QUESTIONS ABOUT Renton

[Tahlerian]

Indeed, Covington is quite nice as it has all the conveniences without having to travel into the larger cities. In the past, the Kent, Covington and Maple Valley schools have consistently received high marks for excellence.

In addition, choices for recreation abound, as there are also many very nice, small. out-of-the-way parks to enjoy. Also, some cities have been establishing skateboard parks like the one the city of Kent has constructed at the corner of 116th and 240th on Kent's East Hill or on Houser Way, in Renton, on the site of the old Liberty Park pool.

Alas, there is the ever present "criminal element", but residents of these communities, as I have observed, keep an eye out for suspicious activity and know what is going on in their neighborhhods. In the 20 years that I lived on Kent's East Hill (near 132nd and 240th), I never saw any real problems in this way.

Again, housing is not cheap. A lot of new homes have been built recently (many more going up) and my only complaint is the spacing between them. It does not appear that there is enough room between them to get a pickup truck with a load of landscaping bark between them for that weekend backyard project. However, many of the older homes have been upgraded and have larger yards. These are very nice too, but can also be pricey.

Commuting and traffic is another issue in these areas. Since the building boom started, many primary roads have not kept pace and are still 2-lane. Road widening projects are underway, but at certain times of the day, the traffic is pretty bad.

Commuting on the freeways can often be a white knuckle adventure. I have found that knowing my intended route and making the appropriate lane changes well in advance of the exit I want to take helped to reduce my stress level. Still, getting caught in a slow rolling jam-up is a definite possibility - like on a rainy Friday afternoon just before a major holiday weekend!

[PNWAlex]

To choose between the three of those, I would choose Kent on the northside of the easthill, there are some pretty nice neighborhoods and schools as well. Or Renton in the Highlands or Fairwood for the same reasons and also these areas seem less congested to me than other areas of the puget sound such as Everett and the Eastside.

[kgrove]

I would say Maple Valley or Fairwood are your best bets for close to Renton, small town feel and great schools. Very safe, family friendly neighborhoods as well.

Fairwood is not yet incorporated so some of the addresses will say Renton and others will say Maple Valley. You can type in the zip code 98058 for a Fairwood home search.

Kelly

[Beloitmark]

The traffic from fairwood to the freeway is abysmal. Try Talbot Road South near Valley Medical Center. Great location!

[ArabiansRule]

It's all a big suburb. It used to be thought that north of Seattle was better than the "south end", but it's all the same. Kent has nationally recognized excellent school district. Unless you choose a gated, "stepford wives" type of community, they all have good and bad to them. And the abovementioned communities have plenty of bad, despite their glossy exterior. Drug dealers come in all shapes and sizes, and live in all types of neighborhoods, and bring violence/crime with them. The same goes for sex offenders, unfortunately. You just have to be involved with your kids, raise them to have common sense. The local police often can give you some idea of the "safer" blocks versus the ones they frequent on calls. Listen to your own inner voice which tells you what area you feel good about, when you visit them in your search. Good luck!