To Seattle from Orange County, CA? (Issaquah, Brady: real estate, day care, affordable house)

[gscinparis]

Hello, I've already checked out some of the debate between San Diego vs. Seattle, but here is the deal: Orange County is so expensive and is completely void of culture... except in places like Laguna Beach which has a lot of character but the lowest priced decent home right now (even in this economy) is $1 million. We have young kids and we are working like crazy to basically pay the nanny (hello $16/ hour for a nanny!). The weather of course is fabulous here, but that is pretty much it. There are things to do but it is all pretty far driving distance... as far as I am concerned, there is no sense of community.
Can someone tell me if I am completely crazy for contemplating moving our family to SEA? I have looked at real estate prices and from what I can tell a family can get a decent sized place in like, Ballard, for HALF of what it costs to live here. But maybe I'm missing something?
I should say too that I lived in Europe for 6 years, so I know about bad weather and I loved it there because there was so much else going on. We moved back here in 2005 and I just haven't felt like this place is 'home'. Help??? Sorry for the long intro, just looking for some advice on whether or not to even think about moving up there?

[CityGirl72]

To me you are crazy - but everyone is different. So even though I think it's a crazy move that doesn't mean you might not love it

I came from California over 4 years ago. (Born Santa Monica, raised in Los Angeles and college in Sacramento)

We are moving back next month - I wish it had been YEARS sooner

PS I also lived in Europe for a while - but mostly Italy which has similar weather to California

[Woof]

Yes, you're crazy, but in a nice way.

I'd recommend taking a week vacation in Seattle, this is actually a good time to do it so that you can see the city as it is most of the year.

While I personally like Seattle better than Southern California, it's mostly because I tend to be a gloomy person ..... most people would be happier living in Orange County.

If you find that you don't like Seattle much when you go to check it out, maybe you would be able to afford a home in Orange County by making do without a nanny.

Is your post serious or is it a parody? I've never even known anyone who had a nanny.

[VeronikaW]

I grew up in Orange County (Irvine), and now live in the Seattle area, hoping to give my kids a better quality of life than what I could in OC. We're finding that that cost of living isn't that much better. Right now you can get a more affordable house in Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, etc. than you can get where I live (in Issaquah). Also, food is more expensive here, and gas is about the same. We moved hoping to afford a better quality of life (and while I'm sure the schools here are better), the cost of everything seems to about even out.

V. =)

[CityGirl72]

What? We have a nanny - and I'd say half of my friends have one too (ours is $12 an hour)

[JesseJames34]

Originally Posted by Woof

Yes, you're crazy, but in a nice way.

I'd recommend taking a week vacation in Seattle, this is actually a good time to do it so that you can see the city as it is most of the year.

While I personally like Seattle better than Southern California, it's mostly because I tend to be a gloomy person ..... most people would be happier living in Orange County.

If you find that you don't like Seattle much when you go to check it out, maybe you would be able to afford a home in Orange County by making do without a nanny.

Is your post serious or is it a parody? I've never even known anyone who had a nanny.

Man, you must've never seen The Brady Bunch. Having a nanny is all the rage!

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by JesseJames34

Man, you must've never seen The Brady Bunch. Having a nanny is all the rage!

Alice wasn't a nanny, she was the maid! Are you thinking of Nanny and the Professor

[Woof]

Well, I knew one family that had a couple of maintenance guys and a maid who had some responsibility for the kids, but mostly raised the kids themselves or had my step-daughter babysit. But jeeez, the guy was almost a billionaire.

I guess it's not that big a step from daycare to a nanny, if she's only very part-time ..... I suppose a nanny is just a sort of grown-up longterm babysitter ..... maybe it makes sense if gscinparis is making much more at work than she's paying.

Getting back to the topic though, I don't think Seattle really compares culturally to Paris .... San Francisco, Boston, or NYC might in some areas, but then you come back to the problem of high home prices.

[gscinparis]

well when you have twins, it costs less to have a nanny than send both to day care. I didn't realize nannies had such a glamorous reputation! Its not very glamorous at all and I am super frustrated that we have to pay someone that much... which is one of the reasons we are looking at other places to live...
I guess my first post came off a little snobby? We are trying to find a really great place to raise 'wholesome' kids. I often find myself shocked at the cars the teens drive and the designer purses the girls are carrying. Also, I can't really stand the cookie cutter houses and the utter lack of imagination in some of the communities around here - its more depressing than nonstop rain!
I guess I am really looking for feedback from someone with kids who has lived in both so cal and seattle can respond, that would be great...Oh, I should also say that my sister, who grew up in so cal and then lived in Seattle for 4 years voted for Seattle hands down and says she will never move back to So Cal. I thought that was interesting.

[Jennibc]

We know several people here that use nannies. The going rate seems to be about $14 an hour so you aren't going to be getting much of a discount in that sense. As far as raising children, materialism is alive and well here in certain areas so I don't know that you will necessarily be able to escape it. I've seen plenty of teenagers sporting Coach bags here.

If you stay in city you won't find cookie cutter, but if you venture out to the suburbs, in newer areas, you are likely to face the same cookie cutter approach to development. But the trade off is that in-city you have much older housing stock so that anything remotely affordable is going to require electrical and plumbing upgrades.

Good luck with whatever you decide! The Seattle area has become increasingly expensive over the last decade, so prepare yourself.