Shoreline? (Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond: crime, house, landscaping)

[Kat Smith]

Hi all,
As I have read through posts and Realtor websites, I have noticed that Shoreline has been mentioned as a more desirable location to live outside Seattle (meaning less crime, decent schools, etc.). It is sometimes clumped, based on certain criteria, with Eastside areas such as Issaquah, Kirkland, etc. which seem to get good reviews by many on this site for schools, quality of life, etc.

However, a search for homes shows you can get more house for your money in Shoreline versus other areas, so I naturally assume that Shoreline may not have the greatest reputation, otherwise property values would be competitive with other more "upscale" Eastside locations.

I still need to get (back) up to the area and look for myself.
Can you all give some input about this area and its schools?
Thanks!

[scirocco22]

Hi again, Kat. The way I see it and I stress that it's only my opinion so anybody else is, of course, welcome to dispute or add any information.

Shoreline to me is a bit different than Issaquah or Kirkland in that it has a much bigger disparity in its socioeconomic make-up. You have the neighborhoods that border the Aurora Avenue corridor that are made up of lower to middle class or working class neighborhoods. Then you have the extremely upscale neighborhoods on the western part of town; the neighborhoods that border The Highlands and Inis Arden. There are also areas of Richmond Beach that are quite nice.

As you have discovered, generally, you can find property in parts of Shoreline that will be priced quite a bit lower than if you were to find a comparable house was in Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue, or Issaquah. It would probably recommended to look on the west side of Shoreline if you want to find neighborhoods similar to the ones on the eastside although you'll find pockets of nice neighborhoods in the other parts of Shoreline too.

As far as the school district goes, it seems to me that the eastside districts have a better reputation but I'm not going to state any facts here because I don't have them right at my fingertips. Again, I hope that others will fill you in on actual experiences. Generally, Shoreline schools have had controversies in the past but I'm not really sure how they compare with other districts today.

Hope to hear from others.

Thanks.

--'rocco

[Kat Smith]

Thanks, scirocco22. Yes, what you have stated seems congruent with my overall impression-- I understand that going as far east as Kirkland etc. is an entirely different feel (and demographic) than Shoreline, which is the first area, just north outside of Seattle proper.
I was happy to get some suggestions as to areas comparable (in some ways) to those in the east.

[secret_squirrel]

One thing to look out for, since you mentioned schools.

Shoreline is experiencing a budget shortfall. Many school districts in this area are, but Shoreline is in talks to close a few schools. If you are going to buy in Shoreline, make sure that your neighborhood school isn't on the chopping block.

Shoreline is an alternative to Seattle, but I wouldn't compare it to the Eastside. The streets, restaurants, shopping, etc are not as upscale. But that's not meant as a criticism, just a difference. It's a close in location, no bridge commute and good back roads if the main line is congested.

[Commoncents]

Hi Kat, I have lived in Shoreline for 38 years and have traveled the world twice and all of America except Alaska. A few things, Shoreline has great schools and has Kings private school if you got the money. Property values are fairly low because there's a ton of World War 2 Cinder block homes which range from 650 to 900 sq. ft. and there priced around 300,000 and they usually have large property. If you get a home with say 1600 to 2500 sq. ft. there priced in the 400,000 to 550,000. It is a bargin here, but not for long....

[Wanderlust07]

I spent quite a few years there and it has definitely changed in the past few decades. As commoncents mentioned, there are quite a few older homes in that area, and I have seen what used to be nicely kept neighborhoods become rather run down. In addition, Shoreline allowed short platting of the large properties in the past decade, and developers enthusiastically built many small "cottage" homes on these large lots. I personally don't find this type of housing attractive when it's interspersed with older homes on large lots, and often these kinds of developments cause a traffic strain on the streets they're built on.

The Shoreline schools have historically had a good reputation for the quality of education they offer, though I understand they don't rank as highly as Northshore or Lake Washington schools.

While Shoreline incorporated in 1995, and maintains its own fire and police departments (though the police are provided through contract with the King County Sheriff's Office), you won't find a "downtown" in the sense that you'd find in Seattle or Bellevue. The city is rather sprawly and has unattractive Aurora Ave running nearly through its center.

My suggestion is that if you are truly interested in Shoreline, you spend time carefully reviewing the neighborhoods, and looking at the crime statistics, which the Shoreline Police can probably provide to you. The areas on the west side of Aurora that 'rocco mentioned are generally more affluent than the east side, and there are some great water views in Richmond Beach.

[jabm67]

Yes, Shoreline is looking to close a few schools, and there are already lawsuits filed. There are several school board members who are up for election this fall, and if they had their druthers they'd avoid setting the closings before the election ... though by the calendar they can't ... so it's rather snarled up right now.

[CanadianMom]

I agree with the "sprawly" comment. There is no quaint downtown area to walk around, we are in an area with hardly any sidewalks. The stores and restaurants are mostly mediocre chains.

[LordBalfor]

Yeah, I agree with most of the comments above. Overall Shoreline in not really comparable to any of the East Side cities. Much of the area along 99 is just not that good (rather scruffy-looking actually) while areas near the water are much nicer. There are very distinct differences between the areas. On the East Side it's very nice pretty much everywhere (sidewalks with landscaping, well-kept parks etc)

Ken