Places to live in South Seattle Area??

[MsKitten]

Ken,
Thanks for all the additional information. I will check out those links. I recently did a city comparison data hunt and found that in a crime index of 1-100 (with lower scores being better), Burien came in at a 94! How accurate would you say that is? (For comparison, Bellevue came in at under 50 while Seattle was a 91. Kent was 77.) I have to say I am a little freaked out with such a high crime index, especially coming from safer areas like Eugene, OR and the beach cities in Orange County.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by MsKitten

Ken,
Thanks for all the additional information. I will check out those links. I recently did a city comparison data hunt and found that in a crime index of 1-100 (with lower scores being better), Burien came in at a 94! How accurate would you say that is? (For comparison, Bellevue came in at under 50 while Seattle was a 91. Kent was 77.) I have to say I am a little freaked out with such a high crime index, especially coming from safer areas like Eugene, OR and the beach cities in Orange County.

Yeah, that could be right. Burien is certainly higher than the East Side cities and probably higher than Kent. In general ALL South Side locations are higher than East Side or North End. The city is definitely on the uptick though and crime rates have been falling over the last few years.

Here's a good comparison site with 2006 data. They will definitely be higher than Eugene (anywhere in the South End likely will be). You will find that vehicle theft in particular has been a HUGE problem throughout the Seattle area - mostly due to the fact that until a maybe a year or so ago Washington State vehicle theft punishments were among the laxest in the nation. Under the prior law, thieves got a virtual free ride until they had been nabbed for the seventh time for unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Crime Rate Comparison: Burien Vs. Seattle

Ken

[Ira500]

MsKitten,
I agree with Ken that Burien is getting better and more fun. You also might want to look at Burien's neighbor Normandy Park, which not only has a low crime rate, but also a Trader Joe's.

[christi1981]

One thign to know is heading north is going with traffic and going south is easier and vice versa in the afternoon. WHat hours does your wife work? I live in des moines which I think is suburban but some people say its a city but it depends. I like it there since its near the water and has a nice family community but has a main drag area which is Pacific Highway which has most of the businesses and is midway bet ween tacoma and seattle, but actually closer to seattle. WHat type of city do you want? Blue Collar - Auburn, Tacoma - City, Seattle-City liberal thinking defintely which can be good or bad depnds on individual. Burien- Good and Bad Areas and more pricy since its right outside the city, Des Moines- quaint small town feel but close to the biggest mall in the state, Normandy Park- small city and is more pricey due to contracting all services outside its city. Some real estate agents will show you around to find a place since housing market is slow and will lease houses they are trying to sell. Also there are quite a few rent/lease to own. Keep hitting the blogs and look on craigslist.

[MsKitten]

Originally Posted by Ira500

MsKitten,
I agree with Ken that Burien is getting better and more fun. You also might want to look at Burien's neighbor Normandy Park, which not only has a low crime rate, but also a Trader Joe's.

Not sure how you knew, but I love my Trader Joes! I will definitely look into Normandy Park.