Bellevue (Renton, Redmond, Kirkland: renting, low crime, school district)

[Citislicker]

HI there everyone,

Will be moving to WA in Oct this year, when the rain starts to fall, right? Can't wait for the move.

If I will be working in Downtown Bellevue, I want to live to the east of work location. Where (city/town) would be a good/safe place to live? Prefer within <10 miles from work.

HOw would you rate/rank the cities on the East side in terms of crime and safety, among Issaquah, Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish, and Kirkland?

Thanks a lot for your help. Any tip is greatly appreciated.

CS

[justus4]

Any of those cities are nice. Obviously living in Bellevue would put you closest to work and Bellevue has some nice areas. I think it depends if you have a family, your age, etc. but we really love all of the cities you mentioned, each for different reasons. Each has a different feel and it has taken us almost a year to get a hang of it so we are glad we haven't bought yet.

[Citislicker]

Single, 33yo. Will be renting. No kids, don't care about school district. Safe, quiet and low crime would be nice. Plus <10 miles to work.

[Ira500]

Just my opinion, and I've been wrong before, but I think Redmond and Sammamish might be a little isolating for a single person....I think all of the cities are safe. Bellevue is a big city compared to the others, but does have quiet areas. Kirkland has a couple of areas that are slightly less than desirable ( (Totem lake and Kingsgate) but also has some very nice areas, and much of Issaquah is really nice with great hiking nearby.

[Citislicker]

Thanks guys!
Does Highway 90 draw a line between nicer area and slightly less nice areas, for Bellevue and Issaquah? Is bus convenient between Issaquah and Dtown Bellevue?
Thanks again!

[Ira500]

Does Highway 90 draw a line between nicer area and slightly less nice areas, for Bellevue and Issaquah?
Not exactly. Yes, the most expensive parts of Bellevue are north of I-90, but there are also some great areas south of I-90, and in Issaquah I think it's more a function of age, with a lot newer stuff north of I-90, but not necessarily nicer...But that's my taste speaking, I like old buildings...
As far as buses from downtown Issaquah to downtown bellevue, I think it's the route 274, but you better check with King County, Washington to make sure.

[CSBye]

If you can afford to live in Bellevue I'd live there...stay away from Renton, Kingsgate, and Totem Lake like Ira500 suggested. Kirkland in general is very nice and you'll be close to the water. October is beautiful here usually...not a bad time to move!

[Ira500]

Just to clarify: I didn't suggest staying away from Renton. The OP was looking for places east of downtown Bellevue, so I didn't mention Renton. But I like Renton. There are parts to avoid, but mostly it's a friendly place with stuff to do, and lower housing costs..It also has good bus service to downtown Bellevue, but it might be slightly more than ten miles from downtown Bellevue.

[Citislicker]

Moving.com: Compare Two Cities

from link above, Bellevue has 38in precipation a year, but Issaquah, more inland, has 62in! Didn't realize Issaquah would have that much snow/rain! How do the locals feel?

Thanks guys. For potential earthquakes, should I pick buildings that are built later or after a certain year, when the codes changed, I guess? Any suggestions on that?

Is it easy to drive during the few days of snow? Here in the south, when it happens, we just don't go to work!

Thanks again!

[Ira500]

The link here says that the 62 inches of precipitation is the nearest weather station, which is Snoqualmie Falls. I don't think Issaquah gets 62 inches of precipitation per year...maybe a little more than Bellevue, as it's further east, closer to the Cascade mountains, but Snoqualmie Falls is closer to North Bend, which definitely gets more precipitation. I'd guess that downtown Issaquah gets maybe 3 more inches than downtown Bellevue.

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