what is maple valley like? (Seattle, Kent: to rent, house, neighborhood)

[shadow42]

I currently reside on So.CA. My husband works for Boeing and we are considering a move to the Seattle area. I have done plenty of research on eastside towns and have decided on Maple Valley. Can anyone tell me what it is like to live there? I have two boys ages 2 and 4, so activities and lots of other kids in the area would be ideal.

[robind]

I live in Maple Valley. You'll find housing cheaper than CA and cheaper than most WA cities here. It's a mix of professional and blue collar folks. Very family centered.

Nothing is close - restaurants and Wal-Mart, Target are 30 minutes away, so is movie theater. Anything to do is an hour or so away.

Traffic is awful around here. I leave for work before 6am and it takes over an hour to get downtown.

Maple Valley city leaders are backward thinking and the town is not going to update or get anything new.

I discouraged my best friend from moving here and unless you are a homebody don't move here.

[Kim Emmons]

I don't agree with Robind. We have Fred Meyer, Kohl's, Walmart and AppleBees 10 minutes down the road in Covington. There is a Home Depot, Costco and Red Robin coming soon. There are big changes coming up for Maple Valley as well. There is 300 acres at Four Corners (which is the heart of Maple Valley) that is in the early planning stages for a new exciting commercial district. For commuting to Seattle, the Sounder Train is a great experience.

[drewba]

Originally Posted by Kim Emmons

For commuting to Seattle, the Sounder Train is a great experience.

To clarify, you need to drive quite a ways west (into Auburn or Kent) to catch the Sounder.

[LoveWA]

It's professionall folks and nice families. Plenty of things are close by. Housing is still affordable.

[doulamama]

Not too much to do out there though. Its true that theres some stores and restaraunts around there. But there isnt many buses that run out there, no seattle sounder, and its a little town hidden in the sticks. Alot of people when you say the name dont even know where the heck it is! And Covington. Theres lotsa wanna be gang bangers over there. But If you want to be in a quiet and far away place then Maple Valley would be a good place to go I suppose. OH and yes, traffic is pretty bad in the am and pm commute. Lotsa people going down Kent Kangley Rd.

[CityGirl72]

PS - We live in Seattle now and if we stayed in WA we'd move to Maple Valley.

PPS: I too am from So Calif, and I would like to suggest you RENT first - the weather here is really rough, and with in a year or two you might choose to not want to live here. I've been here four years and desperately am trying to get back to Calif. I think we are going to take a big loss in selling our house just to get out of this area

[Moon Waffle]

I lived in Maple Valley for 2 years from 2000 - 2002. Moved there from the city.

I wanted a quiet, family-centered town and that's exactly what I got. Maple Valley is one of the last (if not THE last) cities in King County where life can still be simple.

True, it is a long drive everywhere. You have a grocery store and hardware store, and a few small restaurants and services. Everything else is a very long drive away. That is a drawback but the tradeoff is the small town feel you get there. And while Covington is growing and adding some nice places to shop, it takes 20 minutes to get there too (not 10 as a previous poster said).

I found people to be very trusting, friendly, and family-centered. Reminded me of where I grew up. The kind of place where you could leave your doors unlocked and not worry too much.

I also found that it rained there a LOT more than in the city. Being at the foothills, there are a lot more wet and cloudy days. Noticeably more. We would often wake up in rain and drive to Seattle where it was only partly cloudy and dry.

Traffic is a bear. The main roads through town are state highways so there is a clash of what residents of the city want vs. what the state wants. You spend a lot of time backed up on little two lane roads in Maple Valley.

Overall, if you like the simple life and are a family/community/neighborhood person, you'll love it. If you need the action of a bigger city with lots to do, it's probably not the place for you.

[GigiNorwine]

I moved to Bainbridge Island, 35 minute commute to Seattle, 2 years ago and my husband commutes to Renton. We love Bainbridge. Excellent schools and a welcoming community. Let me know if you want to know more about Bainbridge. Best, Gigi

[bigtrees]

Gigi, note that the OP was asking about Maple Valley which is no where near the city you're referencing.