Considering a Move to the Seattle area

[bensp60]

Everyone, thanks for all the info, so for good public schools, were going to have to look a ways out of the city. Good to hear about the public transportation, how far out of the city does it run. Is it possible to park somewhere on the outskirts and ride in on the bus? We would really like a house, so perhaps we will have to look a ways out of the city, (as long as we can stomach the commute). It seems like we might want to look in the Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell or Lynnwood areas. Anyone have any estimated commute time from Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell, and Lynnwood areas to the Downtown, UW Medical Center and the Mukilteo area. Again everyone thanks for all the info.

~ Ben

P.S. Whats the likelihood of snow in the Seattle area? Here in Maine its in the low 30's and we have about a foot of Snow on the ground from a storm last weekend that dumped a good foot and a half on us, and its April. What I'm getting at is I hate snow, just curious how often and how much you guys get.

[scirocco22]

Hi again, Ben.

Yes, many use the extensive network of Park and Ride lots around the region to commute in from the outlying areas. Since the Puget Sound region lacks the efficient and high-capacity rail system of cities of comparable size, these Park and Rides even become more vital to the commuting public.

I'll give you the websites of the three transit agencies that you'd be using when listing those places you have in your last post:

King County: http://transit.metrokc.gov/ (broken link)

Snohomish County into the U of W: http://www.commtrans.org/

Sound Transit: http://www.soundtransit.org/

The system sometimes gets confusing.

When trying to figure out the bus route from a King County suburb into the Seattle CBD or the U of W, it will sometimes be a Metro route and sometimes a Sound Transit route.

Routes coming in from Snohomish County (Lynnwood) into the Seattle CBD will be Sound Transit. However, Lynnwood into the U of W will be Community Transit (Snohomish County's public transit system).

Those websites will give you schedules so you can get the commute times from the various suburban locations to either the Seattle CBD or the U of W. Because it can be so confusing, let me know if you have any specific questions on bus routing either here or by PM.

As far as snow goes, no, the Seattle area will get very little snow as a general statement. The region usually will have a limited season where the big snowfalls will occur. January through mid February is generally the time frame if a big snow will happen. And again, "big" snows are rare and only last a day or two when it warms up quickly and melts. Yes, there are exceptions but I'm just trying to give you a general summary. I've seen huge snow storms in November and even sometimes in March but nothing like other parts of the country where you could see these big snow storms even into April like we're seeing in Ohio ...and the NE right now. Not much of a chance at all of a huge snow storm in Seattle in mid-April. Cold rain is the norm for Seattle during the winter months.

Again, keep asking questions. There are a lot of folks here that will give you their opinions.


Thanks, more later.

--'rocco

[Deep_Vee]

One Comment on the Transit system...while our bus system is quite extensive, it has one major downfall. It may save you aggrivation, but it won't save you any time, because the busses have to sit in the same traffic everyone else does. Sure, there are carpool lanes, but in the heavy traffic areas, they tend to stop as much as the other lanes (I spend a lot of time stopped in the carpool lane).

As far as the park and ride lots, they are making them more and more convenient all the time...just make sure you secure your car somehow...I know 4 people who have had cars stolen from area park and ride lots...including mine a few years ago...

I'm really not trying to scare you...just trying to bring you my perspective.

[41Willys]

Originally Posted by magrack

UP pretty good, except in the apartment rental areas. Reputed to have some of the better schools in the area.

If you're looking at UP, consider Fircrest as a better alternate.

Lakewood is dicey unless you're looking at the area around Oakbrook Golf Course. Streets named after gemstones (Ruby, Onyx and the like).

Lacy, not too bad, except getting real crowded. Get east of Martin Way.

Thats a nice little ride to Olympia!

[secret_squirrel]

Hi, welcome to the area.

I grew up in south Snohomish County in the cities you mentioned and it is a great place to raise a family. But we are in the process of relocating to the south end, closer to my husband's office to reduce his commute and I thought I'd throw something else out for you to consider.

Based on your criteria of housing prices and amenities, a neighborhood I recommend looking into would be Lakeland Hills in south Auburn. Overall, the Auburn school district has a very good repulation and the schools in the Lakeland area are great. It is an excellent family neighborhood with walking trails, great parks and shopping/retail and a good gateway to the Cascade mountains.

We have single friends and friends with kids who live in the neighborhood and love it. We visited other communities in the area, but found Lakeland Hills stood out. Housing prices are more affordable and you can find something close to that range (anywhere from 340 - 380+).

Auburn has a Sound Transit train terminal with 4 trains a morning and 4 trains in the evening that will get you in/out of downtown Seattle in 30 minutes. The trains are new and have internet access and best of all, unlike buses, are unaffected by traffic snarls. Here's a link to timetables: http://www.soundtransit.org/x71.xml

In the north, you can take a commuter rail train from both Everett and Edmonds, but the route is a bit longer and there are only 2 departures, currently.

[kittyhox]

One area that is often overlooked as a great commute is the West Seattle area. You should be able to find a fixer upper or condo in your price range.

A little farther south, the Des Moines and Normandy Park areas are also good commutes. You just hop on 509, which turns into 99 and drops you off right downtown. I used to commute from this area. The best parts of both areas are expensive, but again, you can find condos, very small houses, and fixer uppers in your price range.

Seahurst and Shorewood area also nice, but surrounded by Burien/White Center, which is not-so-nice. However, they are revitalizing the main street area of Burien, so who knows what will happen with it in the future. It's such a doable commute.

Good luck to you!