Potential move from TX (Seattle, Bellevue: fit in, to rent, townhouse)

[ctinpas]

I have read quite a few threads for families moving to WA, especially appreciated the one comparing Seattle to Dallas. We have lived in Dallas area suburb for the last 5 years, moved here from CA. Now my husband is being courted for a job in Renton, WA. While I'd love to get out of TX personally (too conservative, too religious, too hot, snakes, fire ants, tornados), we have two teenagers and I am very concerned about moving them. My oldest will be a sophomore next year and my youngest in 8th grade. Hoping I can get some advice about best places for us to look to help us make our decision. Here are our parameters:

1. Housing: we'd like to buy, somewhere in the $1M range is probably what we are going to have to spend. This job may come with housing purchase assistance perks but not sure what those would be yet. I know we won't get close to what we have here in TX but would like 3-4 bedrooms, 2500-3000 sq ft, a bit of yard for the dog. We don't mind an older home, we are used to that from growing up in CA. Where we live now is a very tight-knit community, which we love.

2. Schools: excellent public schools are a plus. Both my kids are in Gifted/Talented programs in public school here and my high schooler takes mostly advanced level classes.

3. BAND: this is the most important. My oldest is in the marching band here in TX, which is a big deal. Oldest also involved in the school's exceptional jazz band program and competes at the state level. This is oldest's "thing" and I really need to find something comparable in WA if at all possible. Youngest is also in band but does drama as well, I think might have an easier time finding activities to fit into than the oldest.

4. Commute: husband understands he will have a longer and more stressful commute in WA than he has here. But if we could keep it under an hour each way, that would be great. He does go into work early (aims to be in the office before 7 a.m. most days, gets more work done in the quiet) but also likes to be home by 6:30 p.m. He will also be traveling quite a bit with this job, so close to SeaTac is also a bonus.

Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

[fnh]

I suggest you look at Seattle's Garfield High School. It matches your education priorities quite well with a catalog of advanced coursework and a jazz band program that is tops in the nation. Your budget should allow you to find something in the Madrona/Leschi/Central District neighborhoods (will be tight though) which will offer a decent commute to both Renton and SeaTac.

We split our time between Houston and Seattle with DH working in Houston and kids attending school in Seattle this year. I have a child at Garfield, and it is going well enough to delay the return to our Houston private school, perhaps until graduation. Our home is in the Central District/Squire Park area and it is very convenient taking public transit to the airport which DH does almost weekly. Our next-door neighbor works in Renton and drives, taking Lake Washington Blvd all the way. It's a gorgeous commute if not speedy. (Definitely under an hour, more like half an hour or so.)

[mhays25]

I went to NYC once...coincidentally Garfield was playing Lincoln Center in a national jazz band competition which they won, again. The newish auditorium is named after grad Quincy Jones. Jimi Hendrix and Macklemore are other grads, though I don't know whether either was in the band. Garfield also typically co-leads the state in national merit finalists along with the top private school, Lakeside. This is despite being in a historically poor district, which has lately been gentrifying since it's close-in. They also won yet another state basketball title this year.

My first suggestion would be living on the same bus route as the job in Renton. Otherwise I won't be much help.

[CrazyDonkey]

Garfield HS, Roosevelt HS, and Ballard HS in Seattle have nationally ranked jazz band programs, although Roosevelt and Ballard might be too far north to commute to Renton.

Other top jazz band programs within commuting distance of Renton (via I-405): Bellevue HS, Interlake HS, and Newport HS (all in the Bellevue SD), and Mercer Island HS.

See also JazzEd, which is available to students regardless of the high school they attend:

https://www.seattlejazzed.org/aboutus/

[homesinseattle]

Hi ctinpas. With your hubby potentially working on the south end of Seattle, the Mount Baker, Columbia City and Seward Park neighborhoods would be excellent home hunting spots. Seward Park is one of my favorite "price to value" locations in the region. A number of local high schools have excellent music programs.

[fnh]

Of the neighborhoods that homesinseattle mentions, I especially love Mount Baker, immediately south of Leschi. Just be aware that the Seattle high schools have very different course offerings. Garfield has been the magnet school for Seattle's HCC/APP/Gifted students for decades so Garfield offers the most advanced level courses in the district. There are some changes coming in 2019 with the opening of a new high school in the north-central city, and there is some finger-crossing that more advanced level classes will be added to schools across the city, but the HCC/APP/Gifted students from the southeast Seattle schools Franklin or Rainier Beach will continue to attend Garfield (or, more precisely, have that option) for the foreseeable future. (Students already attending Garfield by 2019 are grandfathered until graduation.)

Because there is no segregated HCC/APP/Gifted program in Seattle's high schools, incoming high school students are not screened for eligibility. We came from private and we had already purchased a home zoned to Garfield so it didn't matter for us, but you should ask about the possibility of transferring your child's Gifted eligibility. If so, then you can buy a house in any of those neighborhoods south of I-90 and your child can still attend Garfield if seeking more advanced level classes than your local high school offers.*

*Last year sixty-four Gen Ed students applied to attend Garfield through open choice but none were moved off the wait list.


Compare course offerings Garfield, Franklin, Rainier Beach (IB):
https://garfieldhs.seattleschools.or...20-2.12.18.pdf
http://franklinhs.seattleschools.org...ide2017-18.pdf
https://rainierbeachhs.seattleschool...emics_overview

Attendance area map (2019 and beyond, no changes to south end school zones):
http://www.seattleschools.org/UserFi...noData_ada.pdf

[leastprime]

we just bought a TownHouse a few blocks from Garfield. We needed a 1031 exchange and this TH will be a rental.
Nice neighborhood. Son lives nearby, generally called the "Central District".
From 23rd Ave & Cherry ->Rainier Blvd, you can get to Renton in about 30 minutes.
Pratt Arts, Wood Technical, Seattle University, Central Seattle CC, Seattle Medical Vocation School, are within a mile of Garfield. Central District is rapidly giving way to technology workers. New families will demand excellent schools.

If your H can tolerate an hour drive, You could go as far East as Redmond (home of Microsoft) and possibly a bit further.

If you have a 1M housing budget and want 3000ft, going south is your best bet. No idea on schools.

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by ctinpas

3. BAND: this is the most important.

You are not the first person from Texas inquiring about the marching band scene in WA and you won't be the last...

The respondents above are being fair and honest, but I have the "boots on the ground" experience to assuredly tell you point blank: IT DOESN'T EXIST HERE.

Nobody here has had the experience of a bonafide warrior's send-off for the Texas state marching competition.. police escorting 10 charter buses (there were, what, 250-300 of us???) from the high school to I-35, along the route shops and schools closing for fifteen minutes so everyone can stand on the streets with signs wishing you luck. Band booster parents -and their cars- awash with school colors, most of whom follow the bus caravan down to Austin, protectively encapsulating it. Precious cargo indeed.

Nor has anyone had a tornado plow through the middle of their town on a warm, muggy April evening.. an F3 that took lives and exploded houses, knocked out fences, roofs and power -for days- and you get up the next morning -in the dark, your fence is gone and the rafters are exposed - and grab your trumpet and head for school, cause goddamnit, you've got sectionals that morning...

And nobody's first high school date was at a drum and bugle corp exposition and your heart swooned when you found out your date has been following each and every corps' progress over the last three months. And you were already picturing yourselves as Mr. and Mrs. Band Director (spoiler alert: we never made it past a few weeks, but my date did become a high school band director).

It's a special sort of craziness down there. That's why the American Pie "this one time at band camp" reference was so on point:


[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH619vxtNdo[/url]

I think anywhere you have a large concentration of Baptist churches you will find a strong marching band program. Both are manifestations of a particular kind of fanatical religiosity. Our head director was also the head director for out town's largest Baptist church... they were frequently short on third part trumpet Sunday mornings and he'd ask me to fill in... it's true that I played the right instrument, but it was also widely known throughout the community that I hadn't yet asked Christ into my heart.

Oh Texas... Texas, our Texas...

I really can understand why this would be numero uno, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.

I had gone so far off the deep end that when my four years were up I had a serious and debilitating psychological crisis and it's because nobody had prepared me for what came after high school band. Band had been my only identity, the same way that some people identify themselves as being Christian. Except you can be a Christian your whole life (I marched Longhorn band for two years, but college band just isn't the same).

I mean, yes it's a powerful experience. It was quite profound (there are a LOT of still-married couples that came from marching band), but in the larger picture it doesn't makes sense.. or cents! There is SO much more in life (for your kids and your family) than high school band.

Have you been up here? Have you experienced our truly great outdoors and our moderate climate, our booming economy? Our progressive politics and diverse world views?

I'm personally very glad my kids can't in the least conceptualize my adolescence. It was weird.

[tudorjason]

I suggest you check out Bellevue's Newport High School. They have a marching band that is in several competitions and travel to a parade in Victoria, BC each year.

All of Bellevue's high schools have a wide range of AP courses and Bellevue School District is generally regarded as the best school district in the state.

The average selling price for a home on the Eastside, which Bellevue is the epicenter, is now at around $900,000, so there should be a good range of homes that may suit your budget and needs.

And Bellevue is two cities north of Renton, which means your husband will be enjoying a reverse commute, most likely using 405.

[homesinseattle]

Jason. Not a bad idea but to get that kind of square footage at that price on the Eastside, they would have to slide down to Renton. Remember, most everything gets bid up from list price. If you lived in Seward Park, your kids would probably go to Rainier Beach High School, you'ld find the music scene strong there. Maybe best to start with coming out for a recon mission.

Ctinpas, like Europeans or people in Manhattan are used to, could you scale down your square footage needs some? That will always allow you to buy in a closer in neighborhood with generally better performing schools.

Saucermom, I'm born and raised Florida with loads of relatives in Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas. Your words made me laugh because they are so true. Best thing I ever did, leaving the south.

Leastprime, great move. That area is only going to blow up over the next few years..