways, like Highway 167, and more recently, Highway 18, is congested during rush hour. But most of the surface streets are very fluid, except for the four main North and South routes during ruch hour, including Auburn Way, A Street, East Valley Hwy. and West Valley Hwy.

This is just a quick run of what Auburn living can offer. I've lived in Auburn for a total of 13 years and the rest in other cities of the South Sound. Auburn, and Renton, are the best I've lived in.

My advice is to not find a place in the valley part of city: Small homes and traffic noise are just two reasons not to move there. There is also a lot of faux crime I call. A lot of teens who have nothing to do after school and pretend they are in a gang. They are mostly harmless but you're still aware of them.

I hope I have given you some insight and I hope you make a good decision for you and your family's needs.

[MarketingGuy]

What about near the Five Mile Lake County Park?

[jrpope]

Lea Hill area of Auburn is really nice. There's a lot of new construction of homes and apartments going on right now. Upscale community like "Bridges" will sell for anywhere from $400s-$700s (Bridges is a mix of high-quality homes built to protect open space) I heard there will be many retail & food businesses opening in late 2008 to 2009 near Green river community college.

[Snowflake0108]

As with just about any town in that area there isn't a huge division between the "good" parts and the "bad" parts unless you move into a brand new subdivision. They are so intermixed. I have never lived in a place like it before. On one street you have have 2 very nice houses, 3 ok houses, and 2 homes that look like they are moonlighting as the county dump.
Personally I would live in Auburn, just do your research.

[secret_squirrel]

We live in Lakeland Hills. It's a very nice community and we really enjoy being close to Lake Tapps, Sumner and Mt. Rainier. Also, I can walk to a great grocery store, coffee shops and restaurants - that was very important to us. Just down the hill, the high school has tennis courts the community can use, plus the Riverfront park has a great trail. All close by.

There are parts of Auburn that are low on the socio-economic scale. Honestly, I'd never lived in an area with such a concentration of low-income housing before.The valley/downtown corridor is very mixed. I don't mean this offensively, but Auburn does have touch of the third-world layout to it; the hills are markedly more affluent than the valley floor. It's distinct.

If it's the Kent/Auburn area, I recommend verifying the local schools if that is a concern. I am very happy with the schools in our neighborhood, but some of the older downtown schools are in dire need of updating. Lea Hill looks nice if you prefer a more rural environment. It was a little too far away from I-5 for me.

Houses in our neighborhood are a steal compared to what they were a year ago.

I still prefer our old neighborhood in the Lynnwood/Bothell area. It is much more industrial in the south end (trucks and trains) and you do need to drive for decent shopping, so you do get what you pay for. It's all what you are used to.